Southern California

Rideshare Service Targeted Toward Busy Parents, Kids

Three Southern California moms created a service to help parents get their kids around town with the help of a driver.

Busy parents know how challenging it can be to get their children from place to place. Often it's about asking favors or paying a babysitter. Three Southern California moms created a service to help parents get their kids around town with the help of a driver.

Flight attendant Annette Yolas says with her hectic schedule it's tough getting her kids to and from places.

"It does get difficult but that's what we do as parents we have to work outside the home," said Yolas.

She relies on Hop Skip Drive, a new ride sharing service designed for kids 7 and up, to get her daughter Nandi and other children home from school.

"Three children, three different schools... elementary, middle and high school," she said.

NBC4 went along with Nandi on one of her rides. Wearing the mandatory orange T-shirt with the company flags in sight, Margaret Washington a former preschool teacher, picks Nandi up for a 15-mile trip.

"I really like that it's helping people," Washington said.

Drivers compare the service as a way to look after children while giving them a ride.

"People understand it as Uber but what it really is is caregivers on wheels," co-founder Carolyn Yashari Becher said.

The three moms behind the service wanted to create a way to help busy parents like them, their children were their first customers.

Rides range from $12 to $20 and can be ordered online 24 hours in advance. Safety they say is their main priority.

"We do far more than most people do in getting their nannies or even allowing their friends kids parents to drive, right? You don't know what driving record they have," Chief Executive of HSD Joanna McFarland said.

Nandi's ride didn't end when she got to her destination. On this trip, Yolas was stuck in San Franciso and Nandi's dad was stuck at work. Washington stayed with Nandi until her grandmother could meet her. Yolas got the notification on her phone.

"I didn't have to worry about her at all because she's safe," Yolas said.

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