Dear HopSkipDrive community,
As I reflect on another year leading safety at HopSkipDrive, I am struck by how personal our mission remains for everyone involved in getting children safely to and from school. This mission was set in motion by our Co-Founder and CEO, Joanna McFarland, whose foundational vision of leading with safety continues to guide our every innovation and ensures we remain the most trusted partner for schools and families. While the challenges of student transportation continue to evolve, our commitment to raising the bar rather than simply maintaining the status quo remains constant.
At HopSkipDrive, we believe that true safety and peace of mind come from full visibility into every aspect of the ride experience. We distinguish ourselves in a landscape of various supplemental transportation options by offering a model rooted in direct accountability and uncompromising safety standards. Where others lack tracking or subcontract out rides, HopSkipDrive maintains a direct, active relationship with every CareDriver and state-of-the-art apps to keep everyone in the loop. This direct oversight removes the fragmentation of communication and accountability that is too common in the industry, and provides districts with verifiable compliance and real-time insights.
This accountability is supported by our comprehensive reporting, which tracks the complete journey from the moment a CareDriver starts their trip for pickup until the final drop-off. By including behavioral and interpersonal safety alongside road safety metrics, we provide a holistic view of the ride experience that prioritizes student well-being at every stage.
This past year, we deepened our commitment to safety by evolving our 15-point CareDriver certification process to include a robust, skills-based video screening. This qualitative assessment allows us to virtually meet every CareDriver candidate to evaluate their situational judgment and empathy in ways a standard background check simply cannot. The personalized approach to vetting helps ensure that CareDrivers, who have an average of 10 years of caregiving experience, are uniquely prepared to support the diverse needs of students.
To further support these caregiving professionals, this past year we partnered with leading experts in child development and behavior to create and launch a strengthened educational curriculum. These new modules equip CareDrivers with specialized skills in neurodivergence, de-escalation, and trauma-informed practices so they can provide a safe, stable, and dignified ride experience for every student.
In 2025, we also took a pioneering step by forming our Safety Advisory Council, a first-of-its-kind in our industry group of national experts in road safety, interpersonal safety, and child development. By collaborating with leaders from organizations such as Safe Kids Worldwide and the Governors Highway Safety Association, we are ensuring our safety features and policies benefit from the latest research and cross-disciplinary best practices. We’re proud to say that this esteemed group continues to affirm that our approach is the right one.
Looking forward, we remain committed to the belief that safety is not a destination but a continuous journey of improvement. In the coming year, we will focus on continuing to leverage our leading technology coupled with the unique insights from our Safety Advisory Council and data from the more than 130 million miles that have been driven on our platform to further refine our proactive safety technologies. We are investing more than ever in the talent and tools required to stay ahead of emerging challenges, reinforcing HopSkipDrive’s position as the gold standard for safe student transportation.
Together, we are not just following safety standards; we are continuously reimagining them for the future.
Sincerely,
Jen Brandenburger
Senior Vice President of Safety
Go behind the scenes of our safety mission.
Read the 2025 Safety Report to see how HopSkipDrive continues to lead the industry in transparency, accountability, and care.
