The women-only taxi service in Medellin has been such a success the owner of the cooperative has had to triple the number of employees to meet demand, newspaper El Espectador reported Thursday.
Jorge Zarate is the manager of Cootransmede operates Fem Taxi — which began to operate in November — a fleet of 30 taxis with a pink T, which carries exclusively female passengers.
Male and female drivers, such as Maria Eugenia Hernandez, have been trained in women’s rights and female psychology. It is hoped there will be 100 taxis by the end of the year and 1,800 by March 2012
At the start of the year Juan Felipe Gaviria and two business partners set up Fem Taxi with minimum requirements for drivers consisting of a resume and intense training on dealing with women and technology in the cars like GPS and radio telephones.
The three business partners took the idea to taxi companies for six months until the idea struck a chord with Zarate.
They chose drivers without any prior convictions and a minimum of five years driving experience.
Zarate and Gaviria are trying to remove the sometimes unjust stigma attached to taxi drivers. Furthermore they are putting a system in place so that women do not have to pay in cash and can make reservations through the Internet.