HomeRun has partnered up with Kura, one of the UK’s largest shared home-to-school transport providers, to combat car usage.
The school travel app provider warned that infection fears have created a surge in car journeys since the return of schools in March.
Analysis has revealed that 32% of school journeys taken by public transport pre-lockdown have now switched to private vehicles, and warns that the increase in car use has created more congestion, more pollution at schools, and poses a critical threat to children’s health. The research shows 40% of parents have highlighted congestion around school gates as a problem.
By combining their solutions, HomeRun and Kura plan to provide a more complete view of commutes, covering student, parent and staff journeys irrespective of how they travel. The solution will allow schools to approach car users and recommend greener solutions such as shared transport.
“HomeRun’s innovative solutions will allow us to augment our shared transport data with a range of additional information on parents who have been forced back into low-occupancy cars,” explains CEO of Kura Godfrey Ryan. “Through this, we will be able to more effectively work with schools to provide a range of safer, more convenient transport propositions, aligned with their bespoke needs, that decrease the number of vehicles around the school gates. I’m delighted to be working with them.”
Adds Pooya Kamvari, HomeRun founder and Director: “The issue of the school run must be tackled holistically and I’m glad to be partnering with a like-minded company looking to do just that. Every school has a unique commute footprint of journeys and being able to understand and visualise it is key to identifying impactful, sustainable solutions. With the right combination of measures including dedicated school transport, car-sharing and travel buddies we can make low and single-occupancy car use a thing of the past.”
