On-demand ride apps like Uber have been hailed (yes, pun intended) for their potential to improve safe transit for women in places like Mexico and Brazil, where women often feel (and are) at risk in taxis and public transit options.
Sao Paulo-based LadyDriver is among a growing number ride hailing and sharing services going a step further, with its women-only service. The service, which is available only to women as both passengers and drivers, launched in 2017 in Sao Paolo and has since expanded to Rio de Janiero. It has 18,000 drivers signed up for its service, DCI reports (translated). The company has now raised $500,000 in seed funding from a group of unnamed angel investors to support expansion to four other Brazilian cities.
- Brazil’s women-only ride-sharing market… LadyDriver isn’t the only women-only service in Brazil. Two others—Femitaxi and Venux—operate similar services in cities around the country.
- Brazil isn’t alone… Women-only ride sharing is a growing trend in other countries as well. Similar services like Safr and See Jane Go have launched in the U.S. and Laúdrive in Mexico. Established ride-hailing services like Uber are responding retroactively to women’s safety concerns with features like in-app “panic buttons.”
