As Women Demand Safer Commutes, This Gurugram Trio Is Changing Who Gets Behind the Wheel

What is Fery Rides, and what problem was it created to solve?

Fery Rides is a mobility service where women can book rides with women drivers. It was created because ordinary journeys can involve fear, harassment, unsafe roads, and uncertainty about the driver. Its goal is to make mobility safer rather than placing all responsibility on passengers.

The idea followed an incident witnessed by co-founder Ajay Kumar. A woman friend felt uncomfortable during a bike-taxi ride and left before reaching her destination. Kumar and Vindhya Mehrotra then spent six months speaking with nearly 6,000 students and more than 200 women at metro stations. Ninety-eight percent preferred a woman driver.

Founded in 2023, Fery operates electric bike taxis and cabs in Gurugram. It also trains women who are new to professional driving and supports eligible partners with licensing. The company has completed more than 80,000 rides, but its larger purpose is showing how safer mobility can be designed into the service itself.

How does Fery’s women-driver model work for passengers and drivers?

Fery’s women-driver model addresses both sides of a mobility journey. Passengers get the option of riding with a woman, which research by the founders suggested could increase comfort. Drivers gain access to paid work, training, and a more supportive entry into professional driving.

Women who already ride receive supervised training and route familiarisation. New riders can receive formal road-safety instruction, and Fery helps eligible women obtain driving licences. Mothers can arrange shifts around school drop-offs and pickups. Full-time partners receive a base salary, ride and performance incentives, and medical insurance.

The service currently uses women to drive electric bike taxis and cabs in Gurugram. Users can request rides immediately, schedule them, or rent vehicles. This design makes the driver part of the safety solution while also widening women’s participation in the transport workforce. It does not remove every road risk, but it changes who operates the service.

How large is Fery Rides today in terms of rides, drivers, service area and funding?

Fery remains a focused local operation rather than a nationwide network. Since launching in 2023, it has completed more than 80,000 rides in Gurugram. Its current service area covers a 10-kilometre radius around its hub at Millennium City Centre Gurugram metro station.

The company has around 30 women partners driving electric bike taxis and cabs. Passengers can book on-demand trips, schedule rides, or rent vehicles. Fery plans to expand its partner network and is testing operations in Delhi and Noida. These steps suggest an early expansion phase, not yet a large-scale national footprint.

Its disclosed funding includes Rs 50 lakh from the Startup India Seed Fund. In 2025, Indian Angel Network led a Rs 2.075 crore seed round. Together, those amounts total at least Rs 2.575 crore. Funding may support hiring, training, vehicles, technology, and expansion, although the article does not provide a spending breakdown.

What safety and reliability features does Fery use besides assigning women drivers?

Women-driver matching is only one part of Fery’s safety approach. The company also tries to reduce the uncertainty that makes app-based travel stressful. Its systems focus on knowing where vehicles are, keeping prices predictable, and making confirmed rides more dependable.

Fery uses GPS-enabled electric vehicles, so journeys can be tracked through location technology. It does not use surge pricing, which helps passengers avoid sudden fare increases. Its directed ride system assigns trips to partners who cannot cancel or refuse them. Users can also schedule rides in advance when they need a more predictable commute.

These features cannot guarantee that every journey will be incident-free. However, they address several common worries: unclear vehicle movement, changing prices, last-minute cancellations, and difficulty planning ahead. The article says the National Commission for Women has separately called for stronger driver verification, route monitoring, emergency support, and safeguards against unsafe drop-offs across app-based transport.

How could women drivers, fixed pricing, route monitoring and scheduled rides change women’s everyday travel?

Women drivers may increase comfort by reducing the fear of sitting behind or beside an unknown male driver. Fixed pricing removes surprise fare increases, while scheduled rides help people plan work, study, childcare, and late-evening travel. Route monitoring can add visibility when a trip takes an unexpected turn.

For example, a woman travelling regularly to a metro station could schedule a ride, know the price beforehand, and share or check the vehicle’s live route. If the system monitors the journey, unusual route changes may be noticed earlier. A woman driver may also make the passenger feel more at ease, though no single feature can eliminate all risk.

These tools could make mobility more usable, not merely safer. They may reduce stress, missed trips, and the need to depend on others for transport. Fery has completed more than 80,000 rides, but it operates in a limited Gurugram area. Wider benefits will depend on reliable implementation, responsible expansion, and safeguards across the transport sector.

What other safeguards can make app-based cabs, autos and bike taxis safer if a woman driver is not available?

A woman driver is not the only way to make app-based transport safer. Services can strengthen the system around every driver and passenger. This matters because women may need to travel when a women-only option is unavailable, especially outside Fery’s current service area.

The National Commission for Women’s guidelines call for stronger driver verification, route monitoring, emergency support, and safeguards around unsafe drop-offs. In practice, verification can help confirm who is driving. Route monitoring can make unexpected diversions visible. Emergency support can give passengers a clear way to seek help. Drop-off safeguards can prevent riders from being left in isolated or dangerous places.

The article presents these measures as sector-wide needs for app-based cabs, autos, and bike taxis. They should complement, not replace, accountability and careful service design. The source does not describe a specific implementation system for every provider, so the exact tools may differ. The central principle is consistent: safety should be built into the network, not left entirely to passengers.

Why is safer urban mobility also an employment issue for women, not only a passenger-safety issue?

Urban mobility depends on the people who provide it. If women are expected to travel safely, they also need fair opportunities to help run transport services. Fery treats women’s safety and women’s employment as connected goals, rather than separate problems.

Its “sister partners” include women who are new to professional driving. Fery offers supervised training, route familiarisation, road-safety instruction, and licensing help. Mothers can organise shifts around school responsibilities. Full-time partners receive a base salary, incentives linked to rides and performance, and medical insurance. These supports can make driving more accessible as work.

This model could broaden women’s presence in a traditionally male-dominated mobility network. It may also help passengers feel more comfortable, while giving drivers income and practical skills. Fery has around 30 partners today and plans to expand. Its experience shows that safer transport is not only about protecting riders; it is also about creating dignified roles for women within the system.

Key Facts:

📌 Fery Rides connects women passengers with women drivers.

📌 The startup was founded in 2023 by Ajay Kumar, Vindhya Mehrotra, and Himanshu Chaubey.

📌 Ninety-eight percent of surveyed women preferred women drivers.

📌 Fery calls its women drivers “sister partners.”

📌 New riders can receive road-safety training and licensing support.

📌 Mothers can structure shifts around school drop-offs and pickups.

📌 Fery has completed more than 80,000 rides since launching in 2023.