HopSkipDrive

What is HopSkipDrive?

HopSkipDrive is a ride share application that enlists freelance drivers to take kids to and from school and activities.

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How it works

To sign up, you need to be at least 23 years old and have 5 years of child care experience. (This can be babysitting or raising your own kids.)

You’ll also need to pass a background check and have a good driving record. And you’ll need a four-door car in good condition, and auto insurance.

Once accepted, you can search the app for available rides. The app has several sorting functions, including listing rides in specific time blocks and by location. Rides are listed showing where they start and end, estimated time and estimated pay. Pay can vary somewhat if the ride takes more or less time.

HopSkipDrive Review:

HopSkipDrive enlists freelancers to drive minors to and from school and activities. Like other freelance driving options, freelancers use their own car and have to pay for gas and maintenance. And rides may be anywhere from a few blocks to across town.

But it has some advantages over driving for sites like Uber and Lyft. First of all, you’re driving kids, which means you don’t have to worry as much about the three-Ds — drunk, disorderly and dangerous passengers.

Secondly, you don’t have to give up your nights and weekends to earn reasonable pay. Most of these rides are during the work week and business day, and pay is based on the number of kids your driving and where — not whether you’re inching through traffic or working during a “surge.”

And you can claim rides in advance.

You can sign up with HopSkipDrive here.

Claiming rides

If you see a ride you’d like to claim, you can either claim it outright or “put it in your cart” while you search for additional rides.

By putting it in your cart, you can hold that ride for a few minutes while you see whether there are other on-the-way or complimentary rides that you can schedule at the same time. If this search finds a ride you want more that conflicts with the ride you put in your cart, you can remove the ride in your cart. Items in your cart will expire if you don’t claim them, so be sure to hit “claim ride

Schedule

You can schedule rides as much as a week in advance. Pay is determined based on mileage and time, but you’ll see an estimate before you accept a fare.

Cancellations

If a rider cancels less than eight hours before hand, you get half of the pay; if they no-show or cancel within an hour of a ride, you get paid for the full ride regardless.

Recommendations

If you have a fuel-efficient car, this can be an ideal driving side-gig for students and school teachers, who might not feel comfortable driving inebriated adults in the middle of the night. Most rides are during the day, when parents have conflicting schedules and need a trusted proxy.

You can sign up with HopSkipDrive here.

You can find similar side hustles with Kango, KidCar and RubiRides.

What their drivers say: (from CBS News)

Cathy Vaccher, an elementary school teacher, said she earns about $150 a week driving for HopSkipDrive after school. She likes it better than Uber because she’s a diminutive 4-foot-11 and not comfortable picking up adults.

From Indeed

Love the flexibility. I can choose the hours I wish to work and the locations that I prefer to drive to.

“I really enjoyed working for this company as an independent self-employed driver. It didn’t seem like a job, but like a stay-at-home mom picking up and dropping off “my own kids”! Lol”

“Only good for extra income. Wear and tear on car eats up most of the money. Realistically only earning about $10 hr after gas and maintenance expense.”

Fun!

“Not only are children transported, but senior citizens also can use the service. I love driving them and getting to chat. It’s fun to meet new people and feel good that I am helping them get around.”

“Love it a lot. Drawback is that your car gets really used up. Lots of miles put on, lots of fuel use, and had to get oil changes and tires more frequently.”

*Updated 1/27/2024