As its name suggests, SheTaxis is an on-demand car service operated by women for women. And rather than a Lyft-style pink moustache on the front of the car, the drivers will instead be identified by their pink pashmina scarves, the New York Times reported Monday.
Aimed at female passengers who’d feel safer or simply more comfortable with a driver of the same gender, as well as female drivers who’d prefer to give rides to women only, the new service launches in New York City (called SheRides there because of restrictions on using the word ‘taxi’), Westchester County, and Long Island on September 16.
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As with similar services such as Uber and Lyft, rides can be booked through an iPhone app – an Android version is expected soon.
SheTaxis founder Stella Mateo told the Times her startup has a team of six running the show, with 50 drivers aged from 21 to 70 ready to hit the streets come launch day next week. If the service proves popular with female passengers, the service will be rolled out in other US cities, with Miami and Chicago likely to be next.
Mateo started SheTaxis to not only offer female passengers a driver of the same gender, but also to encourage more women to enter an industry that up to now has always been dominated by men.
