Meet George McEncroe… This clever Melbourne mama has an extensive list of accolades including stand-up comedian, breakfast radio host, ABC producer, teacher, activist and all whilst playing mum to four kids. But her most recent role is that of Founder and CEO of Shebah, a ride sharing service operated by women for women. “I think every woman in the world gets told from the time she is born to not get in the car with a strange man and then every woman finds that at some point she has no option” said George. Until now that is.
So it’s MamaMag, we only talk to ace mums here! Tell us a bit about you and the kids.
I am a single mum to four teenage kids who I adore. They are always at the forefront of my mind and my daughter was my main inspiration for Shebah.
The idea for Shebah came when you were rock bottom, recently divorced and looking for more flexible work to support the kids. How did the idea come about?
In early 2016, after my divorce where I lost my house, I discovered that no bank was going to loan me the money to buy another one on my paltry income. I had four teenagers to raise and four casual jobs. But no matter how hard I worked, I couldn’t earn enough to get the bank to give me a home loan to buy another house. I was 47 and about to start driving Ubers in my spare time. But I was scared of being in a car, my own car, with men who I didn’t know and could be drunk, angry or violent.
I was also worried about my daughter having nights out with friends and coming home in ride-share or taxis. They were choosing to walk home from parties because they didn’t want to get into a stranger’s car. Women using these services and women driving for these platforms could all be at risk. I wanted to find a way to make travelling safe for women while creating a safe working environment for other women as well. Thus Shebah was born.
There are some pretty low statistics about the number of women driving cabs and Uber. Does this inspire you further?
Absolutely. We are living in a time where women are at risk and we as women need to stand together and find ways to break through the glass ceiling while still being safe. Only about four percent of cab drivers are female in Australia whilst women comprise about 10 percent of Uber drivers. The flexibility of ride-sharing income appeals to women juggling competing priorities and we can offer it without the fear of potentially volatile male passengers in the backseat.
Shebah provides a safe and secure way for woman to earn their own money. You encourage and empower them to control their finances. Tell us more about the women you have helped in ways beyond just a job driving.
At Shebah we not only allow women to work in a safe environment but we also provide free financial advise when they first start with Shebah to help them get the best out of their finances.
Shebah also pays more than any other ride sharing service and the drivers can take their babies with them. Sounds like a dream job. Tell us more.
Yes! All mums can work with their children in the car which not only gets them back to work quicker but without the financial stress of paying for day care.
No doubt, whilst many women are cheering across Australia about your fab service, there are some negative comments about sexism and the like being slung your way. What do you say to them?
We don’t have anything against men at Shebah and in fact we employ men in our HQ office. However we just wanted to create a safe space for women to travel and for women to work. Men have had that freedom forever so we are not taking that away from them, we are just adding an alternative for women.
Raising four teenagers alone can’t be easy. How do you balance both work and children?
I am Wonder Woman… You didn’t know? No, seriously, I am lucky to be completely supported by my family and I have a wonderful team at Shebah HQ who work hard to make sure my vision is projected.
Any advice you can give to aspiring mums wanting to branch out and change careers, start up a business?
Do it! Being a mum is scary sometimes; if you can do that you can do anything. You won’t know until you try.
What can we expect next for Shebah?
We have lots more in the works especially from our tech team who work tirelessly to make our app user friendly. Watch this space because it’s only bigger and better things to come.
And finally, how do we start using Shebah?
Download the app in the App Store or on Google Play and you can find out more at she-bah.com.au