Pink Taxi: A look at Egypt’s very first female-only chauffeur service

A recent poll by the Thomson Reuters Foundation found that Egypt is the worst Arab state for women. Sexual harassment and general concerns about safety have reached new heights since the 2011 revolution.

It was a reaction to this that led entrepreneur Reem Fawzi to decide that Cairo needed a women-only cab service, and thus, last year, Pink Taxi Egypt was born. 

THE GREEN LIGHT

“I felt this was something our society needed, and I fulfilled it,” Reem told us. “[It started when] my friend’s 16-year-old daughter got locked up and harassed in a taxi.”

A graduate of Helwan University with a marketing major and a master’s degree from the American University in Cairo, Reem explains she always had a thing for entrepreneurship. Pink Taxi was launched under Rimo Tours, her existing limousine company.

While her female-only taxi service is operated and managed by women, Reem admits she likes to take extra precautions when it comes to her chauffeurs.

“We abide with very strict standards to ensure the safety of our passengers and co-workers. All of our drivers undergo severe criminal and background checks before they get hired,” she said.

“From medical and drug tests to a two-month-long training programme, which involves a road assistance course in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism as well as a professional driving course and child safety training, to GPS tracking and in-car security systems, safety always comes first.”

Reem continued: “All of our drivers are college graduates aged between 25 and 45 years and can speak Arabic and English fluently. They have to have at least a year’s worth of driving experience, and all are fully licensed and insured.”

Today, almost a year since its launch, the company has a fleet of 85 cars compared to its initial 25. The reason, Reem says, customer loyalty.

“Pink Taxi became a household name so quickly and that’s something I’ll always be proud of,” she said. “Lots of women depend on us to take their kids to school or pick them up from soccer practice; lots of women trust us and believe that their kids are in safe hands and that there’s no need to worry. That’s exactly why Pink Taxi was born.”

THE ROAD LESS TRAVELLED

Not everyone was happy with Reem’s little pink dream, though. Regular taxi drivers, anti-discrimination groups, and competitors fought her idea, citing ‘unfair competition’, ‘discrimination against men’, and segregating by gender rather than solving the actual problem of sexual harassment in Egypt.

Reem, however, did not give up, and she soon received support from Egypt’s Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), who set up a window for female drivers to have their licenses issued without having to stand in long lines alongside male minivan and taxi drivers.

As Reem explained, “Going to the DMV with 25 girls to issue professional driving licenses amidst a group of truckers and male taxi drivers was not easy!”

GIRL POWER

Reem has arguably done more than just provide a taxi service for women; she has offered futures for many women. 

“Only 8 per cent of female graduates find jobs [in Egypt], and these are often restricted to certain fields,” she says. “I’m not saying that we are offering the solution to female unemployment, but we are trying to be part of the solution.”

“We’re very passionate about women. We support organisations with causes that help women. Ten per ccent of our monthly proceeds go to the Baheya Foundation for breast cancer research and awareness.

We also participated at the Cairo International Book Fair to support young, home-grown talent, [and] we bought all the copies of Hekayat Onthaweya [Feminine Stories] and gave them out for free to all of our passengers. We’re aiming to grow bigger so we can keep doing what we do best.”

FUTURE PLANS

After nearly a full year of service, Reem says that this is just the beginning for Pink Taxi.

“On our first anniversary in September, we will launch a fully integrated app that will facilitate the booking process,” she revealed.

“We are also set to expand our fleet to 100 cars by the end of this year, Inshallah, and hope to serve more governorates in the near future.”