Kimberly Evans had a lot of “fear and discomfort” around the concept of calling a rideshare via a traditional app. She lost a friend who was abducted while waiting for a ride after work. And like many other women, she was haunted by stories like Samantha Josephsen, a South Carolina student who was killed after getting in a car that she mistook for her ride.
“When I researched the industry, I learned there were others like me who were uncomfortable, and in addition, there were horrible things happening to women in the industry,” she told Hypepotamus.
But as a veteran of the logistics space, she knew there had to be a better and safer way for women to get a ride. So in 2020 she started testing the market for Just Her Rideshare, a women-centric mobility company providing more comfortable rideshare options and B2b services. Started in her home state of North Carolina, Evans envisions a platform where “women take care of each other.”
Users currently in North and South Carolina can pre-schedule a ride to ensure a safe and secure transportation option. The startup is also building up its B2B (business-to-business) options by expanding partnerships with non-profit organizations that support communities impacted by social issues or lack and limited transportation.
On top of a fleet of vetted women drivers, the startup has launched Just Her Hub as a community portal “to connect women through engagement and social initiatives,” according to the company’s website.
Evans describes the hub as a “platform where both customers and drivers connect, engage and support one another, including local businesses and our social initiatives. It is an extension of our rideshare service and a trusted network of women taking care of women.”
ENTERING THE RIDESHARING WORLD
Evans knows she is entering a crowded market with large incumbent players like Uber and Lyft. But she sees opportunities for growth.
“There are very few new ideas under the sun, market dominance or saturation is something to consider strongly, but should never stop you from chasing your dream, where there is Coke, there is Pepsi. Every new entrant into a market must defend itself at some point and here’s how you do it. You focus on your unique value proposition and what you do differently (niche market), You target your market (do not try to boil the ocean),” Evans told Hypepotamus. “We have been successful, because we pay our drivers more, we treat them like they are more than a vehicle to us and we build community with them. Our prices are competitive for customers and we have created a trusted network where drivers and customers take care of each other.”
That strategy has worked well for the Just Her Rideshare team so far. The team launched in North Carolina and South Carolina and has amassed an impressive number of users with only a few thousand dollars in marketing. The team also has over 1,000 drivers in the waiting room across the country interested in joining.
The startup has also won several pitch competitions and landed multiple grants from NC IDEA, an entrepreneurial-focused foundation serving North Carolina founders.
They already have over 380 drivers in the waiting room as the platform looks to expand in the Southeast. Evans added that the team is moving next into Atlanta, Washington D.C., and Miami. They will add other Southeast cities later in 2024.
