HerRyde, a women-only ride-hailing company, just launched operations in Abuja, Nigeria.
HerRyde CEO Monsurah Oluwafuyi, COO Muhammad Muaza, and product officer Kamaldeen Ibrahim disclosed that the platform was established to provide a safer option for female drivers and riders, as well as to create job opportunities for women.
“HerRyde is committed to women’s safety and inclusion in the ride-hailing/mobility space. We aim to provide women with safer taxi experiences while driving inclusion by providing a safe space for women to work and earn as mobility entrepreneurs,” the company said in a statement.
This launch follows a collective desire to change the reality that too many women get harassed and abused on ride-hailing trips. Social media platforms are often rife with tales of physical assault, sexual assault, and robbery suffered by women while on rides.
Women-only ride-hailing platforms are on the rise across the world. For example, in Saudi Arabia, Uber launched the feature for female drivers, which provides them with a choice in selecting a preference to be connected to women riders. Bolt, has also adopted a women-only feature on its platform which is currently active in five countries across the globe.
More ride-hailing companies are now beginning to include women-centered services to ensure their safety, which is a great development.
In response to these potential challenges of cost and quality, the three co-founders said that the company will determine fares the same way Uber and Bolt do, based on time and distance, instead of using InDriver’s approach, a ride-hailing platform that allows users to negotiate their final fare.