My name is Yolanda Stevenson, and I started Taxi Mom in 2004 because I needed safe, reliable transportation for my children. I also saw that other parents were facing the same issue.
I had a successful career in the corporate world, and my husband worked as well. We juggled work responsibilities with caring for our two young sons, as do most parents. When I became pregnant with my daughter, I decided to take a year off to spend more time with her. But the bills don’t stop, and I soon went back to work for a technology company but it went under and I ended up working for my father’s masonry business – commuting between Richardson and Waco, with my toddler daughter at my side.
The long weekly commute was incredibly stressful but even worse, this left my husband to deal with getting the boys to and from school every day. We were especially concerned for our older son, who was in middle school by this time and had to cross a busy street on his way to and from school. We were willing to pay someone to pick them up and bring them home, but the only provider I could find charged $75 per week, per child. This was the point where I realized that there was a need in the community, a gap that needed to be filled.
School buses will not pick up children who live within a 2-mile radius of the school. When they do meet the requirement for bus services, some bus stops require a child to walk a mile or more to meet up with them!
And so, Taxi Mom was born. I discussed the idea with my husband and our kids came up with the name for the business. I bought a van and put signs in schoolyards advertising my service. In our first year, my husband had to quit his job to help out. I also enlisted my sister, who moved in with us for a year. By the second year, we had three routes, with each route averaging 20 riders.
From that small beginning, we have grown steadily. I personally manage eleven routes, and we currently serve 455 students in multiple public school districts as well as many daycares and private schools.
In 2019, I began offering Taxi Mom as a franchise opportunity. With five successful franchisees, we have expanded beyond the DFW area to Austin and Houston, and we are looking to grow even more!
The Taxi Mom Franchise is a perfect opportunity to own a business that allows you to balance work and family responsibilities. Demand for the service is growing. While the pandemic created a shift from onsite jobs to a work-at-home model for many industries, parents still need assistance getting their children to and from school. Many of our clients do work from home but do not have the flexibility to leave their desks twice a day. In addition, there is a nationwide shortage of bus drivers, causing many students to arrive late to school or experience long commutes. Parents need help, and so do the kids.
If you are passionate about providing a valuable, customer-focused service to the community, you could become part of the “Great Resignation” that is sweeping the country, begin a new, rewarding career, and spend more time with your family.
We are accepting applications for new franchises, so this is a great time to apply!
Please complete the form below, or contact us at info@taximomfranchise.com.
