BASIS Scottsdale Student Launches Carpooling App
BASIS Scottsdale middle school student Sahil Bagai is the co-creator of LetsRideKids, an app that connects parents with carpooling opportunities in their neighborhood.
Sahil, who will be going into grade 8 at BASIS Scottsdale this fall, developed the app with his older brother, Ishan, who goes to school in Phoenix. “We saw our parents struggling to get us to school and activities,” Sahil says. “We wanted to find a solution to this.”
The LetsRideKids app allows parents to search for and create carpools for specific locations, times, days of the week, etc. Parents can chat with other users within the app and track rides in real time. All users have their identity and drivers license verified before they can begin booking or creating rides.
Sahil explains that in addition to saving parents time and money, the app could significantly reduce carbon emissions. He says that he was inspired by his sixth grade biology class, where he learned about the effects of carbon emissions on the environment. “I studied this further and realized that the commuter cars we drive to school and to work account for 30% of all greenhouse gases.”
Sahil says his education at BASIS Charter Schools helped him as he was working on the app. “My BASIS education has been very focused around STEM, especially science and math. It allowed me to think critically and solve problems. I think BASIS is a one-of-a-kind school.”
Since the app went live a few months ago, Sahil and Ishan have been featured by local media such as 12 News and FOX 10. You can learn more about the app by visiting the LetsRideKids website, and you can download the app on the App Store or Google Play.
Sahil says he’s excited for the BASIS Charter School community to start using the app. “We need people to come together and want to carpool to save the planet,” he says.
Check out our interview with Sahil below.
To read more about what our amazing students have been up to lately, check out additional news and resources from the BASIS Charter Schools network.
