HopSkipDrive, a Los Angeles, CA-based ride-hail service for kids, raised $7.4m in funding.
The round was led by Student Transportation (Nasdaq: STB), an industry leader in school transportation, safety and fleet services throughout North America, with participation from FirstMark Capital, Upfront Ventures, and other insiders, as well as new investors Skyview Capital and Halogen Ventures. As part of this investment, Denis J. Gallagher of STI will join HopSkipDrive’s Board of Directors and will work with the rideshare company to rapidly scale its partnerships with schools in new markets.
The company intends to use the funds to continue to accelerate growth in new and existing markets and scale its operations.
Led by Joanna McFarland, CEO, HopSkipDrive provides a ride service for kids enabling parents to schedule rides with CareDrivers through mobile apps or website and then track their child’s ride in real time. Schools and organizations also partner with the company to develop flexible rideshare transportation options for families.
All CareDrivers have more than five years of childcare experience and must pass a selective 15-point certification process, including extensive background checks, vehicle inspection, fingerprinting, DMV checks, and in-person meetings. HopSkipDrive also tracks and monitors every ride in real-time with live support.
The company currently serves families to get to and from more than 2,500 schools across Los Angeles, Orange County and the Bay Area and has directly partnered with over 200 private, public and charter schools, and non-profit organizations to provide student transportation rideshare and carpool solutions. Together, HopSkipDrive and STI can offer schools a full suite of solutions to manage transportation logistics and costs effectively, including offering rideshare and carpool solutions both in HopSkipDrive’s existing core markets and potential new ones across North America.
FinSMEs
22/11/2017