Startup wants to remove roadblocks that make it harder for women to ride and drive Positioning itself as a female-friendly alternative to Uber, Safr, a new Boston ride-hailing service that launched last month, faces an uphill climb to take market share from an industry leader. But with Uber?s seemingly unending stream of bad news this year, and a new report revealing that thousands of Uber and Lyft drivers in Massachusetts have failed the state?s new background checks, time seems ripe for a safety-conscious ridesharing service.
?There is obviously a need for another option for women in ridesharing,? says Joanna Humphrey Flynn, a PR and marketing manager for Safr. ?The current environment doesn?t really allow women to fully participate. Safety concerns create roadblocks, and make it harder for women to ride and drive at night.? Safr seeks to stand apart by offering a safer ride via a number of safety features and better driver training and recruitment processes. Riders can choose which gender they feel most comfortable riding with via the app?drivers have the same same gender preference option?and can also take advantage of a number of built-in safety features, including a feature that can call 911, send a text to a pre-assigned contact, or dial Safr?s 24-hour command center. A color-matching system, which sends riders and drivers a color-coded message during pickups, also helps ensure passengers get into the correct vehicle.

Safr

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