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Hanover Dad Creates Carpooling App To Help Busy Parents

HANOVER (CBS) - Shey O'Grady is used to crisscrossing the town of Hanover to pick up her 9-year-old son and 13-year-old daughter.

"Very busy they each have a couple of sports and we both work full time so busy household," said mom Shey O'Grady.

A new App called "Floc" is making it easier for moms like O'Grady to find rides for her kids from people she already knows.

"It does help knowing I don't have to be everywhere at once knowing that likely a bunch of fellow parents are going to be in the same place at the same time," said O'Grady.

Aaron DaSilva
Aaron DaSilva of Hanover (WBZ-TV)

The app is the brain child of Hanover dad Aaron DaSilva. He came up with it a few years ago when his two young boys were both involved in five sports on top of other activities.

"What I think is so special about this is we're taking something parents do day in and day out ... texting their friends asking their family for some support and we're formalizing it in a way that makes it to help one another out," Aaron DaSilva said.

The app allows parents to invite their family, friends, neighbors and other parents to join their group called a "Floc." You can have different "flocs" depending on your kids' sport or activity. This creates a centralized location within the app for the transportation discussion. Through the app parents can ask for help or offer help with rides.

Floc
Floc carpooling app screenshot (WBZ-TV)

"It's really meant to help parents out when they're in a pinch," said DaSilva.

"It's wonderful it saves all of the texting with multiple threads so it makes it nice and easy," said O'Grady.

The app is free to use, but it does allow you the option to send someone who has given your kids a ride a gift card as a thank you.

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