Are you ready to hail a "SheTaxi"?
(Credit: Andrey Bayda via Shutterstock)
It’s a leap of faith to get into a stranger’s car. It’s a particular leap if the passenger is a female and the driver is a male. Fortunately, it happens without incident millions of times a day, in taxis all over the world. But a new service is aiming to give women – both as drivers and riders – greater freedom in the traditionally male dominated world of car services. And as the New York Times reports Wednesday, the idea is already a hit.
SheTaxis, known as SheRides in New York City because of local regulations on the word “taxi,” began just two weeks in the New York, Westchester County and Long Island area after facing legal challenges about the gender-based service – and in finding qualified drivers. The concept is a “women for women” service from a company that notes that “In the taxi and livery industry where women comprise about 2% of drivers but 60% of riders, women’s needs go unmet both behind the wheel and in the passenger seat…. As a female, minority owned company, SheTaxis priority is to offer safe, reliable, and trustworthy drivers.” Potential passengers can simply BOOK
a ride via an app. And in just its first few days, SheTaxis has begun building a devoted base of fans — like 31 year-old Lorena Cantillo, who tells the Times, “There are times when I don’t want to get in a taxi because I’m alone and the man can be intimidating, especially if it’s nighttime and I’ve had too much to drink.” Ms. Cantillo says she’s used SheRides cabs three times in the past week.
a ride via an app. And in just its first few days, SheTaxis has begun building a devoted base of fans — like 31 year-old Lorena Cantillo, who tells the Times, “There are times when I don’t want to get in a taxi because I’m alone and the man can be intimidating, especially if it’s nighttime and I’ve had too much to drink.” Ms. Cantillo says she’s used SheRides cabs three times in the past week.
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