The city of Puebla in Central Mexico launched a pilot program yesterday that includes a fleet of 35 taxis designed for women who want to avoid harassment by male taxi drivers. The pink-colored Chevrolet taxis come equipped with beauty kits, GPS systems, and alarm systems in the event of an emergency. The drivers are exclusively female and stop only to pick up women and children.
“Some of the women who have been on board recall how male taxi drivers cross the line…In the Pink Taxi they won’t have that feeling of insecurity,” said taxi driver Aida Santos . In a profession typically dominated by males, the venture is also a new source of employment for females,.
Pink Taxi de Puebla, a privately financed company, invested 5.8 million pesos ($440,000) in the project, and the state government trains and licenses the drivers.
A similar proposal for women-only taxis was introduced in Mexico City in 2007, but failed to take off. The same women-only taxi model has been introduced to Moscow and Dubai.
