In the Driver’s Seat: How Faye Jacobs has used her 7 years of freedom to build her own successful transportation business 

Laquanda “Faye” Jacobs first got the idea to start her own business in an unexpected place: stuck at the airport, waiting for a ride. 

It was 2019, only a year after Faye was released from prison in Little Rock, Arkansas for a murder she didn’t commit. She had been imprisoned at 16 years old — and spent the next 26 years fighting for freedom. In 2018, her sentence was commuted after the U.S. Supreme Court decided minors could not receive a mandatory life-without-parole sentence. 

The following year, Faye moved to Kansas City. She was still getting used to life outside of prison: new technology, smartphones, apps. And there was one app in particular that was on her last nerve. 

“I was stranded at the airport, and all the Ubers canceled on me,” she said. “One canceled, then I got another, and it canceled again. Why is this so hard? And I knew I wasn’t the only one dealing with this. Uber motivated me to start my own transportation business.” 

With just that one spark of inspiration, Faye was well on her way. 

Since she had been wrongfully arrested and convicted as a teenager, Faye had never actually had a driver’s license. But that hadn’t stopped her from learning how to drive at a young age. At only 10 years old, Faye practiced driving with her brother. Those skills came in handy more than three decades later. Within a month of her release from prison, she got her first driver’s license — passing the test on the first try. 

“Driving is like riding a bike,” Faye said. “It’s something you never forget.” 

The next challenge? A car. 

That’s where MIP’s supporters came in. At the time, Faye had about $1,500 in the GoFundMe account MIP set up after her release. That amount was a lifeline — and the seed money for her eventual business. She searched and searched for a vehicle within that price range, finally finding an old Dodge Neon for $1,200. 

After her frustrating airport experience, it was that little blue Neon that Faye used in 2019 to start her own company (Innocence Too, doing business as Safe, Safer, Safest Transportation). Faye was reliable, loved to talk to people, and was a trustworthy driver. Surely she could do what Uber did — but better. 

For three years, Faye drove customers around in the Neon. She shuttled Chiefs fans to and from games at Arrowhead Stadium, picked up partiers from Kansas City’s Power & Light district, dropped off wedding guests, and even transported clients with exotic pets. (Both a snake and a Bengal cat worth $7,000 have ridden in Faye’s car.)

Faye also took care of little personal touches that would make someone call her instead of pulling out their rideshare app. She keeps bottled water, candy, and snacks available for all her passengers.

As business expanded and more groups called to reserve Faye’s services, she realized she needed a bigger car. She passed the Neon along to her nephew, and upgraded to a seven-passenger vehicle. The new car also has a backramp, so Faye can accommodate customers in wheelchairs. 

Eventually, demand grew so much that Faye contracted three other drivers to help during the busiest weeks. (On Chiefs game days, she usually drives about 30 people in a day.)

For someone who had long had an entrepreneurial spirit — “I’ve always wanted to be a boss,” Faye said — the business expansion was a dream come true. Customers trusted her, she got to meet interesting people every day, and she could own her own destiny. 

So much of her autonomy had been stolen from her for 26 years. Now, Faye relishes her independence.

“What I love about it is making my own decisions and being flexible,” Faye said. “Being my own person and having my own space, and I don’t have to clock in and clock out. I don’t have to worry about overtime or not enough time. It’s my call.” 

Since Faye’s sentence was commuted with no official exoneration from Arkansas, her felony conviction still technically stands. And the job market often treats a felony as a disqualification. (MIP continues to fight for Faye’s full exoneration.) 

Running her own business has allowed Faye to take charge of her career — never having to wait for employers to accept her.

Support from both MIP donors and the MIP team have helped Faye build her business over the last six years. That initial GoFundMe money helped her buy her first car, of course. But when it blew a tire a couple years later, MIP helped pay for a replacement. 

MIP also helped when Faye got behind on her property taxes. As someone who had gone into prison as a child and grown into adulthood behind bars, Faye had zero experience with taxes. It’s just one example of a system that someone is tossed into — with little information or support — after being released from prison. 

MIP’s social work program maintains an emergency fund for situations like this. Thanks to generous donations from supporters, MIP can help fix some of the everyday life hiccups that might be simple annoyances to most people — but that are potentially devastating for MIP’s freed clients just getting their feet under them. 

“I didn’t know anything about property taxes and just thought you made payments on the car,” Faye said. “Who knows what would have happened if MIP didn’t step up and help me pay? The list just goes on and on how they’ve helped me.”

Faye isn’t done growing her business yet. Her company expanded into Arkansas, where she’ll hire some of her family members and friends to drive customers. She also received her Commercial Driver’s License and wants to eventually add a limousine — and even a party bus — to her fleet.

But no matter what’s on the horizon, Faye relies on the qualities that have made her so successful to this point: her bubbly personality, her ambition, and her desire to connect with her customers. 

“I enjoy serving people and I enjoy helping people,” Faye said. “I just love everything about it. The best thing I’ve ever done was starting my own business, and I’m so glad MIP motivated me to do this.”

You can support Faye’s transportation business by visiting its Facebook page, or by reserving a ride at 501-777-2509. Transportation is available 24/7. You can also donate to Faye’s GoFundMe at https://www.gofundme.com/f/8fbpr-faye-jacobs-is-free.