We all know what it’s like. We start the school year so organized: pre-packed lunches, color-coded folders, closets that have the outfits organized by activity, and schedules that are in spreadsheets and planned to the last minute. But almost before we realize it we’re feeding our younger child string cheese and dry Cheerios for dinner in the car as we weave through traffic, trying to get our older child to soccer practice on time–hoping she’s in the right uniform and is indeed wearing both shoes.
The Problem
This isn’t just the experience of a few parents–it’s a story we’ve heard over and over. When you have more than one child, there simply isn’t enough time to get everyone where they need to go.
In fact, over 30 million kids in the US are in organized sports. That’s about three out of five school-aged children in the US.
On top of this, nearly half of all students are driven to school by parents. Why? Over 50% of schools in the US don’t have buses. Many parents have no choice or find the bus timings don’t work with their schedules–so they drive.
We did some of the math and figured out that a family with 3 children takes an average of 90 monthly trips, adding up to over 30 hours of driving time each month.
That’s pretty crazy, but if you’re in that situation you know how believable it is.
What can we do to solve this?
The way that is close to our heart here at GoKid is carpooling. By sharing the ride with two other families you can cut your driving time down to 1/3 of what it was. Carpooling:
- Helps you save time. Not only are you regaining the time you would have spent driving, but you can spend that time with your other child(ren).
- Builds a community. As you reach out to neighbors and school friends you build a trusted community of fellow parents who are helping one another out.
- Saves money. Wear and tear on your vehicle + cost of gas…need we say more?
- Is better for air quality and your living environment. For every gallon of gasoline burned, 17.68 pounds of carbon dioxide are released into the atmosphere. By taking just one car off the road each ride you substantially reduce your own carbon footprint–and you’re setting a good example for you own children.
How?
You can start using GoKid today. The app doesn’t just help you set up your carpools, it allows you to easily invite friends, manage your schedule, volunteer to drive on the days that work for you, send reminders of drives and notifications of changes and plots the optimal route to pick up each child and get them where they need to go.
We also offer special programs to introduce GoKid to schools and PTAs. For more information visit our school program page and fill out the info form.
Save time. Carpool with families you trust.
