A new Hingham-based transportation company focused on helping families get children to activities received Select Board approval June 16, clearing a regulatory step ahead of a planned summer launch.
The Select Board approved a limousine license for Loop Shuttle by a 2-0 vote after Chair Liz Klein recused herself from the discussion and vote. The new ride service is designed specifically for children and plans to use professionally vetted drivers and a mobile app that allows parents to track rides and receive notifications when children are picked up and dropped off.
Select Board Chair Liz Klein recused herself from both the discussion and vote, citing her involvement with the company. According to the company's website, Klein is listed as the company's CEO. Board member Bill Ramsey led the discussion and later noted for the record that Klein did not participate in the deliberations. The company's application listed Charles Vacey as an additional driver and Doris McCann as the primary driver. Vacey is listed as the VP of Operations on the company's website, and McCann's bio states that she is a school bus driver for the town of Hingham.
Vacey told the board that Loop Shuttle was created to address a challenge faced by many local families juggling children's schedules.
"So the venture is called Loop Shuttle and Loop is a dedicated local ride service designed specifically for kids," Vacey said.
"We are trying to address the challenges the parents [and] caregivers have in getting all their kids to overly scheduled lives."
According to Vacey, the company plans to operate a fleet of shuttles staffed by drivers who hold 7D certification, a state credential commonly required for transporting school-age children in smaller vehicles. Parents will be able to track where their children are going and receive updates through the company's app when rides begin.
Vacey said the company hopes to begin operations this summer.
Brundage said safety was a primary focus in developing the business. He said the company intends to distinguish itself from larger rideshare services by relying on local drivers who are familiar with the community.
"One of the hyper focuses that we're doing right now with this company is the locally vetted drivers, completely background checked and fingerprinted," Brundage said.
He told the board that drivers would undergo CORI and SORI background checks as well as fingerprinting.
"We're going a step further and doing not only the Corey and story checks, but we're doing fingerprinting with all of these drivers as well for a next level of security," Brundage said.
He also said the company aims to separate itself from rideshare services by using drivers who live in and know the communities they serve.
"We separate ourselves from the Ubers and the Lyfts from basically having drivers that are local to the community and that know the community and people that aren't from different areas and basically making it as safe as possible," Brundage said.
Ramsey praised the effort as a locally driven business venture and said he believed it would provide a valuable service for families.
"It's my understanding based on my research of this company that it's a locally owned and locally operated business and I think that is fantastic," Ramsey said.
Vice Chair Julie Strehle said she saw a need for the service, noting the difficulty many families face coordinating transportation to activities.
"My kids are a lot older now, but it definitely fills a hole," Strehle said.
"I mean, it's very difficult to shuttle kids around and then, I don't know, you want them to go to different activities, but people work or they have different things going on in their lives."
Following the discussion, Strehle moved to approve the license, which authorizes Loop Shuttle to operate through Dec. 31, 2026. Ramsey seconded the motion, and both board members voted in favor. The approval allows the company to move forward with its plans to launch the child-focused transportation service in Hingham.
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