Last year in May, HopSkipDrive formed a new group of safety experts to advise the alternative transportation company on how to plan for future product development and set new standards for its work. Now, over a year later, the company shared outcomes of the group's work so far and what lies ahead.

Since forming in May 2025, the council has helped shape the company's work ranging from in-vehicle recording and rider verification to how HopSkipDrive supports students with individualized education programs (IEPs), youth in foster care, and students experiencing homelessness.

The group has met regularly, most recently at a hands-on, workshop-style session in Denver. That session produced a draft safety framework that sharpens HopSkipDrive policies and is moving into product development, according to the company.

"HopSkipDrive is built with students’ safety at the center of what we do. Safety is the reason we started the company, and having outside experts in the room has already changed how we build," said Joanna McFarland, co-founder and CEO of HopSkipDrive. "We didn't get to better rider verification, or the policy ground we've gained, without them. Their questions get us there faster than we ever could alone."

Over a Year of Progress

Over the past year, HopSkipDrive has moved several council-informed initiatives from concept to practice, including:

• Ride Recording: In-App, part of CareEngine, captures audio and video on every eligible ride, encrypted and available to districts through RideIQ. CareDrivers never see the footage, and the program runs under a formal consent and retention framework.
• A council-informed push to strengthen rider verification beyond the traditional spoken code word, with new ways to confirm the right rider is getting into the right vehicle.
• Continued investment in structured rider and IEP data, replacing open-text notes with consistent, actionable detail so CareDrivers can better support each rider's needs.
• Policy engagement that helps raise industry-wide screening and accountability standards while preserving specialized safeguards for child transportation, backed by continued monitoring of state and federal legislation that affects how districts get students to school safely.

“We're in the room while frameworks are still being drafted, and that gives our feedback more weight than a sign-off at the end,” said Steve Nederveld, a former school-district director of mental health services and Safety Advisory Council member. “That's a different kind of access, and it means the guidance actually lands somewhere.”

 "What's stood out to me this year is how early we were brought in — not after a policy or product is finalized, but while it's still being shaped," said Shael Norris of SafeBAE and council member. "In my work on youth safety and abuse prevention, I've seen how much stronger rider verification and behavior-support protocols become when that expertise is part of the conversation from the start. There's real momentum here, and I'm looking forward to seeing it translate into even more concrete protections for kids. I honestly believe that HopSkipDrive's thoughtful and comprehensive focus on rider safety should elevate the bar for all ride sharing."

What’s Next for the Council?

According to HopSkipDrive, the council’s role has shifted from advisory to structural. Its input is now built into how the company develops safety policy and product, and that shift will shape the next phase of the company’s safety work.

Through the rest of the 2026-27 school year, HopSkipDrive and the council are developing a new framework for responding to rider behavior. The goal is that a behavior concern leads to added support rather than a lost ride, keeping students on the platform wherever it is safe to do so. The company is also expanding investment in tools that make it easier for riders who cannot easily advocate for themselves to report a concern.

HopSkipDrive continues to arrange and coordinate rides for students with disabilities, youth in foster care, and students experiencing homelessness under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. The company’s safety record across these rides is detailed in its annual Safety Report, and its investment in vetting, technology, and council-informed policy is designed to reduce risk at every stage of the ride.