Latest / Let Them Fly - Heather Harries Ed Hub / Drive safely with Ride Skipper and Lauren Hamilton

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Drive safely with Ride Skipper and Lauren Hamilton · Let Them Fly - Heather Harries Ed Hub

• 0:18
  SPEAKER_00: Hello and welcome to Let Them Fly with me, Heather Harris.
• 0:21
  SPEAKER_00: If you've ever wondered whether your child is on the right path, this podcast is for you.
• 0:26
  SPEAKER_00: Each week we share conversations that encourage parents to trust the journey, embrace different definitions of success, and believe more deeply in their children's potential.
• 0:35
  SPEAKER_00: Today I'm joined by Lauren Hamilton, British founder of Ride Skipper, a Dubai-based safety driver service built on simple idea, vetted, trained drivers that use your car to get you to where you need to go.
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_00: Built from the ground up, the service is especially known for school runs, helping parents navigate the busy mornings and the logistics of family life.
• 0:57
  SPEAKER_00: We're talking about trust safety and the realities of modern parenting in a fast-moving city.
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_00: Lauren, welcome to let them fly.
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you.
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_00: Tell me a little bit about Ride Skipper, what you do, who you are.
• 1:10
  SPEAKER_00: Yep.
• 1:10
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, so I've been in Dubai for nine years.
• 1:13
  SPEAKER_01: I moved over with my then boyfriend, now husband, um, was always a corporate girl.
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_01: Um I worked for a big global hotel chain and thought I would probably retire with them.
• 1:23
  SPEAKER_01: I was very happy with that.
• 1:25
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and then I had my son, and a problem arose that I just could not get out of my mind, even past the point at which the problem was personal.
• 1:36
  SPEAKER_01: Um so I had my son, I had a C-section, I wasn't supposed to be driving, and um just wanted to get out and about and explore with him and felt quite confident to do so, you know, reasonably well recovered, but still this sticking point of not being able to just get in the car and go.
• 1:51
  SPEAKER_01: So I tried to book um taxis with car seats, and sometimes they were the right size and sometimes they weren't, sometimes they were sanitized and sometimes they weren't.
• 2:00
  SPEAKER_01: You know, it was just this kind of roulette the whole time, and it was very frustrating.
• 2:03
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and even then when I looked at drivers for my car, um, I found the same problem.
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_01: You know, sometimes they're bright-eyed, bushy-tailed, well-groomed, ready to go, safe, calm, no drama, and other times not.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_01: And the issue is you don't know until they show up on the door.
• 2:19
  SPEAKER_01: So you might have booked a baby class or whatever you've booked, um, and then you've got this kind of unnecessary stress.
• 2:26
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, and some might say it's a first-world problem, but it was a problem nonetheless, uh, which I felt could be fixed.
• 2:32
  SPEAKER_01: So spent about a year complaining to my husband about it, frankly, and saying this is nonsense, why is it like this?
• 2:39
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and the more research we did, the more we discovered that most of the drivers in Dubai operate on this kind of gig economy commissionable model, which if you think about it, incentivizes you to rush because the faster you drive, the more clients you can, you know, service in a day and the more money you make.
• 2:56
  SPEAKER_01: And we thought, well, if we turn everything on its head and we give them from the outset stability and security, a fixed monthly income, they know what they're gonna earn.
• 3:05
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe, just maybe, that might promote a safer, calmer experience for the client.
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_01: And so far, the thesis appears to be true.
• 3:12
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I mean, I I don't think there's a person in Dubai that hasn't got in a taxi and gone, are we on an F1 formula racing truck?
• 3:18
  SPEAKER_00: I really feel like I am.
• 3:19
  SPEAKER_00: And you go, I'm not in a rush, and they're like, well, I'm not sure if Oswald thrown in just to make it a bit more exciting.
• 3:24
  SPEAKER_01: Exactly, yeah.
• 3:24
  SPEAKER_01: They're allergic to the indicators often as well, which I find um a little bit stressful.
• 3:29
  SPEAKER_00: So so you obviously so you set up this amazing service, and I know it's amazing, and all we ever hear is very good things about it, and also the fact that you are employing people that are are are vetted.
• 3:40
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, they're they're literally they're vetted, they're visaed, they're all the things that we're seeing that aren't happening.
• 3:46
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 3:46
  SPEAKER_00: What's been the feedback from the client base?
• 3:49
  SPEAKER_01: Um, very, very positive.
• 3:51
  SPEAKER_01: So we have an overwhelming majority of clients who book once and then continue to book.
• 3:57
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and what I love is that they might book for one reason and come back for another.
• 4:01
  SPEAKER_01: So perhaps they use us to get to the airport for their summer trip.
• 4:04
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, your kids are safe, they're in their own car, in their own car seat, and then they might think, this is good, this is a good idea, why haven't we used this before?
• 4:13
  SPEAKER_01: And then they'll use us for school runs or they'll use us for, you know, um getting the kids to and from classes or after-school activities.
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_01: So we see this kind of they come into our ecosystem, if you like, and then they don't really leave because there's lots of different reasons that they say, I'm just gonna ride skip of that because you know I've got a clash in my diary or whatever.
• 4:32
  SPEAKER_00: But I think it's safety as well, isn't it?
• 4:34
  SPEAKER_00: Because I I know when we spoke before you said that quite often um the same driver they will use the family car, they drop dad to work, they come back, get the kids, yeah, drop the kids to school, come back and get mum, and there's a sort of the they do the they do the chauffeuring for your family effectively.
• 4:49
  SPEAKER_00: Exactly.
• 4:50
  SPEAKER_01: So you can book us for anything from a one-off journey um all the way through to a full-time driver and everything in between, and even at the full-time scale of things, people say, Well, why would I not just hire a driver directly?
• 5:01
  SPEAKER_01: And you can, but again, you've got this issue of how are you vetting him, um, you know, how are you getting his visa um sorted?
• 5:08
  SPEAKER_01: That can be quite an expensive process, and then how does he get to your house every morning?
• 5:12
  SPEAKER_01: How does he get home every night?
• 5:14
  SPEAKER_01: So um the logistics and the kind of operational side of managing it, the life admin, if you like, um, is all taken away and we just handle that.
• 5:22
  SPEAKER_00: And I think the reality of having a driver in your home own home is there's very few families who need that driver during the day.
• 5:28
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
• 5:28
  SPEAKER_00: They need them at both ends of the day, and then the drivers for sat around doing nothing, and and that's it's a waste, it's a waste of resources, really.
• 5:35
  SPEAKER_01: It is, it's a waste of resources, and and obviously it means that we can work on a more cost-effective model because between him dropping your kids in the morning and him coming to get your kids in the afternoon, we pick him up from your school or your home wherever your journey finishes, and then we take him off and he helps other clients doing other things, and then he comes back for you in the afternoon.
• 5:54
  SPEAKER_01: So we're able to kind of utilise him during your downtime, which makes it more cost-effective for you as well.
• 5:59
  SPEAKER_00: And all your drivers speak English, presumably, to a fairly good standard.
• 6:02
  SPEAKER_01: Correct.
• 6:02
  SPEAKER_01: They have to be able to understand me, and if they can't, and then the new level, we've unlocked a new level because I've got a head of operations who joined us six months ago, and she's from the north of England, so now they have this kind of combo of right, can they understand Lauren?
• 6:16
  SPEAKER_01: Can they understand Hannah?
• 6:17
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, tick, tick, tick.
• 6:18
  SPEAKER_01: You know, they're really on it with the English.
• 6:19
  SPEAKER_01: They're that case, yeah.
• 6:21
  SPEAKER_00: Exactly.
• 6:21
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, correct.
• 6:23
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that makes it different for families because I know we've had drivers in our house and the English has always been challenging.
• 6:31
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 6:31
  SPEAKER_01: And I think it's one of those things, it's not just irritating, but it's also if I'm gonna trust you and leave my son in the car with you, I need to know that if there's a problem, you can communicate it with me.
• 6:43
  SPEAKER_01: You know, God forbid if there would be an accident or a delay or whatever the problem might be.
• 6:48
  SPEAKER_01: I need them to be able to articulate that with our clients and that our clients feel safe in the knowledge that you know he's got it covered, he's on top of it, he's got it handled.
• 6:55
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, yes, absolutely.
• 6:57
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I saw on your social media recently you wouldn't send a client to a competitor.
• 7:03
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, indeed.
• 7:04
  SPEAKER_01: So we do have a bit of an issue, which as a startup is a brilliant problem to have with availability.
• 7:09
  SPEAKER_01: So the service kind of landed and then exploded because mums tell other mums when they like stuff.
• 7:16
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so we've been trying to grow this the business, but we are bootstrapped, we are self-funded, so I can't just go out and double the number of drivers overnight, right?
• 7:23
  SPEAKER_01: I have to kind of pace myself a little.
• 7:25
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so it does often occur, unfortunately, that a client will try to book and we don't have availability.
• 7:31
  SPEAKER_01: And I think I hope, let's see what happens with that lady.
• 7:34
  SPEAKER_01: But um, for me, you know, if somebody is in a bind and they're having a challenge and they just need to get their kids safely from A to B, that's not the moment to pitch.
• 7:43
  SPEAKER_01: That's not a cold sell about all the reasons we're better than our competitors.
• 7:46
  SPEAKER_01: She knows that she uses us regularly.
• 7:48
  SPEAKER_01: Actually, what she needed in that moment was all right, I wanted to use Ride Skipper, I couldn't.
• 7:53
  SPEAKER_01: What's my next best option?
• 7:55
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so let's see.
• 7:56
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 7:57
  SPEAKER_01: I think she'll come back.
• 7:58
  SPEAKER_00: I think I'm sure.
• 7:59
  SPEAKER_00: I'm sure.
• 8:00
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and I know we've had a conversation and you've set up this amazing initiative about road safety because it's something you are really passionate about.
• 8:09
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely, yeah.
• 8:10
  SPEAKER_01: I feel really strongly that road safety doesn't just come from authority, it needs to be kind of individuals taking accountability.
• 8:17
  SPEAKER_01: You know, we've all seen it children on Shakespeare, road jumping up and down the back of the car, and kids pulling into the school that aren't trapped into a car seat.
• 8:25
  SPEAKER_01: Um, dare I say, you know, you might see people having a really nice time in the evening and making poor choices about driving themselves home versus an alternative.
• 8:34
  SPEAKER_01: So I think that more can be done in the UAE, and I think it's not for a lack of commitment from you know government um entities, but it's just that individuals need to be almost better educated around the risks.
• 8:48
  SPEAKER_01: You know, it's it's very interesting this road safety initiative that we've we've started.
• 8:52
  SPEAKER_01: Um, one of the car seat manufacturers um is is part of it with us, and uh they commissioned um some research into why people don't use car seats, um, because it's it's actually more often than not.
• 9:04
  SPEAKER_01: So by law, you must have your child in a car seat until at least age four.
• 9:08
  SPEAKER_01: That's the law here in the UE.
• 9:09
  SPEAKER_01: Um, in reality, we all see that that's not always the case.
• 9:12
  SPEAKER_01: And the reasons for it given by the those surveyed, and it was quite a substantial group of people, were things like I'm a good driver, so I don't plan to crash, so I don't need to put my kid in a car seat.
• 9:24
  SPEAKER_01: Or my personal favourite, because I am a little bit of a Hitler at home, uh, is my kid doesn't like a car seat, and I think, well, actually that's tough.
• 9:32
  SPEAKER_01: Reuben doesn't go anywhere unless he's struck in, you know, and he knows that for sure.
• 9:36
  SPEAKER_01: So you want to go to soft play, my friend, you better get in your car seat.
• 9:39
  SPEAKER_01: So I think it's it's very interesting, and that's what I mean by education, is you know, I guess the same for you, right?
• 9:45
  SPEAKER_01: Growing up in the UK, we've all got those crash test dummy videos etched on our brains, and we know what happens if we don't wear a seatbelt.
• 9:52
  SPEAKER_01: And yet, here we're seeing um something as simple as you can go onto Amazon, and for 20 dirhams, you can purchase a little um almost like a fake seatbelt buckle.
• 10:02
  SPEAKER_01: No.
• 10:02
  SPEAKER_01: Plugs into your seatbelt to stop it beeping.
• 10:05
  SPEAKER_01: No, no, and I'm like, it's not there for a reason, then.
• 10:10
  SPEAKER_01: No, no, or my favourite is uh you see people's cars parked and the seatbelts are plugged in, but they're not in the seat.
• 10:18
  SPEAKER_01: So that's how they make the beeping stop essentially.
• 10:21
  SPEAKER_01: They just plug so it's like all of these very inventive ways of tricking the system, but the system is actually there for your safety.
• 10:28
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so that blows my mind a little, but you know, again, it comes down to education.
• 10:32
  SPEAKER_01: If your firm belief is it'll be alright, you know, it might not be.
• 10:37
  SPEAKER_00: So let's try and yeah, and I think you know, people do they do.
• 10:40
  SPEAKER_00: I've heard I've heard the same thing.
• 10:41
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I'm a good driver, I don't need my seat, but you might be amazing, but the other three and a half thousand people that are driving past you certainly aren't going to be as good as you.
• 10:50
  SPEAKER_00: And and I think I don't know, do you know the statistics of crashes here?
• 10:53
  SPEAKER_00: They used to be worse than they are now, I know.
• 10:55
  SPEAKER_01: Um, yeah, it has improved.
• 10:57
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I won't be able to give you the numbers off the top of my head.
• 10:59
  SPEAKER_01: It has improved, but interestingly, or unfortunately, um the reasons for crashes haven't changed.
• 11:06
  SPEAKER_01: So um it's still distracted driving, it's still um using your phone while you're driving, uh, and the reason for injuries are still, you know, wasn't wearing a seatbelt, yeah, etc.
• 11:16
  SPEAKER_01: etc.
• 11:16
  SPEAKER_00: So more work can and no, just make for the sake of just when I was little, you grew up with clunk click every trick.
• 11:23
  SPEAKER_00: Exactly.
• 11:23
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, for the sake of a clunk click, yeah, it doesn't make sense that you put your life at risk.
• 11:28
  SPEAKER_01: No, exactly.
• 11:29
  SPEAKER_01: And and this is what we want, and I think it starts with the kids because you know, I've there there was a funny um video that we posted on Instagram, and but the the sentiment was serious, and it was my then two and a half year old son chatting away about why he he needs to be in his car seat and what he would do if somebody tried to put him in the car without the car seat.
• 11:49
  SPEAKER_01: And you know, it's two and a half, he's barely lit barely able to communicate, you know, and he's there already saying, Well, my daddy says it's for safety, you know, I have to I have to put my seatbelt on, and it's very natural to him, it's second nature, it's not a discussion or a fight every time we get in the car.
• 12:04
  SPEAKER_01: And I think if we could get that into the minds of the smaller children, you know, then I can grow up with that the same way.
• 12:11
  SPEAKER_00: There's a sort of I don't know about you, but I know if I don't put my seatbelt on, I actually feel uncomfortable driving because I've forgotten something.
• 12:16
  SPEAKER_00: It's part of that whole sort of mirror signal maneuver type thing, isn't it?
• 12:19
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, exactly.
• 12:21
  SPEAKER_01: Exactly that.
• 12:21
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah, I think there's you know, there's lots of work that we're planning and lots of work that can be done, and I'm excited about that.
• 12:27
  SPEAKER_00: And within your ride skipper, obviously every child has to have a seatbelt on before they pull out, before the car moves.
• 12:34
  SPEAKER_01: Correct, the driver won't travel.
• 12:36
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and he's taught that.
• 12:38
  SPEAKER_01: And it's actually in the terms and conditions of the client that you know, while the driver is operating your vehicle, the expectation is you're strapped in, your children are in their car seats, you know, we're not gonna um just like he won't speed, we see it as the same thing, you know.
• 12:51
  SPEAKER_01: If you ask him to do 150 kilometres an hour, he'll say no.
• 12:55
  SPEAKER_01: If you ask him to drive without your seatbelt on, he'll say no, you know.
• 12:57
  SPEAKER_00: So and how do you handle because obviously you're going to have uh face face off with some clients who are like, well, I never wear a seatbelt.
• 13:04
  SPEAKER_00: What would you say to them?
• 13:05
  SPEAKER_01: Um, do you know it's interesting?
• 13:07
  SPEAKER_01: I think because people gravitate towards us because of the safety element, I haven't yet touched wood in the two years that we've been operating, had the experience where a driver has had to, you know, he's had to remind kids or whatever, but never a situation where there's been a standoff and you know the journey hasn't taken place.
• 13:25
  SPEAKER_01: I don't think that people that would consider driving without a seatbelt on are necessarily the people that would book us because they're not that fast, right?
• 13:33
  SPEAKER_01: So they might just jump in the channel.
• 13:35
  SPEAKER_01: They're the ones that take the chances when they've yes.
• 13:38
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 13:39
  SPEAKER_01: Um and what's and what's the next plans for Ride Skipper?
• 13:43
  SPEAKER_01: So we're actually looking to raise investment at the moment to be able to grow it.
• 13:47
  SPEAKER_01: The demand is still very, very high, and it I can't quite add enough drivers to to keep up with it.
• 13:54
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, and it and it and of course you have to be careful when you scale any business that the quality doesn't suffer.
• 14:00
  SPEAKER_01: So it's about slowly but intentionally scaling the business so that we can help more and more families.
• 14:06
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and we feel that the best way to do that would be to kind of onboard an investor.
• 14:10
  SPEAKER_01: So that's funny.
• 14:11
  SPEAKER_00: It's a real um career change from hospitality into I mean it's still service, I guess, but how did you learn about the systems and the booking systems and everything you needed back end to make this happen?
• 14:22
  SPEAKER_01: Um, with a lot of hard work, a lot of blood spent tears, and a lot of mistakes, honestly.
• 14:27
  SPEAKER_01: Um, when I think about you know the tech and the platforms and things that we tried to build, um, you know, that's probably where the majority of what we've invested so far has gone.
• 14:38
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and I think what nobody really tells you, particularly if you're kind of an accidental founder like me, no one really tells you that, yeah, okay, they tell you you don't need to be an expert in everything, stick to what you're good at, great.
• 14:49
  SPEAKER_01: But there are areas of the business that you absolutely must understand as a business owner and as an operator of the business.
• 14:55
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and you can't, when you're a bootstrap startup, you cannot just hire in every area that you're deficient in, right?
• 15:01
  SPEAKER_01: I can't, I can't hire a finance director and a tech director and a this and a that.
• 15:05
  SPEAKER_01: So um my husband got roped in.
• 15:08
  SPEAKER_01: Um, he doesn't work for us full-time, but he did get roped in to help with the finance because you know, don't have a dog and bark yourself, right?
• 15:14
  SPEAKER_01: But with things like the tech, we didn't have anyone in the business or in our world that was an app developer.
• 15:20
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, so it's it's costly and it's difficult to find people that you can trust, and yeah, I you learn as you go, but yeah, it's I find it really hard to like and people from the outside they will say, Well, we'll just hire someone.
• 15:31
  SPEAKER_00: It's great.
• 15:32
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, but if I hire them, that means there's one less client, that's people bringing the money.
• 15:36
  SPEAKER_00: Because back backend is expensive.
• 15:38
  SPEAKER_01: It is, it is very expensive.
• 15:39
  SPEAKER_01: But you know what's really exciting is you know, I know it's a bit of a buzzword, but if I look back to two years ago when we first launched and how we were trying to build the app then, and it was very much you need a physical developer who knows his staff or her staff and is you know competent in developing in a particular way in order to get the outcome, and that might actually have been four people's jobs because they're doing slightly different things, and what we're looking at now is and what's being built now is AI first, um, and it's one person who is literate in developing in that space, and they are able to cover those kind of four roles.
• 16:17
  SPEAKER_01: So, actually, the cost of building the back end um has really greatly reduced, um, and the quality and the speed of the output has increased.
• 16:26
  SPEAKER_01: So, I'm I feel better than I did two years ago.
• 16:30
  SPEAKER_01: Let's put it that way.
• 16:30
  SPEAKER_01: I'm we're still not quite there, but what's being built is really exciting, and and it's also, you know, again, talking about scaling something.
• 16:38
  SPEAKER_01: In our case, the commercial model of the business doesn't work if you have to add a customer service person for every 10 drivers you hire, right?
• 16:45
  SPEAKER_01: Where does it stop?
• 16:46
  SPEAKER_01: You end up with a call center of 200 people.
• 16:48
  SPEAKER_01: So um, this idea that we can make the team that we already have more efficient and automate some of the really basic processes um is really exciting, and it means that you know we can manage to do more with less, basically.
• 17:01
  SPEAKER_00: And do you have is there a sort of hotspot time that you sort of go, oh god, I know I'm gonna be so busy?
• 17:06
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 17:07
  SPEAKER_01: Oh yes.
• 17:08
  SPEAKER_01: On a Saturday, so it starts in the morning because we work with a lot of the car garages.
• 17:12
  SPEAKER_01: So on a Saturday morning, clients are like frantically trying to get their cars to the garages so that they've got them back for Monday morning.
• 17:19
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and then the brunch rush kicks in.
• 17:22
  SPEAKER_01: Oh yes.
• 17:22
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, and the regulars, which we're very lucky to say we have a lot of, um, they will book in advance.
• 17:28
  SPEAKER_01: So if they know they're brunching, they might message us at 10am and say, pick me up from here at this time, great.
• 17:32
  SPEAKER_01: And then there's the wave of people that go, oh god, you know, I was planning to be diet coking today and I'm not, and I need a driver.
• 17:39
  SPEAKER_01: So um, yeah, I would say from sort of 8 a.m.
• 17:42
  SPEAKER_01: on Saturday right through until late night, it's very busy.
• 17:45
  SPEAKER_00: And you do a lot with school runs.
• 17:47
  SPEAKER_01: We do, yeah.
• 17:48
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 17:48
  SPEAKER_01: So Sundays get busy again because people sort of planning for the week.
• 17:51
  SPEAKER_01: And it's really interesting because the school runs are twofold.
• 17:53
  SPEAKER_01: So there are the clients that book us on a monthly contract, month in, month out, they have their same driver every day.
• 17:59
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and then we have clients, I would say, I'm in this bucket for the most part.
• 18:03
  SPEAKER_01: I can plan myself around Ruben's pick and drops.
• 18:06
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but sometimes there'll be a clash.
• 18:08
  SPEAKER_01: So I think, oh, actually, I need to send somebody to go in and get him and someone that I trust.
• 18:13
  SPEAKER_01: So we have clients that might book us in the morning for the afternoon because they'll say, I feel like a lot of working parents in Dubai have a routine and that works 90% of the time.
• 18:25
  SPEAKER_01: And then one of the kids is sick, but the other one still has to go to school, or the nanny's off, or dad's traveling, or something will just throw it off kilter for a couple of days, and that's when we like to kind of swoop in and save the day as well.
• 18:37
  SPEAKER_01: So, yeah, that's a big chunk of what we do.
• 18:39
  SPEAKER_00: And do you I don't know if you'd know the figures, what is the difference from a parent using the a traditional school bus service to using you?
• 18:46
  SPEAKER_00: Is there a comparison there at all?
• 18:48
  SPEAKER_01: Um, demographic a little bit, um, and sort of I would say kind of household income level to an extent, because obviously we are more expensive than the school bus.
• 18:58
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but it's interesting because there are a few things changing about the school bus landscape, which we think will make parents gravitate towards us even more.
• 19:08
  SPEAKER_01: So um when the conflict hit, um, and there was kind of we're in school, we're out school, we're in school, we're out school, this kind of um hokey kokie that we were doing.
• 19:17
  SPEAKER_01: Um a lot of parents when kids went back to school said, I'm very happy for them to be at school.
• 19:23
  SPEAKER_01: I know that the staff know what they're doing.
• 19:24
  SPEAKER_01: What I don't really want is for them to be on a longer journey than they need to be.
• 19:28
  SPEAKER_01: So if their bus journey is usually 60 minutes, but they could do it in a car in 10, they were sort of booking for that reason.
• 19:35
  SPEAKER_01: Um and we've seen a lot of interest from September for the same reason.
• 19:39
  SPEAKER_01: So actually, I just prefer them to get to and from in a more direct way.
• 19:43
  SPEAKER_01: And also right now in Dubai, there is a rule that's um KHDA set, which is that children can't be on the school bus for more than 90 minutes.
• 19:52
  SPEAKER_01: So if you happen to live in, I don't know, Dira and you want to send your kids to Imar South, then um the school bus won't necessarily cater to that.
• 20:01
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and in Abu Dhabi, they've just reduced it from 90 minutes to 60 minutes.
• 20:05
  SPEAKER_01: Oh wow.
• 20:05
  SPEAKER_00: So we're wondering if Dubai might go in the same I think 60 minutes on a bus before school and after school, that's a long day for a child.
• 20:12
  SPEAKER_01: I think so.
• 20:12
  SPEAKER_01: And I think it's interesting, right?
• 20:13
  SPEAKER_01: Because Dubai is such a safe place that people don't worry about it from that angle.
• 20:18
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but people do have concerns around the safety of driving specifically.
• 20:23
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it's not is my kid gonna get kidnapped, it's is the driver gonna drive safely.
• 20:28
  SPEAKER_01: Um and I think, I mean, when I think about my own child who honestly relentlessly complains about not being allowed on the bus.
• 20:34
  SPEAKER_01: And I think, for goodness sake, kid, if only you understood what we're building here.
• 20:37
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but uh you know, he's he's three and a half.
• 20:40
  SPEAKER_01: He started school when he was two and a half, and for me that's you know, it's not about judgment, but it's I wouldn't choose myself to put my child at that age on a bus.
• 20:50
  SPEAKER_01: Um and I can imagine he would be horrendously grumpy if I had to get him up an hour earlier.
• 20:55
  SPEAKER_01: And you know, spend more time it's a long day.
• 20:58
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I think there'd be a lot of danger naps happening if we get him on a bus at one o'clock or whatever it was.
• 21:03
  SPEAKER_00: So yeah, yeah.
• 21:05
  SPEAKER_00: So so next plans.
• 21:06
  SPEAKER_00: So you're I did you did you tell me you might be doing drive cars and drivers in the future?
• 21:11
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, we're definitely looking at it.
• 21:12
  SPEAKER_01: It's something that a lot of our clients ask for.
• 21:15
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so we would like to be able to provide that service.
• 21:18
  SPEAKER_01: It's quite complex, there's a lot of regulation around it.
• 21:21
  SPEAKER_01: Um, it's not something we can just turn on overnight, but it's definitely something we're looking at in great detail.
• 21:26
  SPEAKER_00: So at the moment we book on an app, and any you're open and available for absolutely anyone as long as they've got their own car.
• 21:32
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, absolutely.
• 21:33
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that's the main thing.
• 21:34
  SPEAKER_01: Sometimes people we get through the booking journey and then they go, Oh, you want my car?
• 21:38
  SPEAKER_01: And we go, Yeah, that's the whole point.
• 21:39
  SPEAKER_00: So brilliant.
• 21:41
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you so much for joining us today.
• 21:42
  SPEAKER_00: It's really interesting.
• 21:43
  SPEAKER_00: I I love Ride Skipper and I love what you do in the community, and your road safety campaign is incredible.
• 21:49
  SPEAKER_00: I have one final question that I ask everyone.
• 21:52
  SPEAKER_00: It's a bit of a curveball.
• 21:53
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 21:54
  SPEAKER_00: Knowing everything you know about life in general to this point, if you had to go back and give your seven-year-old self a piece of advice, what would that be?
• 22:04
  SPEAKER_01: What was I doing when I was seven?
• 22:06
  SPEAKER_01: Um I think that's probably a transitional phase, and it's an interesting question because I think seven is probably the kind of age where you where the self- you'll know more about this than me, so correct me if I'm wrong, where that self-doubt starts to creep in.
• 22:20
  SPEAKER_01: I look at my son, he's three and a half, and in his mind, he is the bee's niece.
• 22:25
  SPEAKER_01: Of course.
• 22:25
  SPEAKER_01: He's the coolest kid on the planet.
• 22:26
  SPEAKER_01: He has no question about it, he's absolutely certain.
• 22:29
  SPEAKER_01: And I regularly say to my husband, you know, firstly, be more Ruben.
• 22:33
  SPEAKER_01: And secondly, I wonder what age, you know, we all started off like that thinking we were fantastic.
• 22:38
  SPEAKER_01: At what age did those external doubts and your own doubt creep in?
• 22:43
  SPEAKER_01: And I think it was probably around seven, maybe.
• 22:45
  SPEAKER_01: So I think if I had to say, it would be actually back yourself a bit more, because no one else is necessarily going to shove you to the front, right?
• 22:53
  SPEAKER_01: So you need to go and make it happen and have the confidence that you can make it happen, I suppose.
• 22:58
  SPEAKER_00: Perfect.
• 22:59
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you so much for joining us today.
• 23:01
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you for having me.
• 23:02
  SPEAKER_00: Um we'll we'll be in touch soon because we're obviously talking about road safety, so I will see you shortly and get you face to it.
• 23:06
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you.
• 23:07
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you so much.
• 23:07
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you.