New Spanish-language experience across the app, ride notifications, and live support helps districts better serve Spanish-speaking families, with more languages planned for the 2026-2027 school year
LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--HopSkipDrive, the leader in safe, fast, and simple supplemental student transportation, today announced the launch of Spanish-language HopSkipDrive app for caregivers. The app updates automatically for caregivers whose phones are already set to Spanish, with no download or setup required.
Now, Spanish-speaking parents and caregivers can navigate the app, track rides in real time, and receive ride notifications, with the option to get help from a Spanish-speaking support agent if they need it. For thousands of families, that means no more guessing what a text means or waiting for someone else to translate a pickup alert.
Spanish is the first language HopSkipDrive has added to the app for caregivers beyond English, with additional languages planned for the 2026-2027 school year. The update reaches Spanish-speaking families across HopSkipDrive's national network of more than 14,500 schools and 2,000 school districts, government, and nonprofit partners.
This update comes as districts are asked to serve increasingly diverse student populations, often without any increase in staff or budget. Families speak different languages. Transportation solutions should too. That's why HopSkipDrive is investing in language accessibility across the HopSkipDrive app for caregivers.
For Spanish-speaking families, this update means:
- Real-time ride visibility: Caregivers know the moment their driver is on the way, when their child is picked up, and when they arrive safely, communicated in Spanish.
- Fewer missed communications: Direct access to support and updates in their preferred language closes the gap that could mean confusion during the moments that matter most.
- A smoother start: HopSkipDrive's Caregiver Great Start program, which already reaches out to new families before their first ride to walk them through the app, is now offered in Spanish as well as English, so Spanish-speaking families are walked through the app in their own language, and front-office staff aren't fielding basic questions on day one either.
For districts, the upside is just as clear: fewer calls for support fielded by front-office staff, smoother pickups and dropoffs, and one more reason families trust the transportation their kids depend on — a stronger safety net for the whole district, not just one language group.
Accessibility: A Caregiver Experience Built for Every Family
HopSkipDrive's Spanish-language rollout is designed to work automatically, without requiring any extra work from district transportation teams.
Spanish App Experience: The HopSkipDrive app now automatically detects a Spanish-language device on first launch and displays the full app in Spanish, including ride tracking, notifications, onboarding, and settings, with no setup required. The app simply speaks their language from the first tap. Caregivers can also switch their language preference at any time from the app menu, and the preference is saved to their profile so it persists across devices and app reinstalls.
Spanish Ride Notifications: Once a caregiver's language preference is set, push and SMS ride notifications are delivered in Spanish too, from "CareDriver en camino" through drop-off confirmation, giving caregivers timely, clear updates in the language they trust.
Spanish-Speaking Phone Support: Caregivers can reach a Spanish-speaking support agent for active rides by calling 844-HOP-SKIP and pressing 8, giving families real help in the moment, in the language they're most comfortable with.
“We designed this experience to work from the moment a caregiver opens the app, with no configuration, no extra steps for districts, and no added burden on IT teams,” said Corey McMahon, Chief Product & Technology Officer of HopSkipDrive. “For families, it should feel seamless. Spanish language support is the first step toward making that experience accessible to everyone.”
“When a caregiver can't figure out where their child's ride is because of a language barrier, that's not a usability issue, it's a student-outcome issue,” said Joanna McFarland, Co-founder and CEO of HopSkipDrive. “Spanish is our first step toward an app for caregivers that truly serves the diverse communities our district partners rely on us to reach, and it won't be our last.”
About HopSkipDrive
HopSkipDrive is the leader in safe, fast, and simple supplemental student transportation. The company is modernizing the $30 billion school transportation industry through two core solutions: a care-centered transportation marketplace and an industry-leading transportation intelligence platform, RouteWise AI™. HopSkipDrive's marketplace supplements school buses and existing transportation options by connecting kids to highly-vetted caregivers on wheels, such as grandparents, babysitters, and nurses in local communities. RouteWise AI helps schools and districts address critical challenges, including budget cuts, bus driver shortages, and reaching climate goals. HopSkipDrive has supported over 14,500 schools across two dozen states, with over 2,000 school districts, government agencies, and nonprofit partners. Millions of rides across 130 million miles have been completed through HopSkipDrive since the company was founded in 2014 by three working mothers.
Contacts
Media Contact
press@hopskipdrive.com
