Between busy work schedules, school bus driver shortages, and unreliable public transit, it’s no wonder that many families struggle to get kids to school before the first bell rings.
Amia Mize understands this challenge all too well; she dealt with it when her daughter switched to a school district that didn’t offer bus services to and from where they lived. At her daughter’s new school, Mize observed other families dealing with the same issue.
“A lot of students missed out on opportunities because they didn’t have the transportation,” she said. “From that moment, I wanted to be boots on the ground, behind the wheel, and do something about it.”
In 2015, Mize founded Takes a Village Transportation (TAVT), which provides door-to-door transportation to around 200 children and families in the Atlanta metro area and will be available via app next year. The company’s services are supported by Samsara, a GPS fleet tracking software and solutions provider that includes features like route optimization and driver coaching.
It’s just one example of transportation tech playing a role in filling transit gaps in the US.
Like Uber for kids: Takes a Village provides transportation to and from public, private, and charter schools; to local undergraduate students; and for extracurricular activities, family outings, and corporate and nonprofit programs.
The company offers rides to and from mentorship programs in Atlanta that serve children from economically disadvantaged families, and sponsors some of the trips to help offset costs for families in need.
Mize said she didn’t know much about transportation or logistics when she first got the idea for Takes a Village, but found support through programs like a Goodwill initiative, which helps entrepreneurs with steps like writing a business plan. Mize also recently won a grant from the Comcast RISE program, which supports small businesses and entrepreneurs; she plans to use the program to help deal with recent challenges like the rising cost of vehicle maintenance and insurance. In addition to monetary support, the program provides recipients with a “technology makeover,” including computer equipment and internet, cybersecurity, and voice services. RISE is part of Comcast’s Project UP, an initiative to advance digital equity.
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Filling a gap: Across the country, school transportation systems are strained due to factors like bus driver shortages, partly due to low wages and slow wage growth.
USA Today recently chronicled some of the challenges children in the US face getting to school, including a 7-year-old in Chicago who had a two-hour commute due to the city school district suspending bus service for students who attend magnet schools and other specialized programs. The report cited Economic Policy Institute data indicating that the number of bus drivers fell by 15% between 2019 and 2023. At the same time, chronic absenteeism among students has been climbing in recent years.
Some school districts are even encouraging the use of ride-sharing to help alleviate these issues, per USA Today.
Meanwhile, the San Francisco Standard recently highlighted a trend of local parents sending their kids to school via robotaxi service Waymo. Some rideshare providers, like Uber, have started to let teens hail rides on their own.
Mize claims that what sets TAVT apart from some of those alternatives is its focus on safety. The company’s drivers go through extensive background checks, for example, and she said TAVT regularly inspects its vehicle fleet. Its vehicles are equipped with GPS trackers and cameras. Drivers are CPR and first aid certified. And parents can track the routes their kids take.
Looking ahead, Mize is focused on further developing Takes a Village’s nonprofit arm so there’s more capacity to serve students. Striking a balance between what’s best for business while maintaining a community mindset has been one of the most difficult but important things Mize said she’s learned.
“You have to be able to still have a heart but not pour the whole heart out to where it takes away from the bottom line,” she said, “because you still have staff and overhead to take care of.”