A San Francisco start up has created what is being called “Uber for Kids”.
Essentially, the app Shuddle enables ride sharing where a fleet of all women drivers (currently) picks up kids who need rides to sporting games, practices and other extracurricular activities and takes them to their destination.
As with Uber and Lyft, a booking (which must be done by 10 am the day before with Shuddle) sends the image and name of the driver. The parents provide a password which the driver must repeat and the kid knows.
And also like with the popular ride share apps like SideCar, there is a GPS transmission of the vehicle and route that the parents can monitor to track the vehicle their precious kids are in as it travels to the destination. Also, no kids who require car seats are allowed.
Shuddle’s Nick Allen founder told The Huffington Post that it is a mere coincidence that all its drivers are female but chalks it up to them getting all the women who don’t feel comfortable being Uber drivers.
The added requirements for Shuddle drivers beyond criminal histories, DMV records, and employer reference. All drivers must either have kids of their own or have the experience of having worked with kids at some point.
“Think of your driver as a neighbor who you can count on,” Allen said.
The 11 person company has faised $2.6 million in funding from various angel- and institutional investors, and plans to expand beyond San Francisco, where it is currently only available.
photo: Facebook