Ride-Sharing Service Will Cover L.A. Foster Kids' Transportation Needs Through 12th Grade

Across Los Angeles and Orange County today, the need for reliable, safe transportation services to help busy parents and families get their children and teens to school, after-school activities and back home safely, has never been higher. As most parents work full time and aren’t always able to provide transportation, children are often left without and forced to skip out on activities they’ve been looking forward to. On top of that, foster and adoptive parents face an even greater challenge of balancing their work, family and children’s schedules with education laws and foster care policies. Since many foster youth often change schools frequently–some up to 3 times a year–they lose access to mentors, activities and more.

However, thanks to the efforts of Student Transportation Inc., Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE), LA Department of Children and Family Services, L.A.U.S.D. and ride-sharing company, HopSkipDrive, foster youth’s transportation needs are covered with HopSkipDrive. Launched in 2015, HopSkipDrive is designed to help get LA foster kids to school all the way through 12th grade until they graduate. Since its rollout, the ride service has already helped families get to and from more than 2,500 schools across Los Angeles, Orange County and the San Francisco Bay Area and has directly partnered with over 200 private, public and charter schools, and nonprofit organizations to provide student transportation rideshare and carpool solutions. The ride service will ensure students in foster care have the ability to remain at their school of origin, even if they have been moved to out of home care. Through this program, LACOE will utilize HopSkipDrive services to transport foster youth from their new home to their school and back again. Read the full story from Fostering Media Connections’s online magazine, the Chronicle of Social Change.

More About HopSkipDrive

HopSkipDrive is the leading ride service for kids founded by three working moms. HopSkipDrive makes it easy for parents to schedule rides with CareDrivers through our mobile apps or website and then track their child’s ride in real time. Schools and organizations also partner with HopSkipDrive to develop flexible rideshare transportation options for families. All CareDrivers have more than five years of childcare experience and must pass a selective 15-point certification process, including extensive background checks, vehicle inspection, fingerprinting, DMV checks, and in-person meetings. HopSkipDrive also tracks and monitors every ride in real-time with live support. To learn more, visitwww.hopskipdrive.com or download the iOS or Android App.