Introducing women’s new best friend. Her name is Shebah and she’s coming to Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sydney, Geelong, and Melbourne in February. Shebah is the female-only alternative to Uber. It’s a ride-sharing service employing only female drivers and accepting only female passengers The service also includes trans women.

The app that announces “Ladies Let’s Roll” was launched by Georgina McEncroe. After looking into becoming an Uber driver, the single mum felt intimidated and scared by the possibility of being a female driver and having unknown passengers, especially male passengers who could potentially be rowdy and intoxicated.

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As a passenger herself she had experienced occasions where she and her daughter had felt unsafe in a taxi due to personal inappropriate comments made by drivers.

"We realised there were a lot of women who wanted to be driven by women, or female drivers who were anxious about driving men," McEncroe told 612 ABC Brisbane's Rebecca Levingston.

In 2015 women made up only 12% of Australia’s 20,000 Uber drivers. Shebah has already attracted 1,470 to register before the official launch.

Although Uber’s rating system is meant to prevent bad behaviour, there have sadly still been reports of harassment.

As stated in a Buzzfeed report: “Uber and taxi driver related assaults aren’t uncommon in Australia; last year nine male drivers were charged with assaulting their female passengers.”

When Deirdre Fidge from ABC News put a call out on social media asking for women to tell her their bad experiences riding in taxis and Ubers, she was overwhelmed by the response. Many chose to walk home alone rather than ride in a taxi or Uber.

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In response to criticism that the service promoted victim-blaming, Shebah founder McEncroe responded in a Mashable article "We know that what causes rape is rapists, and providing people with an option where they feel more comfortable does not cause anything except comfort."

Plan International Australia and Our Watch commissioned a survey called A Right to the Night, which surveyed 600 women aged 15-19 across Australia and found that a third of them did not feel safe at night in public places.

Another female ride-sharing service SheSafe is set to also launch soon in Victoria. The service advertises itself as providing a “Safe Journey for Women and Children.”

The idea seems to be a popular one. And to those who label a female only service as discriminatory, reporter Deirdre Fidge had the perfect response: “There is a big difference between discrimination that keeps women out of positions of power, from being equal members of society, and discrimination that aims to help women feel safe.”

Let’s hope these new ride-sharing services are a step closer to helping women feel safe.

TopicsAustraliawomen and girlsUberRide-Sharingwomen's safetyTaxi

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Demand Equity

Female Only Ride-Sharing Service to Launch in Australia

By Marnie Cunningham