Ridesharing firms Lyft and Uber have announced that they are joining forces with Seymour and Marci Josephson's #WhatsMyName Foundation to promote rideshare safety best practices and to empower college students across the U.S. with the information they need to ride responsibly.
The #WhatsMyName Foundation was established in honour of Samantha Josephson, Seymour and Marci's daughter who was kidnapped and murdered during her senior year at the University of South Carolina by a man posing as an Uber driver.
Lyft's partnership with the #WhatsMyName Foundation will commence with public awareness campaigns on the campuses of a number of Lyft's more than 100 college and university partners, with whom it works with to create tailored transportation programmes that prioritise safety for students, faculty and staff. Initial plans include safety education activations promoting rideshare safety tips at popular pick-up locations, as well as in-person education sessions for both students and campus officials. Programme details will be dependent upon reopening plans at each campus, but will be aimed at educating students about rideshare best practices, including planning ahead and reviewing in-app safety features before the ride; asking the driver "what's my name" to confirm it is the correct ride; matching the make, model and license plate of the car with the one displayed in the app; and sharing trip details with friends or family.
Seymour Josephson, founder of the #WhatsMyName Foundation, said: “It is uplifting to know that the #WhatsMyName Foundation and Lyft share the goal of keeping young people safe, and through this initiative we will leverage our joint expertise to promote best practices for using rideshare both on and off campus."
"We're proud to partner with Seymour and Marci Josephson, the #WhatsMyName Foundation and our entire community of partners to amplify ridesharing safety education on college campuses nationwide," added Lyft's Director of Public Policy for Community Safety, Jennifer Brandenburger. "We've already adopted several measures to make sure riders are getting in their correct vehicles with verified drivers to prevent incidents like this from happening, including sending push notifications to remind riders to verify their ride and increasing the visibility of the vehicle's make, model and license plate in the Lyft app. While the tragedy involving Sami Josephson didn't happen on the Lyft platform, we're committed to enhancing safety across the entire rideshare industry."
"What happened to Samantha Josephson was an unspeakable tragedy and something that no parent or family should go through," said Tracey Breeden, global head of women's safety, Uber. "We are honoured to partner with the #WhatsMyName Foundation and the Josephson family to help continue raising awareness on rideshare safety. Together working alongside colleges and cities, while leveraging education and technology, we can all help create safer communities."
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