"Maybe we could go somewhere, just you and me?"

It's an innocent enough proposition. Delivered by someone you know, or have been flirting with or are interested in, it could even be welcome.

But for Cassie Chick, the question rang alarm bells.

Asked by her male Uber driver, the 27-year-old Canberran, who was traveling alone to meet friends, went into self-protection mode.

"I felt powerless," Ms Chick said. "He was cocky and persistent and asking if he should stop the trip. I was thinking, if I reject him, this situation could get a lot worse."

Ms Chick continued to politely laugh off the driver's advances so as to not provoke retribution, but when they stopped at her destination, he asked for her phone number so they could "meet up after he finished work".

"I gave it to him knowing he would call it as I was sitting there — to make sure I didn't fudge any of the numbers — which he did," she said.

"I left the car, blocked his number and reported the incident to Uber. They have blocked him for picking me up for future trips, although that doesn't stop him from picking up other female passengers."

The feeling of powerlessness and vulnerability Ms Chick experienced traveling by herself in an Uber is not uncommon.

'I felt in my gut that female-only ride sharing was viable'

Anecdotally, many women have experienced unwanted and inappropriate behaviour from Uber and taxi drivers, ranging from probing personal questions to verbal abuse and physical intimidation.

Then there are the criminal cases.

Last month, a Sydney Uber driver pleaded not guilty to raping a woman who entered his car intoxicated. Last year, a Melbourne taxi driver was spared jail time after he was found guilty of sexually assaulting a female passenger.

And a Perth taxi driver was sentenced to five-and-a-half years in jail after raping a female passenger and sexually assaulting another.

It's enough to make any woman question getting into a cab or rideshare car alone ever again.

Enter Shebah, an Australian ridesharing service for women only.

The brainchild of Melbourne-based single mother Georgina McEncroe, Shebah is launching imminently in Melbourne, Geelong, Sydney, Brisbane and the Gold Coast, and pairs female drivers with female passengers, including transgender women.

After hearing her teenage daughter's stories about unwanted attention from male drivers, and after registering for but ultimately deciding against driving for Uber herself (for fear of her own safety), Ms McEncroe was determined to provide a safer transport alternative for female drivers and women and children passengers.

"I certainly felt in my gut that female-only ridesharing was a viable idea," Ms McEncroe said.

"I looked at how few female Uber drivers there are, and I've never personally had a female cabbie.

"But I knew women have as many licences as men and make up the majority of the part-time workforce, and I knew so many girls who wanted to catch a cab with a female driver."

The ride sharing app Shebah is only available to female drivers and passengers. ( Supplied: Shebah )

A similar initiative — Safr — is set to launch in the US next month, although the company's two rounds of rebranding, as well as questions surrounding its legality, goes to show just how difficult an idea it is to get off the ground.

"I'll just build an app!" laughed Ms McEncroe, who originally floated the idea of "Mum's Taxi" on fundraising website GoFundMe last year.

She added: "I've had so much support and so much help, but it's definitely not been as simple as it sounds."

Uber drivers planning to switch to Shebah

To date, almost 400 drivers have gone through the Shebah registration process, which includes working with children checks and Taxi Services Commission driver accreditation, and 820 are in progress.

Ms McEncroe, too, plans on driving for Shebah in order to experience the process firsthand, and says the more drivers registered with Shebah the better, as "demand is currently outweighing supply".

Kate* — who does not wish to be identified because she currently works for Uber but is planning to switch to Shebah — said: "I've heard enough stories [about women riders being harassed by male drivers] to know that it's particularly problematic out there.

"And while [Uber] is certainly safer than taxis, it's still not safe enough."

Asked about the launch of Shebah in Australia, Uber said it welcomed competition in the market. ( Facebook: Uber )

Indeed, because of the way each trip is tracked via GPS, and because a rider can share their route in real time with others, catching an Uber does seem safer than getting a taxi — at least from a technological point of view.

Uber, too, offers round-the-clock customer support and vows to act quickly on feedback and concerns.

But it's not just female passengers who are at risk. Many female Uber drivers choose not to work after dark for fear of experiencing inappropriate behaviour from male passengers.

Kate said she was recently threatened by an intoxicated male passenger.

"He was propositioning me and wouldn't take 'no' for an answer. It got to the point where I didn't know if he was going to rape me when I got him to his destination," she said.

"I gave him the lowest rating you can, and reported him to Uber but never heard back about it. Not a lot scares me, but I was scared.

"I want women to be safe, and if [Shebah] is successful, it might shine a light on the problem we have in society with how men treat women."

Does Uber for women = 'fragile' feminist behaviour?

But not everyone agrees women-only ride sharing services are a positive development.

Many social media users, particularly men, have railed against Shebah on the grounds it is sexist, discriminatory, and an example of "fragile" feminist behaviour.

The concept of ridesharing services for women only has been criticised for being sexist and discriminatory. ( Pexels.com )

"How is this equality?" wrote one commenter on a Facebook post shared last year by Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews, who gushed about the idea.

"Imagine the outrage if someone started a men only ride share."

"Plenty of women beat and murder their own children," said another. "Division of genders is hardly a solution."

Dr Lauren Rosewarne, a senior lecturer who specialises in gender studies and political science at the University of Melbourne, said women-only ride sharing services like Shebah were not necessary.

"This does not make crime a non-event, but personally I favour policy options such as greater screening and monitoring of drivers than an alternate, sex-segregated option," Dr Rosewarne said.

"Separatist approaches do nothing to address concerns about real-life — albeit statistically small — instances of driver violence, and in fact, go so far as to consider such violence probable or normalised, which I think is harmful."

'Women shouldn't be put in that position'

Ms McEncroe is used to the criticism, but says none of it will deter her from providing a service for women who she believes will feel safer using it.

"Of course, not all male Uber or taxi drivers are inappropriate or dangerous, but can't we just have our options? There are girls who won't use this service. But a lot will," she said.

Uber, meanwhile, says it welcomes competition in the market.

"Increased choice always delivers better outcomes for consumers," an Uber spokesperson said.

"We understand customers have a choice, and we will continue to work hard on delivering a safe, reliable and affordable way for more Australians to get from A to B."

Left scarred by her disturbing experience with the Uber driver in Canberra, Cassie Chick said she would definitely feel more comfortable riding with Shebah.

"Women shouldn't be put in that position, but we are, so I'd rather just do something to ensure I'm not," she said.

*Names have been changed to protect interviewees' privacy.