In the era of school bus driver shortages and skyrocketing costs of running school buses, schools and districts are asking what they can do to help get kids to school. Some are looking into alternative transportation solutions to address the everyday challenges of the school commute.
For the past eight years, GoKid Connect has done extensive research and development on this topic. As a result, it has created a school carpool solution designed to simplify the organization of student transportation in a way that supports sustainability and builds community for a fraction of the price of school buses. Understanding the cost of such a solution is crucial for schools and districts considering implementing effective carpooling. This blog post delves into the pricing structure of school carpool programs like GoKid Connect, answering key questions for potential customers.
How Much Does School Carpool Cost?
The answer depends on the size of your school or district. For a school carpool program like GoKid Connect pricing is structured to accommodate schools of various sizes:
- Petite Schools (under 200 students): $1,999 per year
- Small Schools (200-499 students): $3,999 per year
- Medium Schools (500-900 students): $5,999 per year
For larger schools and school districts, as well charter schools, GoKid Connect offers tailored pricing, including discounts, ensuring that the solution is accessible to a broad range of educational institutions.
Schools and districts looking into offering carpooling will want to make sure that parents will be supported in rolling out the program. Offering technical support will often be billed in addition, for example, the annual customer support at Gokid starts at $ 1000 for petite and medium schools for the entire school year. This kind of pricing breaks down to under $ 1 per student, per month!
Who Pays the Carpooling Rates?
Typically, the cost of school carpooling programs like GoKid Connect is covered by the schools or districts themselves, as they integrate our carpooling solution into their broader suite of services offered to students and parents. However, recognizing the varied structures and funding mechanisms of educational institutions, in some cases, GoKid Connect also collaborates closely with Parent-Teacher Organizations (PTOs) and Parent-Teacher Associations (PTAs). This flexibility ensures that regardless of whether the school or the PTO/PTA shoulders the cost, the solution is accessible to those who benefit most.
It’s important to note that regardless of the funding source, GoKid Connect requires a formal contract with the entity capable of providing the necessary student and transportation data. This ensures seamless integration and operation of the service, safeguarding both the carpooling system’s efficiency and user information privacy and security.
Can you charge families for the Carpool Cost?
Providers like GoKid do not charge school families individually for a variety of reasons related to the efficacy of the program as well as the fact that it is designed with equity and inclusion in mind, inviting all school families to participate. This inclusive approach ensures that every family has the opportunity to benefit from the carpooling solution, fostering a sense of community and collaboration among parents.
The Gokid pricing model takes into consideration the size of the school’s enrollment, the onboarding support we provide, and the potential for customer support needs. This model ensures that the service remains sustainable and can provide high-quality support to all users, reflecting the anticipated participation rate and the infrastructure required to support such a comprehensive program.
More Than Just an App: Factors that go into the Cost of a school carpool program
School Carpool programs typically are complex software solutions that include comprehensive technology and a full suite of products and services. Here’s a breakdown of the key elements:
Software Component: The backbone of a carpool program is a robust software platform, which incurs costs from several critical services necessary for its operation. At Gokid, these include:
- Cloud Providers: Secure, scalable cloud services are essential for hosting the GoKid Connect application, ensuring reliability and accessibility for users. Gokid uses Google Cloud Services.
- Messaging Services: Communication is key in a carpooling solution. Messaging services enable real-time notifications, updates, and coordination among parents and administrators.
- Mapping Services: GoKid Connect integrates mapping services that require licensing and usage fees.
- Live Tracking: Similar to the mapping fees, Gokid Connect pays third-party service providers for the convenience of parents knowing where vehicles are during a carpool.
- IOS, Android, and web apps: Parents can easily schedule and sync their rides with the parent apps.
- School Admin portal: Schools and districts receive all information in their dedicated school portal.
Customer Support Component: Beyond the software, school carpooling should always provide customer support, to take administrative work off the school customer. At services like Gokid parents’ queries will be addressed within 24 hours. Beyond the parent support, schools will also receive administration and communication support.
Team Component: When considering the cost of a carpool program, one factor is the team supporting the technology. A carpool solution provider should have:
- Development Team: A dedicated team of developers maintaining, updating, and improving the technology.
- Customer Success and Management Team: Overseeing operations, strategy, and partnerships, a customer success and management team ensures smooth implementation.
In summary, the cost of a carpool program should be evaluated by the actual software, the customer support team, and the overall team that is maintaining and improving the school experience, ultimately benefiting the entire school community.
Can schools be reimbursed for carpooling programs?
Carpool programs are relatively new as a transportation alternative. Seeing the need to provide solutions to the ongoing school bus driver shortage and the rising cost of school buses, the State of California passed Assembly Bill (AB) 181, which provides reimbursement funding for school districts and county offices of education (COEs) for eligible transportation expenditures. GoKid is working with districts that implement GoKid Connect in their transportation plan Home-to-School (HTS).
Title 1 Grants ESSA “Every Student Succeeds Act” law requires that all Title I schools and families work together, and GoKid Connect does just that by connecting families and enabling alternative school transportation. GoKid Connect allows schools to measure the effectiveness of the program from a single dashboard, and participating parents can message one another. We are striving to decrease chronic absenteeism and increase participation in after-school activities. Contact us to learn more about the application for Title I or other reimbursement opportunities.
Ready to Test Drive Our School Transportation Solution?
Now that you understand the flexible pricing structure and the rationale behind the school carpool costs, you are better positioned to make an informed decision about integrating a school carpool solution like GoKid Connect into your school transportation management strategy.
If you have more questions or would like to set up a complimentary consultation, feel free to contact us or email us at contact@gokid.mobi.
