In the small hours: Woman behind the wheel, woman as passenger

It's a nice idea, taxis that are driven by women and only pick up women. But whether they will ever get there is the question, because female taxi drivers are few and far between and the Ministry of Transport is not very enthusiastic yet. "The project has merits, but it needs to be carefully studied," said Transport Minister Chadchart Sittipunt.

The idea was launched by the Land Transport Department to increase the safety of women in the evening and night hours. The knife cuts both ways: the passenger does not run the risk of being assaulted by a horny driver and the female driver has nothing to fear from a male passenger who is up to something bad.

The women's taxi should have a special color, for example pink, so that it is easily recognizable. The car should also be equipped with GPS and radio. Asdsathai Rattanadilok Na Phuket, deputy director general of the Land Transport Department, believes that the current shortage of female drivers can be solved if the government supports the project and candidate drivers are trained.

A woman in Chiang Mai started a women's taxi service on her own initiative 5 years ago. In the city, the meter determines the fare, albeit with a starting fee of 50 baht instead of 35 baht. Out-of-town rides must be negotiated. Her customers, both Thai and foreigners, say they feel safer.

Bangkok's public transport company BMTA is considering running or actually returning a women's bus, as such a service existed in 2000, but has stopped for unknown reasons. The bus ran according to a fixed timetable.

A lot of water will have to flow through the Chao Praya before both projects can get off the ground. Regulations must be adjusted for the women's taxi. For example, officially taxis are not allowed to refuse passengers, although this is quite frowned upon.

(Source: Bangkok Post, October 5, 2013)