DriveHer

Stuff reports:

An Auckland law student is starting a female-only ride-sharing service, believed to be the first of its kind in New Zealand.

DriveHer is similar to Uber, where users can hail a car using a cellphone app. The difference is its drivers – and riders – must be women.

DriveHer founder Joel Rushton, 23, told Stuff he often worried about his partner’s safety when she caught taxis home late at night when they were living in Melbourne and was inspired to start the business after learning about a women-only ride-sharing service in Australia called Shebah.

“It’s a service that we shouldn’t need. It’s sad that that is the way that the world is, but it is the way that the world is. We need to protect people that we care about,” said Rushton, who is in his third year of an LLB at the University of Auckland.

People were vulnerable when they got into a car with a stranger and while some women might feel safe alone with a man, a women-only service was a good option for women who felt uncomfortable in that situation, he said.

Seems like a good idea to me. It gives passengers a choice.