INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
That may explain the success to date of HopSkipDrive, a six-year-old, L.A.-based company that pairs drivers with both families but also,
crucially, school districts
Specifically, the now 100-plus person company has deals in place with school districts in 13 markets across eight states where it works with
more than 7,000 contractors.All contractors, says cofounder and CEO Joanna McFarland, must have at least five years of childcare experience
arrival of both homeless and foster children, whose numbers in the United States have reached an astonishing 2.5 million and 440,000,
I wonder if your story was harder to tell investors than it might have been a year ago, when they were more bullish on car-share
We work with families, but we also contract with school districts and counties, and that has a strong path to profitability
less.Particularly challenging for them are children with specialized needs or homeless children who are moving around a lot but have the
same right to get to school
We can still pick them up the next morning.TC: There are thousands of homeless children attending San Francisco schools
growing population in a lot of places
Districts might not even know how many students are homeless or in foster care because their situations can change so significantly
It might start with 500 students at the beginning of the year and end with 1,000
County, for example, and it has the largest child welfare system in the country, with 88 districts and between 20,000 and 30,000 kids in
foster care at any one time
They pay for what they need
We talk with them about their needs last year and this year and that does help us tremendously with supply and demand.TC: How much of your
business is coming from school partnerships versus from families that hire your company to take their kids to soccer games?JM: Our business
drivers are 1099 workers, so presumably they are working for other ride-share or other gig-economy companies? How busy can you keep them?JM:
They also have control over where they drive and when, based on personal preferences
They can choose some rides before school so they can take care of an elderly relative or grandchildren
They can see rides that are available up to a week in advance and select which ones they want depending on their schedule
Many are semi-retired and not looking for full-time income.TC: How can parents be certain their kids are safe?JM: We have a dual
authentication process so drivers confirm a code word with the child and another piece of information that the child will know
Parents can track the rides in real time
We also have tech that monitors rides and can detect anomalies and provide support as needed
For example, they know via GPS and sensors if a driver is hitting traffic or has stopped owing to a flat tire and can react proactively,
whether it is to send another car (in the case of a flat tire) or let the school and parents know that the child will be late
We designed the whole system for when a passenger may not have a phone.TC: Why start this company?JM: I started in finance then went into
product management, working for tech companies
cofounders.Pictured above from left to right: HopSkipDrive cofounders Carolyn Yashari Becher
Joanna McFarland, and Janelle McGlothlin
