Safety is everything when it comes to school transportation. There’s nothing more important than the well-being and security of students when transporting them to and from school, extracurricular activities and other educational pursuits.
We like to say that safety is “always on” at HopSkipDrive — it’s the top priority with every single decision we make. We continuously strive to go above and beyond industry safety norms to ensure that all HopSkipDrive rides are completed safely and reliably.
Read on to learn more about some of the many things we do for safety at HopSkipDrive.
We share safety data and information
One way we show our dedication to safety is by providing transparency into our safety innovations and data with our annual Safety Report. By sharing our safety processes and results openly, we’re offering up a new model of what safe school transportation looks like in the 21st century while demonstrating how technology and expertise can be used to provide safe access to opportunity for children everywhere.
When it comes to safety results, the numbers really say it all: 100% of HopSkipDrive rides in 2021 were completed without a critical safety incident. In fact, there has never been a critical safety incident in the eight years HopSkipDrive has been in business.
The 2021 data also shows that the total number of safe rides delivered through the HopSkipDrive platform more than doubled from the prior year. More than 7 million safe miles were driven by HopSkipDrive CareDrivers in 2021 across 18 markets in 8 states and Washington, D.C.
We offer an in-depth CareDriver certification process
Our 15-point CareDriver certification process — the minimum qualifications prospective CareDrivers must have in order to access the HopSkipDrive platform — incorporates regulatory requirements and industry best practices related to safety.
Every CareDriver receives a fingerprint-based background check against FBI records. We also run extensive checks with various agencies, including county, state, and national records; the global watchlist; and sex offender databases. Platform safety investments also include a Child Abuse and Neglect Scan (CANS) for all prospective CareDrivers where legally permitted. CareDrivers also undergo a motor vehicle record review, and are enrolled in ongoing criminal and driving record monitoring.
With continued advancements in technology, data has become an integral part of the world of mobility that allows for new ways of mitigating risk. Telematics solutions allow for raw sensor data from a user’s mobile device to be turned into critical insights that provide real-time information about their driving habits. This provides a better understanding of risk and predictive behaviors.
HopSkipDrive partners with an industry-leading third-party software provider that detects unsafe driving behaviors during the ride. This cutting-edge technology looks at five unsafe driving categories to provide a safety score for all HopSkipDrive CareDrivers.
Image Courtesy of HopSkipDrive
These categories include phone usage, speeding, acceleration, hard braking and hard-turning. Using the sensors on a smartphone, this software can also detect auto collisions at a certain speed, and will notify HopSkipDrive at the moment of impact.
We use technology and an internal team to monitor rides in real-time
HopSkipDrive’s Safe Ride Support System is an integrated solution that provides end-to-end ride visibility for HopSkipDrive, as well as for platform users including CareDrivers, Ride Organizers, and parents or caregivers associated with a Rider’s account.
This system combines two of our most essential resources — people and technology — to provide the safest possible ride experience by monitoring rides in real-time for safety-related anomalies. The system flags such anomalies and generates alerts that are prioritized and addressed through set processes.
Our Safe Ride Support System also keeps the lines of communication wide open by sending text messages to Ride Organizers and parents or caregivers to keep them informed at every step of the ride.
We continually invest in new safety features and technologies
While traditional school bus transportation has barely changed over the past 40 years, our innovative platform is constantly being updated and expanded to meet the safety standards and expectations for the world we currently live in — and to address the changing needs of schools, districts, students and families.
Image Courtesy of HopSkipDrive
Our RideIQ platform allows districts to optimize their transportation operations and allows Ride Organizers to coordinate specific transportation that meets each student’s needs effortlessly.
Innovation is, and always has been, the driving force behind HopSkipDrive. Our goal is to improve educational outcomes through safe, efficient and reliable school transportation while committing to always being at the forefront of transportation technologies, including electrification.
When it comes to safety results, the numbers really say it all: 100% of HopSkipDrive rides in 2021 were completed without a critical safety incident. In fact, there has never been a critical safety incident in the eight years HopSkipDrive has been in business. 
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