Skoda has, in the UK, launched what could be the best idea in the history of parental ideas. It's called the Skoda Parent Taxi app, and it's designed to make your kids pay for all the lifts you give them... in chores.
€13,900 in taxi fares
Skoda estimates that parents giving lifts would rack up some €13,900 in fares if they were actually driving on real taxi rates. That's 2,600km of ferrying our kids around year-in, year-out.
Two thirds of parents say that they do, indeed, feel like a taxi service for their kids, while the average extra time spent in the car each week ferrying the ungrateful little whelps around mounts up to three full hours.
Parents in Northern Ireland rack up the most miles
Some areas vastly exceed that average mileage figure, too. In fact, at 3,454-kid-ferrying-kilometres every year, Northern Ireland has the highest rate of child taxiing in the whole of the UK. Impressive, when you remember how small Northern Ireland actually is...
So, now on both Android and Apple, you can download the Skoda Parent Taxi app, and set a rate of your choice - so many kilometres travelled equals so many household chores to be done.
Skoda has trialled the app with the help of well-known mum blogger Jo Middleton. 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."
Chores are actually good for your kids
According to Skoda, this is not just adults getting revenge for being dragged out of the house. Research shows that making your kids do chores is actually, genuinely, good for them, helping to develop motor skills, so for younger kids the app is a proper health benefit.
Skoda's survey showed 89 per cent of parents regularly ask their children to help out with chores around the home. The most popular household jobs that parents ask their kids to do are tidying their bedroom (62 per cent), doing the dishes (30 per cent), taking out the rubbish (29 per cent) and vacuuming (23 per cent).
In addition, although parents are spending significant time on the road, nearly half (47 per cent) admitted to using the time to catch up with their kids, and 44 per cent don't mind the extra miles as they'd rather their kids are out doing things - one dedicated parent even covered a 709km roundtrip from Bury to Edinburgh and back so their child could compete in a cycle race.