According to Skoda, UK parents drive an extra 1,648 miles (2,652 km) every year just to ferry their kids around, which is the equivalent of £12,565 ($15,593) worth of taxi fares if those kids would actually be paying for the rides.
In fact, 66% of parents said that they sometimes feel like a taxi service for their kids, spending on average an extra three hours in the car each week. Apparently, Northern Ireland has the hardest working parent drivers in the UK, traveling an extra 2,142 miles (3,447 km) on average for the sake of their kids.
So then what is the Skoda Parent Taxi app and how does it work?
Well, it acts like a real taximeter, allowing parents to exchange miles for chores, like cleaning the car, feeding the family pet, tidying the bedroom and doing laundry. And yes, it’s available for download on iOS and Android free of charge.
As for how it works, it tracks the car via GPS, with parents or guardians able to set how many miles equate to a single chore. When trialing the app, Skoda asked Jo Middleton and her teenage daughter Belle to give it a go.
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After several journeys, this is what Jo said: “This is the app I’ve been waiting for! It’s true that kids generally have a better social life than adults and as result that can mean a lot of car journeys each week. Although I love encouraging them to get out and do more, I think it’s a great idea to swap miles for some help around the house in return.”
Despite spending a significant time on the road, nearly half of the parents surveyed admitted that they use that time to catch up with their kids, with 44% not minding the extra miles as long as it means that the kids are out doing things.
Want to give it a go? You can download the app here.
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