Pink taxis for women hit Mexico streets

Ladies only

“The people stop us on the street to congratulate us and the women ask us how they can request one of our units,” Lidia Hernandez, one of the cabbies with Pink Taxis, a company that says it’s the first of its kind in Mexico, told the Spanish news agency EFE.

Fears about safety — in certain zones of Mexico — has spurred people to begin offering transportation services just for women to avoid inconvenience, harm of one sort or another or, in some cases, even physical abuse of women by male taxi drivers.

In Mexico City, since last year there are buses just for women and Metro cars specifically reserved for women in rush hour have existed for quite some time. Currently, the municipal transportation office in Puebla has invested a total of 5.6 million pesos ($430,000) in the project.

“All the cars are equipped with a GPS locating system, with a panic button (connected to the emergency operator) and they have bank terminals to avoid the use of cash and provide more security,” said Eduardo del Castillo, the head of Pink Taxis. The taxis are fitted with a mirror in front of the back seat in which the customers can adjust their makeup.