As a leading safe youth transportation solution for schools and families, we talk about the importance of safety a lot here at HopSkipDrive. Safety is our North Star — it’s the guiding core value for our company. And it’s the very first thing we think about every day, with everything we do.
To provide more insight into the role that safety plays in every aspect of our operations, we talked to some HopSkipDrive employees, education partners, parents and members of our Safety Advisory Board to get their thoughts on what safety really means — and how it relates to HopSkipDrive’s mission of creating opportunity for all through mobility.
We asked them: What does safety mean to you?
Safety means being proactive
“Safety is everything at HopSkipDrive. It looks a little different in each department; for my department, Safe Ride Support, it’s the core of our team. We support active rides, so we must be observant and proactive. The safety of our riders and CareDrivers is our top priority on every step we take.”
—Rachel Herro, HopSkipDrive Safe Ride Support Manager
Safety means thinking of everything
“Our daughter recently used HopSkipDrive for the first time. Being the over-protective mother I am, it took me a month of hearing about the process before using it. After talking with several kids that used HopSkipDrive, we were ready. The things I liked were the identifying CareDriver t-shirts, the CareDriver password, and the ability to show my daughter the CareDriver’s picture and bio beforehand.”
—HopSkipDrive parent
Safety means reliability
“HopSkipDrive has been a wonderful resource for us to get some of our students in between the multiple locations of our school and synagogue for various activities. We have found HopSkipDrive’s CareDrivers to be friendly and reliable. Their service is excellent, and safety is their top priority. I would recommend HopSkipDrive to any school that has unique transportation needs.”
—HopSkipDrive education partner
Safety means putting the right checks in place
“Safety means so much at HopSkipDrive. When it comes to CareDrivers, it all starts with putting the right checks in place to ensure kids are getting in the car with the safest drivers on the road.
Before we let anyone onto the platform, we run multiple background checks including driving record checks, fingerprinting, vehicle inspections, and child abuse and neglect checks, to name a few.
Once we clear drivers and give them access to the app, we regularly monitor driving behaviors, driving records, background check records and more to ensure they remain the safest drivers on the road.”
—Zohal Alemi, HopSkipDrive Director of CareDriver Operations
“I have been desperate about how I can do a job I love and get my kids to all of their things. . . To be honest, HopSkipDrive’s background checks are more than I did for babysitters.”
—HopSkipDrive parent
Safety means being careful
The HopSkipDrive Safety Advisory Board is a select group of industry leaders from some of the most well-respected organizations on youth transportation safety. Our Board’s expertise ensures that we are, and continue to be, a leader in safety.
Here’s what two members of our Safety Advisory Board have to say about safety:
“Safety means that you and your company strive to take out any or all variables that could cause harm to your customer base.”
—Steve Simmons
“Safety means keeping yourself and others free from harm or danger. It also means avoiding accidents by being careful with what you are doing and who you are doing it with.”
—Theresa Anderson
Safety means peace of mind
"HopSkipDrive has saved me! As a single working mom, I thought I was out of the woods when my oldest daughter turned 17 and could legally drive her sisters. Then she got her own job, and my middle daughter discovered water polo . . . Suddenly, we were on varied schedules again.
I needed a miracle to get them all where they needed to go! Then, I remembered HopSkipDrive. Thank you, HopSkipDrive, and thank you to the kind CareDrivers who help keep us safe and sane!”
—HopSkipDrive parent
“Safety is the peace of mind that comes from knowing that those you love will arrive the same as, or better, than when you left them.”
—HopSkipDrive Safety Advisory Board member Dr. Nana Afoh-Manin
Safety means extra support and care
“One of our students left their school supplies in the CareDriver’s car. We contacted HopSkipDrive and the CareDriver was able to return to the school so the student could retrieve their items. The student and the staff were very appreciative of the extra support and help.”
—HopSkipDrive education partner
Safety means using data to drive improvement
“CareDrivers are quite simply some of the safest on the road, and HopSkipDrive’s approach to road safety is data-driven, thoughtful and comprehensive. Other companies could take notice and study what they do, because it’s working.”
—Jonathan Matus, CEO of Zendrive
Safety always
To summarize the importance of safety at HopSkipDrive, we close with this quote from another one of our Safety Advisory Board members:
“Safety is everyone’s responsibility and should always lead. Safety is a consideration, consciously or unconsciously, in everything we do, every day. Safety is a core value, not a priority. Priorities change but values do not.”
—Lisa Robinson
Click here to learn more about how HopSkipDrive makes safety its #1 priority, from safety features built into our technology to CareDriver vetting.
