Safety is paramount, says pink taxis boss
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn9ly19e5zvo
Users of a bright pink taxi service aimed at women and girls in Skipton have praised the concept as "really reassuring".
Amberine Nawaz launched Pink Ladies taxis last October to provide a safe service primarily for women and children.
She said: "Not only do we have a female driver but when we drop a customer off we make sure the customer has got through their front door before we move."
Joanne Flynn-Smith, who regularly uses the service for her 17-year-old daughter, said: "You never know what's going to happen these days and at least you know with a female driver, we know it'll be on time and it's safe. It just seems better security for her."
Pink Taxi outside Skipton Castle
Image source,BBC/JULIA LEWIS
Image caption,
Ms Nawaz hopes to expand the service to other towns across Yorkshire
Pink Ladies has three female drivers and Ms Nawaz is hoping to recruit two more.
The 44-year-old said: "I pick 14-year-olds and 16-year-olds up where their mum's booking the taxi.
"There's such a market. We're in a rural area, it can be 10 minutes before you see another person.
"So I just think the young girls that are out or even older women, we just need that safety."
Pink female-only taxis have been used elsewhere including in Nottingham where Think Pink was launched in spring 2022.
Ms Nawaz said: "Safety is paramount and we get a lot of customers that get into the car and say how great it is to have a female driver because they may have had a bad experience."
The Labour MP for Scarborough and Whitby, Alison Hume, welcomed the service, saying: "I remember schemes such as this in London and other cities and they were very popular and I think it's a brilliant idea for a taxi service to offer this for women."
Ms Flynn-Smith, 51, who books the pink taxi when her teenage daughter works late in the town centre, said: "Occasionally we're not able to fetch her so we book Pink Ladies to bring her home safely.
"It's really reassuring.
"The only reason we let her take on the job was because we knew somebody reliable could bring her home."
Amberine Nawaz admits she is a "pink princess"
Ms Nawaz admitted she was a "pink princess", saying: "My kitchen is pink, the car's pink, I normally wear pink, pink handbag, pink shoes, pink everything."
She said she aimed to expand into other towns in Yorkshire, but for now was enjoying being a taxi-driver in Skipton.
She said: "I absolutely love Skipton, it's absolutely beautiful.
"Our traffic compared to dealing with the M25 is minimal.
"In the morning our traffic is about five or six cars and that's at school time - that's rush hour in Skipton.
"Everybody's so friendly, it's a beautiful little place to live."
