• Before HopSkipDrive:
    Long commute times for school-of-origin transportation for students experiencing homelessness

    Students experiencing homelessness should not have to worry about getting to school in a timely manner. Regardless of the school bus driver shortage, requiring the district to combine routes and causing lengthy commute times, Duncanville ISD was committed to prioritizing the transportation needs of students designated for the McKinney-Vento transportation.

    Some students who were located far from campus were being picked up as early as 4:45 a.m. and weren’t getting home until 7 o’clock at night. This long, exhausting school day led to increased absenteeism for some of these students, who were already experiencing stress and instability in their lives.

    Extended bus routes also meant that bus drivers were required to start their day as early as 4:00 a.m. to ensure they had enough time to pick up students who lived outside district boundaries. Other staff were also being called upon to step in and cover routes when drivers were out, pulling them away from their other important jobs.

    Why HopSkipDrive

    Duncanville had met with other school districts in the Dallas County area that praised HopSkipDrive’s reliable, easy-to-use technology and outstanding customer service, convincing Duncanville to bring HopSkipDrive in to support rheir needs.

    With HopSkipDrive, Duncanville found a partner that can respond in hours — not days — when a student experiencing homelessness suddenly relocates and needs a ride to school the next day. For Duncanville, the fact that HopSkipDrive makes it easy to schedule and manage rides for kids living far from their school or outside district boundaries was crucial.

    Specifically, Duncanville was impressed with:

    • HopSkipDrive’s communicative, attentive, and dedicated customer service
    • HopSkipDrive’s RideIQ platform, which makes managing, scheduling, and updating rides easy and quick for transportation teams
    • HopSkipDrive’s positive reputation, trustworthiness, and reliability
    • The transparency and convenience of the HopSkipDrive app, which puts districts and parents at ease

    The communication with HopSkipDrive is great. We’re always taken care of. We appreciate the ease of booking rides on your platform and doing business with your company.

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    HopSkipDrive’s
    Impact

    With HopSkipDrive helping Duncanville ISD with its McKinney-Vento transportation, students are now experiencing decreased school commute times. Getting to and from school has become more streamlined and routine for these students, helping to boost attendance and bringing a sense of normalcy to their lives.

    After realizing the benefits of using HopSkipDrive for McKinney-Vento transportation, Duncanville ISD expanded its use of HopSkipDrive to include transportation for students participating in the Juvenile Justice Alternative Education Program — a coordinated community-based program aimed at reducing juvenile delinquency.

    In addition to students and the district, parents, too, are benefitting from HopSkipDrive. They are relieved to have a transportation option with technology offerings like the Caregiver app, which helps parents know exactly where their kids are at any given time. HopSkipDrive’s transparency and technology provide reassurance for parents.

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    HopSkipDrive brings peace of mind to the parents, the scholars, and us, as a district.

    Conclusion:

    HopSkipDrive helps districts reduce commute times and improve attendance for students experiencing homelessness — and gets more students to school safely, efficiently, and on time.