Shuddle has announced a new app that allows teens and tweens to schedule their own rides. ShuddleMe requires parental approval, and the company says drivers go through extensive background checks and are tracked in an attempt to offer a safe ride-booking service.
In March, Nick Allen, co-founder of Sidecar, announced that his new company Shuddle had raised $9.6 million from investors, underscoring the demand for a family-focused alternative to Uber. Previously, only parents and caretakers could schedule rides, which didn t always line up with kids rather unpredictable schedules. ShuddleMe looks to address this problem by giving kids freedom to book their own rides.
Most families using Shuddle have tween and teen aged kids, which is the age at which parents are starting to give their kids more independence and responsibility over their own schedules, said Allen in a press release. We created ShuddleMe to give kids more autonomy by allowing them to control their own ride schedules, while putting their parents minds at ease.
The app links kids profiles to their caretaker s profile. Kids ages 8 to 16 will then be able to schedule rides an hour in advance, and caretakers must approve the ride on their own ShuddleMe app. After the ride is booked, caretakers and kids will receive the driver s bio, photo, and car information, and kids will receive a secret word that the driver must repeat to confirm his or her identity. Caretakers will be able to track the ride, be given an ETA and can contact Shuddle support at any time during the ride. Once the ride is complete, caretakers will pay through their app so kids don t have to carry cash.
Shuddle drivers carry specialized insurance that permits them to drive kids under 18, and the company says they must go through additional training and extensive background and reference checks.
Shuddle charges a $9 monthly membership fee with additional fares based on ride distance. The service is available for users in five Bay Area counties: Marin, Contra Costa, San Mateo, Alameda and Santa Clara. The app is available in the Google Play Store and will soon be coming to iOS.
Photo: Shuddle logo
