Transportation
The Gray Area in 'Pink' Transportation
Women-only taxis and buses can help female travelers feel safer. But are they also delaying gender equality?
A female traveler emerging from Dubai International Airport, day or night, will find a unique public transport option: women-only "pink taxi" services. Ladies clad in pale pink outfits and white headscarves who accept only women and families as passengers squire customers around the city-state in cream vehicles with pink roofs.
While similar services can be found in Middle Eastern cities like Beirut, Tehran, and Cairo, where Muslim sensibilities may encourage separation of the sexes, women-only transportation has also caught on around the globe. In the past few years, taxis driven by women, for women have cropped up in cities ranging from Melbourne to Delhi.