Puebla, Mexico, is the latest city to offer a taxi service exclusively for women. Intended as a safe means of transport, the thirty-five strong fleet of bright pink Chevys are driven by women only and will not stop for men. For further female appeal, the cabs are equipped with beauty kits, GPS and emergency panic buttons. Pink Taxi de Puebla has privately financed the initiative, according to an AP report. The regional government, which is licensing the service, has trained more than 60 Pink Taxi drivers (aged 25-45) in driving theory and practice, as well as aspects of car maintenance, such as changing tyres.
Despite the best intentions of the scheme, some local women's rights campaigners claim that the girly vehicles are promoting harmful female stereotypes. Still, they are certainly eye-catching and for women who have experienced harassment by male drivers in the past, the 24-hour service is sure to offer peace of mind. Similar operations have already proved successful in places from London to Teheran. Mexico City proposed it in 2007, but settled instead for female-only buses and subway cars. If this service in Puebla is successful, there are plans to expand to other cities. If your own town doesn't yet have a fuchsia fleet, now's the time to launch one.
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Spotted by: David Licona
how do we get these in the US. seriously - in areas of Mexico this is a real boon - for a sense of the safety it could provide. Now - can we get armed guards so the banditos/drug dealers don't stop and harm THEM . . .
I see discrimination suit and or cab strike written all over this goofy concept here in the US. Especially in Chicago where cabbies:
1. MUST stop for anyone hailing or risk a big fine.
2. Make sure a percentage of their pick-ups in under served (dangerous) neighborhoods.
3. Airport pickups are loaded next-in-cue from the staging area.
Where would the Pink Cabs fall under the above criteria?
Perhaps a good idea but only for countries that don't strive for equality and democracy.