Kidz Cab was launched in 2022 to help working parents make sure their kids get to school safely. Photo contributed

A local company is making it easier for kids to use rideshare services, and it recently won $25,000 in a pitch contest to boost the business.

Kidz Cab, servicing the Fresno/Clovis area, is a rideshare program launched in 2022 that provides door-to-door pickup and drop off for kids to get to school while parents work.

Jacqueline Perez, founder and owner of Kidz Cab, said the idea was born in 2021. She runs the company with her husband.

Perez comes from a background in daycare services, which she has been doing for eight years. She also runs a daycare consulting company, JP Client Daycare Services, to help other mothers make money by starting their own in-home daycare centers.

In her years in the daycare service industry, Perez said she received many parent inquiries regarding transportation for their kids — an issue she dealt with herself.

Web-based ridesharing services are an option, but safety is a concern.

“This is really a need, and parents are just willing to hire anybody to pick up their kids to and from school or to and from daycare,” Perez said.

 

How It Works

To start, a parent will request a ride and be issued a quote, schedule a time for the driver to pick up the child at the door and drive them to their school.

Once the child has been dropped off, a confirmation will be sent to the parent.

Parents can do a meet-and-greet with their drivers to feel more secure about their child’s safety, Perez said.

Unlike other ride-share companies that only drive children aged 13 and above, Kidz Cab will deliver children from the age of three and up.

They perform extensive background checks, and the drivers are all uniformed and trained to ensure child safety, with two-way communication between drivers and parents.

All drivers have to go undergo an FBI clearance and have to have a history of working with children. They must have a clean driving record and undergo vision test and physical.

Typically, the driver a child has for the morning drop-off will be the same driver for the pickup. The cars have cameras in the van pointing both in and out to help provide peace of mind to parents and guardians.

They also provide service to people in group homes for appointments, some of which may be over the age of 18, Perez said.

Kidz Cab provides rides for after school events, sporting events, sometimes with pickups scheduled for as late as 9:30 p.m.

Perez said Kidz Cab currently has three vehicles, all of which have a wrap with the company logo, adding that they service about 75 riders per month.

 

App money

In November, Kidz Cab won a $25,000 prize at the Fresno Area Hispanic Foundation’s eighth-annual The Power of Women in Business Conference Pitch Competition.

Other finalist include Core Software Integrated, Garlish, Little Learners Child Care, and Quetzalli Shop.

 

Perez said the funds from the pitch competition will help with generating an app that will allow customers to see the vehicle in motion in real time.

She said they heavily prepared for the competition and they were “in it to win it,” and they were ecstatic at winning and all the support they’ve received.

Some of the award money will also be used to purchase a new vehicle.

“We are growing at a fast rate, and we do have people on a waitlist right now,”Perez said. “It’s a need just like childcare.”

The grant money from the competition also allowed Kidz Cab to lower their rates, with prices now starting at $18 dollars per ride. Perez said they will continue to try to make the service even more affordable.

For the next school year, Perez hopes to expand to provide service to Madera, Selma, Sanger and Fowler. She said they have received offers requesting the company expand to areas up to 200 miles away, but for the time being, are taking baby steps.

“This was created with the parent in mind, and safety is number one,” Perez said. “We are community based and we would love to help anyone and find a budget for them.”