Carpooling to work has seen changes with the introduction of such ride sharing businesses as Uber and Sidecar. Now carpooling for kids is changing too. The idea of being able to schedule a driver to pick up your kids and drive them to soccer practice after school is no longer just for the rich. A startup in San Francisco will send pre-screened “kid-friendly” women drivers to pick up kids in a business venture that is attracting both attention and investors. If successful we could be seeing this type of service spread across the country. Best of all, security is their big watchword.

Carpooling For Kids With Safety

The carpooling for kids is called Shuddle and it has done its homework when it comes to parents concerned about safety for their kids. In San Francisco they have a pool of 200 women drivers who are screened first to ensure they are great with kids. The cars, which are required to be less than 10 years old, must pass a 19-point safety inspection and all cars have four doors.

Another safety feature is that customers see bios of the drivers and their cars when they schedule the pickup. That is one of the reasons pickups are scheduled at least 24 hours in advance. Finally, customers and drivers are given a security word that drivers must give the kids when they arrive. In addition, parents can track the ride on their smartphones and they will see a confirmation of the drop-off as soon as it happens.

Filling A Car Sharing Gap

While parents have been using services like Uber for getting teens home safely after parties for a while now, this idea addresses a gap in the rideshare movement. With its added safety features, along with the fact some ride sharing companies aren’t insured for children, Shuddle could be a boon for busy parents in urban centers. The monthly membership fee of $9 makes it affordable to try out and the fees per ride are based on distance and time, so short hops that might be too long for younger kids to walk are feasible. Carpooling for kids with a service like this may make those after school activities easier to schedule and give parents the hand they need.