In Mideast countries, women feel safer in "pink taxis"

By Cam McGrath

Feb, 2018

1. Fleets of 'pink' taxis, driven by women, are cruising the streets of Middle East
cities, providing a safe and comfortable ride for women wary of getting into taxis driven
by men. 'Many times I had problems with (male) drivers acting indecently,' said Noha
Mohammed, a veiled Egyptian housewife. 'When I told my husband, he refused to let
me take taxis, but he wasn't always available to drive me places, and so I stayed home.
When I heard that there were taxis with women drivers, I was excited.'

2. For example, Iran rolled out its first women-only taxis in late 2006. The United
Arab Emirates, Lebanon, Syria, Kuwait and Egypt have also added such services.
Proponents say these services improve the mobility of women in conservative Middle
East societies and reduce the risk of sexual harassment. But critics warn they may
reinforce the segregation of women and undermine hard-won advances in gender
equality.

3. Nawal Yaghi Fakhri, owner of Banet Taxi, said she launched her women-only
taxi service in Beirut in March 2009 as a safe and convenient alternative to regular
taxis. The company's 10 signature hot-pink Peugeots serve women traveling alone or
with their family. 'Women take more care in driving than men,' Fakhri told the German
Press Agency (DPA). 'And our female clients may feel more comfortable for other
reasons.' In Egypt, the idea was greatly appreciated. Women have taken to social media
to welcome the idea, with many wondering if the service will be available where they
live."I've always been a huge fan of the concept, I'm thrilled it's finally in Egypt," wrote
Sunny Side Up on the Pink Taxi Egypt (PTE) Facebook page. "Good luck and
hopefully females will be safer in this harsh environment." Marlin Moawed wrote it was
a great idea because "regular taxi drivers are very aggressive against women".

4. Recently, there have been rising fears of sexual harassment and rape, amid a
large number of reported cases involving taxis and public transport. Some Middle East
countries have also designated sections on buses and trains exclusively for female
passengers. Despite the fact of these arguments, it is said the solution to harassment and
gender-based violence requires hard work, proper planning, and studying the root
causes, as opposed to creating areas designated for women that restricted and isolated
them. Nihad Abu al-Komsan, head of the Egyptian Center for Women's Rights
(ECWR), says that while more needs to be done to protect women from sexual
harassment and assault, women-only transportation is a 'naive solution' to a complex
problem. 'These services represent a setback to movements for the equality of men and
women,' she said. 'They isolate women from society without addressing the (root causes
of) problems such as sexual harassment ... and they reduce women's participation in
public life.'

5. Some argue, however, that women-only transportation services respect cultural

values while enabling women to participate more freely and independently. 'We live in
traditional Arab countries and it is not easy for ladies to take a regular taxi,' said
Mohamed Hassan, an agent at Dubai's Road and Transport Authority (RTA), which
supervises the city's women-only taxi dispatch service. 'The pink taxis make it easier for
ladies to go to work or activities, and this helps them (integrate with) society.'

6. Rimo Tours , which runs a fleet of ‘pink’ taxis in Cairo, launched its women-only
service last month in response to high customer demand. 'More than 80 per cent of our
clients are women asking for female drivers,' said Reem Fawzy, the company's owner
and general manager. 'We have twenty female drivers now and will hire more soon.
Rimo Tours 'pink' taxis are glossy grey, like the rest of its fleet with a pink sticker on
the sides of the car. Fawzy hopes Cairo's governor will reconsider the firm's request to
paint the cars a distinguishing shade of pink. 'The color causes confusion,' he said. 'The
service is just for women. Of course if a woman comes with her husband we cannot
refuse.'

7. Al-Azhar, the highest authority in Sunni Islam, has endorsed the concept of
women-driven taxis, provided they serve only female clientele. In a fatwa it urged
authorities to pass legislation to ensure the safety of women who work in this field.

8. Most pink services in the region provide safety training for their female drivers
and some operate only during daylight hours, as is the case with Rimo Tours which
operates from 6:00 AM till 11:00 PM. While the restricted hours are intended to protect
the drivers, it means the service is not available when needed most. 'Most problems
happen at night,' said Dina Adil, an Egyptian university student. '(Male) taxi drivers eye
you up in the rear-view mirror and make lewd comments or sexual advances. Whenever
a driver takes an unexpected turn or goes down a dark street I get very scared.'

9. Male taxi drivers have responded with suspicion to women's incursion into a
profession that has traditionally been a male preserve. 'It's more than just driving. It's
about being able to handle yourself in any situation,' said Ashraf Ibrahim, a Cairo taxi
driver. 'Taxis break down, traffic police harass you and other drivers can become
violent. At these times, it's better to have a man driving.'

10. Nonetheless, Rimo Tours company is ready with contingency plans in case of
emergency. The taxis will all be connected by GPS as well as a built-in camera to
facilitate the process of rescue in case of emergency which will in turn ease any
difficulty faced by the female drivers and provide needed safety and security for female
passengers. Dalia Mohamed, one of the female taxi drivers has confirmed, “we have an
emergency button in each car, once pressed, assistance comes from the nearest
company office to help solve any problem”. The offices are distributed all over Cairo
and Giza which ensures prompt rescue.

11. The idea of Pink Taxis continues to catch up; many young Egyptian ladies are
getting into this profession as a solution to the increasing rate of unemployment and as
a means of financial support to their families. Nour Gaber, for example, started driving
a taxi in 2009 after she and her husband separated and she became the sole support of
her three children. Even though she is an agricultural engineer, she was unable to find a
job in that field. "To pay the bills she bought a taxi and hired it to a male driver," wrote
British newspaper, The Guardian. "When he proved to be unreliable, Gaber decided she
could make more money driving it herself." That being said, it becomes clear that
opposite to what many may think, Pink Taxis are here to stay. Women of Egypt: you
rock!
http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/middleeast/features/article_1544245.php/In-Mideast-countries-women-feel-
safer-in-pink-taxis-Feature

Critical Reading Questions:

1. What is the purpose of the text? Provide Evidence.

2. Is the writer biased? Explain with evidence from the text.

3. What is the writer’s tone in the article? Give evidence.

4. Paraphrase the arguments the writer uses to support her position in paragraph 5.
( Use with In-text citation

5. What can you infer from paragraph 8? Provide Evidence.

6. What do the following pronouns refer to?

a. they (parag 2
b. We (parag 6)
c. it (parag 7)

Answer key

1-What is the purpose of the text? Provide Evidence.

The purpose of the article is to convince / persuade readers that pink taxis are
convenient for women in Egypt and Arab countries. This is clear in paragraph two when
the writer mentions that some Middle East countries such as, The United Arab
Emirates, Lebanon, Syria, Kuwait and Egypt have support this view, “these services
improve the mobility of women in conservative Middle East societies and reduce the
risk of sexual harassment”. This is also clear in paragraph five when the writer
explained how “pink taxis respect cultural values while enabling women to participate
more freely and independently.”

2- Is the writer biased? Explain with evidence from the text.

Yes, the writer is biased towards women only taxis. The writer mentioned few opposing
views to the idea of pink taxis as in paragraph four where the writer referred to the
opinion that “women-only transportation is a naive solution” to “a complex problem”
like sexual harassment and that this solution may “isolate women from society without
addressing the (root causes of) the problem”. In paragraph nine, the writer also refers to
the opinion of male drivers who think that pink taxis are unsafe for female drivers.
However, throughout the rest of the article, the author show several advantages for this
kind of taxis.

3-What is the tone of the writer in this article?

The tone of the writer is supportive, encouraging, or motivating. This is clear through
certain vocabulary and phrases that highlight this tone. For example, in paragraph one,
the phrase, “I was excited”, stresses this tone. In paragraph three, phrases like, “safe and
convenient”, “welcome the idea” and “hopefully females will be safer” equally
underline this supportive tone. Finally, in paragraph five the last sentence, “Pink Taxis
are here to stay. Women of Egypt: you rock!” stresses the tone.

4- Paraphrase the arguments the writer uses to support her position in paragraph 5 (with
In-text citation).

Cam McGrath (2018) explained how supporters for the idea of pink taxis think that this
kind of transportation allows women to share in social activities, go to work safely and
therefore gives them more independence and freedom besides the protection.

5-What can you infer from paragraph 8? Provide Evidence

It can be inferred that pink taxis would be more useful if they are available at late hours
to offer safe trips for women after mid-night during emergency cases. This evident
when one of the female students mention how she feels unsafe and even “scared” when
she tries to stop a male taxi drivers at night.

6-What do the following pronouns refer to?

They = Women only taxis

We = Rimo Tours
It = Al-azahar