Pleasanton Unified School District in Pleasanton, California, is home to 16 schools and more than 14,000 students. Ranked the #1 school district in Alameda County, Pleasanton strives to have its students fulfill rigorous academic standards in preparation for future success, and believes in addressing the needs of each student as an individual.
Pleasanton School Social Worker Elise Greenaway (pictured left), was experiencing challenges supporting ridership for students with mandated transportation in their IEPs and students experiencing homelessness who qualify for McKinney-Vento transportation.
Since she and her school district began using HopSkipDrive to arrange rides for these students, the partnership has proved so successful that the number of students riding with HopSkipDrive has doubled — and the district has increased ride volume with HopSkipDrive by almost 4X.
Another positive result: Attendance rates for Pleasanton students who ride with HopSkipDrive have significantly improved.
Read the Q&A below to hear firsthand from Elise about how the district — and its students — are benefitting from working with HopSkipDrive.
What were you doing to meet IEP and McKinney-Vento transportation needs before HopSkipDrive?
Prior to HopSkipDrive, we had a contract with a local cab company. We had a lot of issues with communication and being able to make last-minute changes. Often, the cab company was also not able to service the areas we needed students to receive transportation from.
Why did you choose HopSkipDrive?
The ability to schedule and change rides online without having to call really streamlined the process. The HopSkipDrive parent app also allows parents/caregivers to take more responsibility with scheduling and changing rides.
What has your overall experience been like with HopSkipDrive?
We’ve had a very positive experience working with HopSkipDrive. Any time there has been a challenge, the company has been very responsive with figuring out a solution and making things right so the same error doesn’t happen again in the future.
I’ve also had CareDrivers go above and beyond to be flexible for the needs of our most vulnerable students.
What do the students think of HopSkipDrive?
Students have reported that they appreciate the consistency that HopSkipDrive rides are able to offer them. Amongst all the instability in their lives, it’s helpful to know they can depend on a ride each morning and that they will be able to get home after school each day in a timely manner.
Can you talk about the impact HopSkipDrive has had on the lives of your students?
School is one of the only consistently safe places our students experiencing homelessness can depend on. It’s a place where they know they can be cared for by other adults, receive breakfast and lunch, and access mental health services and support to stay on track academically despite circumstances at home.
In order to access all of these benefits, however, transportation is key. There are so many barriers we cannot remove for our students, but transportation is something we CAN do.
Providing HopSkipDrive services drastically improves attendance rates for our most vulnerable students.
* The views presented are those of the speaker or author and do not necessarily represent the views of HopSkipDrive.
Interested in learning more about how HopSkipDrive helps districts improve attendance by supporting McKinney-Vento and IEP transportation needs?
