Abstract
Nowadays, women do not feel safe in the streets of Paris. In 2008, 10% to 12% of the people interrogated in Paris claimed to be worried about their security in the day-to-day life . Taxis and public transport are not an exception. Some recent events such as the murder of a young Swedish girl by a taxi driver have considerably reduced the trust of customers in taxi services.
In view of these events and as young entrepreneurs in the taxi service sector in Paris, we have decided to take into account those facts and find a solution to win back our female customers. So, we will be launching an exclusive taxi service called ‘Ladies Taxi' for women only (and children subject to an age limit for boys) in September 2011. Our taxi service will be an innovation in the Parisian private transport sector as our team of taxi drivers will be composed of women only. Our company will be registered as a taxi company, owning a fleet of 15 to 20 taxis ready to operate in the Paris area. To support our activity and guarantee an easy access to our services, a call center and a website will be available to our customers in order to book a car in advance.
Indeed, today, the frequent taxi customers are represented by women (35%), business related (30%), tourists (10% to 15%) and others (10% to 15%) . It is then crucial to win the trust of women who represent the biggest segment of taxi users. Therefore, the primary market for our company will be urban and active women from between 20 and 50 years. These women have good jobs with a medium to high level of responsibility. They enjoy going out at night and would be very interested in a transport service that would provide them security and comfort.
There are currently 16,623 taxi drivers operating in the Paris area and 12% of these are female taxi drivers. During the past decade, this figure has increased as customers are paying less attention to old cliches about women's way of driving. Moreover, according to the town council's estimation, the 200,000 taxi rides completed daily in the city do not meet the increasing demand of customers (tourists, business). Above all, Parisian women, the largest segment of taxi users, do not find the existing taxi system safe. Therefore, there is an opportunity to launch a new taxi service that will bring them peace.
