HopSkipDrive Provides Transportation Services for Bakersfield’s Most Vulnerable Students

In a leap forward for student transportation, the Kern County Superintendent of Schools (KCSOS) and the Kern County Department of Human Services (DHS) have partnered with HopSkipDrive, a rideshare service designed to get students to and from school. The service, which started in Bakersfield this year, aims to fill gaps in transportation for some of the community’s most vulnerable children, including those in foster care and experiencing homelessness.

Getting to school can be a significant challenge for many students, especially those in unstable living situations. Traditional transportation options like school buses or rides from family members aren’t always feasible, especially for foster youth who may move frequently.

“We have about 1,200 foster youth in school at any given time,” said Curt Williams, director of Foster Youth Services at KCSOS. “This will fill some of those gaps we haven’t been able to fill in the past, rather than having a child miss out on periods of school.”

HopSkipDrive, already active across the country, is designed to supplement existing services for students whose needs cannot be met with other methods. Once fully operational in Bakersfield and surrounding areas, the program is expected to serve an average of 30 rides daily. Monica Goodell-Thatcher, a program director with DHS, says this is the final effort to ensure all kids can get where they need to go.

“If the foster parent absolutely cannot do it, and the bus system absolutely cannot do it, this is our way to be able to make sure that it can be done,” she said.

HopSkipDrive is not a typical rideshare service. The company uses “CareDrivers” who undergo a 15-point certification process and extensive vetting before getting behind the wheel. Each ride involves multi-factor verification to confirm identities. Parents, caregivers, and social workers can also track rides in real-time via the HopSkipDrive app. In a news release, Joanna McFarland, CEO and Co-founder of HopSkipDrive, explained that safety is a top priority.

“CareDrivers are experienced caregivers from the Bakersfield community who undergo thorough vetting to ensure that children will be safe in their back seats,” she said.

Photos Courtesy: HopSkipDrive

Williams says all these safety procedures will provide much-needed peace of mind and ensure students are safely on their way to and from school.

“I think the biggest thing we want [families] to know is that it’s safe,” he said. “All the safety things that you would expect from a school transporting a kid to and from their school of origin, HopSkipDrive is going to adhere to as well.”

Each CareDriver is also paired with the same student for every ride, giving each student a constant, trusted adult they can connect with to and from school.

“It’s always the same person that’s providing transportation,” Williams said. “A lot of our youth don’t often have consistent adults in their life.”

This partnership is particularly significant for foster and homeless youth, who often face disruptions in their education due to frequent moves. Changing schools during the year can mean four to six months of learning loss. This service allows kids to keep attending their school of origin, maintain connections with teachers and fellow students, and maintain consistency in their education.

“Any way we can keep them in a routine or try to make things normal for them throughout the day, the better experience they’ll have,” Williams said.

Goodell-Thatcher echoed these sentiments, saying the ultimate goal is to ensure kids don’t fall through the cracks in the system and get left behind. This service will help provide a sense of consistency and equal access to education so that foster kids can stay on track and be as successful as they can be.

“When everything else in your life is changing, that is the one constant for them,” she said. “Sometimes their placement can’t always be controlled. This is the one thing that we want to be able to control for them.”

The introduction of HopSkipDrive to Bakersfield is the result of over a year of collaboration between KCSOS and DHS. The program is funded through a shared financial agreement between the two agencies, with DHS holding the contract with HopSkipDrive.

Photos Courtesy: HopSkipDrive

Both Williams and Goodell-Thatcher emphasized that HopSkipDrive is not intended to replace traditional transportation methods but to complement them. Families or caretakers who feel they need this service should start by talking to their school and district. If the district can’t meet their needs, they will send a referral to DHS.

“This is unusual transportation, this isn’t something that happens every single day for every single student,” Williams said.

While the initial focus is on providing transportation to and from school only, the program has the potential to expand to include sports, extracurricular activities, or students in exceptional circumstances.

“This is kind of like the test pilot, and then we’ll see how, and if we can expand it to other things,” Goodell-Thatcher said. “Let’s start small, and we’ll see where we can take it from there.”

Officials are optimistic about its potential to make a difference as the program gets underway.

“We’re just happy that it’s here, and it’s getting going,” Williams added. “It’s just nice to have another tool in the box to make sure that the transportation does happen.”