Get Your Kids Safely to School – in Half the Time!
Between traffic congestion, road construction, and long pick up and drop off lines, school pickup and drop-off can be a big hassle.
Hosted in collaboration with Go Together and the Clean Air Force of Central Texas, SchoolPool is a grant program that offers carpool, bikepool, and walkpool matching tools, marketing, and financial incentives to help parents and caregivers save time and money, help schools reduce congestion, and help the region protect air quality by reducing pick-up and drop-off lines at schools across the region.
Our online and mobile platforms make it easy to build your profile, perform background checks on all drivers, and start connecting with other families. Parents and caregivers can choose to be a driver or have their child(ren) participate.
- Families will save time, gas, and vehicle wear and tear by creating carpool networks.
- Schools benefit by reducing the number of individual vehicles traveling to and through drop-off and pickup lines - which saves time and improves safety.
- Fewer idling vehicles also means children are breathing cleaner air.
Getting Started
Movability is piloting the SchoolPool program beginning the 2024-25 school year with a limited number of schools to help get the program off the ground.
About SchoolPool from Movability
SchoolPool is a grant-based program that leverages online and mobile tools to match parents and caregivers to potential carpool network opportunities. All schools selected to participate in SchoolPool will receive $500 as an incentive to develop a carpool, bikepool, and walkpool program at their school and to cover any initial launch expenses. Every other month, Movability will evaluate SchoolPool participation and offer an additional $100 to each school that has maintained or increased the number of SchoolPools operating on their campus since the last evaluation period, up to $500. The school with the most SchoolPools in operation will be recognized with an end-of-the-year celebration on their campus.
SchoolPool Funding Provided By:
suggested reading and Resources
‘Carpooling is the only way’: Sydney mum reveals the huge cost of the school run
Hectic schedules and the high costs of gas are a few things parents in Central Texas have in common with Aussies. Carpooling helps save time and money - don't just take it from us, read what this Sydney mom says about carpooling!
Reimagining Streets for Safe, Active, and Joyful Trips to School
"More children being driven to school not only contributes to traffic jams around schools and stresses out parents, but also makes the walk or bike ride to school less safe and a less attractive option."
How School Drop-Off Became a Nightmare
"Today, more parents in the United States drive kids to school than ever, making up more than 10 percent of rush-hour traffic. The result is mayhem that draws ire from many groups....But the car line is not just a chaotic place with potentially sobering implications for our health, the environment, and, according to some parents, school attendance. It’s also a lonely one."
How and why to start a walking school bus
This article from the Washington, D.C. area has great information and tips that Central Texas families can use to create a walking school bus. A walking bus gets several kids to walk to school together (with at least one adult escort), and all it takes is a little organization, a route people can follow, and showing up.
Making a Walking or Biking to School Route
If you're interested in making a walk pool or bike bus in your community, consider a tool like Google My Maps or Felt.
How to create a bike bus
There are lots of reasons to start a bike bus: the cost savings for parents, the benefits of exercise for kids, and the positive impact on traffic congestion to name a few. This article gives great tips for how to start your own community bike bus. Want more help? Contact Movability to learn how we can help your community start a bike bus.
Why school traffic congestion matters
During the morning peak period, school travel accounted for 10%-14% of all private vehicles on the road, according to this 2009 American Journal of Preventative Medicine assessment. Not only is that unhealthy for children, it adds to our already-growing regional traffic congestion.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is SchoolPool from Movability?
SchoolPool is a pilot grant program from Movability designed to incentivize schools to create robust carpool networks to help transport students safely to and from school each day or to after-school activities.
moreWho can participate in the SchoolPool program?
Any school can participate in the program, including during its pilot period for the 2024-25 school year.
moreWhat are the benefits of SchoolPool?
Reducing the number of vehicles driving and idling around schools improves air quality, reduces traffic congestion, makes roads safer for students and neighborhoods around school campuses, and reduces the time that families spend in Austin traffic as well as the amount of money they spend on gas and vehicle maintenance.
moreHow does the SchoolPool grant work – what are the financial incentives of the program?
SchoolPool is a grant-based program that leverages online and mobile tools to match parents and caregivers to potential carpool network opportunities. All schools selected to participate in SchoolPool will receive $500 as an incentive to develop a carpool, bikepool, and walkpool program at their school and to cover any initial launch expenses.
Every other month, Movability will evaluate SchoolPool participation and offer an additional $100 to each school that has maintained or increased the number of SchoolPools operating on their campus since the last evaluation period, up to $500.
moreWhat is expected of school PTAs and booster clubs that get SchoolPool funding?
The PTA or booster club would serve as the point of contact between Movability and the school community; for instance, your group might help put together an event on the campus to kick off the program and help families sign up. PTAs can also help spread the word about the program to grow engagement.
moreHow will SchoolPool help ensure that children are being transported safely by a responsible adult?
Completing background checks on adult driver participants will be a core component of the SchoolPool program, and Movability is currently evaluating the mechanisms to perform this task in cooperation with schools and platform providers.
moreHow will carpool matching work, and what do you expect will be some of the key features?
Movability is currently evaluating online and mobile app platforms to help deliver carpool matching capabilities. It’s expected that parents/caregivers will have the ability to:
Match with other parents/caregivers either as drivers or participants in a carpool
Identify and arrange both morning and afternoon (or after school) pick-ups and home drop-offs.
Provide vehicle information and number of available car seats for participating children.
In addition, Movability expects that the SchoolPool program will be able to provide data such as total number of vehicle trips, miles and gas savings and reduction in CO2 emissions.
moreIs SchoolPool open to school administrators or can booster clubs and other organizations apply for the grant?
Booster clubs and similar school support organizations are encouraged to take the lead and apply for a SchoolPool grant on behalf of their school, with support from school administrators.
more