Heya ride app offers girls and women in Lebanon taxis driven exclusively by female drivers. The initiative responds to a growing demand for safer transportation options, especially for young women travelling around the city
In Lebanon, repeated incidents of harassment against women and girls in taxis have deepened concerns about safety when using traditional cabs or riding apps. This growing sense of insecurity was one of the main drivers behind the launch of Heya Ride.
The idea emerged when the app’s founder, Qassem Raydan, asked his niece why she didn’t use a taxi app to get to university when he was personally dropping her off. Her response was that she did not feel safe or comfortable during the journey, which highlighted a serious gap in the market. It was then that Qassem recognized the need for a platform designed to provide women with safer, stress-free transportation options.
In recent years, riding apps have been introduced as an alternative, offering features that may add a sense of safety, such as recording driver and passenger information, adding GPS tracking, cashless payment and post-ride rating systems.
These measures have indeed helped create a safer environment, giving the passenger a greater sense of control, yet such safeguards have not been enough to prevent harassment where some women have often shared troubling encounters of inappropriate personal questions, comments and uncomfortable attempts at conversations, and in more serious cases, these incidents escalate to unwanted physical contact or harassment, leaving serious physiological effects and pushing women to avoid taxis altogether.
Heya Ride took off with a network of female drivers and passengers only, and now already counts more than 3,000 active users who feel safe and comfortable using the service. At the same time, it provides drivers with an opportunity to earn more money in a supportive environment, or a side-hustle on top of their other job.
Qaseem told NOW: “We are also planning to expand our services soon, including offering grocery delivery. The goal behind this is to create an even safer environment for women, not just when commuting but also in their daily lives.”
Side hustle
Heya Ride is also being used as a source of extra income as students, homemakers, and professionals are making use of the app’s flexibility to fit driving into their schedules. This opportunity is providing financial support whilst empowering women and breaking the stereotypes in a male-dominated job sector in the country.
Among the women who have joined Heya Ride is Nora, a chef with a degree in business management who decided to be a driver on the app.
“Firstly, I can earn some extra income whilst also doing something I enjoy, as driving allows me to meet new people and discover different places in Lebanon. This job also gives me both the flexibility and sense of freedom, and I’m proud to be part of something that challenges the idea that taxi driving is only for men,” Nora told NOW.
Safety first
Behind the growing success of Heya Ride is the careful recruitment process, one of the many factors that ensures both safety and professionalism.
“When a female applies to drive with Heya Ride, we make sure she meets all the safety standards,” explained Qassem.
“She must have a clean record, a valid driving licence and a car that is insured and in safe condition. We also train drivers to use the application properly so that they feel confident handling rides,” he added.
These essential steps create a safe and reliable environment for both the drivers and the passengers. Both individuals use different apps created by Heya Ride, one for passengers and one for drivers.
As safety is the core of Heya Ride’s mission, the company has also built several safety features directly into the app.
“The app has safety features like live tracking, so if a passenger gets into a taxi, she can share her location with a family member or a friend who can follow her trip in real time,” Qassem said.
“There is also an SOS button that connects her directly to us in case of urgency, and every ride ends with the option to leave feedback about the driver,” he added.
Something different
Heya Ride is now working with institutions like the American University of Beirut (AUB), where students are both passengers and, in some cases, part-time drivers.
On Instagram, Facebook, and even TikTok, they share posts and stories that highlight what makes them different, like live tracking, the ability to share your ride with someone you trust, and an SOS button for emergencies.
The idea is simple: give women in Lebanon peace of mind when they get into a taxi. But their content isn’t just about passengers, it also targets women who might want to become drivers themselves, showing how the platform offers them a safe and supportive way to earn money.
Rodayna Raydan is a Lebanese-British journalist. You can follow her on Twitter @Rodayna_462
The views in this story reflect those of the author alone and do not necessarily reflect the beliefs of NOW.
