Skoda Parent Taxi app will charge your children chores in exchange for rides

Skoda, one of the European arms of the Volkswagen Group, recently did some research and discovered that British parents spend an average of 1,648 miles per year shuttling their children to and from various activities. Instead of, you know, acknowledging that encouraging a child's extracurricular interests is part and parcel of good parenting, Skoda decided to flip kids the bird and create an app that can turn these rides into housework.

The Skoda Parent Taxi app seeks to force children into exchanging rides for housework. It acts just like the meter in a taxi, tracking the car via GPS and converting miles driven into various chores children can complete, whether it's mowing the lawn, doing the dishes or cleaning a bedroom. The driver can beam that "receipt" to the passenger, as yet another reminder that quid pro quo is a practice not limited to politicians and lobbyists.

Of course, the app can't actually enforce these chores, and since there's not exactly any legal standing behind Skoda Parent Taxi, it's up to the parent to ensure the jobs get done. Asking nicely is probably a good first step.

The app really only works for children who aren't of driving age -- once they get the keys, there's no taxi meter that will stop them from driving about aimlessly like so many other teenagers. Most of the teen-driver-focused systems we've seen in the industry have been about promoting safety for licensed kids. Take the 2020 Chevy , for example; its new Buckle to Drive feature won't let drivers leave Park until they've buckled up. It's part of an impressive Teen Driver suite that also features a top-speed limiter and a "report card" that lets parents know if their children are unnecessarily aggressive behind the wheel.