New ride-sharing app puts women behind the wheel
A new all-female ride sharing app is set to explode onto the Toronto taxi scene today, with big plans to drive safety and female empowerment within the city.
DriveHER Transportation was founded by Aisha Addo, with the goal of providing journeys “for women and by women within the Greater Toronto Area”.
The app is a stark change from Canada’s current male dominated taxi industry where men account for 85.1% of all drivers. Thepresence of ridesharing apps have already increased in the city in recent months, and DriveHER will offer an alternative specifically for women.
“Women who have experienced an uncomfortable taxi or Uber ride will now have another alternative,” the company writes in its mission statement. “Our priority is to ensure the security of every woman on every ride, whether she’s the passenger or the one behind the wheel.”
DriveHER was born after Addo was made to feel uncomfortable by her driver in a cab home.
"He was asking me if I lived alone, and for me that was a bit triggering," she told CBC. “Then he started asking if I had a boyfriend, and then [there] just started to be some really weird sexual innuendos. I became a bit guarded."
While the scenario may be brushed off as a ‘one off’ Addo thought about how often she had heard similar stories from other women in the city, and decided it was time to do something about it.
“We just want to create an alternative to what’s already out there and provide an opportunity for women to go from point A to point B just having peace of mind,” Addo said to CP24.
The app offers its own safety features, including useful information for drivers and passengers and a real-time way of reporting incidents so that there is someone on hand to help right away.
“If at any point you feel uncomfortable or there is an incident, you can hit that button and it will alert us right away and we will look into it,” Addo said.
Furthermore, the company promises to never implement surge pricing, in a bid to keep safety at the forefront. DriveHER also works with local shelters to provide free rides to women and their children who are fleeing domestic abuse.
Already the app has 1,000 female drivers registered, all of whom have undergone a screening test and background check before being allowed to use the platform.
Men are allowed to accompany female passengers at the discretion of the driver. If two people are travelling to different destinations, the male must be the first one dropped off. However, Addo is passionate about emphasizing that the app does not aim to discriminate men, and is instead solely focused on the making women in the city feel comfortable going about their daily lives.
The app is available on both android and ios platforms.