Examining the Safety of Women in Late-Night Cab Rides

When the city sleeps, and the streets belong to shadows, a journey fraught with potential dangers begins. It’s a journey too familiar for many women: the late-night cab ride.

Late-night cab rides can be nerve-wracking experiences for women. Their vulnerability is palpable as they navigate through the labyrinth of darkened streets, wondering if they will reach their destination unharmed.

Stories of harassment, assault, and robberies during these rides have become distressingly common lately, begging the question – Are late-night cab rides safe for women?

TorHoerman Law notes that thousands of female passengers have reported incidents of rape, harassment, sexual assault, and false imprisonment against Uber alone.  Imagine how high these numbers would rise for all cab services combined.

Nighttime offers a natural cover for criminal activities due to the reduced presence of law enforcement. This environment facilitates various crimes, including vandalism, home invasions, burglary, assault, theft, and harassment, particularly in late-night cabs.

Join us as we explore the safety of women during late-night cab rides in light of the increasing number of cab assault cases.

The Current State of Safety for Women in Late-Night Cab Rides

In recent years, women’s safety during late-night cab rides has become a critical concern in urban areas. While transportation services after dark are necessary and convenient, they often expose women to significant risks. Unfortunately, many women have experienced harassment or assault during these rides.

These distressing incidents, which range from unwelcome advances to outright violence, create a pervasive sense of fear and mistrust surrounding late-night transportation. This fear extends beyond the cab itself, affecting the overall sense of security that women should feel while traveling through their cities.

Here’s a disturbing incident that underscores the dangers women face during late-night cab rides:

On January 15, 2024, a female passenger hailed a taxi late at night to drop her home. The cab driver, Jabrane Moutiq, who was supposed to drop her at home, continued driving further despite her protests to stop. Some distance further, Moutiq pulled into a car parking, locked all doors, and indecently assaulted his passenger.

Moutiq was arrested the following day and later arrested after being found guilty in court. However, his arrest was little consolation for the victim, who struggled with the flashbacks of the incidents for months afterwards. She was also diagnosed with anxiety and depression following the incident.

What is highlighted here is that the threat that women face in such incidents is often more deep-rooted than we realize. It can leave a lasting scar on their confidence and mental well-being, which isn’t easy to recover from.

Common Types of Safety Incidents in Late-Night Cab Rides

Most of you would associate the late-night threats of cab rides with sexual assaults at this point. And while you’re not entirely wrong in doing so, there’s more to it than that.

Besides physical and verbal assaults, other safety incidents pose a threat to women’s safety in late-night cab rides. Below, we’ll explore the three most common types of incidents that you might face when travelling via cab in the after-hours.

Physical and Sexual Assaults

In the intimate space of the cab, some drivers abuse their position, subjecting passengers to unwanted touching, groping, or even outright assault.

These terrifying experiences leave women feeling violated and deeply traumatized, their sense of safety shattered by the very people meant to transport them home safely. The scars of these incidents run deep, lingering long after the ride ends, invading their sense of security and trust in the world.

This might come as a surprise to some of you, but Uber’s cab service recorded as many as 10,000 incidents of sexual assault. And that’s only between 2017 and 2020; imagine how the numbers might have exploded in the next four years!

If you’ve ever been a victim of an Uber sexual assault incident, we want you to know that you’re not alone. In fact, countless other women like you have chosen to raise their voices and file a lawsuit against the cab service company. They’re suing Uber for failing to run proper background checks on their drivers, which ultimately led to their assault; and you can do it, too!

Intimidation and Verbal Harassment

Here’s another less extreme incident that threatens the safety of women: intimidation and verbal harassment. Too often women find themselves on the receiving end of lewd comments, catcalling, or aggressive behavior from drivers.

In many cases, drivers even force passengers out of their cabs, leaving them vulnerable on the streets at night. One such incident took place in Jamaica in 2022, when a video of a cab driver shouting at passengers using foul language was uploaded online.

The cab driver, later identified as Ramone Silvera, was seen holding a piece of board to threaten passengers to exit his taxi. Silvera was later arrested by police and charged with assault of common law, disorderly conduct, and using indecent language.

The fear of such harassment lingers after the ride ends, leaving women with a sense of unease whenever they think of commuting late at night.

Theft and Robbery

Late-night cab rides harbor another shadowy threat: the risk of theft and robbery. Some drivers see the darkness of the nighttime as an opportunity to exploit their passengers, snatching their wallets and other valuables under threat of violence.

Earlier, in March, a taxi driver in Greenville committed a similar crime against his female passenger. By holding his victim at gunpoint, he demanded money from her and then forced her out of the cab.

The following day, the victim reported the armed robbery, which led to the police officers finding the abandoned taxi. It was parked on S. Memorial Drive, with a handgun found on its front seat. The handgun was also reported as stolen previously.

Later that day, officers found and arrested Baptiste Swain – convicted cab driver – and charged him with the possession of stolen property and armed robbery.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: Where is it safe for a woman to travel alone?

South Korea and Japan have been rated the safest countries for women to travel alone.

Q: What’s the safest place to sit in a taxi?

Avoid sitting in front – next to the driver – at all costs when in a taxi. In the back, the seat right behind the driver is considered safer than the one where you’re sitting in a diagonal.

Q: How to stay safe in a cab?

Make sure you get into the cab with your phone fully charged and note the number plate while getting in. Later, you can share it—alongside your live location—with a family member or trusted friend for added safety.

Conclusion

In conclusion, women’s safety during late-night cab rides remains a pressing issue that demands urgent attention. We must take action to ensure the safety of all passengers by holding perpetrators accountable and implementing comprehensive safety measures in cabs.