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Can Uber/Lyft drivers pick up kids from school and be paid 'remotely'? (1 Viewer)

Doug B

Footballguy
My wife and I don't use Uber or Lyft, but might need a service to pick up one of our kids from school once a week.

a) Can an Uber driver pick up minors? Or is it OK in some states, illegal in others?

b) Can a parent pay an Uber driver remotely? Or would the kid have to possess the credit card so that the transaction could be processed by the driver?

.

 
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How old is you kid and do they have a smartphone?  If he/she has a smartphone, just need to download the Uber app on their phone and use your credit card for payment on their account.

Not sure about the legality, but my nephews who are below 18 use it all the time.

 
Kid is in high school and has a smart phone. Didn't think about the app having our CC information and the physical card not being needed. That's a plus.

For anyone wondering: there's a handy school bus, but it only would bring her home. She needs a ride to an inconveniently-located afternoon arts program across town.

 
Welp -- I have just learned that Uber and Lyft drivers can no longer accept unaccompanied minors. Uber's no-minors policy started this past summer   :kicksrock:

 
Welp -- I have just learned that Uber and Lyft drivers can no longer accept unaccompanied minors. Uber's no-minors policy started this past summer   :kicksrock:
Call a cab.   I had the same issue with uber when I got stuck in a meeting and my daughter had to get from school to a music lesson.

 
A co worker has been just booking the rides under her own account for her 16 year old son, and last week for the first time a driver refused to pick him up because he was underage. 

 
Call a cab.   I had the same issue with uber when I got stuck in a meeting and my daughter had to get from school to a music lesson.
This area is poorly served by cabs, but might have to resort to that. Would have to pray that they do the pick-up on time.

 
A co worker has been just booking the rides under her own account for her 16 year old son, and last week for the first time a driver refused to pick him up because he was underage. 
And in this case, the pick-up would be AT the high school. My kid would be in uniform. No way to even think about playing it off.

 
Back in the good old days, you could stick your kid on a Greyhound bus and ship them anywhere you wanted. Want them in a different time zone? Done and done.

 
This area is poorly served by cabs, but might have to resort to that. Would have to pray that they do the pick-up on time.
You might want to experiment with using the service on your own a bit and get to talking to a couple drivers about making trips off the books. There's a couple drivers in my town who are known as go-tos for things like airport trips because not only are they reliable, etc but they have the good car seats installed in their cars because of their own kids so it saves families from having to haul the car seats around. They either do the rides outside of their normal hours or go offline to make the trips. 

Obviously not ideal and you're removing your legal protections should something happen but would you really feel less comfortable doing that than using random cab company X and a driver you've never met?

 
Kid is in high school and has a smart phone. Didn't think about the app having our CC information and the physical card not being needed. That's a plus.

For anyone wondering: there's a handy school bus, but it only would bring her home. She needs a ride to an inconveniently-located afternoon arts program across town.
If you’re in New Orleans, and I seem to recall you are, United Cab has an app now. 

 
I also know people who essentially have hired babysitters exactly for this purpose. $20 (or whatever the going rate is locally) for the "hour" of driving to the school, driving your kid home, and then driving back to wherever they need to be is probably pretty good money.

 
If you’re in New Orleans, and I seem to recall you are, United Cab has an app now. 
Thanks ... will check it out. Do any potential legal issues stand out to you? Anything you would think to ask about up front that non-lawyer folks probably wouldn't? 

EDIT: looking at United Cabs app ... I wonder if they are basically trying to compete directly with Uber and Lyft, only using their cab fleet?

 
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I thought there was an "Uber-like" app/service specifically for getting kids around.  The drivers have to go through more rigorous background checks than they would for Uber/Lyft.  Google it?

 
I thought there was an "Uber-like" app/service specifically for getting kids around.  The drivers have to go through more rigorous background checks than they would for Uber/Lyft.  Google it?
huh.   there are several.  all location specific, though.   Zum, HopSkipDrive and Kango seem to be three of the biggest.

all three of these are california or colorado, though

 
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Thanks ... will check it out. Do any potential legal issues stand out to you? Anything you would think to ask about up front that non-lawyer folks probably wouldn't? 

EDIT: looking at United Cabs app ... I wonder if they are basically trying to compete directly with Uber and Lyft, only using their cab fleet?
Yes, they’re competing with Uber and Lyft.  I haven’t used the app and have no idea what I would ask or if it’s a good idea - but be aware you’re sending your kid with a New Orleans cabbie.

 
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When I was a kid, they told me not to get into a strangers car. 

:whoosh:

 
They used to say don't get into a stranger's car, and don't talk to strangers on the internet.

Now there's an app for meeting strangers on the internet to come pick you up in their car.

 
-fish- said:
huh.   there are several.  all location specific, though.   Zum, HopSkipDrive and Kango seem to be three of the biggest.

all three of these are california or colorado, though
Bubl is in Dallas. And charges basically 2x whatever Uber charges. 

 
Seems like the kind of thing you could pay a fellow high school student with a car that you more or less trust some cash to take her, assuming the travel isn't something crazy. 

 
huh.   there are several.  all location specific, though.   Zum, HopSkipDrive and Kango seem to be three of the biggest.

all three of these are california or colorado, though
That's the one I was thinking of.  Didn't know it was just in Cali though.

 
If Lyft also has a no-minors policy, then cabbing it may be the only option.

My cousin used Uber all the time to get her upper middle school son from school to hockey practice while she worked -- the service seemed perfect as all the kid needed was a smart phone with an app. There was a way to track the ride and know who the driver was and when/where the kid was picked up and left off. There were other safety features in the app like the ability to tap a button for emergency assistance or sharing trip details with contacts. Worked perfectly for her, and she had the extra step of having the kid text her with the license plate of the car when he got in, and texting her with a pic when the ride was over.

But if Uber et al are no longer driving minors around, and you need to use another service like a cab, and your kid has a smart phone, those extra steps -- texting/taking pictures before and after the ride and the like -- are a good suggested practice to give you a little more piece of mind.

If your kid is in high school already, hopefully they have a little bit of street smarts as well -- I'd be more concerned with younger kids.

 

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