AI Companions in Ride-Hailing: Enhancing Sense of Safety with Voice Chatbots

In this paper, we present the development and formative evaluation of AI Companion, a voice chatbot based on Artificial Intelligence Large Language Models designed to enhance users' perception of safety and control during transportation using ride-hailing apps or similar services. We conducted a study with 10 participants to understand their travel experiences and evaluate the AI Companion's ability to maintain coherent conversations, simulating a phone call. Our findings indicate that participants generally liked the system. However, we provide several recommendations for significant improvements to the AI Companion.