Saskatoon's Go Diva provides rideshare option aimed at women and 2SLGBTQ+
Saskatoon entrepreneur Cheri Uthe is hoping to carve out space for anyone who has ever questioned whether their identity might jeopardize getting a safe ride home.
Frustrated by often being the last of her friend group to be dropped off by a shared cab after nights out, Uthe decided to use her experience in courier work and flower delivery to start something new.
“Nothing ever really happened. But at many times, I felt uncomfortable. If they took a different turn than I thought they should or just as a woman … sometimes it’s just a feeling you get,” she explained about her experience of being alone with a male driver.
“It kind of made me upset and annoyed that this is the situation. And I thought, what if this was a woman driving?”
So, Uthe created Go Diva. Today, the service, designed for women and 2SLGBTQ+ riders but open to all, has an app with an interface similar to
Uber
, Lyft and Riide. The entrepreneur says she wants to raise industry standards in cleanliness, safety and customer service.
Although still at a small scale (There are three drivers, including Uthe, with plans to grow), Go Diva has attracted local media attention and generated both positive and negative chatter on the forum website, Reddit.
Uthe started Go Diva as a black car service in 2020 — the worst time to start a transportation business, she said. By 2023, she had launched Go Diva off the ground and switched to a ridesharing model this past October to attract more drivers.
On the name, Uthe says it is a gender-inclusive nod to someone “who demands nothing but the best.” The founder says her service can deliver to “fussy clients.”
One main critique from Reddit users is over Go Diva’s pricing. Uthe says her prices are on par with the city’s other rideshare services, but because of a flat-rate, zone-based model, they could be higher at non-peak hours and vice versa. Other platforms like Uber use surge pricing.
“Our prices range from about $13 to $43, so that would be from Stonebridge to the airport,” she said.
“So (riders) might find, to be honest, (from) the edge of one zone, to have to go to the next one, might be 20 bucks, but if they’re staying in the same zone, it’ll be $13,” she said.
Go Diva drivers also only accept optional cash-only tips, with no built-in option in the app.
“I believe we’re paying (drivers) more than what your other rideshares pay,” she said, noting her aim is to create fair employment opportunities for women and femme-presenting people.
Uthe says she meets with each of her drivers to ensure they align with her business’s values.
“We’re very picky about our drivers,” she said.
For 22-year-old Saskatoon childcare worker Killian Rose, who uses Go Diva to get to work up to five times a week, the price of the service is worth the experience.
“I’ve actually had all three drivers now, and they’re all incredibly nice and accommodating,” Rose said. “…They’re very good for just making you feel comfortable and safe and like you matter in that moment.”
For a 10-minute ride to her workplace, which Rose, who doesn’t drive, has gotten in the habit of pre-booking, she pays about $16 a day.
“The most I’ve ever had was, like, a $30 ride, and it was completely reasonable, because it went through some heavier streets.”
Uthe says she invested her own money into Go Diva, and she’s just starting to see some profits.
Go Diva aims to operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week pending vehicle availability, Uthe says, noting that booking ahead ensures the best chance of getting a ride.
Complete with a rainbow pride flag-themed car decal, Uthe says her service has also attracted a somewhat unlikely demographic: seniors.
The trend helps keep Go Diva drivers busy in the daytime.
“(It’s senior) men too, and it’s so fun having them get in the Go Diva car.”
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