Taxi Driver Online

Ladies only taxi service launches

LADIES can travel in style as a new business offering a taxi service exclusively for women is up and running.

Ladies A'like is the first women only transport service in the area, which came about as a way to make women feel safer when travelling on their own at night.

Owner Sabina Bashir, 29, from High Wycombe, set up the business with her husband, Adib, also 29, in May last year. She said: "It's something we had been thinking about for many years. I moved to the area from London and found that women just didn't feel safe. They needed reassurance, so we put our plans into practice. The taxi industry is very male orientated, but our service provides female drivers for females in our communities."

Mrs Bashir hopes the business, which is based in High Wycombe, will be able to expand to Reading. She added: "We do aim to make the business larger. It's important for women to have someone to call in times of distress and we are that point of call."

Customers can sign up to become members of the service, which means they will get subsidised fees. Charges range from £4 to £8 and are agreed upon before travelling.

With over 3,200 members, the service has so far taken off. Mrs Bashir said: "We didn't know what the reaction would be, but there's been an absolutely marvellous uptake. We try to provide a proper service to the public, rather than just dropping customers off as quickly as possible to hurry to the next job. We really tailor the service to meet people's needs."

The company are looking for agents and businesses to come on board to help support them and sponsor the service for their own communities. For more information, call 01494 447777 or email info@ladiesalike.co.uk

http://www.readingchronicle.co.uk/news/

_________________
Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

Just can't remember where I have seen this before.

_________________
IDFIMH

You have Sussex on May 01 2010 they launched unlicensed cabs called
Ladies alike

link -

http://taxi-driver.co.uk/phpBB2/viewtop ... highlight=

So I take it none of the drivers are doing it to earn a living?

_________________
Caledonian Cabbie

So that means they're looking for drivers working for sweetie/pin money?

And in view of the article from last May, I wonder if this is one of these 'cry for help' stories from a failing business model masquerading as a success story from a rapidly expanding business?

_________________
Caledonian Cabbie

http://ladiesalike.co.uk/

is this legal under the equality and/or discrimination laws?

_________________
Of all the things ive lost, i miss my mind the most

It was tried in Glasgow years ago, never lasted.

I'v looked into this and unfunfortunately it is legal

Single Sex Voluntary Organisations - s.34

It is not unlawful for a voluntary organisation to restrict its membership to one sex. It is also not unlawful for a voluntary body to provide services and benefits to one sex only if this is the main object of the body i.e. the main reason why it was set up. This exception only applies if the organisation was not set up under an Act of Parliament, and does not operate for a profit. For example, section 34 could apply to a voluntary group which is set up to provide a free taxi service for women only or a voluntary boy's group which refuses to admit girl members. Once a body has decided to either admit both sexes or to provide services to both sexes, it is no longer allowed to discriminate between the sexes (disregarding any minor exceptions to membership rules or any provision of services to the other sex which is exceptional or relatively insignificant).

3 cars on launch last may and now they have 2.

But this one isn't free? The charges are mentioned in the article.

_________________
Caledonian Cabbie

Ladys Alike are using some pretty limp propaganda on their website..does it get much more feeble than this example of mainstream Taxi drivers inhumanity to females:

"FEMALE ALMOST ATTACKED BY TAXI DRIVER"

Its either an Attack or it isnt....If a Taxi driver made any kind of improper move or suggestion, then it was an attack on her person. It just cant be "Almost attacked"...

Its like Saying I almost won the lottery...I nearly bought a ticket!!

That lot are in it for the money....Pure and simple, its a Business not a charity, It matters not a fart how they window dress it.

I take it that if a woman is a member and she goes out with her husband/boyfriend, he can't go in the car with her otherwise the service fails under s34?

_________________
Grandad,

Yes, it's a bit limp, but I think the problem is that it's a very undescriptive headline rather than the story itself having little impact. And it's a link to another site rather than a story from the business itself.

In the context there's also a rather unfortunate spelling mistake in the article:

My friends decided they wanted to go on elsewhere but I had a bust day lined up the next day so decided to head home.

http://www.protectingyourself.co.uk/i-w ... study.html

_________________
Caledonian Cabbie