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New Ride-Hailing Company Touts Itself As Safer Choice For Women

BOSTON (CBS) – A new ride-hailing service in Boston has a specific clientele, touting itself as the safer choice for women, and it's not just about the riders. The Safr app is about protecting the woman in the driver's seat as well.

Felicia Garcia has been driving for a few different ride-hailing companies for a while now and she says her favorite is a no-brainer.

"What I really like about Safr is that they really have this philosophy of getting to know you as a driver and a person," Garcia says.

Safr sets itself apart as the all-female option -- women giving rides to women. Unique features in the app aim to help everyone feel more in control: the woman at the wheel and the female buckling up in back.

"There is a 911 button," says Joanna Humphrey Flynn of Safr's head of marketing. "There's an SOS button that calls our command center. There's also an emergency contact button where when you set up your profile you can select a specific person to be your emergency contact."

Beyond the standard background and insurance checks, the Safr vetting process includes an in-person meeting, a mentor match-up, and a driving session.

Safr has about 100 female drivers working in the Boston area, with hundreds more applying. Men are allowed to apply and to ride, but the business is really geared toward women.

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