On Sept. 19, technology company HopSkipDrive revealed improvements to its alternative student transportation solution. According to the announcement the upgrade is to help address schools’ operational and funding challenges and ensure students can consistently get to school on time.

Enhancements include the following.

Quicker Turnaround Times

HopSkipDrive enables school district staff to book a ride for a student with just hours’ notice through their ride management platform called RideIQ. The company notes that in other situations, it can take days or weeks to line up transportation for a student in need.

Now, HopSkipDrive has reduced the turnaround time for confirmed rides from eight hours to six hours. And, the platform can arrange same-day rides for students in markets across the country. These changes directly address the needs of districts working to arrange transportation at the beginning of the academic year for mobile student populations, such as students experiencing homelessness or in foster care, as well as new enrollees on short notice.

Higher Availability of Drivers

The company also has increased the number of its vetted CareDrivers and says it has the highest-ever availability of drivers at back-to-school. This comes at a critical time as 91% of school districts report a driver shortage.

All of the company's CareDrivers must complete HopSkipDrive’s 15-point certification process including fingerprint-based background checks, driving history checks, vehicle inspections, and video screenings.

Aiming for Satisfaction

“Some of our parent pick up areas are not easy to find when you only have the school address,” said the general secretary for transportation at Washington’s Fife School District. “[With HopSkipDrive], the driver can arrive at the parent pick up areas of the school and not mess up the buses. This is great!! Thank you.”

HopSkipDrive reaffirms its commitment to excellence, noting average customer service wait times under 90 seconds and guaranteeing that 100% of ride requests are matched with a CareDriver. This year, it launched three new products:

• Daily Queue, allowing school staff to efficiently manage rides and communicate directly with CareDrivers.

• Direct and secure contact between school transportation teams and HopSkipDrive CareDrivers.

• An in-app digital ID for CareDrivers.

“Educators, teachers, and school staff nimbly and compassionately support the growing number of students needing individualized transportation needs – and we often see clients booking rides the night before so a student doesn’t miss a day of school,” said Joanna McFarland, CEO and co-founder of HopSkipDrive. “We’ll continue to empower transportation officials navigating challenges like a bus driver shortage to quickly support students who need a ride.”