Challenge
Woodside Priory, a private 6-12 school located in the hills of Silicon Valley, California, faced difficulties in student enrollment due to transportation challenges. With 435 students, the school wanted to:
- Reduce the cost of its expensive door-to-door transportation service
- Address the issue of long distances and commutes for parents
- Stay competitive in the private school market
The school’s location in a rural area posed several challenges:
- Distance: Families living more than 10 miles away had limited transportation options, with the average commute for prospective families being about 25 miles, taking 45 minutes.
- Cost: While families within 10 miles could pay a monthly transportation fee, those living beyond that range were required to use a combination of mass transit and shuttle services, making the commute both costly and complex. These factors created a significant barrier to enrollment.
- Traffic and Carbon Emissions: The high volume of individual car trips contributed to both heavy traffic and increased carbon emissions, further complicating the transportation situation.
Solution: Implementing GoKid Carpooling
To address these issues, Woodside Priory adopted GoKid, a carpooling solution that helped parents connect, set up carpools, and manage transportation in a safe, efficient way.
The benefits of GoKid included:
- Building Community: Parents were able to interact and establish connections through the app, fostering a sense of community.
- Safe, Affordable Alternative: Carpooling offered a safe and more cost-effective alternative to private buses or paid ride services.
- Reducing Traffic and Emissions: By pooling rides, families reduced traffic congestion around the school and minimized their carbon footprint.
How GoKid Works for Schools and Parents
- Web App for Parents: The GoKid platform enables parents to find nearby school families, chat with them, and create carpools. The app helps parents manage their carpools with features like scheduling, live tracking, and notifications.
- School Admin Control: Schools, like Woodside Priory, use an admin portal to control access to the system and monitor real-time carpool metrics. While parents have full control over organizing the carpools, the school can ensure that all participants are within its community, ensuring safety and oversight.
Results
- 32% of families registered on the GoKid platform, with many parents citing the convenience of the system.
- 23 carpools were created, allowing students to easily commute from various distances.
- 1,515 trips driven via carpools, reducing the need for buses or shuttle services.
- 7,575 miles saved in total, which significantly reduced fuel consumption and carbon emissions.
Feedback
According to Kirk Gosman, Director of Admissions & Financial Aid at Woodside Priory, the return on investment in GoKid was immediate:
“The parents who need it love it. The impact is that it brings relief to parents, takes multiple questions about transportation and carpooling off my desk, and supports our commitment to hospitality and community by fostering friendships.”
Read How to Solve Your Transportation Barrier to learn more.
GoKid helped Woodside Priory not only reduce transportation costs and complexities but also enhance its sense of community, ultimately making the school more accessible and competitive for prospective families.
