Safety is our number one priority: It’s why we hold ourselves to industry-leading standards and why we’re driven to continuously innovate.
We recently announced our COVID-Safe Ride Standards (listed below), to be implemented across all markets by August 1, in time for the 2020-2021 school year. These standards were created using CDC guidelines and local regulations, as well as engaging public health experts. We made changes to our technology and processes – iterating our technology workflow, enabling anonymous exposure reporting for our education partners, and partnering with Ro, a telehealth company, to connect CareDrivers with free diagnostic services. We also included first-in-market procedures such as plastic dividers between front and back seats.
HopSkipDrive is adopting enhanced standards, and implementing them quickly in all markets, because we’re committed to keeping the HopSkipDrive community safe and healthy. We made the decision to openly share our standards — and exactly what they entail — because we’re committed to keeping everyone safe and healthy by sharing what we know and setting a high bar for the industry.
HopSkipDrive is a purpose-driven company; our mission is to create opportunity for all through greater mobility. Keeping our Riders and CareDrivers safe and healthy (and, in turn, everyone they come into contact with) has always been at the core of what we do.
We felt keeping our COVID-Safe Ride Standards proprietary to ensure competitive advantage didn’t fit with our mission or our values. We want all children, families and drivers to be protected, regardless of which vendor they’re riding with.
It sometimes takes one company doing things differently to effect serious change. I think of Volvo, which invented the modern V-type three-point safety belt over six years of research and development. Rather than charge huge license fees to use the patent, or retain exclusivity by keeping the design to themselves, Volvo made its patent immediately available to all car companies, even direct competitors. Although it shouldered the research and development costs, Volvo prioritized mass adoption of their life-saving technology over any brand advantage.
No other student transportation solution in the country has stated they’ll require plastic dividers. We hope our announcement will spur others in the industry to go above and beyond. We also hope that our competitors will utilize technology that ensures compliance and build best health practices into their workflows.
The HopSkipDrive COVID-Safe Ride Standards are for the health of our community at large and for our business. More than that, they’re a call to action.
HopSkipDrive is involved in other community initiatives during this time as well, from educational technology delivery to students who need laptops and devices at home for distance learning to bringing food to healthcare workers on the front line. We’re helping with graduation logistics, including delivering caps and gown and transportation to and from schools for graduation photos, and surprising and delighting teachers with ice cream.
If you’re interested in contributing to our community efforts, we invite you to learn more about HopSkipDrive Helps — and how your donations can make a difference to those in need.
A summary of our COVID-Safe Ride Standards:
- Promote the safest in-ride environment for CareDrivers and Riders.
- Consistent with CDC recommendations, CareDrivers must wear face coverings and proper personal protective equipment during rides; Riders are also asked to follow CDC and local guidelines on wearing personal protective equipment.
- Plastic dividers between front and back seat.
- Vehicle cleaning and disinfecting between rides following CDC recommendations.
- Asking Ride Organizers to follow CDC and local guidelines by keeping Riders home if they show COVID-19 symptoms.
- Use our technology to promote optimal health.
- CareDrivers must affirm in the app that they’re asymptomatic and have not been exposed to COVID-19 each day before they start providing rides.
- When checking in for a ride, CareDrivers must confirm in the app that they’ve cleaned and disinfected their vehicle.
- We’re partnered with Ro, a telehealth company, to connect CareDrivers with free diagnostic screenings.
- Provide CareDrivers and Ride Organizers with critical safety resources.
- We’ll provide COVID-Safe Rides Standards resources for Ride Organizers and CareDrivers. Our in-app notifications will continue to remind Ride Organizers and CareDrivers of COVID-Safe Ride Standards and best practices.
- Minimize exposure through anonymous COVID-19 exposure testing.
- We will facilitate anonymous COVID-19 exposure reporting, to the extent that user’s privacy interests remain protected. This way, if anyone does show symptoms, you’ll know which CareDriver/Riders have interacted with them to implement best health practices.
