Uber for families provides lifts home from school when parents are busy

Shuddle is a service offering safe rides home for kids whose parents aren't available for the school run.

Home time can be stressful for kids, parents and schools if there’s no-one to pick students up at the end of the day. While platforms such as 3Fifteen have aimed to improve communication between everyone involved in home time pickups, Shuddle is a service offering safe rides home for kids whose parents aren’t available for the school run.

Working in a similar way to other lift sharing apps such as Uber and Lyft, Shuddle has gathered a community of verified drivers that are rigorously screened and have previously worked with children, for example nannies or teachers. Currently operating in California, parents can use the app to arrange a ride for their child up to a week in advance, or as late as 48 hours beforehand. When a lift is confirmed the details of the driver, such as name, photograph and car model, are sent to the parents so their child knows exactly who will be picking them up. Parents can even track the ride in real time through the smartphone app.

Shuddle enables time-strapped parents to tap into a reliable roster of drivers for the same price as a cab. Are there other ways to ensure kids are safe when parents can’t be there?