After reports of sexual harassment and murder, ride-hailing apps from Grab to Didi turn to technology to improve safety

Risks for women have become increasingly visible in recent years, with the rape and murder of two female passengers by drivers in China this year alone

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In May, a taxi driver in China’s Sichuan province was sacked having been caught on his dashboard video camera pulling at the top and leering at a female passenger. Picture: Miaopai

Published: 7:15pm, 30 Oct 2018Updated: 5:06pm, 31 Oct 2018

Three years ago, shocked by the rise in sexual harassment against women on public transport, two college students launched a ride-hailing business in Indonesia that uses only women drivers. Starting its life on the messaging service WhatsApp, Ojesy has since developed into an app with more than 800 drivers across 34 cities.

“We were concerned about the issue of safety and comfortability of women and children on public transport,” says Rahmat Andriansyah, a co-founder of Ojesy, which is based in Indonesia’s second-largest city, Surabaya. “It’s not only Indonesia. If you look at India, Bangladesh and other Asian countries … there is a major problem of harassment towards women. Our service can provide the solution for that.”

According to a 2014 Thomson Reuters Foundation survey of 16 cities across the globe, Asia’s New Delhi, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok and Manila all ranked among the 10 cities with the most dangerous transport systems for women.

An Ojesy motorcycle taxi in Jakarta. Picture: Anadolu Agency

With public transport capacity failing to keep pace with growing and increasingly congested cities, Asia has seen the emergence of a fleet of ride-hailing apps. But there are concerns about inadequate regulations and protective measures to prevent sexual harassment or assaults on female passengers.

In cities like Jakarta and Surabaya, parents don’t have much time to pick up their children from school, and this increases the safety risks

Ojesy co-founder Rahmat Andriansyah

Ojesy’s female customers are willing to pay a little bit more for their rides than they would for using the bigger ride-hailing apps because of the extra safety the service provides by employing only women drivers, says 27-year-old Andriansyah.