ORLANDO, Fla. — A new rideshare service focused on the needs of women called Safr is now operating in Orlando, starting service downtown on Tuesday.

Ebony Kennedy was ready to roll on day one as a Safr driver.

"I want to empower, be a part of the women empowerment, and make sure women are safely going where they need to go," she said.

There are several layers of security in place. In addition to the vehicle description and making sure the license plate matches, there is also a color-matching system between the rider and driver as an added level of security.

The Ride Safr app also has a panic button for riders — it goes right to 911 and shares the rider’s location.

“With the other rideshares, there have been incidents where young women don’t feel safe. They’ve been attacked,” said Safr Orlando team member Gert Garman. “And not just that, but drivers don’t feel safe, women drivers don’t feel safe late at night, so they’re not making as much money."

While it was designed to support women, it's not exclusive to them. Riders and drivers can choose to limit the service to women.

“We don’t discriminate at all… we can have men drivers if they make it through the background check. We can have men drivers, it’s just a way for us to empower women a bit,” Garman explained.

For now, Safr will serve downtown, including the new UCF/Valencia campus with plans to expand down the road.