All-female taxi services gaining ground in Venezuela

World Today

 

Driving a car in Caracas can be a dangerous experience and for many women taking a taxi even more so. Which is why an all-female taxi service is growing in Venezuela´s capital.

A group of Venezuelan entrepreneurs is breaking barriers through an exclusive all-female taxi service. The new venture is called Pink Taxi and it’s the first Venezuelan taxi service exclusively driven by women for women.

This female cab company hopes to help Venezuelan women to feel secure and offer a solution for their transportation needs. 

16 -year-old Sarah Longa is a Venezuelan student who often takes taxis, she says she feels safer with a woman behind the wheel.

“I had an unpleasant experience when I got a taxi and two men got in the car on each side. It was horrible, I never wanted to take a taxi on the street again.”

Her driver is 42-year-old Odry Guerra a college professor and mother of two, looking to make some extra cash.

“This has been a huge help for all of us, to pay for my children’s tuition, to buy food, it’s really a huge help,” said Guerra.

Pink Taxi launched six months ago, first as a delivery service in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic and then as a cab company.  The founding members decided to cater to women.

Carolina Armada is the head manager of twenty female drivers who started the operation last November 2021.

“The idea was to provide a service by women for women, where you feel confident on any occasion, from going to your job, or a party or taking your children to school,” Armada explained.

As in many cities in the world, the majority of taxi drivers here are male, Pink Taxi says they want to prove that women can play a key role in a male-dominated industry. 

Ivette Ugueto is another driver working for Pink Taxi and says the job requires more than driving skills.

She says it also sends a powerful message to empower women across the city.

“I love the concept by women for women, because we’re also able to do it, why not?” Ugueto says is a matter of job equality.  “I don’t see a gender issue or a difference, if a person wants to transport another person, they don’t necessarily have to be male.”

Pink Taxi is planning to expand operations to other Venezuelan cities putting its female stamp on every ride.