Sarah Harte: Women are expected to be like ninjas in making it safely home

Taxis are meant to be safe, but horror stories abound, while recent findings about Uber in the US are further cause for concern

We can’t take a taxi at night without second-guessing our chances.

We can’t walk home because that’s unsafe. We can’t take a taxi at night without second-guessing our chances. It just feels like different verses from the same depressing melody. 

Women are expected to be like ninjas in making it safely home. We expect to go through our lives routinely feeling unsafe in public spaces.

Over Christmas, a pal shared a horror story about two young women who got a taxi from the side of the street on the way home from a night out. The original plan was to be dropped off in different Dublin suburbs at their respective parental homes.

Instantly, they had that prickle of fear that many women recognise. The one that causes you to have a set of keys in your  fingers as a weapon on a darkened street. They whispered to one another that they would both get off at the first stop. 

When they arrived at the first address, Young Woman A was getting out of the car when the driver sped off; she tumbled out of the car, hurting herself. 

Young Woman B, who was trapped in the vehicle, was a calm thinker. She rationalised that they were on a cul-de-sac, but if he took her onto the motorway, it would end very badly. 

So, she leaned forward, put her hand on the horn, and yanked the wheel to attempt to crash the car. She escaped. He drove off.

It’s not as if we can say to young women: “Sure, just walk home.” Taking a taxi or an app-based driver service is supposed to be the safe option. But is it? A New York Times investigation has revealed that Uber is facing more than 3,000 sexual assault lawsuits in the US. 

In an alarming article last week, it was also revealed that deficient background checks approved drivers with criminal convictions, including for different types of violence. The investigation found Uber left drivers flagged for sexual misconduct on the road.

Uber has responded that 99.9% of its trips in the US occur without incident and that it is unfair to paint Uber drivers as “potential sexual predators”. 

Hard, though, not to question the consequences of gig work, which separates a company from any real responsibility for its workers and to its workers. Multiple times, Transport for London declined to renew Uber’s operating licence due to safety concerns, though the company ultimately won its licence back.

As LadyCab’s tagline goes "every woman deserves to get home safe". File picture: iStock

What about our vetting procedures? Under the Taxi Regulation legislation, An Garda Síochána is the driver licensing authority for small public service vehicles (SPSVs), including taxis and app-based driver services. 

Gardaí vet drivers to assess their suitability, administer applications and grant and renew SPSV driver licences. An Garda Síochána also has the power to revoke or suspend them.

The National Transport Authority (NTA) regulates the SPSV sector and can also grant and revoke licences, although assault and sexual misconduct remain outside its jurisdiction.

When you take a taxi as a woman, you should also be able to rely on the adequate vetting of drivers and feel secure in the knowledge that any taxi driver or app-based service driver convicted of a sexual offence would automatically lose their Small Public Service Vehicle (SPSV) licence. 

I would also argue that we should feel secure in the knowledge that a driver accused of sexual misconduct would have their licence revoked pending an investigation.

Clarification on these points, promised after the Raymond Shorten case as part of the reform of the taxi licensing system, has yet to materialise. Rapist Shorten’s crimes raised significant questions about vetting procedures.

Raymond Shorten's crimes raised significant questions about vetting procedures in the taxi industry.

After Shorten, a licensed taxi driver, was convicted for 30 years for the rape of two women passengers in the summer of 2022, it was reported that when the rapes took place, he was already under investigation for the rape of a child. Yet he was still driving his taxi, in possession of a licence.

Being under investigation for something is not the same thing as being charged or convicted. However, surely a driver who is under investigation for a criminal offence with a clear sexual component should, on the grounds of public safety, have his licence suspended pending the outcome of the criminal investigation?

Recently, I was disgruntled to leave a friend's 50th birthday party far too early because I wasn't confident about taking a cab alone at night from Dublin 4 to Dalkey, potentially having consumed alcohol, in high heels and a dress.

A male friend came out onto the road with me, letting the Uber driver see him take a photo of the registration. Plus, I loudly rang my friend, with whom I was staying, and said: "Yes, just leaving X road now and should be with you in approximately 25 minutes." 

He didn’t speak one word the whole way because he was clearly annoyed at these precautions. This made me feel very uncomfortable. Having to take these precautions is beyond dispiriting. 

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When you get a taxi or use an app-based service as a woman, you rely not only on your wits and instincts but also on some of the internal safety features, such as GPS tracking and emergency buttons that services like Uber and FREENOW have implemented. FREENOW’s app allows passengers to share a trip with friends or family, so they know where the person is and when they arrive at the destination.

I can’t find comprehensive statistics detailing the number of sexual assaults or rapes that occurred in a taxi or were carried out by a driver in Ireland on an annual basis. A stronger approach to safeguarding should include a comprehensive, credible set of annual statistics on complaints broken down by firm and vehicle type.

Surely, adequate mandatory CCTV would make taxis safer. Doubtless objections would be raised to this on grounds of data protection, but we have CCTV on buses to deter anti-social behaviour and to enhance passenger safety and security, so what’s the difference?

LadyCab

In December, taxi driver Emanuela Negura launched an app, LadyCab, Ireland’s first women-centred taxi service. It offers women in Dublin the option of a female driver and several safety features to ensure they feel comfortable getting taxi rides.

She has plans to extend it further around the country. Negura was prompted to launch this service after a male passenger violently attacked her, but also because of what she observed to be the lack of support for both female drivers and passengers.

Many women have shared with her a range of negative experiences in taxis, ranging from verbal harassment to sexual assault. While the app is welcome, it also feels like a workaround, treating a symptom rather than the disease of sexual violence.

We are supposedly moving towards a zero-tolerance approach to sexual violence. So, let’s see concrete action in 2026, with reformed vetting regulations and safeguards shifting the onus of responsibility from women who get tired of sharing their stories.

As LadyCab’s tagline goes "every woman deserves to get home safe".