The story of Panda

It all started by coincidence.

If a friend of mine hadn’t asked me to help transport children back in 2017, I would’ve been doing something different today. But this friendly help was fateful.

I realized how logistically demanding children are. It’s not only the trips to schools and kindergartens, but also transport to their hobbies and sports.  In addition to that, parents must be able to handle their jobs and all the necessities surrounding a family… Managing everything can be very difficult.

Let’s go over the requirements of, for example, tennis. Talented children might have up to five practices per week.  The career of a future Federer successors may have to end because there isn’t anyone who can drive them to the court.

That is why I came up with the idea of professional personal transport. A transport which provides children with not only a safe transfer, but also all the additional care. So that the parents can stop worrying about all the concerns.

I relied on individuality, sensitivity, and perfect reliability.

I wanted to create the opposite of anonymous taxi services. The offer of long-term cooperation with a person, who the child can fully trust and know. A person who can help not only with their transport, but can accompany them to a desired place, help with their belongings, wait for them as long as needed and then bring them back home safely

It turned out that this type of service was exactly what families needed

A project that started out with one driver and one client (which actually happened by chance) started to gain more supporters.

After five years of business, the crew of Panda Ride consists of 12 vehicles, which we frequently use to transport around a hundred children daily.  Our drivers travel with their little clients for several years and literally see them grow up. In many cases, our drivers become a member of a family.

For parents, our services mean many hours of transport saved, which they can turn into something else than driving a car. Like time for their job, family or simply, themselves.

The mission of Panda Ride carries the legacy of Tomáš Janout’s grandfather.

“When I was a child, I was told the story of my grandfather, who had to walk 14 kilometers to get to school. By foot. There was no other way, he even had to walk through snow drifts in the winter. Nevertheless, his parents insisted that he did not neglect his studies. They knew that education would be the key to his future.

I think about Panda Ride in the same manner: I want to make it easier for children to achieve their education and other activities that can move them forward in their lives.” (Tomáš Janout)

Tomas Janout

director and founder