HopSkipDrive Elevates Family Trust With Personal Calls to Families of New Riders

The Caregiver Great Start Program has a dedicated support team that connects with parents, providing personalized guidance to maximize their confidence and platform usage

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--HopSkipDrive, a technology company solving complex transportation challenges with safety, access, and care, has announced strong momentum with its enhanced Caregiver Great Start Program. This initiative introduces a dedicated support team that provides proactive and personalized outreach to new parents and guardians of HopSkipDrive riders. The goal is to ensure every family feels supported, confident, and well-equipped to fully utilize the HopSkipDrive platform once their school district books a ride.

While HopSkipDrive is built on a foundation of rigorous CareDriver vetting—including caregiving experience and a 15-point certification process with fingerprint-based background checks—the Caregiver Great Start Program recognizes that even the best technology requires a trust-building human connection to ensure full confidence in every ride. The program is specifically designed to bridge this gap, guiding new caregivers through key processes and ensuring a positive, secure start to their experience.

“Having someone from the Caregiver Support team talk directly with a parent and student who are new users of HopSkipDrive builds trust and success from the start... I noticed far fewer calls and emails this year, especially at the start of the year, and I think it’s because their support team took that task off my plate. This support has made a huge difference,” said Brianne Nakayama at Southern California Regional Occupational Center.

The Caregiver Great Start Program’s core strategic focus is on ensuring a seamless and confident start for new caregivers. This involves personally welcoming them with a proactive call placed at least 24 hours before the scheduled time of the first ride. During this touch-point, the support team provides immediate, personalized guidance on ride logistics, safety measures (such as HopSkipDrive’s ride verification mechanism which pairs a code word and birthdate to ensure each CareDriver meets the right rider), and how to utilize the HopSkipDrive app for maximum peace of mind.

The Caregiver Great Start Program has already demonstrated significant impact since the start of the Back-to-School season, delivering high-touch support that reinforces family confidence and platform adoption. The program actively engages all eligible caregivers for new riders from our client partners, ensuring 100% of contacted caregivers receive full guidance on the safety protocols and app features necessary for a smooth first ride.

By guiding caregivers to use the app to confidently track rides and access details, the program directly reinforces HopSkipDrive’s commitment to transparency and peace of mind. The personalized outreach ensures families fully grasp the power of the platform’s safety tools, including:

• Real-Time Tracking: Providing step-by-step instructions on how to track their child’s ride live on a map, from CareDriver arrival to safe drop-off.
• Ride Verification Reinforcement: Reiterating the two-factor verification process, which involves a two-way code word and birthdate communication, to ensure the right child is picked up by the right, vetted CareDriver.
• Self-Service Convenience: Empowering caregivers to manage their trips, including quick edits, cancellations, and updating specific location or rider notes directly in the app without relying solely on phone support.
• Safe Ride Support and Proactive Detection: Providing access to our dedicated team that monitors every ride, including the ability to measure driving behavior before a ride starts to ensure road safety and prevent dangerous driving.

About HopSkipDrive

HopSkipDrive is a technology company that solves complex transportation challenges where there is a heightened need for safety, equity, and care. HopSkipDrive is modernizing the $30 billion school transportation industry through two core solutions: a care-centered transportation marketplace and an industry-leading transportation intelligence platform, RouteWise AI™. HopSkipDrive's marketplace supplements school buses and existing transportation options by connecting kids to highly-vetted caregivers on wheels, such as grandparents, babysitters, and nurses in local communities. RouteWise AI helps schools and districts address critical challenges, including budget cuts, bus driver shortages, and reaching climate goals. HopSkipDrive has supported over 13,500 schools across 21 states, with nearly 1,300 school districts, government agencies, and nonprofit partners. More than five million rides over 95 million miles have been completed through HopSkipDrive since the company was founded in 2014 by three working mothers.