RubiRides

What is RubiRides?

RubiRides enlists freelancers to transport kids to and from school and after-school activities. The site also arranges rides for seniors, who need a lift to doctor’s appointments.

How it works

Freelance drivers who want to sign up here must be 23 or older and have at least 5 years of driving experience. You’ll also need clean driving and criminal records, a smart phone; 4-door vehicle that’s less than 10 years old; auto and ride-share insurance

RubiRides review

There are several sites that enlist freelance drivers to take kids to and from school. What makes RubiRides stand out — for both freelancers and parents — is that the site has an exceptionally transparent pay/pricing formula.

That makes it easy for drivers to know what they’re going to earn. And it makes it easy for parents to understand the cost structure, so they can determine what is and isn’t worth paying extra for.

Drivers get paid $15 for rides of 5 miles or less. They get an additional $1 for each added mile. If parents need them to chaperone a child into class or practice, drivers earn at least $5 extra.

There’s also a 75 cent per minute wait fee for riders who keep drivers waiting for more than 5 minutes.

Driver math

To boil it down: If the driver takes the child 10 miles, waits for 20 minutes, and chaperones the child into practice or school, the driver earns $32.50. (That’s $15 in base pay; $5 in extra mileage; $7.50 in wait fees; and $5 for the chaperone service.)

Noreen Butler, RubiRide’s founder and CEO, says drivers are busy from 7 a.m. to around 8:30 a.m. and then start getting rides again in the afternoon after 2:30. The site aims to have drivers earn about $100 a day, working just 4 to 5 hours.

Cleaning

Butler says the site also provides drivers with First Aid kits, materials to keep their cars Covid-clean, and will pay for a deep cleaning once a week.

However, you’ll need to buy your own ride share insurance. And you must be able to pass regular background checks for both your driving and your criminal record.

Recommendations

We like this site and all of the others that offer a similar service —  Kango, KidCar and HopSkipDrive. We also like RideZum, which enlists people to drive school buses. The only shortcoming from our standpoint is that it has a limited geographic reach, operating only in Maryland, Washington, D.C. and Virginia.

Unfortunately, limited reach is common with kid-driving apps. But, if you’re someone who likes to drive and happen to live and work in an area served by one of these companies, we think this beats driving for Uber, Lyft and GrubHub by a mile.

What their drivers say (from Glassdoor)

Managers are awesome, pay is good, customers are always awesome, and the company is very innovative. I get to drive around a nice vehicle and see sights around Phoenix that i’ve never been to, I think this company is going to grow BIG, meaning more opportunities, and I feel like I am a part of building that BIG thing.