D.C. Shuts Down Unlicensed Kids’ Rideshare

District of Columbia Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb has announced that RubiRides Technologies, Inc. — a subscription-based rideshare company that marketed itself as a premium transportation option for children — must cease operating in the District, provide full refunds to families, and pay $50,000 in penalties for deceptive practices and operating without required licenses.

The settlement follows an Office of the Attorney General (OAG) investigation that uncovered troubling violations of D.C. consumer protection laws. 

The company, founded and led by CEO Noreen Butler, promoted itself as a high-end, safe transportation alternative for families in the District, Maryland, and Virginia. From August 2021 until January 2024, authorities said RubiRides charged families monthly or annual subscription fees and required them to pre-load money into accounts used to book rides for children in their care.

Schwalb said the company began experiencing severe operational failures by December 2023 despite these promises. He said scheduled rides were frequently canceled without explanation. In some cases, RubiRides charged families for services that were never provided. 

According to court filings, the company stopped responding when families attempted to cancel subscriptions or request refunds. 

Even after suspending operations in January 2024, RubiRides continued charging families for services that no longer existed. Many customers were allegedly left with unreturned balances ranging from $100 to $1,000.

“These are working families who were paying for a service they believed would keep their children safe, only to be left stranded — literally and financially — by a company that marketed itself as trustworthy,” Schwalb stated. “This investigation and settlement not only puts an end to a dangerous, unlicensed business but also puts money back into the pockets of parents that paid for transportation services they never received. We will continue to use the law to protect public safety, ensure that D.C. consumers are treated fairly, and make sure that all businesses operating in the District play by the rules.”

After receiving customer complaints, the OAG launched an investigation and discovered that RubiRides had been operating in the District without obtaining the licenses required for a business. 

The company also misled consumers about the services it could reliably provide, continued billing families even after shutting down operations, and failed to issue refunds or communicate with customers about account balances.

During the investigation, Schwalb said RubiRides issued $3,439 in refunds to eight families. Under the terms of the settlement, the company must complete a thorough review to determine whether additional D.C. consumers are owed money and issue further refunds if necessary. The company and Butler are required to permanently cease operations in the District unless they meet stringent conditions, including obtaining all required licenses, hiring staff to provide live customer support during business hours, creating a streamlined cancellation and refund process, and maintaining a system for logging consumer complaints that must be accessible to the OAG.

According to the RubiRides website, Butler started the business after her own experiences as a busy parent. 

“Going through this process personally taught me the formula for successfully providing a safe, friendly, reliable, and trusted service,” Butler wrote in a statement on the company website . “It’s because of my struggle that I understand what other families need, and I am personally invested in helping as many families as possible manage their complicated, demanding schedules.”

Butler, who oversaw the business’s operations and advertising as CEO and founder, is also barred from launching or operating any rideshare or driving-related business in the District unless all the conditions are fully met.

“This action is about more than money — it’s about accountability and consumer safety,” Schwalb said. “Families deserve to know that when they pay for a service, especially one involving their children, they are getting what they paid for. Businesses that can’t meet that basic standard have no place operating in the District.”