For many women coming home at night is a problem. Some German municipalities subsidize taxi travel. The demand is high. Keys in hand and fast walking. For many girls and women coming home at night is almost always associated with fear. “When I come home from a night out I pay attention to every noise behind me,” says Kiara. Getting around by taxi is an expensive affair for the 26-year-old. “At night the prices are higher than during the day,” explains the young woman from Frankfurt.

Many women face similar problems in Germany. According to the Union for Women’s Interests (DFR) women are particularly vulnerable at night to violence and sexual offences. The feeling of insecurity of many women is also reflected in the results of a survey about nightlife in the city of Giessen: 61% of women and 54% of people of the third gender state that they are afraid to go out at night. The corresponding percentage for men is only 24%.

In response to this research, the municipality of Giessen in the federal state of Hesse is planning a so-called night taxi for women. From the beginning of June, women and girls aged 14 and over will receive a five euro discount for night taxi rides. Similar programs already exist in other German cities, such as Munich and Mannheim.

Munich gives vouchers worth 10 euros

“Taxis can be instrumental in fostering a sense of safety among women who want or need to get around at night,” says Karen Liefeld, a member of the Women’s Advisory Committee at the Taxi and Rental Car Association (TMV). According to the Commission, in some taxi companies the interested parties have the possibility to choose even female drivers.

From March 2020, women in Munich are offered taxi vouchers between 10pm and 6am. “Women are affected above average by sexual offences,” says Marion Behr of the Center for Women’s Equality in the Bavarian capital. At the beginning of this year the municipality of Munich increased the subsidy for the night taxi from five to ten euros, announcing that the demand is very high. Since the beginning of the year, 4,027 vouchers have been issued, the local government announced.

In Mannheim, for several years, women have had the support of the municipality for nighttime taxi travel. For up to 20 journeys per year women benefit from special prices at night and in the early hours of the morning. The municipality of Dortmund is discussing the implementation of similar measures for the current year.

Volunteers accompany women via mobile phone

But there are also cities that reject the voucher system. Like Berlin for example. To a question from the German News Agency (dpa), the municipality of the German capital responds: “Night taxis may enhance women’s personal sense of security.” Berlin, however, does not offer similar services to girls and women, as other cities do. City officials warn that even a taxi is not necessarily a safe place for women, as statistics from the US on the number of sexual assaults in taxis show. “The real problem is violence against women,” says a press representative of the municipality.

In Frankfurt, the implementation of the “women’s night taxi” pilot program failed. The planned funding of 75,000 euros for the program was not sufficient, the municipality announced. “Actually, however, the most dangerous place for women is their own home and not the public space,” the local government said in a statement. Furthermore, the feeling of safety or insecurity is subjective. So even objectively safe spaces may cause fear in some when no other people are there at a given time.

As an alternative, women in Germany can also call the “back home” hotline. By calling the number 03012074182 they can contact volunteers all over Germany, who can in turn accompany them “by phone” to their home, talking to them on their mobile phone. The stigma of women or girls is regularly broadcasted, so that in case of need the police authorities are immediately notified.

Editor: Stefanos Georgakopoulos