Safe Safar

Inspiration

Women who have entered the workforce still face barriers in transportation accessibility. Many women are harassed on public buses, and are unable to afford ridesharing arrangements in rickshaws without employers subsidizing their costs. Low-to-medium income women living in urban/peri-urban areas need a safe and reliable service that allows them to commute to and from work.

What it does

Safe Safar provides an affordable and safe pickup and drop van service for employees. We aim to target specific industries, for example salons and spas, that employ mostly women and pitch the idea to both employers and employees. Vans will be clean, comfortable, and run on schedule. They will be equipped with GPS tracking services and a working AC. For increased security, each van will have a guard. Clients will be able to give feedback on their experiences via a hotline.

How I built it

The operating team will buy/lease vans and hire drivers and guards. The management team will create schedules based on pickup/drop locations and timings. There will be offices where individuals must register for the service in person and sign terms of use. They can make changes to their schedule, confirm pickup times, and get up-to-date information on the van's whereabouts via an interactive phone/SMS service. The phone/SMS interface is built with Verboice.com.

Challenges I ran into

Whether to pitch the service to employers or employees.

What's next for Safe Safar

Once a reliable network of vans has been established, the service can be expanded to include transportation to hospitals, schools, and marketplaces. Inter-city networks can also be established to allow transportation across longer distances.

Built With

• verboice