HERide, a rideshare platform focused on women’s safety, has become the first Black-owned company to secure a contract with Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
Co-founded in 2019 by Jillian Anderson and DeVynne Starks, HERide conducts thorough background checks on drivers and integrates in-ride security features to ensure passenger safety.
Focused on women’s safety
Anderson’s experience as a rideshare driver highlighted many women’s discomfort using traditional services like Uber and Lyft, especially at night.
“There were a lot of women that were hesitant with riding with men at night using Uber and Lyft,” Anderson told AFROTECH.
“I realized that this was just a consistent problem that those platforms did not have any intention on solving. So I decided to solve it myself.”
HERide, which operates exclusively in Atlanta, currently has 250 active drivers, 19,000+ users, and 33,000 app downloads.
“Our focus is on women because we understand that women have had more issues at an alarming rate than men have. But that is not to disregard that men have not had similar issues,” Stark told AFROTECH.
“Our focus right now is on publicizing these issues, tackling them, and creating solutions for them in order to make a rideshare safer for everyone.”
Financially, HERide is committed to its drivers by allocating 80% of fares for their compensation and planning a profit-sharing model. This approach reflects a desire to value and integrate drivers into the company’s growth.
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport Partnership
The partnership with Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in 2023 marks a significant achievement for HERide.
“This year has been very rewarding,” Anderson said, according to City of Refuge. “We finally have signage in the airport, which has increased our numbers times 10.”
It is the first female-friendly rideshare at the world’s busiest airport and represents a milestone for Black-owned tech companies.
HERide is now looking for investors to lead a seed round.
