Business Opportunities Weblog

July 2, 2008 by Rich Whittle | 3 Comments

Sun-Sentinel:

When Judy Schaum realized she was in a constant struggle between her schedule at work and her children’s extracurricular schedules, she decided it was time to reinvent the wheel.

Stealing away to get her three kids to various venues for a soccer practice or other activity was wearing on her and her husband — and their jobs.

“One day I was wondering, how I will get this child here and that one there and by that time, I had been up and down Military Trail four times before it was 11 a.m.,” said Schaum. So two years ago she quit her 25-year job at a women’s clothing retailer to start Boca Sports Bus. She envisioned it as a transportation solution for working parents, in central and western Boca Raton.

Schaum’s buses, which seat up to 33 riders, pick children up from school or other venues and drop them off at another site for a game or activity like a dance lesson. Youngsters might hitch another bus ride from that location onto yet another destination. When the parent is done at work for the day, he or she will pick his or her child up at that location.

Schaum spent more than a year researching and developing her business before rolling out the buses in November 2007. She realized transporting children meant paying close attention to schedules and routes that made sense, addressing security issues and affordability. She hired experienced drivers and a transportation director. And she has two office employees fielding calls, setting up accounts and coordinating services.

Photo by Boca Sports Bus.

In Kids, Sports, Transportation | 3 Comments