You can make money as an after-school chauffeur for kids

Do you miss driving your kids around after school? Do you need something to fill your afternoons? Do you just want to make a little extra cash? If you answered “yes” to all three of these questions, then we have the job for you. A new service means you can actually make money—and good money—by driving around kids after school.

HopSkipDrive is the parent’s answer to Uber and Lyft. It’s the same sort of online ride-service platform, but it’s specifically targeted to help parents schedule rides for their kids, ages 6 and older (so you won’t need to rush out and buy a car seat).

Right now, HopSkipDrive is only available in California. The company is recruiting “CareDrivers” in Los Angeles, Orange County and the San Francisco Bay Area. But they do have massive plans to expand across the country if the service picks up.

Oh, and if you’re a CareDriver, you can earn up to $30 an hour just picking kids up from school and driving them around. That’s a pretty sweet deal just to take someone to their afternoon baseball practice or art lessons.

“CareDrivers are caregivers first and drivers second,” Joanna McFarland, co-founder of HopSkipDrive, told The Penny Hoarder. “They’re caregivers on wheels.”

And though McFarland wouldn’t give exact data, she says HopSkipDrive has recruited “hundreds and hundreds” of CareDrivers since just March of 2015. It will be interesting to see how this niche industry in the massive world of ride-sharing services grows.

HopSkipJump says they’re mostly looking for after-school drivers who are parents, empty-nesters, retirees or anyone who really understands the school pickup line on a cellular level. So if you’ve been a nanny, a nurse, a teacher or a professional driver, you probably qualify. You just have to know the innumerable ins and outs of school pickup.

Because CareDrivers work with kids, they must undergo a very significant inspection. There are 15 parts to becoming a certified HopSkipJump employee, and they include:

• Loving kids and having at least five years of experience with childcare

• No criminal record

• No sex offender record

• Owning a valid driver’s license

• A good (if not spotless) driving record

• At least 23 years old

• Owning or leasing a car that isn’t more than 10 years old and can seat four to seven passengers

• Coverage with personal auto insurance coverage that meets state-required limits

• Passing a 19-point vehicle inspection by a certified mechanic

• An in-person interview with the HopSkipDrive team

• Completion of an in-person driver orientation

• Personal and professional references

• Following the various HopSkipRules

• Agreeing to the zero-tolerance policy on smoking, doing drugs or drinking alcohol while driving

• Adopting the zero-tolerance policy of not touching electronics while driving

Every driver is fingerprinted, and kids know to say a special password to confirm the driver on pickup. You can even track your child’s ride with the HopSkipJump app.

To learn more about the service, or to become a driver, visit their website. And even if you don’t live in California, you should sign up for email updates so you can keep an eye on their planned expansion!