Ride sharing service See Jane Go provides a safe alternative for women passengers and drivers.
BY: Sara Smola
Female for female ride sharing service See Jane Go was sparked by a conversation between William Jordan and his daughter Savannah Jordan, back in January 2016. Savannah expressed to William that she felt frustrated with the lack of safe ride sharing opportunities for women, both by using the service as a passenger or driving for it., “Why isn’t there something like this for women?” she asked her dad. William realized that very question could lead to a company that would benefit and possibly save women’s lives.
For any woman who has used a ride sharing service, especially at night, the experience can be intimidating. For riders, it’s difficult to trust a complete stranger enough to feel comfortable getting into the back of their car. Female drivers also feel apprehension when picking up a male fare, not knowing if their next passenger could assault them. “See Jane Go is committed to keeping women safe. [Another benefit is] giving women the opportunity to provide for themselves while staying safe,” explains Savannah.
For William Jordan, the sobering reality that women are more likely to be targets helped him understand why his daughter was so reluctant to get into a car with a male driver. “As the admittedly overprotective dad, that was a huge component to me. I knew the issues to an extent but it wasn’t until we really started the process of researching and starting a company that I realized I didn’t even have a full understanding as a guy of how severe things were,” says William. “In a ride hail vehicle (such as in an Uber or Lyft), a women is 17 times more likely to be the victim of any kind of an event perpetrated by a man than by a woman. Women generally don’t commit crimes against other women. I’m not saying that never happens but it’s 17 times less likely to happen. And that’s not even talking about the daily harassment that women have to deal with from men. As a guy, you just don’t realize the world is different for women until you really start hearing and understanding those things. For us, it’s gone from a business idea to an opportunity to make the world a better place for other women.”
Not only is safety a major benefit of the service, but the Jordans pride themselves on creating a genuinely enjoyable experience for their riders. Savannah notes, “It’s really an experience for women. Where you can—very much like getting your nails done or getting a massage—feel relaxed, feel at home, feel pampered and I really don’t think you’re going to get that experience with any other [ride sharing service].” See Jane Go goes the extra mile in ensuring their customers have a smooth ride with options like requesting a quiet ride sans chatting or opting to rate your favorite drivers for a chance to be paired with them again.
The ride sharing service isn’t entirely exclusive to women, however. Kids are welcome to travel with Mom or babysitters. And, for women traveling with their male friends, family members or boyfriends, males are able to ride along so long as the woman they’re with is able to vouch for him.
The “beta testing” is already underway in Orange County and Long Beach and has already received positive feedback from many drivers and riders. With their current success in mind, See Jane Go has plans to expand to Los Angeles in 2017. For those hoping to hail a ride in Pasadena in the future, you can sign up via their website (seejanego.co).
Facebook Comments