Rideshare, Childcare Service For Kids Launches In Orange County
IRVINE (CBSLA.com) — Stuck at work and can't pick up your kids? There's now an app to get you out of your bind. It's call Zum.
Zum bills itself as a family-friendly service that offers rides and care for children five and older. It launched on Aug. 1 in Orange County after starting last year in the Silicon Valley and quickly expanding to all six Bay Area counties.
The service allows parents to use the Zum app – available on iOS and Android – to set up rides for their children with Zumers, caregiver/drivers who are vetted through Trustline, fingerprinted and interviewed.
While children are with a Zumer, parents can keep track of their locations in real time via the Zum app.
According to Zum CEO Ritu Narayan, she started the company because of how challenging it is to manage a career and multiple family schedules.
"But busy parents also need to have trust and confidence when it comes to anyone who's in contact with their children," Narayan said in a statement. "We've been successfully helping thousands of families already and we're delighted to extend our service to Orange County.
Because Zum is a ride sharing program for children, the company runs rigorous background checks and has safety precautions in place. All of its drivers are women.
"For us to hire a driver takes about two to three weeks just to hire one driver," said Zum's operations manager, Raashi Bhatia.
There is no subscription fee or minimum commitment to use Zum, and pay-as-you-go pricing is based on the length of the ride or the childcare service, according to Zum. The company says carpools start at $8, while dedicated rides start at $16.
