Creating a Rider

Setting up a rider profile for each passenger you’ll be scheduling rides for is a key first step to efficiently using RideIQ.

To create a new rider, on the Riders page, click Create Rider. You'll complete four sections:

• Basic Information
• Contacts
• Locations
• Rider Services

Basic Information

Enter the following basic rider information:

• First and Last Name: enter the rider’s first and last name.
   
• Gender: select the rider’s gender from the dropdown list.
   
• Date of birth: the birthday will be used to confirm the rider’s identity, so it is important to enter the correct date.
   
• Category: select the category that best describes the rider. Rider categories are used for reporting and for your own organization. They are not displayed to CareDrivers.  Learn more about rider categories here. 
   
• Rider email: optionally, add an email as an additional contact method. Currently, riders do not receive any emails from HopSkipDrive.
   
• Rider phone number: when you enter a phone number, the rider will receive text messages with information about their CareDriver when they are on the way, schedule updates, and a link to the Track My Ride page. The CareDriver will also be able to contact the rider if they’re having trouble finding them at pickup. 
   
  • The phone number is always hidden and the CareDriver can only contact the rider through the app while a ride is in progress. Learn more about rider phone numbers here.
     
  • Do not enter the number for a caregiver or other contact here. You can add additional contacts at a later step.
     
• Photo: upload a clear, current photo of the rider to help CareDrivers find them at pickup. This is an important way you can help pickup go smoothly.
   
• Rider ID: Optionally, add the rider’s ID Number. This can be useful in accurately tracking riders with similar or identical names.
   
• Invoice group: assign the rider to a designated group for accounting purposes. You will receive a separate invoice for each invoice group. Note that this field is only visible to Account Admin users. 
   
• This rider is an aide: some districts provide adult aides who ride along with certain riders. Toggle this option on to indicate that you are setting up a profile for one of these Rider Aides. When you designate a profile as an aide, special cancellation functionality applies. Learn more about Rider Aides in this article. Note that Rider Aides are distinct from Rider Assistants. You can learn more about Rider Assistants in this article.
  
  For most riders you will not select this check box. 
   
• This rider's transportation costs are shared with another district: if your district shares transportation costs for a rider with another district, toggle this setting on to set up shared billing to automatically split the costs. Learn more about how shared billing works in this article.
   

Contacts

Enter information about the rider’s caregiver. This person will be the main point of contact for the rider and is generally their parent or guardian. To add additional contacts for the rider, click Add contact. 

For each contact, enter the following information:

• First and last name
   
• Role: At least one caregiver is required, so the first contact you add must have the role of caregiver. You can add additional caregivers or emergency contacts if desired. 
   
• Relationship: select the option that best describes the caregiver’s relationship to the rider.
   
• Phone: enter a cell phone number for the caregiver. The caregiver will receive text updates about rides in progress, be able to contact and be contacted by the CareDriver during the ride, and can download the HopSkipDrive app to track rides in real time or cancel them when they are not needed. Learn more here.
   
• Email: optionally, add an email for an additional point of contact. 

Locations

Add the addresses this rider will need rides to. These can be shared locations, such as a school, or locations unique to the rider, such as their home address. When a location is added to a rider's profile, it appears in dropdown lists when you are scheduling rides. You can also designate locations as the rider's Primary Residence or Primary Destination so RideIQ can auto-populate them when you schedule rides.

To add a location, follow the steps below:

1. Click Add location.
    
2. Type the location address. If the location is already saved to your account, select it from the Saved locations list. If you need to create a new location, select the correct address under Create a new location. Follow the steps here to create a new location, then click Save.
   
   
    
3. If desired, select one of the following:
   
   This is the rider's primary destination/residence: the rider's primary residence location is automatically added as the pickup location when you schedule a ride. The rider's primary destination is automatically added as the drop-off location. You can always edit or remove these auto-filled locations on a ride, but adding the rider's home and school addresses increases ride scheduling efficiency.
   
   Rider must be met at drop-off: enable this setting to require the CareDriver to meet a designated adult when dropping off the rider. This setting is a good fit for riders who require high supervision. Follow the steps in this article to enable the Must Be Met requirement. 

Rider Services

In this section, you'll choose safety settings, services, and indicate specific rider needs.

Code word: at pickup, the CareDriver will say the code word to the rider. This confirms for the rider that they are with the correct CareDriver. Choose a code word that the rider will be able to remember, but avoid code words that would be the same for many riders, such as school mascots. Rider's caregivers can also update the code word in the HopSkipDrive app. 

Seating: 

Indicate the rider's seating needs.

• Can sit up front: this option can be enabled for riders who are 12 or older and who meet the requirements to safely ride in the front seat. You cannot select this option for riders younger than 12 years old.
   
• Needs booster seat: riders eight and under must have a booster seat (nine and under in Colorado). CareDrivers will provide the required booster seats. You may select this option for older riders if required.

Rider Services:

Rider Services are additional options available to meet your riders' more complex needs, such as wheelchair-accessible vehicles or additional adult support during the ride. 

You can read more about each available Rider Service and associated in this article. 

Rider Requirements:

Select all requirements or attributes that apply to the rider. Selected requirements are displayed in the CareDriver app to ensure CareDrivers are prepared for the ride. Select from the following:

Additional notes: use this section to add any other information the CareDriver may need to successfully complete rides with this rider. This can include more details about any of the requirements selected above.