I liked this taxi company: eCabs. I use it very often and I always ride in front with the driver because I like to chat. Most of my drivers have been men. One man told me how a group of girls once reported him for harassment after 4 of them climbed into the backseat from one side, after he told them to climb in from both sides as they would tear up his seat fabric with their metal buckles.
I am going to reconsider my relationship with this company and probably switch to another.
by RevolutionaryCry7230
4 comments
Seems like a totally reasonable request from the driver, what’s the problem here?
This idea is not new. Several transit systems around the world have it in place, such as the Dubai Metro as a first example that comes to mind.
The article does indeed make some fair points about whether a client might think this is something they might need. The story you shared misses out a lot of information, so I’m not sure what point you are trying to make.
The bigger problem Malta faces is car-dependency and a lack alternative transport that means that sadly companies such as eCabs, Uber and Bolt thrive in (which is incredibly unsustainable). Appropriate mass transit such as a metro network or fast ferries also bring about public surveillance meaning that they become inherently safer due to a higher number of eyes and witnesses should some form of intimidation actually be present. Taxis will never be able to solve this issue.
Blame the government for allowing this to be a necessity and continues to invest in road widening while defunding public transit. They are the ones we should be angry at.
Nah dude, its fine
While in the story you mentioned, the driver was not to blame, I don’t agree that ecabs is being sexist. If women actually felt safe booking a cab being driven by a strange man, this service wouldn’t exist. While the majority of cab drivers would never cross the line, I’ve heard terrible stories from friends who booked cabs only to be followed by the driver, texted afterwards by the driver or harassed by the driver. Women actually advise each other to get out of the cab around the corner from their house so the cab driver will have a hard time finding them if he decides to follow. I myself feel very uncomfortable booking cabs for this reason. I haven’t booked a cab in ages but I’ve been harassed on public transport before; neither the company nor the police did anything about it. I would actually consider booking a cab now with this service.