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Former bus driver sets up private hire service to provide 'safe and reliable' travel for women
https://www.banburyguardian.co.uk/commu ... en-5381570
Image: Banbury Guardian
A former bus driver from Banbury has recently set up a private hire taxi service that is aimed at making journeys feel safer for women.
Former late-shift driver for Stagecoach, Heather Holmes, launched Lafemme Chauffeurs over the summer.
Heather said: “I named the company Lafemme because it means ‘the woman’, and I wanted to let people know it’s a female-run company and they have the option to travel with female drivers if they prefer.
“After speaking to women when working as a bus driver and hearing people’s experiences of using taxis and private hire services, it made me think about what I could do.
“It can be daunting for women travelling alone late at night, even for the strongest of us, so I wanted to set up something that women feel safe using.”
Whilst the service is not solely for women, and men booking lifts won’t be turned down, Heather believes there should be a taxi service that is primarily there for women to use.
She said: “I get a lot of bookings from male clients, which is great, but the concept behind setting up the company was to provide a guaranteed safe and reliable journey for women.”
Heather says she not only receives a lot of positive feedback about providing a female-driven travel service but also for her driving.
She said: “If you speak to any woman, they will tell you they have experienced something that made them feel uncomfortable during a taxi journey in their lifetime, and I want to provide a service that puts women’s minds at rest.
“I also have a lot of compliments on my style of driving; being an ex-bus driver has contributed towards the way I drive, but also because I don’t have quite as much testosterone, I’m, let’s say, easier on the gas pedal.”
Currently Heather is the only driver for Lafemme, but she hopes to employ more women drivers as the company grows.
Lafemme Chauffeurs currently operates on a pre-booking service, meaning that all journeys must be booked with the company ahead of travel.
For more information about Lafemme Banbury, visit the website at: https://lafemmechauffeurs.com/
