Tara Oinonen is a driver at Club Wowo, one of two new Finnish taxi companies catering exclusively to women and children aged 14 and under. Naistaxi, the other provider, follows the same model.
Rides can be booked only by customers registered as female in official records.
The service is arranged through the companies' apps, with passengers required to book at least half an hour before departure.
Oinonen says she has at times felt genuinely afraid during her shifts driving men.
"One passenger grabbed my head and kissed me on the lips, while another touched me inappropriately while sitting behind the driver's seat," Oinonen explains.
Several of the cases have been taken to district court.
Discrimination questioned
The reaction to the new concept has been largely positive. Some, however, have questioned whether the service discriminates against men.
Oinonen disagrees.
"It would be rather strange for a man to specifically request a female taxi driver after a night out," she points out.
The idea behind the service is to give both female passengers and drivers a greater sense of security.
Finland's equality ombudsman says women-only taxi services are permitted because some women feel unsafe in taxis and some have experienced sexual violence during rides.
The service is considered justified because it improves passenger safety. Finland's non-discrimination ombudsman adds that gender-based violence remains a problem in many parts of society, making efforts to strengthen women's right to safety important.
That said, men cannot book taxis through the company.
"If a woman orders a taxi for a man, I have the right to refuse the ride at the pick-up point," Oinonen explains.
Oinonen adds that she still has some discretion when it comes to a passenger's gender.
"Once, a man got into the taxi and said he was in a hurry to catch a flight. I did not want him to miss it, so I let him in," she says.
Shortage of women drivers
Oksana Konstantinovas also feels safer when driving women and children. She works as a taxi driver for Naistaxi as well as several other companies.
"Customers have told me that they feel safer travelling with a female taxi driver at night," she says.
Since March, Bolt has also offered its Women for Women taxi service for female passengers in the Helsinki metropolitan area within Ring III, and extended it to Tampere in June.
"Many customers in the capital region contacted us asking for this service. They said they would feel safer with a female taxi driver," says Mikael Uusivuori, Bolt's country manager in Finland.
Uusivuori says the company is currently struggling to recruit enough female drivers to meet demand.
"Demand for female taxi drivers has been far higher than what we have been able to provide. More than 95 percent of our drivers are men," he notes.
At the same time, he believes safety concerns may be discouraging more women from entering the profession.
"Quite a few female taxi drivers have told us that they feel unsafe during night shifts," he says.
To verify their gender when booking through Bolt's app, passengers must submit a selfie along with a photo of their passport or identity document.
