SheSafe: The New Ride-Sharing Service for Women

We all know that getting home after a night out is much easier when we opt for a ride-sharing service. And while this way of getting home is usually a lot more convenient and cheaper, the rise in assaults that are occurring to people that use these services is alarming.

In the past 12 months, nine drivers from ride-sharing services have been charged with assaulting female passengers in Australia.

So, Melbourne mum and entrepreneur Emma Buchanan has taken this matter into her own hands and is now doing something about it.

Next month is set to be the launch of the first female-only ride-sharing service in Australia, and it will be hitting the streets of Melbourne before rolling out nationally early next year.

SheSafe is, essentially, like any other rid-sharing service that uses a phone application, giving users the flexibility to select their destination, fares and time of pick up. The difference is SheSafe is a service exclusive to women and children (boys only under 12 years old).

The concept is simple: provide girls and women with an alternative to the ride-sharing modes we have available today, one where they can feel safe and comfortable about getting into a service car to make their way home.

Currently only 10% of drivers in ride-sharing services are female, a statistic that will change when SheSafe gets rolled out, with many customers predicted to welcome the change with open arms.

According to a national survey taken, a quarter of young women have admitted they felt scared when they found themselves alone on public transport, or felt afraid when travelling alone with a stranger through ride-sharing services.

The idea was born in early 2016, after founder Emma Buchanan overheard a group of mothers in a café chatting about how they felt uncomfortable with their daughters getting into a ride-sharing service with male drivers, especially at night.

Since the service focuses on safety, working with SheSafe means that undergoing a mandatory background and police check and obtaining a working with children’s certificate.

As well as making sure the passenger feels safe, the company also focuses on the safety of the driver, with the concept allowing drivers to also feel safe when picking up their customers. SheSafe has already had hundreds of registrations and applications for drivers who are submitted for all cities around Australia.

The first city for SheSafe to be launched will be Melbourne, sometime in December, with other capital cities expecting a release within the following months early in the New Year.