Forget the traditional school bus. Some children in Dubai are arriving at the school gates in private chauffeur driven cars as parents turn to limousine companies for the daily school run.
The companies offering these services say safety remains a key part of transporting children without their parents. From vetted drivers and GPS tracking to WhatsApp pick up and drop off notifications, both companies said measures are in place to keep parents updated throughout the journey.
Speaking exclusively to Khaleej Times, Fairway Travel & Transport employee Riyaz Kizhissery said the company receives around two to three requests a month from parents looking to use its limousine service to take their children to and from school.
Fairway Travel & Transport operates a fleet of more than 20 cars and offers limousine services for various journeys across the UAE, including school runs booked by parents seeking private transport for their children.
Families can arrange a one way journey for an estimated Dh100, although the final price depends on the car chosen and the distance travelled.
“Some of our clients ask for a personal driver and a personal vehicle,” Kizhissery said, adding that prices vary depending on the distance travelled.
Parents can also arrange for a nanny or family member to accompany their child during the journey.
“If it is a child, we accommodate one person from the parents’ side as well. We pick up the child and their nanny from home, drop the child at school and then take the nanny back home,” Kizhissery said.
Parents are kept updated through WhatsApp during the journey, with transport arrangements handled directly with the family.
Kizhissery said the company also carries out background checks on its drivers before hiring them. “We check the police clearance and everything before hiring the drivers,” he said, adding that relevant records from the drivers’ home countries are also reviewed.
Khaleej Times also spoke to Drive N Ridde Limousine LLC, another Dubai company offering private school runs for families.
Alexandre Guardia Miralles, partner and manager at the company, said its dedicated school run service was launched for the new academic year and already has around 50 children on recurring monthly pick up plans.
“The response has been remarkable, around 50 children are already on recurring monthly pick up plans, and with the demand we’re seeing, we expect to pass 200 before the end of the year.” Miralles said
Families sign up for monthly renewable plans, with the service running around each school’s timetable. Parents can choose morning and afternoon journeys from Monday to Friday or customise the plan according to their needs.
“Some book both directions, others only school to home, or specific days of the week,” he said.
There is no flat fee, with each plan priced individually according to the route, schedule and number of children.
“Every route is different, so rather than a flat fee we price each plan individually,” Miralles said.
Like Fairway, Drive N Ridde said additional measures are taken when transporting children. Its chauffeurs are required to have a police clearance certificate, at least two years of driving experience in the UAE and English language skills.
For school runs, the company assigns the same chauffeur to each family every day.
“The same chauffeur is assigned to each family every single day so children always see a familiar face,” Miralles said.
Children are only handed over to a parent, nanny or another authorised adult, while every journey is monitored through GPS in real time by the company’s operations team.
Parents also receive WhatsApp notifications at pick up and drop off, but the company plans to expand the information available to families through a dedicated app currently in development.
“We’re building a dedicated Parent App where families will see their contracted services, follow the car’s live GPS location while their child is on board, and even access an in car camera view for complete peace of mind,” Miralles said.
Drive N Ridde currently coordinates timings directly with families according to each school’s schedule, but Miralles said the company has started formal discussions with schools in Dubai about pick up and drop off arrangements.
It also plans to introduce eight seater vehicles for multiple families using shared routes.
The company currently operates 30 GPS tracked executive vehicles and plans to expand its fleet to 60 vehicles in 2027 and more than 100 in 2028.
“We’re doubling to 60 vehicles in 2027 and plan to pass 100 in 2028,” Miralles said, adding that school transportation, including shared routes using eight seater vehicles, will be one of the main areas driving that growth.
As demand grows, private chauffeur services are becoming another option for parents looking for more flexibility in how their children travel to and from school.
Source: Khaleej Times