Safeguarding

Last Friday I received a request from a women’s magazine for input to an article on female safety in taxis over the festive season. Then on the weekend I forgot about it.

Until, that is, around 2am this morning when a teenage girl emerged from a Kings Cross nightclub and climbed into the front seat. She was travelling home alone and wearing a gossamer like mini-dress which resembled a negligée.

Whilst these dresses are all the fashion in nightclubs, I was tempted to say to her, “Lady, are you on drugs!?”

If I can make one crucial point about women’s safety in taxis it’s this - an important consideration when travelling alone; late at night with a complete stranger; after consuming alcohol and/or drugs; dressed to kill in a barely-there party dress...is that a taxi is a totally different environment to a crowded nightclub.

Moreover it’s hard for a woman to sit discreetly in a taxi wearing heels and a micro-mini, yet without a bag or jacket to afford her some coverage. Thus, under the above conditions she should ask herself, “Do I really need to sit up-front with the driver..?”

Surprisingly, such occurrences in taxis are not uncommon amongst young women. Although they are educated and encouraged to assert themselves with confidence, presumably tempered with appropriate doses of common sense, some still seem oblivious to potential danger.

Comments

[Will]

Another case of indecent exposure...?

[Theresa]

Long time lurker first time poster :) I just had to add that while I am now over my nightclub years this didn't occur to me in my party days. Yes, I'm in Tasmania, so one would say a tad safer than Sydney girls, but why did I always sit in the front? It never occured to me and probably would have felt rude to sit in the back, but how naive I was!!

I did end up with my own taxi driver stalker from catching taxis to and from work, but that's a whole other story.

Thank you for pointing out what now seems ridiculously simple to protect our young women of today.

[jayjay]

It's always a great theory expounded by feminists that women should be able to wear what they want, do what they want etc. Experience tells us to be responsible for our own actions and it's better to avoid a "situation" rather than creating one. (Was naive, now just a grumpy old woman.)

[jayjay]

It's always a great theory expounded by feminists that women should be able to wear what they want, do what they want etc. Experience tells us to be responsible for our own actions and it's better to avoid a "situation" rather than creating one. (Was naive, now just a grumpy old woman.)

[nick]

If I go to a suburb of known ill repute, early in the morning, in my nice car, wearing a T-shirt, that while legal to wear, will aggravate the local ruffians, and I pull a large amount of cash out of an ATM while leaving the car door open, and get beaten up - the police will call me a fool and that will be the end of it. If a woman goes up to a room and has sex with three NRL players, and a fourth sneaks a peek, that's rape. I'm not condoning anything, but I wonder if common sense hasn't been trampled in the rush for women's rights.

[reg]

Why has a taxi become such an unsafe place for women passengers?
What has changed?
Women have always sat in the front of taxis in Australia.
Sexy dressed women have always travelled in taxis.

Surely it couldnt be that most taxi drivers are muslim these days and are unable to control their behaviour when an attractive young lady gets into the taxi because of the represive way they treat their own women could it?

I'm sick of the expectation that WE have to change our way of life to suit muslim customs.

[Rainer.the.cabbie]

Sorry to ring at the back but Theresa's comment made me remember a fare 2 months ago.Three young girls climbed into the cab, one sitting in front. They were chattering like birds and I got on with the driving. After they paid the fare the girl in the front looked at me, then her friends, broke into laughter and said "Oh my God, I nearly gave him a kiss on the cheek"
So, here you go, these young girls just got their wings, and regard or rather confuse you with their Dad, who drove them everywhere. But I agree that your passengers behaviour is a bit off, there is stranger danger everywhere.

[aussiecabbie]

women sit in the front on my cab all the time,sometimes i think i'm a complete stranger and think its a bit unsafe for you to do that,but i have asked some why they have sat in the front and the answer nearly all the time is your a aussie and i feel safe with aussies.(i'm very handsome so maybe thats why lol)

[RebeccaH]

It's a good thing there's video in the cab. You never know what those scantily dressed young women might try to do to you. (Seriously, there've been cases of rape charged where none occurred)

[Nathaniel]

You have a point Adrian but I hope for my sake that not all young women dressed the way you describe choose to sit in the back.

I'll never date a bombshell or have a conversation with one in a club or bar yet in the cab they sit up front and we talk like equals.

Some of the best conversations I've had with women in the cab have been from attractive women who wouldn't have looked twice at me in other situations.

[unhappyguy]

If a sexy-looking girl, dressed suggestively, and especially if drunk and/or high, is by herself... then I agree that sitting in front would be more likely to be inviting problems.

For the posters trying to knock us drivers for having normal hormonal desires, I have to ask you:
what part of the "pre-employment cabbie test" screens people for the proper professional attitudes, procedures and actions they are capable of which would trump any immediate gratuitous sexual desires?

Answer? I have driven for 3 cab companies so far and not yet have I been required to pass any kind of test other than a live-scan, a drug test and then pay fees for a license to drive a cab. I could be the biggest predator in town but if I don't have a record I'm free to roam and pray with the easy front of being a cabbie. Think about it. The only thing, in reality, keeping some cabbies from taking advantage is that they are afraid of losing their job or going to jail. Even then it's probably tempting to some considering the odds.

I currently am going through a similar problem, since I currently drive a cab in an area 20 miles away from my home and my 13 year old daughter needs to get to and from her dance class in the evening a couple days per week. I know pretty much all the driver in my home area since I used to work in this area. Out of the 100+ drivers there are about 6 on my list that I would trust to give her a ride, and 3 of them are female.

I would say, for the taxi-riding public, to definitely ride in the back in those situations and have your cell phone ready to call 911 if the guy starts getting creepy on you, or be ready to throw the current fare amount at him and demand to be let out of the car at the point you start feeling uncomfortable. Don't make a big scene, just say "You know what, I changed my mind, just drop me off here please, I see the meter is at $17.70 so here's a $20 keep the change."

And it doesn't have to be a guy, I also know of creepy lesbo drivers in my area, and there are a couple of trannies on the driving force in my area as well. They dress as women while on duty. So don't immediately let your guard down just because you have a "woman driver".

[unhappyguy]

Oh, and I almost forgot the most important thing as a precaution for not only women but anyone boarding a cab... always note the cab company and cab phone # printed on the cab, the cab's car #, and the driver's name. The driver should have a permit inside the cab in plain view stating his or her name among other things.

If you have a problem and try to report it without this info, you will get nowhere.

Since it's hard to do this type of data collection when you are drunk or whatever, at least remember to ask for a business card when you first get in the cab "in case you need another cab in the future", and ask the driver to write his or her name on it if it's a generic company card. You still need to try and remember the cab's car # which should be printed on the outside of the cab on all 4 sides. It's generally not a good idea to ask the driver for the car # because many drivers change cars often. Therefore it may sound right off the bat like you are getting ready to report them for something.

The flipside to this is that if you find a good driver you can trust, call them directly on their cell phone if they allow it, or call dispatch and request that driver. Knowing their cab # is a good way to know that YOUR cab has arrived, if the driver is an owner/operator or keeps the same cab for long periods of time.