Kango, California's Leading "Uber for Kids," Coming to Phoenix

Parents in the Phoenix area can resolve to stress less in the new year, thanks to a new transportation service called Kango. Launching in early 2020, the service will give local parents a welcome break from carpool duty by providing safe, trusted rides for kids. Rides are scheduled through a convenient app, and Kango's reliable drivers act like "nannies on wheels" for busy parents by picking kids up and taking them wherever they need to go. Rides can be scheduled the same day, with no cutoff time, and carseats or booster seats are even available at no extra charge.

Kango started in San Francisco, and quickly spread across California. Phoenix will be the company's first service area in Arizona - and with more people than ever moving to the Phoenix area, it's likely the service will stay busy. While some parents may rebuke the idea of an Uber-like service for kids, Kango has an established track record of safety. The service screens all potential drivers using a lengthy process that includes background checks, reference checks, fingerprinting and more. Many drivers are parents themselves. Once accepted and trained, drivers meet families beforehand so kids feel comfortable before their first ride. Once the ride begins, parents can track and communicate in real time with drivers. Additionally, families can request preferred drivers when booking a ride, which helps create an additional layer of trust between the two parties.

“We treat their children just like we’d treat our own kids — with the utmost care," says Kango co-founder and CEO Sara Schaer. "And we treat parents with the best level of communication and service and empathy.”

The company especially caters to working parents, who might be faced with difficult choices like attending an important breakfast meeting versus getting their child across town to an early sports practice. Parents simply can't be in two places at once, and sometimes alternate carpool options are not available. This means when schedules collide in a family, usually one person must skip out on something. Kango wants to change that for local families.

“We’re not just aiming to be the lifesaving solution to logistical challenges for parents,” says Schaer. “Kango enables everyone to be what they want to be. Parents don’t have to sacrifice their careers, and kids don’t have to give up the idea of being high level athletes or a star musician. Everyone can get where they need to go without having to sacrifice these goals.”

In addition to its ride service, Kango also offers childcare service. Childcare can be booked before, after or separately from rides.

Parents who are interested in learning more about the January launch can visit www.kangoapp.co to download the app and signup for the waitlist. Additionally, prospective drivers - who earn a minimum of $20 per ride, according to the company - can apply here.