Frankfurt has a women's night taxi: vouchers for more safety!

Frankfurt has a women's night taxi: vouchers for more safety!

The city of Frankfurt has big plans to improve nighttime mobility for women. The proposal for a voucher system for women's night taxis is to be implemented in autumn or winter 2025 to increase the feeling of security on the way home. Loud T Online those responsible increased the original budget from 75,000 euros to an impressive 450,000 euros. The aim is to offer women cheaper taxi rides, especially late at night.

The initiative in Frankfurt is based on existing projects in other cities, such as the one in Mannheim, which has been running successfully since 2019. The planned Frankfurt system will include both digital and analogue vouchers to enable wider use. Various city authorities, including the Women's Department and the Office for Information and Communication Technology, are working hand in hand to get this project off the ground. In addition, an external company is commissioned to handle the billing system.

Women's insecurity

The reasons for this initiative are serious and understandable: more and more women feel unsafe when they go home at night. Taxi rides are often an expensive affair, especially between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. Chiara, 26, says she shares her location with friends at night and pays particular attention to noises as she walks home. It's no secret that women in particular are exposed to greater danger in public spaces Taxi today reported.

In Giessen, a survey showed that 61% of women and 54% of people with the gender entry “diverse” feel unsafe at night; among men it is only 24%. This clearly shows that action must be taken here. Gießen is moving forward with an interesting concept and has been offering vouchers for five euros off night taxi rides since the beginning of June in order to specifically support this target group. The vouchers are open to girls aged 14 and over as well as trans women and non-binary people.

Further initiatives in Germany

But not only Frankfurt and Giessen are addressing the issue. Cologne is also considering offering vouchers as part of the “Women’s Night Taxis” project in order to reduce the financial pressure on women. Derya Karadag, a Green Party politician from Cologne, emphasizes that all women, regardless of their income, should be given the opportunity to use a taxi. Cities such as Munich, Heidelberg and Stuttgart have already established similar voucher offers that are specifically valid at night and are open to various target groups.

In Munich, women can receive vouchers that cover 10 euros of taxi costs. It is important to address four different groups of people: women aged 16 and over, trans women, people with the gender entry “diverse” and non-binary women. The vouchers are designed to be used in situations where there are safety concerns, ensuring women get home safely even at night.

Overall, the comprehensive measures show how seriously the challenge of night-time safety for women is taken. The projects in different cities are a sign that we are not alone in this discussion. The introduction of the voucher system in Frankfurt is another step in the right direction to make night-time mobility safer and more accessible. Ultimately, everyone benefits from a greater sense of security in the dark.