Why I built this

I'm a parent, not a software company — I built this because I lived the problem, on both sides of it. My kids' first school was in the Auburn City school district — the only school there at the time running a scan-based system. You scanned in, staff knew exactly who to call up, and the line moved. It worked well enough that other schools in that same district went on to adopt it too.

Then my kids transferred to a different school, and pickup went back to the standard version — cars pulling around cars, cars cutting out of line, teachers on foot crossing between moving traffic. Nothing bad had happened there. But I couldn't shake the question: why accept that risk every single afternoon when there could be a better option?

That's exactly what I did — I built Car Riders, a dedicated, scan-based car rider pickup line, so any school can run the same thing I watched work firsthand without waiting on a district-wide mandate.

— Brandon, parent and founder

For parents

Your child has a QR code. Staff scan it as you pass their spot in line — well before you reach the front — so they're already outside waiting by the time your car gets there. No names shouted across the lot, no guessing, no waiting once you arrive.

• Have your child's QR code ready as you come through the line.
• Pull forward to the next open spot — you don't need to know the number.
• Do not pass the car ahead of you.
• Code won't scan? Staff can look your child up by name — the line won't stop for it.

For schools

1. 1. Your admin builds the roster — by hand or a one-time CSV import, messy real-world exports included.
2. 2. Every student gets one QR code, printed or sent out however your school already does it.
3. 3. Staff scan each car well before it reaches the front — that head start is what lets a kid already be standing at their spot by the time the car arrives.
4. 4. A live screen inside shows exactly who's up and which spot to send them to, updating in real time.