NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — If you see a bright pink, glittery car around Nashville, it’s not a Barbie mobile; it’s a new ride share service and it’s part of one local business that wants women to feel safer when they travel around the city.

Reservation-based car service Nash Pink Ride, which aims to support a specific clientele, opened for business last week and business is already booming.

“It’s become a whole movement already and it’s only been a week and a half,” said Heather Lehrman, the owner of Nash Pink Ride.

Rides are particularly offered to women, the elderly that can’t drive anymore, students, and children traveling alone. Lehrman said she started the business after riding and driving for other companies and having experiences where she didn’t feel comfortable being in the car.

She said the number of reports of sexual and physical assaults with other popular companies also fueled the decision.

“I hear stories everyday of women that were driving for another rideshare and they quit because they didn’t feel safe, they might’ve gotten hit on, harassed,” said Lehrman.

In a 2022 safety report, rideshare service Uber released data that showed 141 rapes were reported in 2020, a slight decrease from 2019, which recorded 247. About 91% of rape victims were riders and about 7% were drivers. Women made up 81% of the victims.

Lehrman said she is excited to see where the future of her business goes and to be a part of making the travel experience for women in Nashville more comfortable.

“I’m very happy that I started something that is really hitting home with a lot of people,” she said.

Lehrman is in the process of applying for grants and securing investors so she can purchase a fleet of cars to extend her services. One of her long-term goals is to create an app so riders can request a reservation.

Nash Pink Ride currently takes reservations to destinations within 40 minutes of Nashville International Airport.

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