As easy as a ride-share
You will now be with another
and no longer walking alone
- You are SAFER:
Members combine walking routes, and create safety in numbers
- You have COMFORT:
Each walking companion is a vetted member
Schedule a Demo
To schedule a demo onsite
or remote, call or email
917.975.6559
PamelaGarber@gmail.com
Media
UES therapist launching ‘Uber for pedestrians’ to combat street safety fears: ‘I’m risking my life over cab fare’
New Yorkers fearful of random attacks can rest a little easier. A Manhattan therapist — who was randomly assaulted in broad daylight — is launching her own “Uber for pedestrians” mobile app that seeks to boost street safety in numbers. Upper East Side resident Pamela Garber said her invention, Never Walk Alone NYC, will pair up users with other pedestrians in a “buddy system,” similar to rideshare services like Uber or Lyft, so they can commute without fear. “Walking is a testament to our freedom,” she told The Post, “[but] I’m walking past people shooting up, I’m walking past someone who looks hostile, and I’m calling my then-fiancé saying, ‘stay on the phone with me.’ “If we can’t just walk and patronize restaurants and stores, we’re going to lose our entire way of life, particularly in New York,” she added.
Never walk alone in New York City
With the hum of Third Avenue in the background, I stood at the northeast corner of 54th Street staring at the side of a guy’s head who had just turned away from me with the clear intention to ignore me. “Can I just talk to you, stand with you for a sec?” I had asked this complete stranger out of desperation. Just a moment before, I was crossing Third Avenue and a group of visibly agitated men crossing behind me were talking with increased volume. Las Vegas odds, these were not guys angry about something that had just happened at the workplace or at the home of a dear friend. Rather, theirs was an anger growing with each statement uttered with the intention of alarming bystanders. My emotional state was fear.
Revised hiring standards and increased public support could aid in recruiting more police officers
Police departments are facing a shortage of officers. A mid-2024 International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) national survey found that responding departments, on average, are functioning at a nearly 10% staffing deficit.
Background – Never Walk Alone Safety App
Through unity, we increase safety by minimizing the one main factor that makes us all targets – walking alone.
Additional app menu items are accessed with the same easy rideshare format. These menu items include:
• Security presentations provided by security professionals
• Running companionship
• Companionship for errands and assistance with doctor appointments
• On-premises safety assessments.
Much of my work as a therapist is now spent listening to client’s frustrations and fears of violent crime in the city.
My clients recount stories including witnessing a stabbing on their train, being followed for three blocks before begging a security guard for help, and being mugged after leaving Whole Foods.
In June, I was randomly punched by a homeless person while walking on the upper east side on a Saturday afternoon. The police, though kind, did not arrest my attacker, even though she attacked a pregnant woman immediately after me.
From all the events I heard about in the news, at work, and in my personal life, I realized that private sector entrepreneurialism holds the solution for solving the need for accessible safety when the public sector is not solving the problem of violent crime. I pictured an app where a community of vetted members coordinates walking companionship and other safety features.
Thank you for reading,
Pamela Garber