Why Australians prefer female taxi drivers

There is a growing demand in Australia for female cabbies, according to one industry leader.

Female drivers are more likely to be saved and favorited through the 13cabs app, the company revealed this week.

“A lot of the community enjoy driving with a female and having a female driver pick them up and take them to where they need to go, help them with shopping and things like that,” 13cabs spokesperson Olivia Barry told 4BC.

Ms Barry added that parents who need to put their children into a taxi, “feel much safer doing that with a woman driver”.

Passengers rating their drivers through the company’s app have shown a strong preference for females when they are available.

However, with only around 11 per cent of drivers being female in Queensland, the company is looking to get more women behind the wheel to improve the customer experience.

A recruitment drive is underway, offering women interested in driving taxis free on the job training and flexibility in their work hours to accommodate things like taking care of children.

“Drivers can choose the hours they want to be in the car, so they can do it around all sorts of appointments or school drop offs,” Ms Barry said.

“We know lots of our women and our male drivers are doing that too, because they’re just as involved in children’s lives.”

The safety of all its drivers and passengers was of paramount importance, the company said.

Cars are fitted out with cameras, alarm systems and GPS tracking and Ms Barry added that female drivers can choose to work during the day if they feel safer doing so.

An all-female rideshare app called Shebah, launched in Australia in 2017 and is aimed at giving women more peace of mind in their travel.

All of its drivers are subjected to police and working with children checks and the service encourages unaccompanied minors to travel with them.

Adult men can only ride as passengers if they are accompanying a child in a child seat.

However, the company has also reported difficulty in finding enough female drivers to meet demand, despite offering for them to keep 85 per cent of every fare.