Taxi Driver Online

Women-only taxi firms

More and more cab firms are springing up around the country to cater for women who prefer to see another female at the wheel.

Even in a licensed cab, there is often a niggle at the back of any female passenger’s mind: will I get home in one piece? While the vast majority of male taxi drivers are of course completely safe, many women simply feel less vulnerable with a female driver. And it’s not only women who prefer a woman behind the wheel.

Maggie Hennessy, who runs the women-only taxi firm London Lady Chauffeurs, says: “A lot of our business comes from husbands who want to make sure their wives are OK, especially in the evenings.”

The Richmond-based company, part of Riverside Cars, started two and a half years ago and only uses female drivers. They wear smart suits and drive “immaculate” cars, while journeys are pre-booked.

“We refuse to take male passengers,” says Maggie, 50, who is also a driver. “A lot of people say they find it refreshing to find a female driver.”

The service is also popular for the school run. “Parents feel safer. They can track us and check we’ve arrived safely,” says Maggie.

London Lady Chauffeurs is not the only company catering for the surging demand for women-only cabs. One of the highest-profile is Warrington-based Pink Ladies. After many hitches, including being taken to court by Warrington council, Pink Ladies is thriving. A members-only club, it can refuse male passengers and has 7,000 registered members.

Tina Dutton, the co-founder and a mother of two, says: “There was a story about a young woman who’d been raped and murdered in Manchester and it got me thinking about how you couldn’t even get into a taxi safely.

“My daughter was also getting to the age where she was going out in town and it just hit home. I got the idea for starting Pink Ladies.”

The club is not-for-profit and does not class itself as a taxi service. Its drivers, all female, are “driver carers” who do far more than transport customers from A to B. They also operate a through-the-door policy, ensuring passengers are safely inside their home before leaving, and help with shopping, pushchairs and wheelchairs. If an elderly passenger is not feeling well, they contact their family.

Annual membership costs £10, no money changes hands in the vehicles, and it operates as a car share. Similar to a bus service, cars will also pick up women going in the same direction.

At 26, Laura Taylor is one of the youngest drivers. Previously a social worker, she was drawn to the job because it is women-only.

“You have regular customers and get to know them. I treat everyone like they’re one of my family,” says Laura, a single mother from Warrington. “I wouldn’t drive a traditional taxi, I’d feel too much at risk.”

Tina plans to start selling the Pink Ladies franchise nationwide because similar services are not available throughout much of the rest of the country.

Some cab firms, such as Ladies Only Travel in Bradford, offer female drivers for female passengers but also accept male passengers.

Jeanette Romani, 39, started the company after a horrific event. Her drink was spiked and she was taken by taxi to a pre-booked hotel room and assaulted.

“I couldn’t let it beat me, I had to turn it into a positive,” she says. “I felt so let down and degraded.

“When I started the business everyone laughed at me, they were so negative. I used to sit in the bus and cry. But the business is thriving. I have regular customers and contracts with schools.”

The company, which operates a minibus service but also takes smaller groups, has two male as well as four female drivers and accepts groups of male passengers.

“We take customers to safe places and do multiple drops,” says Jeanette. “It’s been hard getting it going but it’s definitely in demand. Our male drivers are fantastic but some parents and women just prefer women drivers.”

Derbyshire-based The Taxi Ladies operates with two drivers, both female. The company has passengers of both sexes but the female-only side is very popular.

Its co-founder Karen Warburton, 40, says: “We have lots of elderly female customers who say they don’t feel comfortable with male drivers.

“When we’re waiting at the taxi rank they’ll walk along the line until they see us. They feel safe.”


GENERAL SAFETY ADVICE

Make sure a taxi is legal and licensed. Don’t use it if:

- The driver appears under the influence of alcohol or doesn’t seem to know the area

- The vehicle seems too old to be a cab or is in a state of disrepair

It’s a good idea to:

- Make a note of the number plate and driver’s licence number and text them to someone as an extra precaution

- Take a picture of the vehicle

- Always sit in the back of the vehicle

- Carry your phone in your hand so it’s easily accessible

Source: direct.gov.uk

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/roa ... firms.html

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

What are the legalities of stating that you won't take male passengers? Is it in breach of the sex discrimination act?

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Grandad,

The way women behave on a Saturday night It might be a idea to have male only cabs just to protect the driver

DOCKERS IN DRAG ????????????????

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All posts by this contributor are made in a strictly personal capacity

I AM PROUD TO BE A CITIZEN NOBODY'S SUBJECT http://www.republic.org.u

F88K EM ALL WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND

BOOZE BOOZE BOOZE

I smell....Shyte!!

oh well, thats ok then

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Of all the things ive lost, i miss my mind the most

shows how old you are

all the dockers are on the dole now, all cargo comes in on containers

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Of all the things ive lost, i miss my mind the most

And more and more are failing.

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IDFIMH

tryed to introduce lady drivers for lady passengers in my area about 15 years ago the responce from punters was great ! do you think I was able to get the lady drivers to comply FORGET IT

Couldn't you get one of the lads to put on a wig and frock?

We have no problem getting lads to do that down in B&H.

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IDFIMH

are they up for £3600 compo when a B&B refuses to allow them to have a nights pile pushing?

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Of all the things ive lost, i miss my mind the most

I wonder if some, perhaps many of the drivers on these women only taxi firms do the job because in essence they use their position as gay sexual predators to befriend like-minded women.

That would certainly explain the ‘no blokes’ rule wouldn’t it!!

Just a wonder you must understand; perish the thought that it’s my belief.

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Kind regards,

Brummie Cabbie.

Type a message, post your news,
Disagree with other members' views;
But please, do have some decorum,
When debating on the TDO Forum.

+1. At the risk of a sweeping generalisation, groups of [edited by admin] up middle aged women are the worst customers in my opinion. I could post some of things they say but may feel the wrath of the admins due to the highly dubious nature!

It would seem not because they are basically private clubs!





As such I believe under the rules laid out by their "Constitution" they are legally able to take/state women only.

Having said that I wonder as to how long it will be before a female passenger does not turn up! and a bloke is substituted as a passenger to cover loss of fare. In the smaller Cities it will not work financially, London!....maybe.

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if you cannot be yourself, then who can you be.

Most of the stuff in that article about Pink Ladies is so old and been cut and pasted that many I’m surprised the words aren’t dropping off the screen so you have to wonder how valid the rest of it actually is. To say their business is thriving is a hard to believe as I think they’re down to just two or three vehicles which is a far cry from their original plan.

10 year old news? Must have been a quiet news day for the Telegraph.