Pittsburgh Moms Blog is excited to partner with KIDLIFT to bring you information about their service.
When your kids are little, you’d do anything for an extra set of hands. As they grow, their social life becomes more hectic than our own. With more after-school activities, practices, and lessons than you can fit on one color-coded family calendar, you’d do anything for an extra set of wheels.
KIDLIFT is a taxi service for children ages 5 – 17. For now, KIDLIFT mainly services the South Hills of Pittsburgh, including both Allegheny and Washington Counties.*
KIDLIFT is owned and managed by two mothers from Peters Township that have five children between them. Like many of us, they found it difficult to juggle careers, spouses’ careers, and all their children’s activities on their own. They found that some days, the week’s activities required them to be in two places at one time. What if you could send a child with a personal driver, they thought? Out of this stress, common to every school-aged mother, came KIDLIFT, a driving service specifically for children.
Here’s how it works:
The drivers, much like Uber, use their own vehicles, which are identifiable with a KIDLIFT magnetic sign on the side. The drivers wear yellow KIDLIFT shirts with a blue-and-green “KL” on the front. They also require parents and their children to create a secret word that is used to verify the driver’s identity.
The drivers have security clearances, and their driving records are available on request. Prior to the ride, a picture of the KIDLIFT driver will be sent to the parent either through email or a text.
Parents are asked to schedule rides for their child until 7PM the night before. Pricing per ride is $10, if under five miles, and $15 if the ride is 10 miles. For rides 11 miles and up, the base rate is $15, plus $1 for each additional mile. There’s no membership fee; you just pay per ride.
KIDLIFT also will text parents when their child is picked up or dropped off. KIDLIFT does not wait at the activity with your child, but will walk them to the door. If you want KIDLIFT to drive your child home from this same practice, that is two separate fares that need to be booked and paid for separately.
Schedule your ride. Call KIDLIFT at 877-867-6665.
First time users must fill out 3 forms:
The 4th form (PHOTO RELEASE FORM) is optional.
Once your ride is scheduled and you have filled out the forms, KIDLIFT will send you an invoice via email with PayPal, which allows for payment via several forms of popular credit card.
The KIDLIFT driver will wait until your child enters the field or building safely and send a confirmation text to the parent.
The most common use so far is to have KIDLIFT drive a child to practice, lesson, activity, or a friend’s house, mainly in evening time frame. Many customers are reoccurring and have a typical time slot that they need. Another regular client is a preschooler who is driven from day care to a relative’s house.
After school activities are not the only way to use KIDLIFT. What about dropping the kids to the mall with their friends? What about allowing them to use the service to get home after being at a friend’s? All are great ways to use KIDLIFT, keeping in mind their current Hours of Operation: Monday – Thursday – 6AM TO 9PM; Friday – 6AM-12PM; Saturday – 8AM-12PM; Sunday – Closed.
SAFETY is KIDLIFT’s No. One Priority.**
COMPREHENSIVE DRIVER CERTIFICATION PROCESS
- CRIMINAL RECORD CHECK
- SEX OFFENDER RECORD CHECK
- VALID DRIVER LICENSE
- AGE 25 OR OLDER
- OWNS OR LEASES A VEHICLE NOT MORE THAN 10 YEARS OLD SEATING 4-7 PASSENGERS
- PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL REFERENCES CHECKED
- HAS PERSONAL AUTO INSURANCE COVERAGE THAT MEETS OR EXCEEDS STATE-REQUIRED LIMITS
- ADOPTS OUR ZERO TOLERANCE POLICY FOR SMOKING, DRUGS AND ALCOHOL WHILE DRIVING
- ADHERES TO OUR NO TEXTING/PHONE USAGE WHILE DRIVING
Schedule your ride. Call KIDLIFT at 877-867-6665.
Obviously, as with any situation that involves entrusting your children into someone else’s care, you have reservations. If your children are not mature enough for this service, we understand, but keep it in mind for future use. Remember that in New York and other major metropolitan areas, children as young as ten often ride the subway on their own, and taxis on their own before that. Riding public transport alone involves many independence milestones including being smart enough to fend off unwanted attention, the ability to read a map, and resources to know how to handle unexpected situations. With KIDLIFT, all you are doing is placing you child in a car that you’ve pre-screened and having them drive to a location that your child is familiar with. Not all that scary when you think of it that way.
My 7-year-old safely used KIDLIFT.
Here’s how I approached this – like I was hiring a babysitter. I reviewed all the FAQs on the website, reviewed their safety policy, and asked for their clearances and driving records, which as they explained on their website, are readily available.
I explained it to my son. I gave him his safety word. I showed him the picture of his driver and explained their logo and colors. I told him that KIDLIFT was merely driving him to his swimming practice, where he had gone a million times before. KIDLIFT arrived on time at my house with a car that was surprisingly clean inside, considering that it was used to transport children. In order to take a picture for this post (and because I admittedly was a little nervous), I followed a little behind KIDLIFT in my own car for this first inaugural trip. Ali from KIDLIFT assured me that the first ride is always the hardest (on the parents), but it quickly becomes routine after that.
My son arrived to swimming in KIDLIFT, remembered to carry all his gear, and ran into the building without looking back. I followed into the building shortly after; he hardly missed me. After practice, I asked him about his first taxi ride. He told me that the music was great, and that Ali put on the Trolls Movie soundtrack for him.
I’m looking forward to continuing using KIDLIFT, since basketball season starts soon.
Save some sanity and let KIDLIFT give your kid a lift today at 877-867-6665.
*Serving Bridgeville, Bethel Park, Canonsburg, McMurray, Mt. Lebanon, South Park, South Fayette, Upper St. Clair, Venetia, and other surrounding areas.
**Other Safety Measures:
- NOTIFICATIONS VIA TEXT/PHONE UPON PICK-UP AND DROP-OFF
- ABILITY TO FACETIME OR SKYPE YOUR CHILD DURING THEIR RIDE
- PRIOR TO RIDE A PICTURE OF YOUR DRIVER WILL BE SENT TO YOU VIA TEXT/EMAIL
- A PERSONALIZED SAFETY WORD YOU AND YOUR CHILD CREATE THAT OUR DRIVERS CONFIRM UPON PICKUP.
- CERTIFIED BOOSTER SEATS AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST
