I’m not sure what’s worse — that this is an actual business concept, or that I can almost understand why people would consider using this…
BlackWolf offers rides with armed drivers
Ridesharing has become a part of so many peoples’ daily routines, with Uber and Lyft being household names. Now there’s a company named BlackWolf, which has the same general idea, but with a twist.
BlackWolf offers ridesharing through an app, and currently it’s available in several cities in Florida (I’m shocked!!), plus in limited places in Arizona and Georgia. A friend just made me aware of this, as the service recently expanded to Miami.
What makes BlackWolf different than a standard rideshare is that the drivers have at least four years of experience in military, law enforcement, or the security sector. Oh, and if you choose the BlackWolf Armed service, then you’ll get a driver carrying a gun.
While the claim is that this is no more expensive than a premium rideshare, I don’t think that’s quite fair. For example, I pulled up pricing for a ride from a hotel in Brickell to Miami International Airport (MIA), and the cost for an armed ride is $97.
In Miami, the pricing for the armed service has a base fare of $30, a minimum fare of $65, and a rate of $2.50 per mile and $1.35 per minute.
BlackWolf’s mission and marketing
So, how do you come up with the idea for a business like this? Here’s how the company describes why it started:
Kerry KingBrown, the founder of BlackWolf, was inspired to create a platform that could protect individuals from exploitation after hearing a friend’s story of being sex trafficked. The inception of BlackWolf App was driven by a desire to ensure public safety from predators. As the app evolves into a ride-hailing service for everyone, BlackWolf App remains committed to fostering a secure environment for all passengers and supporting the worldwide initiative to eradicate exploitation.
Meanwhile here’s the company’s mission statement:
Our mission is to provide safe, reliable, and professional ride share services while actively combating human trafficking. We achieve this mission by redefining ride-hailing by providing unmatched safety and professionalism, leveraging drivers with experience in law enforcement, the military, and security sectors.
BlackWolf seems to be doing really well on social media, and has big followings on Instagram, TikTok, etc. Below are a few of the videos, all featuring the company’s founder.
I don’t know what to think of BlackWolf
Obviously this concept is way out there, and that’s why the company is getting a lot of attention on social media. The company has well over 500K followers on Instagram, and some videos have been viewed nearly 10 million times. I don’t know to what extent that converts to customers, though…
What do I make of this concept? Without getting political, I’ll just say that I’m probably not their target audience. Still, I have a few thoughts.
First of all, it’s interesting how the messaging here is all about external threats. For example, in one of the videos, the founder states that “I’m tired of hearing about abductions, and I’m tired of hearing about how woman are being mistreated, and I’m tired of hearing of children hopping out of vehicles because they feel unsafe.”
It’s possible I’m missing something, but I feel like many of the problematic Uber and Lyft stories I hear are of situations where there’s a dispute between the passenger and the driver, or where one party is being creepy. I’m not sure arming one party in this interaction would really put me at ease that much.
I’m also curious what exactly the target market here is, given the steep pricing. If you have actual, serious security concerns, I feel like a stranger being armed won’t actually help you that much. You’d otherwise maybe have your own gun, your own security detail, bulletproof windows on your car, etc. How often does a passenger in a rideshare casually think “boy, I wish my driver had a gun?”
All that being said, I have to fully acknowledge that I almost don’t think this is a terrible idea. Like, have you driven in Miami? People here are absolutely batsh*t crazy, and the amount of desperate, wannabe alpha-male, hyper-masculine energy on the roads is just more than any reasonable person should have to endure.
Traffic disagreements in Miami are often “resolved” with guns. I had a friend a few weeks ago who honked at someone who cut him off, and the driver’s response was to hold his gun up for him to see. A couple of years ago, Ford accidentally cut someone off on the highway (who was accelerating way too fast), and the guy then tailgated him down the highway for 15 minutes, to the point that Ford had to call the cops, and get them involved.
This city, it’s just too much for me…
Bottom line
BlackWolf is a ridesharing app with a twist. It’s available in select markets, with a particular focus on Florida. What makes it different than other ridesharing platforms is that drivers have a background in law enforcement and security, and are armed.
Are the end of times near, or do I just need to get with the times? I dunno…
So, ummm, should I take a BlackWolf ride this evening, and report back?
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