Invest in Just Her Rideshare, Inc.

A fundamental problem ready for change.

"I've had never taken a ride share alone because of the fear and feeling uncomfortable, until I was working in Paris in 2023" she said. "I found that there were a lot of women out there, like myself, who feel more comfortable with women drivers." - Kimberly Evans, CEO + Founder

n 2020, Kimberly decided to start a ride-share company, Just Her Rideshare! A community of female drivers that picks up a majority of women riders upon request. Built around a solving the problem many ridesharing companies overlook, the safety of women. Why can't women, both passengers, and drivers choose who they want to transport them as well as ride with them for a safe work environment?

We decided that we would empower women by giving them that choice. Customers have the option to choose how their experience will go on the app before getting into a Just Her-labeled vehicle. But after less than a year in the ideation phase, my cofounder pulled out. I, however, was all-in, and decided to move forward with the concept.

 I brought together a team and decided to launch Just Her Rideshare earlier this year, the concept took off more quickly than I could have imagined. Within 30 days, I'd raised $31,000 in a friends and family round of funding and participated in a customer discovery program at UNC Charlotte.

I went into the study with the hypothesis that all women were afraid... We ended up invalidating that and realized that women looked at safety differently. Fifty-two million women use ride-share apps each year, so we had to discover who, of those women, were our customer segment.

We determined most women fell into one of three buckets — 

1. Some who were cautious using ride shares and felt uncomfortable not like they were in danger but took measures to stay safe.

2. Some who said they were always afraid and uncomfortable. 

3. Small segment who said they never felt unsafe and were ok one way or another.

Many women told us that if choosing a female driver was an option, it would be a no-brainer. We heard stories about male drivers making women feel uncomfortable by asking them on dates or calling them after the ride was over. I knew we could create a space for women to feel safer, and so we did.

So why is this important to you?

Like many people I was particularly impacted by the story of Samantha Josephson, a University of South Carolina student who was kidnapped and murdered in 2019 when she hopped into what she thought was an Uber ride share she had ordered.

"Unfortunately, the terrifying statistics speak for themselves. We are living in a time in history where women's safety and human rights have been basically ignored in ridesharing, especially by the leaders in the industry.

Shame on them! Why do women who just want a safe ride from point A to point B have to deal with uncomfortable conversations, harassments, assaults, rapes and murder. Enough is enough!" Says Just Her Rideshare, Inc. Founder and CEO Kimberly Evans. 92% of all assaults in the rideshare industry are male against female violence. This was a PEW Research statistic in 2016. 

Just Her launched in Charlotte, NC in 2022. We are built for national users and the waiting list of drivers and customers in other cities continues to grow exponentially.

So, what kind of safety features did you look to add?

The Just Her Rideshare mobile app includes an S.O.S button to make it easy to notify police or an emergency contact, a track-my-ride feature and personal preferences. Riders have the option to choose the type of music and temperature they want, as well as indicate if they'd like a chatty or quiet driver.

Our drivers must go through a comprehensive background check before being hired. We've had background checks pend for two weeks after submission and have not allowed some women on the platform. We will be fully thorough because safety is important to us as a platform.

Next, drivers and riders also have security codes to verify their requests before the trip begins. We've incorporated supporting the entrepreneurial community into our mission through the Just Her Hub platform. A community portal where women can connect, engage and support one another, she said.

Why is community important to you?

In order to achieve our goals, we must raise our voices and make ourselves heard. Our vision is to build a community of women taking care of women through the rideshare industry, social connection, and empowering them to flourish and be the best version of themselves.

It’s super important to me that we build community with our drivers for one, but then we also create this open space for our customers or whoever wants to be a part of this community. A community within the mobile app where women can connect and engage, rider to rider or driver to driver. It will also have resources for important social topics like domestic violence, sexual assault and sex trafficking.

Why should people invest?

There are enormous transportation needs both privately and socially. Most people who have vehicles rarely consider the social impact that transportation deficits have in some communities. 

Just Her Rideshare is building a community in the shared economy space where women can feel and work safe, while creating a better quality of life and decreasing carbon emissions in the world by sharing rides. We are employing women that ordinarily would not work in this space to have flexibility, help support their families, and earn extra revenue. 

Platform:

Safety:

Drivers are vetted through virtual interviews and background checks.

Drivers must adhere to current state and local Covid sanitation guidelines.

Understanding:

Our focus, however, will always be creating a community of women drivers for women riders. Though we are women-centric and geared toward women, men are our partners, and we welcome their support in helping us keep their wives, daughters and mothers safe. They are allowed the opportunity to use the service based on the driver’s preferences. 

Charlotte Business Journal