Setbacks put rideshare app back in fundraising stage

A Kiwi Paralympian has faced setbacks in the development of an accessible and safe ride-share service for people with disabilities.

It comes after the creator of ‘Safe Rides’, Barney Koneferenisi, ended his first contract and switched to a new contract with a different developer.

Koneferenisi says switching contracts was the best decision to make sure the app was making progress after delays with Covid and border issues.

“I was already a year into the fundraising and development stage, but with the main developer being stuck overseas my project was not prioritised, so I switched contracts.”

The new contract is with web developer ‘Ultimate Web Designs Ltd’ and will take $200k to complete, which is more than twice the price of the app’s previous contract.

This puts Safe Rides back at the start of the fundraising stage, but Koneferenisi has “not lost hope”.

“It’s a big mess around but it is what it is, and it’s all part of the journey … I’m staying optimistic.”

The project aims to provide a safe and accessible ride-share service for people with disabilities, wheelchair users, and females, who Koneferenisi says often face issues with existing ride-share services.

“I know first-hand. I can’t leave the house before 9am and be out after 5pm, because it will be too hard for me to get back home – buses won’t take me, and the only wheelchair accessible taxis aren’t available at that time of day.”

Koneferenisi says the community support for Safe Rides has been “absolutely insane”, and since it was announced, the project has received $60k worth of donations on its Givealittle page.

He is now looking to corporate funding to raise more money for the new contract, with a proposed new feature that he hopes to get sponsored by Sony and ANZ.

This new feature would allow passengers to watch TV or media content inside the vehicle, which lets the driver know that they do not want to be disturbed.

Student and regular Uber user Keeley James says this feature would likely make a big difference for a lot of people.

“Females often get bothered or even harassed by Uber drivers.. as a female taking Uber rides alone at night, having an app with a feature like this would make me feel safer.”

There is no updated release date for the project, but Koneferenisi hopes the app will be ready by the end of 2023 in time for the holiday season.