A Women-Only Taxi Service Is Coming to New York

The horror stories of flirty creepy-guy cabbies may be coming to an end—in New York at least with the release of SheTaxis.


The horror stories of flirty creeper cabbies may be coming to an end—in New York at least—with the release of SheTaxi. The car-request app (called SheRides in New York City due to regulation rules with the word "taxi") is basically the cab equivalent of a girls-only club, offering female drivers exclusively to women traveling in the city and neighboring Westchester County and Long Island, the New York Times reports.

The drivers will wear hot pink pashmina scarves and offer an alternative for women uncomfortable being driven by men or who would just prefer the company of a woman, according to the Times. Any guy trying to use it without a woman in tow will be redirected to other services. It comes out September 16 and may hit other cities too—founder Stella Mateo reportedly wants to expand services to Washington, Miami, and Chicago as well. Altogether, in an industry where only five percent of all for-hire drivers and one percent of yellow cab drivers are women, it has potential to be a great equalizer—and safety enhancer to boot.

Photos: Getty Images

Alyssa Bailey
News and Strategy Editor

Alyssa Bailey is the news and strategy editor at ELLE.com, where she oversees coverage of celebrities and royals (particularly Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton). She previously held positions at InStyle and Cosmopolitan. When she's not working, she loves running around Central Park, making people take #ootd pics of her, and exploring New York City.