Ever wished you had a trusted guardian angel who could turn up for the school run and ferry the older kids to the various activities with clashing times while you cook the dinner, sort out the younger siblings and juggle your workload? Or not have to leave the office mid-deadline simply because you need to be on the karate run? Yeah, me too!
Well, you may just get your wish as innovative family ride service OneLane has launched in the UK to the delight of frazzled mums everywhere!
Specially appointed Guardians whisk your precious cargo from the school run or wherever the designated pick up point is and drops them at the required destination, with progress updates along the way via the OneLane app. Genius!
These ‘Guardians’ are not random cab drivers, (Jeez, that’d never work!!) No, these are fully vetted parents, nannies, childminders and teachers, selected because of their proficiency in caring for children. In addition to being great with kids, they are impeccable drivers too. Their driving behaviour on every journey is monitored by the team to ensure that high standards are maintained.
As they want to build trusted, long term relationships between families and ‘Guardians’, it offers a match-making service, whereby the ‘Guardian’ is pre-introduced and the same person is used for all regular journeys. This familiar face becomes a valuable member of the family’s support network. It is a revelation in childcare, I’ve lost count of the amount of times I’ve tried to figure out how to negotiate timings but as I can only be in one place at one time, something has had to give.
Personally, I have the headache of Dominic starting school in September in our local lower school and Harry at Middle School in a village 15 minutes away (on a good traffic day!) so OneLane is right up my street.
They will be introducing wraparound childcare and carpooling soon too, so it’s a win for the environment as well as parents!
The service has been trialled extensively recently and here’s a bit of feedback from a fellow Mum.
Anne, mum to Michelle, aged 11, says, “OneLane has been a life-saver for me. I no longer have to leave work earlier to pick Michelle up, or have to pay for expensive nannies with a minimum number of hours. With OneLane, I am paying only for the drive time. Also, how cool that I get real-time updates on the ride and can rest assured that Michelle has been picked up and is on her way to ballet class.”
At the moment, it is London based but as it’s popularity grows I’m hoping this family ride service is rolled out UK Wide.
Have you ever wished you had a guardian angel to ferry the children around? Do you think you would use this service? Let me know your thoughts!
*This is a collaborative post
8 Comments
Nicky Kentisbeer
That’s a really good idea and I guess it eliminates the need for childcare costs and afterschool clubs. I never really have this problem as I have one daughter but it’s certainly going to be a life saver for parents that have a juggling act. #KCACOLS
The hippy christian mum
That sounds fab! What a great idea. I haven’t heard of anything like it before but there’s definitely a gap in the market for it. I have a couple of friends with large families who I know would love this service. Hopefully it goes well in London so it can be rolled out to the rest of the U.K too. Thanks for a fab review. #KCACOLS
the frenchie mummy
Very good service. It’s so practical for parents who work early. Looking for a nursery for my babay at the moment and I am already dreading the idea that I will have to change my habit (be at work by 7am) to be able to drop him off at 8.00 am…
#KCACOLS
Maria
What a great idea this is? As a working mum I can really see how useful this would be and how much time it would save me! I think my children are probably still a little young for something like this though (they are 3 and 6) but can see how this would work well for older children.
Thank you for sharing this with #KCACOLS and I hope to see you back again on Sunday x
The Speed Bump
What a fantastic idea! That sounds like a really clever idea and such a useful service for parents! #KCACOLS
Emma
wow that actually sounds really useful! I have no idea how things will pan out for us once b starts school :/ #KCACOLS
Jen
Ok now that is neat! I have never had to do the car run being a homeschooler but I have heard horror stories from friends. I love this idea and the safety measures mentioned. #KCACOLS
Kat
Oh gosh what an amazing system! I would use this just to not have to walk to and from school every day! Although it is helping keep me fitter – it takes two hours, five days a week. Either this or I should learn to drive. #kcacols