The streets of the sprawling Egyptian capital have added female taxi drivers, catering to female passengers only, to the traffic mix. Pink Taxi Egypt will offer women an alternative in an industry dominated by men; it will also be a possible solution to the harassment women experience.
“We are currently working on receiving the necessary permits and preparing cars to start operating as soon as possible,” Pink Taxi Egypt (PTE) founders wrote on their Facebook page in June.
“Our cars will be convenient and safe for female passengers… and will be easily identifiable. Each car will have a specific code for more safety and reassurance.”
Here are some reactions on twitter:
Pink Taxi Egypt …. a new service in Cairo .. taxis driven by women for women .. actually not a bad idea
— Sentient Biomass (@Drunk_Roughneck) June 14, 2015
https://twitter.com/NourhanElsayed/status/612037433631375360?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
I read that #Pink_Taxi (The Lady's only Taxi) is getting to #Egypt. I see #Segregation is not the right solution for #Harassment issue.
— Kareem Hafez (@kareemhafez) June 12, 2015
A similar service is underway in South Africa. The need for a female-only cab service is certainly catching on, but are there any? There is one such cab service in South Africa but it is only available in Johannesburg.,Cabs for Women. This initiative was started in 2008, and is sponsored by 1st for Women insurance.
Robyn Farrell, managing director of 1st for Women Insurance Brokers, says that taxis driven by women, for women is not a passing fad but rather an effective solution for women travelling alone.
Do you think introduction of this taxis will curb sexual harassment?
