Specific efforts toward safe rideshare for women is a relatively new concept. On-demand rideshare companies like Lyft and Uber have exploded in popularity in recent years. However, their number of female employees has not. As of a 2015 study, women comprised only 14 percent of Uber drivers.
And then, of course, there’s the elephant in the room (or the headlines): harassment. This past June saw over 20 employees fired from Uber on various harassment and discrimination charges.
Safe Rideshare for Women Lacking
The harassment at Uber, not surprisingly, targeted mostly women. Susan Fowler, a former Uber site reliability engineer, published a story about her experience with harassment that made headlines. One female driver reported that she experienced harassment from drunk and aggressive male passengers, and one passenger used his phone’s lost and found feature to gain access to her personal information. Another driver wrote that she commonly experiences men making unwanted verbal and physical advances, but worries that complaints will harm her ratings.
With all the horror stories, it’s not surprising women shy away from the rideshare platforms. Although changes to Uber and increased awareness in the gig economy will hopefully help the problem, women in the gig economy have other options to consider.
Safr
Safr launched in Boston earlier this year and specifically aims to provide safe rideshare for women drivers and passengers. Originally, it was called Chariots for Women, founded by former Uber driver Michael Pelletz. Pelletz, who was eventually replaced by Syed Gilani in the CEO position, said he got the idea for the company after dropping off an erratic male passenger. He said he couldn’t help but wonder how a woman would have felt in a similar situation, and decided to create a company around the concept of safer driver/rider transactions.
The app features rigorous background checks and a number of safety features. These features include a 911 dial button, driver training, and a 24-hour command center. Drivers also have the ability to send a text to a preassigned contact at the click of a button. They can also opt to be matched to riders based on both rider and driver gender preferences. The app also uses color coding to help the right passengers end up in the right vehicles.
At the time of the startup, all drivers were women, although men are free to apply as drivers or riders. Their focus is not only on safety but also on wage equality for female drivers.
Safr charges slightly more per ride (around a dollar increase), but many hope that the safety features will cater to a niche market. Preliminary reports have indicated the business is going well, and the company hopes to expand beyond Boston in the future.
See Jane Go
Another female-friendly app, this one based in Orange County, California, is See Jane Go. Started by a father-daughter team, the service hires only female drivers and accepts only female riders. Their stated goal is to provide an “experience” and empower women to “earn a living” without sacrificing their comfort level.
They also contribute a portion of each ride’s fee to a charitable organization. It will also allow riders to bring a male passenger along—provided a woman schedules the ride and is present the entire time.
Other female-friendly rideshare apps have been springing up in Australia and India as well.
