If surge pricing wasn’t enough to make you hesitate about using a ride-hailing app like Uber, women also have to worry about their safety. That’s where See Jane Go comes in, a new women-only ride-hailing app that launched Tuesday in Orange County, California. The app is exclusive to both female passengers and drivers, and is part of an effort to stop sexual assault and harassment.
For Uber, this has been somewhat of a problem. CNET reports that an Uber driver in Boston was charged with raping a 16-year-old passenger in August, and instances have made headlines in California, Georgia, Illinois, Texas, Washington, and Florida as well.
These instances are what inspired father William Jordan to create the company after his teenage daughter asked to be a driver for an app like Uber or Lyft. He deemed it too dangerous, and he’s not alone in his thinking.
"All of the homework we did, much of it was statistics around violence, led us to believe there really is a market for this,” said CEO Kimberly Toonen.
The app works exactly the same as its contemporaries. At the push of a button, the app determines your location and hails you the nearest See Jane Go driver. The only difference, of course, is that you know it will be a woman.
Although some might accuse See Jane Go of being discriminatory, that’s not its intent. “We just want to eliminate uneasiness,” Toonen continued.
Plus, men can use the app, there are just some conditions. If they want a See Jane Go driver, they can only ride in the car if a woman hosts them. If they’re riding solo, See Jane Go will hail a car from Uber, Lyft, or another service for the same price and wait time.
In the coming year, See Jane Go hopes to launch all over cities in the US, starting with Los Angeles. For Orange County residents, the app is free and now available on iOS and Android.
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