Shuddle, a transportation service startup geared for busy families, is expanding to San Jose.
Scores of parents throughout the Bay Area use Shuddle to get kids to and from activities — or grandparents to medical appointments.
“The biggest pain point that families face right now is transportation,” co-founder Nick Allen said. “Parents are working harder than ever, and kids have activities all over town after school.”
Children must be out of a booster seat — typically age 8 — and have a cellphone that can send and receive calls and text messages to use rides with the service. The cellphone is for ease of use, allowing the driver to text the child, for example, when they show up at a crowded soccer field.
“I use Shuddle pretty much every day,” said Elaine Korn, a San Carlos mom who has a demanding tech job. She has two kids attending different schools: her 15-year-old daughter goes to school in Sunnyvale and her 10-year-old son in San Carlos. “We use it to pick my daughter up from soccer practice and bring her home.”
Unlike on-demand ride-sharing services such as Lyft and Uber, Shuddle rides must be booked in advance. The majority of Shuddle’s 100 drivers are female and have child care experience: several are baby sitters and nannies looking to make extra income. Trust in the service is paramount: all drivers go through extensive background checks, reference checks and in-person interviews. All rides also are closely monitored by Shuddle.
“When you book a ride, you get a confirmation with a photo of the driver and their car,” Korn said. “Then you get a text from Shuddle when the driver is on their way, a text when your kid has been picked up and a text when the drop-off is complete. And then I usually talk to my daughter anyway.”
Shuddle costs $9 a month for a membership fee, and then each ride comes with an additional cost depending on mileage and time involved; an 8-mile, 15 minute drive might run $15. The youngest child to use the service has been 7; most are middle school-age.
Lisa Prather, 53, lives in Sunnyvale. She works as a nanny three days a week and consults for an au pair service, and said she has thought about driving for a company such as Lyft or Uber for additional income. Then she saw an ad for Shuddle in her Facebook feed.
“Part of being a nanny is driving kids all over the place,” Prather said. “Today I’m working as a nanny, then giving a kid a ride from school to soccer on my way home. I really like the flexibility, because I can work for Shuddle when it fits into my schedule.”
Shuddle is most active in San Francisco and the East Bay, but now offers full Bay Area coverage.
“We have parents who have gotten cellphones for their kids so they can use Shuddle,” Allen said.
Contact Dana Hull at 408-920-2706. Follow her at Twitter.com/danahull.
