Is This Rideshare App For Kids Worth It?

HopSkipDrive can present safer transportation for schoolchildren and senior residents than a typical rideshare app. Caredrivers undergo an in depth screening course of, and the platform supplies real-time updates to folks and guardians.

This platform is offered in a number of metro areas throughout america for on-demand transportation. Our HopSkipDrive evaluation carefully examines how households can procure protected and inexpensive college transportation.

Additional, we present the way it’s attainable to turn out to be a paid driver to earn more money whereas serving to households with distinctive wants.    

What’s HopSkipDrive?

HopSkipDrive is a ridesharing app specializing at school and senior transportation when public transportation or help from a member of the family is impractical. The app companions with college districts and organizations nationwide to offer protected and various transportation.

It emphasizes security and has a comparatively rigorous screening course of in comparison with different ridesharing apps for extra peace of thoughts. The Android or iOS cellular makes it straightforward to trace the rider’s location, plus the power to ebook rides.

For example, dad and mom can arrange rides so their youngsters don’t must trip the bus or when a bus route is unavailable. The driving force has a minimum of 5 years of earlier caregiver expertise. Drivers additionally go a background verify together with little one abuse and neglect scans.

Whereas this app is principally for kids needing a trip between college, residence, and afterschool actions, it additionally presents aged transportation. Some drivers have wheelchair-accessible automobiles to assist riders make appointments and run errands.

This flexibility is superb for working households that can’t take off from work at sure hours. Moreover, it’s useful when a caregiver or babysitter can not choose up the rider.

How Does HopSkipDrive Work?

Right here is the best way to use the platform to schedule one-time and recurring rides with out the stress that may accompany commonplace transportation choices.

Faculty Transportation

Most rides contain drivers taking youngsters to and from college and after-school actions. Mother and father and organizations can request rides a minimum of 8 hours prematurely. The cutoff time is 7 p.m. for morning rides. 

Youngsters have to be a minimum of six years outdated to trip with out grownup supervision, and drivers might present booster seats. Youthful youngsters can trip if an grownup is current to put in or take away the protection seat. Adults should accompany youngsters beneath the age of 4. 

The platform states that it has helped over 16,000 colleges for college kids with out conventional bus routes. Along with serving to particular person households, the platform facilitates college rides for youth experiencing homelessness (McKinney-Vento Act) and foster youngsters. 

This app immediately companions with college districts to assist college students with the next conditions:

• After Faculty care
• Constitution colleges 
• Persevering with technical training
• Extracurricular actions
• Individualized training plan
• Personal colleges
• Particular wants
• Sports activities observe

HopSkipDrive can work with obtainable drivers to finalize a pickup time if dad and mom or authorized guardians don’t request rides. Drivers are extra available through the college yr, but it surely’s attainable to make use of the service year-round for academic and private functions. 

Senior Rides

Older people can profit from the service, as properly. HopSkipDrive collaborates with households, organizations, and nursing houses to offer transportation. 

A number of the choices embody:

• Physician appointments
• Meals on wheels
• Procuring journeys
• Social outings 

Along with offering rides involving disabilities and particular wants, drivers should make lodging for service animals, because the regulation requires. You’ll want to embody any requests to discover a appropriate car through the scheduling course of. 

It’s attainable to schedule these rides in the identical app as college rides. Additional, some multi-generational households use this service to schedule rides for his or her youngsters and ageing kinfolk. 

Actual-Time Updates

Every trip implements the HopSkipDrive Protected Experience Assist system, offering hands-on help to folks and trip requesters. The rideshare app supplies a driver’s profile, car identification data, and real-time location particulars within the app. 

If the itinerary has a number of stops, the progress web page signifies the present leg of the journey. It additionally reveals if the driving force is selecting up or dropping off different passengers. 

Additional, a number of security practices are in place for extra peace of thoughts:

• Orange identification decals: Drivers place an orange decal or car to assist establish authentic drivers.
• Passenger photographs: Mother and father can add a photograph of their little one to make it simpler for the driving force to seek out the proper rider.
• Rider code phrase: The driving force and passenger will affirm a secret code phrase earlier than letting the rider into the car.
• Particular directions: Mother and father can embody superior directions corresponding to written permission to enter and signal out a baby. Different examples are mentioning notable landmarks or the rider’s apparel to keep away from delays.

It’s additionally attainable to contact drivers by name or textual content. Nevertheless, drivers solely reply the telephone when the car is stopped. The app makes use of a third-party service to detect telephone utilization throughout movement to forestall speaking or texting whereas driving.

Lastly, reside chat help is offered immediately from the corporate each day from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Pacific. Telephone help can also be for pressing issues. You could think about contacting the help heart when the driving force can not fulfill your wants.

As a father of 4, I discover these safeguards to be sensible. Whereas I don’t reside inside the service space, they make me really feel comfy requesting a trip for my little one, understanding that I can confirm the driving force’s id and monitor their present location whereas en path to the vacation spot.  

Areas

HopSkipDrive is offered within the following metro areas:

• Arizona
• California
  • Bay Space
  • Los Angeles
  • Northern California
  • Orange County
  • Sacramento
  • San Diego
  • Southern California
• Colorado
  • Boulder
  • Colorado Springs
  • Denver
  • Entrance Vary
• District of Columbia
  • DMV (D.C., Maryland, and Virginia)
• Florida
• Indiana
• Michigan
• Missouri
• Nevada
• Pennsylvania
• Tennessee
• Texas
  • Austin
  • Dallas/Ft. Value
  • Houston
  • Midland
• Wisconsin

The service space is normally a 100-mile most journey distance. This service space makes it a superb platform for expansive cities and distinctive conditions in outlying areas. The service presently doesn’t present airport transportation, which requires extra allowing.

Fare Safety

In choose metro areas, drivers and riders may be eligible for this characteristic, which ensures a minimal driver payout. For instance, a minimal trip charge helps drivers earn a aggressive wage for brief journeys.

Fare Safety additionally ensures that drivers earn a minimum of the estimated quantity when checking in at the beginning of the trip. The incomes potential can improve when the driving time is a minimum of 5 minutes longer than the estimate and exceeds the minimal base fare threshold. For instance, the minimal varies by metropolis and is a minimum of eight miles and 35 minutes in Phoenix.  

You possibly can ebook a trip with most bank cards and debit playing cards. The app waits to cost the fee methodology as soon as the trip ends to confirm the whole journey value. This observe removes the opportunity of requesting refunds if the driving force cancels or no person claims your trip request.

How A lot 

Under are many widespread charges that riders and drivers can anticipate paying. The common trip can value between $40 and $80 with a route distance from 10 to 30 miles.

Experience Charges

The platform has a fare estimator allows you to venture fares for one-stop and multi-stop routes by plugging within the areas’ addresses. As peak hour pricing might apply, you may choose the beginning time for a extra exact estimate.

Listed here are a few of the prices for pattern routes: 

• $40 for 11 miles in Spokane, WA
• $45 for 13 miles within the Nashville, TN metro space
• $62 for 20 miles within the Washington, D.C. metro space
• $71 for 27 miles in Los Angeles
• $82 for 25 miles within the Nashville, TN, metro space

The above value estimates include a base fare measuring the gap and driving time. A reserving charge and native working prices additionally apply. 

Peak-hour pricing applies when the pick-up time is from 6:30 to eight:29 a.m. and a pair of:30 p.m. to 4:29 p.m. 

Different incidental fees might also apply, corresponding to car harm, rider delays, and tolls: 

• Cancellation charge: 50% for cancellations between one to eight hours and 100% for cancellations inside one hour of pick-up
• Cleansing charges: Spot cleansing ($50) and full detailing ($100)
• Injury charges: Varies
• Tolls: Price of toll
• Wait time: Varies and begins 10 minutes after the scheduled pickup time 

Suggestions are non-compulsory; you pay the driving force immediately as an alternative of by the app. Drivers hold 100% of all suggestions they obtain.

Driver Charges

Drivers gained’t encounter incidental charges, excluding regular wear-and-tear or gasoline purchases. Optionally available security tools like booster seats is likely to be non-reimbursable. One can search reimbursements for tolls, parking, and rider-responsible harm or soiling. 

Not like most delivery app jobs, this platform doesn’t provide same-day funds to a linked debit card, which incurs third-party charges. 

HopSkipDrive Driver Necessities

The platform’s driver necessities are stricter than these of most ridesharing apps because you transport youngsters and older adults and not using a guardian companion. Particularly, you want a minimum of 5 years of caregiver expertise, a clear driving file, and a background verify.

The fundamental driver and car necessities embody:

• Age: Are a minimum of 23 years outdated
• Background verify: You should go multi-agency background checks and fingerprinting. This step additionally features a Youngster Abuse and Neglect scan.
• Caregiving expertise: 5 or extra years of caregiving expertise, together with two years with youngsters
• Driving expertise: Minimal of three years and a clear file
• Car specs: Personal or lease a four-door car over 10 years outdated. It should additionally go an annual inspection from a licensed mechanic.  

In most states, the certification course of takes between 25 and 60 days with numerous on-line and in-person actions. 

How A lot Does HopSkipDrive Pay?

Drivers can anticipate incomes between $12 and $21 per trip, in response to current lively driver on Indeed. “It’s a must to verify the app each day to ebook rides every week out, they usually get snatched up shortly. The children have been nice to date, however they anticipate quite a bit from drivers for little or no cash.”

Anticipate making $1,000 per month or extra by finishing a number of rides every college day, in response to a number of drivers. This pay is earlier than driving bills, and you could calculate the whole journey time to estimate your efficient hourly charge.

“Is determined by the place you reside , however the place I’m, I’m able to make 300-400 {dollars} weekly , however that’s solely doing 4-5 rides a day. It’s the good facet gig for somebody with a gas environment friendly automobile. There are bonuses on rides which are pressing, so you probably have time all through the day I’d positively do it. Simply ensure you plan out your day appropriately, that means you might be extra environment friendly, hope this helps,” says sad-improvement-123. 

Your journey pay contains a number of components:

• Base fare
• Boosts and promotions
• Additional wait time and driving time
• Optionally available buyer suggestions 

These wages are aggressive with most supply apps, however some drivers say they will earn extra of their native market with a standard ride-sharing platform. Consequently, you have to be comfy transporting adults who is likely to be extra troublesome should you work on nights or weekends. Nonetheless, it’s a satisfying method to make money from your phone. 

The platform advertises that new drivers can earn as much as $50 per hour. This incomes potential is feasible with back-to-school promotions that assure a minimal payout after finishing a minimal variety of rides through the promotion interval. 

HopSkipDrive Opinions

Listed here are a number of driver and buyer critiques from constructive and unfavourable views to assist achieve an inside have a look at the platform.

“To date so good! Very happy with the Hop Skip and drive service for my highschool son. My son additionally said that each driver that has picked him up has been wonderful, dependable, affected person, courteous, respectful, pleasant, and type,” — Sylvia S. 

“This driving job is mainly an “Uber” for youths beneath 18. Straightforward to make use of app and an honest caring customer support staff. Nonetheless paid in full for last-minute (cancellations). Loads of alternatives in LA/Orange County areas. Scheduling children frequently is a plus and consistency and relationship with the children.” — A Los Angeles driver on Indeed.

“I’ve been a care driver for HopSkipDrive for 4 years and have discovered it to be a straightforward and fulfilling job. It’s nice that I can choose my very own rides and take day off if I must. Extremely suggest!” —A Pleasanton, CA driver on Indeed.

“After spending the time to enter all the information, my request for a driver was rebuffed stating that there weren’t sufficient drivers in our Phoenix space to help this request. Remember the fact that I used to be inserting the request 5 days prematurely, not final minute.” — AggieinAZ

“The pay is ridiculous, and reserving consecutive jobs is difficult as a result of most colleges get out on the similar time.This isn’t a daily Uber job. Many instances, it’s important to go into colleges and meet children within the workplace. This provides to your time. If a job doesn’t get picked up, they attempt to entice you by including a “increase’ like $2.” —A Las Vegas driver on Indeed.

“Good environment working with kiddos and offering consistency to them attending to/from college. The driving force help is pretty good. You continue to receives a commission when it’s a no-show. Want there was all-year enterprise however normally it’s simply throughout (the) college yr.” —A Madison, WI driver on Indeed.

Alternate options to HopSkipDrive

These driving facet hustles might present extra paid alternatives in your neighborhood. You may additionally think about these supply duties to make money in your free time outdoors of faculty hours:  

• DoorDash: Ship meals and merchandise from eating places and shops. This platform is offered nationwide, together with in rural areas.
• Instacart: Store for and ship grocery orders with a versatile schedule. Many supermarkets and low cost retailers take part. It’s attainable to be an in-store shopper with scheduled shifts in choose cities.
• Uber: Drivers might think about Uber to ship passengers and Uber Eats for meals. The driving force and car necessities are extra versatile as an Uber Eats driver.

Steadily Requested Questions

Listed here are a number of questions that you might have earlier than becoming a member of HopSkipDrive.

Is HopSkipDrive Protected?

The platform implements rigorous security protocols to seek out eligible drivers with related expertise and a clear background verify. It additionally has a number of trip monitoring instruments for folks to confirm their little one safely reaches their vacation spot.   

How Do I Turn into a HopSkipDrive Driver?

You possibly can apply on-line when residing in an lively service space. First, add the required paperwork and full the digital orientation. The ultimate steps contain an in-person background verify and car inspection.

Can You Make Cash with HopSkipDrive?

Most drivers earn roughly $20 per trip and earn a minimum of $1,000 month-to-month by driving each day. Drivers might have to assert trip requests a number of days prematurely on a first-come, first-serve foundation. You’ll want to calculate the commuting prices and dealing time to find out if the estimated earnings is price it for a specific request.

What’s the HopSkipDrive cancellation coverage for drivers?

Drivers obtain half of the estimated fee if the guardian or caregiver cancels the trip between one and eight hours earlier than the beginning time. Full compensation is feasible when the requester cancels inside 60 minutes of pick-up. There isn’t a compensation if the guardian cancels a minimum of eight hours prematurely.

Abstract

HopSkipDrive could be a protected public transit various for folks with one-time or recurring trip requests. It can be a satisfying facet hustle for impartial contractors who need to assist households and wish versatile working hours.

The app’s most important weak spot is that it solely operates in choose cities throughout america.