- The B-Side
- Posts
- đđđ˝ââď¸ Is this the new Uber?
đđđ˝ââď¸ Is this the new Uber?
Plus: đ§âđź Bostonâs next mayor?
Itâs Thursday, Boston.
đĽ It mightâve taken a dip during COVID, but Bostonâs dim sum scene is SO back. And to prove it, writers at the Globe tried â and rated â some of the cityâs best. Spoiler: Mingâs Seafood and Sun Kong came out on top. Check out the whole list here.
đ Whatâs on tap today:
Regular MBTA service? IDK her.
Bostonâs next mayor?
Dunkinâs wicked lahhhge
Up firstâŚ
ALTERNATIVE TRANSIT
Uber for the girls
![](https://media.beehiiv.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=scale-down,format=auto,onerror=redirect,quality=80/uploads/asset/file/deaf9efc-3034-4b6c-af97-67d464997d96/Big_Story.png?t=1716408271)
Illustration: Gia Orsino.
Letâs be real: For many women and people of color, rideshare apps can be scary. And Bostonâs lack of late-night transit doesnât often leave folks with many other options. But one local company is looking to change that.
Enter: DrivHer, a new rideshare service that promises a safer, more comfortable ride for all. Hereâs what you need to know:
đđ˝ââď¸ The issue of safety in rideshares is no joke. Stories from passengers and drivers alike paint a grim picture, and the data from prior years show that Uber and Lyft passengers have reported thousands of sexual and physical assaults. While new features like Lyftâs Women+ Connect or Uberâs new âemergency buttonâ are meant to address these problems, âthe app can only control for so much,â said Tracey E. Vitchers, executive director of Itâs On Us, a sexual assault prevention nonprofit. Thatâs why the problem wonât be solved without investment in changing attitudes and behavior as well.
đ DrivHer was born as a solution. When Lais Fortaleza, DrivHerâs CEO and founder, drove for Lyft, she noticed a pattern of relief when she picked up female, BIPOC, and/or LGBTQ+ passengers: âThey would come in and say, âOh my God, I was so thankful, so relieved when I saw your picture,ââ she said, âand I thought to myself, âit shouldn't be a matter of being thankful.ââ Fortuleza said safety for all DrivHer riders is her No. 1 priority. She said the main difference between DrivHer and larger rideshare companies is a more stringent hiring process for drivers, plus added comfort in the form of transparent pricing, and free snacks and drinks.
đş But make no mistake, DrivHer isnât exclusive. In fact, if it were to offer its services solely to women (as some local companies have tried in the past), that probably wouldnât hold up in court, according to Joseph L. Sulman, a local employment lawyer. Thatâs due to laws that say places of public accommodation (including rideshares) generally need to be free and open to customers and employees of all races and genders. But so long as a company is simply marketing their safer services to women, it shouldnât be a violation of those laws, Sulman said.
đ Our two cents? The vibes are as advertised. On our ride, the driver went out of her way to create a friendly environment. TBH, we felt considerably more comfortable than in the average Uber or Lyft, and at a similar price point (though itâll depend on the time of day) â our driver even offered us a free gourmet doughnut. That said, itâs a small company, so booking trips, especially if theyâre last minute, will be a much bigger to-do. But for a late night or particularly long drive, weâd wholeheartedly recommend it.
QUICK QUESTION
đ How much do you use Uber and/or Lyft?
Let us know below! |
CITY
Quick & dirty headlines
![](https://media.beehiiv.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=scale-down,format=auto,onerror=redirect,quality=80/uploads/asset/file/ab99f03f-c4da-4f9e-9408-c722bc8fbca9/Quick_and_Dirty__1_.png?t=1716412026)
Image: Ben Curtis/Associated Press
đ Some Harvard pro-Palestinian protestors wonât get their diploma. Harvard's top governing board rejected a faculty recommendation that wouldâve allowed 13 students who were punished for participating in their encampment to graduate today. The students, who are either on probation or suspension, will still be able to participate in the graduation ceremonies but without actually receiving their diploma. In a statement, Harvard cited a handbook policy. The school also faces pressure from âconservative politicians, donors, students, and alumni who support Israel,â according to The Boston Globe.
đ Regular MBTA service? I donât know her. Itâs been four years since the MBTA first slashed transit service in response to COVID, but on most buses and subway lines, that service has yet to be fully restored. By now, most subway trains were supposed to be running close to every three to four minutes (which anyone whoâs taken the T recently knows thatâs far from reality). On the Red Line and D Branch of the Green Line, riders still see 23% to 35% fewer weekday trips. Why? The reasons are varied, from a lack of drivers to a lack of train cars, but one thing is for sure: The bad service is keeping ridership down.
đ Rumors are swirling about Bostonâs next mayoral race. Josh Kraft, son of billionaire Pats owner Robert Kraft, may be coming for Mayor Michelle Wuâs job in 2025. And though Mayor Wu has yet to announce her candidacy for the next election cycle, that hasnât stopped the rumor mill from churning about Kraft. Despite having been active in Bostonâs philanthropy scene as president of the New England Patriots Foundation, the Globe wrote that unseating Wu would be an âuphill battle.â
đ¸ The Killers are going for a doubleheader. You mightâve heard that the rock band, responsible for earworms like âMr. Brightside,â is headlining day three of Boston Calling. But as of Wednesday, theyâre also playing a pop-up show at Paradise Rock Club on Saturday night. With a venue capacity of just 993 people, this could be a truly unique â not to mention probably less expensive â opportunity to see the band in a more intimate setting. Tickets are going on sale at 10 a.m. Friday here.
ONE LAST THING
A wicked lahhhge coffee
![](https://media.beehiiv.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=scale-down,format=auto,onerror=redirect,quality=80/uploads/asset/file/46170f65-6085-4093-aa77-116129d3d1ca/Things_to_do.png?t=1716408272)
Illustration: Emily Schario
If youâve ever finished an XL Dunkinâ coffee and thought âI could go for anotherâ ⌠may we present: The new 40-ounce âwicked lahhhgeâ tumbler Dunkinâ launched for Memorial Day weekend.
The tumbler, which is about equivalent to the size of a classic Stanley cup, is 60% larger than Dunkinâs XL size, and, if filled with Dunkin's iced coffee, should equate to about 497 milligrams of caffeine, per Dunkinâs info.
For those of you keeping score, thatâs both 97 milligrams over the FDAâs recommendation for a daily dose and 107 milligrams more than an infamous large Panera charged lemonade.
Now, thatâs not to say that housing a wicked lahhhge iced coffee would cause you to go into cardiac arrest, but if you get one, just donât say we didnât warn you.
â Written by Gia Orsino and Emily Schario
â Thanks for reading! IDK how you guys do it. Iâm getting shaky by coffee No. 2.
âď¸ The results are in: While 49% of B-Side readers are staying home for MDW, most of you who wrote in are hitting the road, with lots of Boston Calling attendees and beachgoers. One reader said theyâre: âHitting the Cape like the basic white b**** that I am.â
đ Keep up with us @BostonBSide on IG, TikTok, and Twitter. Send comments and suggestions to [email protected] or [email protected].