Uber with guns': Rideshares with armed drivers launching in Texas

DALLAS: A new rideshare service featuring armed drivers is launching in Dallas and two other Texas cities.

BlackWolf, a small ridesharing startup that gained fame through TikTok, is recruiting drivers in Dallas, Houston and Austin and hopes to launch by the end of this year or early 2025, founder and owner Kerry KingBrown said.

The company wants to hire 35 to 50 drivers in each city. Drivers must have spotless background checks and at least four years experience in the military, law enforcement or other security positions.

BlackWolf, which launched in Atlanta in 2023, has gained a large following on social media, with more than 1 million followers on TikTok and Instagram. KingBrown said rising crime in some large cities helped fuel demand. Some media outlets have likened the company to “Uber with guns.”

According to a report in Forbes, companies like BlackWolf are filling a void as the US refuses to address gun violence.

One company built a giant collapsible safe-room that is being marketed to schools, and another has developed bulletproof backpacks and school desks.

“Various businesses with their own solutions have emerged to fill the void,” Forbes wrote last year.

In addition to Atlanta, BlackWolf operates in Miami, Orlando and Phoenix, and the app has been downloaded more than 300,000 times. The company is expanding to Texas after polling followers on social media about which state it should launch next, KingBrown said. Texas was the clear favourite.

“It’s about protecting people,” he said. “Everybody deserves an opportunity, and everybody deserves a safe ride.”

The cost of BlackWolf is roughly 10 to 15% more than the average Uber or Lyft ride, similar to the cost of an Uber Black ride.

KingBrown, who worked in private security for more than a decade, said he got the idea for BlackWolf while driving a woman who had been the victim of human trafficking. She told him he should create transportation for people who needed additional peace of mind.

But the service is less about guns, and more about the vetting process and training in using firearms and de-escalation techniques, he said.

“At the end of the day, you know you’re getting into a safe car,” he said. “The driver will know what to do in case of an emergency. That gun will be the very last resort.” - tca/dpa