Welcome to The Right Ride, a video interview series from EverDriven that highlights the people living different parts of the student transportation journey. In this episode, we sat down with Angie Nelson, a caregiver in EverDriven’s Florida community, to talk about how consistent transportation helped her family through an unexpected transition.
Angie’s family needed a transportation solution quickly. A traumatic experience forced a sudden move to a new area within their school district, and Angie wanted to keep her daughter and son in the schools they already knew. A school social worker connected her to EverDriven through the McKinney-Vento program, and that connection changed the shape of her family’s daily routine.
A Move That Didn’t Have to Mean Starting Over
For Angie, the priority was clear from the start. She didn’t want her children to lose the continuity of the schools they were already attending, especially not on top of everything else the family was navigating. EverDriven made it possible for her kids to stay enrolled where they were, even after the family relocated within the district.
That consistency did more than protect their schoolwork. It gave Angie room to manage her own employment, knowing her children could be picked up from home and dropped back safely every day. She describes it as a kind of reprieve, the ability to trust that the logistics of getting her kids to school were handled so she could focus on everything else a caregiver carries.
Finding Reliability Through a Consistent Driver
Angie’s experience shifted once her children were matched with a consistent driver, something she noticed within the first two weeks. The driver’s warmth became part of the family’s daily rhythm, a wave in the morning as Angie walked her daughter to the car, and another wave in the evening when Angie stepped outside to see her off.
Angie connects that consistency directly to results. Her daughter’s grades improved, and her attendance became dependable. For Angie, the pattern was simple. When a child has the same trusted driver every day, school mornings stop being a source of stress and start being something predictable.
Visibility Parents Can Count On
Angie highlighted the RideAware caregiver app as one of the features that gave her the most peace of mind. The app notifies caregivers when a child is picked up and dropped off, and allows them to track the ride in real time. For a parent balancing work and caregiving, that visibility answers the questions that matter most: where is my child, and when should I expect them.
Finding the Program: The Role of the McKinney-Vento Liaison
Many caregivers don’t know a service like this exists until someone tells them. For Angie, that person was her daughter’s school social worker, who recognized the family’s situation and connected them to the McKinney-Vento program. Angie’s advice to other families is direct. Reach out to your school’s social worker or contact the district directly to ask what transportation support is available. Districts often have programs built for exactly these situations, and families don’t always know to ask.
A Service Angie Would Recommend to Any Family
When asked to describe her overall experience, Angie didn’t hesitate. She calls it a phenomenal and safe service, one that let both of her children stay consistent in their schools. Her son is enrolled in a rigorous program working toward his associate’s degree while still in high school, and for him, missing school time carries real academic weight. Angie sees consistent transportation as a direct line to the outcomes that matter most for her kids.
Spreading the Word to Other Families
Angie has already shared her experience with friends outside Florida, including a friend in Georgia with a son who has additional needs. EverDriven currently operates in 38 states, and support like this isn’t limited to one state or one type of need. Consistent attendance may be the clearest indicator of academic success, and transportation is often what makes that consistency possible.
Key Takeaways
From Angie Nelson’s experience as an EverDriven caregiver, several themes stand out for families navigating similar transitions:
- A consistent driver builds trust and creates a predictable start and end to the school day.
- Real-time visibility through the RideAware app gives caregivers peace of mind.
- School social workers and McKinney-Vento liaisons are key connectors between families and available transportation support.
- Reliable transportation protects academic continuity, especially during periods of disruption or change.
- Programs like EverDriven’s are available in 38 states, supporting families in a wide range of circumstances.
About the Series
The Right Ride shares perspectives from the people shaping the future of student transportation. From caregivers to district leaders, the series explores how consistent, reliable transportation supports student stability and success.
To learn more about transportation solutions for your family, connect with EverDriven.
Courtney Pallotta is an energetic, customer-driven marketing executive with more than 20 years of experience leading go-to-market strategy, branding, product marketing, demand generation, and customer advocacy for startup and growth-stage companies. As CMO at EverDriven, she leads the GTM team in delivering modern, student-centered transportation solutions that meet every student’s unique needs.
Courtney has built and scaled marketing functions across some of the most dynamic enterprise technology categories, from data warehousing and analytics to cloud infrastructure, data privacy, and SaaS. She has taken companies from stealth through IPO, led acquisitions, launched open-source platforms, and consistently built marketing engines that drive pipeline and market position. Along the way, she has developed a deep belief that the best marketing is both simple and authentic, and that listening to customers is the foundation for great products and lasting communities.
Outside of EverDriven, Courtney serves as a Board Member at the Gilliam Center for Entrepreneurship, where she mentors the next generation of business leaders.
