SAN FRANCISCO - HopSkipDrive, a ride hailing service for children that has been operating in Los Angeles since last year, is entering the Bay Area market with a call to all drivers who had been working for this city's recently shuttered service Shuddle.
HopSkipDrive's three founders sent an email to Shuddle drivers Friday asking them to sign up on the startup's website for an orientation for invited drivers on April 27 in nearby Oakland. There is also an informal informational lunch planned at All Good Pizza on April 25th.
The L.A.-based service had long been planning to expand beyond its market thanks to $14.1 million in funding, including a $10 million round in January led by FirstMark Capital and Upfront Ventures.
Shuddle had raised a similar amount since debuting in 2014, but last week closed down despite the business growing 50% in the past six months and having provided 65,000 rides around the Bay Area. The region also has a new entrant to this kid-focused ride hailing market in Zum, which has yet to raise venture capital.
HopSkipDrive's overture to Shuddle drivers would appear to be an effort to steer them away from joining Zum.
HopSkipDrive has from its inception gone through the process of vetting its drivers via fingerprinting and the Department Motor Vehicle's Trustline certification process. Shuddle had initially not sought Trustline certification, but retroactively sought to verify all its drivers to meet state requirements for businesses that cater to minors.
All the aforementioned ride services target children who are out of car seats up through around age 15. The pitch to parents is a service that typically costs around 10% to 20% more than an Uber ride, but provides a driver with a background in childcare. HopSkipDrive calls its contract workers CareDrivers.
"In order to prepare for our expansion to the Bay Area in May, we have been working closely with Shuddle to find a transition plan for their former drivers who are already approved by Trustline and want to continue this line of work," co-founder Joanna McFarland tells USA TODAY.
Follow USA TODAY tech reporter Marco della Cava on Twitter: @marcodellacava
