In the city of Dortmund, a pilot project is underway to offer so-called night taxis for women. This voucher-based model is designed to complement public transportation. The goal is to ensure that women can travel and get home safely during the evening hours.
The Women’s Night Taxi is part of a broader effort to improve safety, as gender-based violence continues to rise in Germany. According to the country’s first situation report on “gender-based crimes against women,” the police recorded 938 homicide offenses against women in 2023—nine more than the year before. Of these, 360 were completed killings. Among the victims, 247 women and girls were murdered in the context of domestic violence. The figures show that nearly every day, a woman is killed in Germany. In addition, a woman or girl experiences domestic violence every three minutes.
Former Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser called for tougher action against perpetrators and stronger support for victims. “They are targeted because they are women. That is unbearable – and it demands decisive action," she said when presenting the report in mid-November last year.
As a response, starting July 21st, all individuals who identify as women in Dortmund can use the night cab service at a discounted rate, any day of the week between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. the following day. Any woman of legal age can obtain up to six vouchers, each worth €8. The pilot project is a collaboration between the City of Dortmund, DSW21, and Taxi Dortmund eG. It will run until November 30, 2026, or while supplies last. Currently, 18,750 vouchers are available.
To use the service, women can call 0231-144444. Participating vehicles are marked with a “Plus-Taxi” sticker on the rear window and a badge on the front windshield. A woman with parental authority or acting as a guardian may bring children of any gender, as well as other female passengers. However, there are some restrictions: if an adult male is present in the taxi, the voucher cannot be used. Only one voucher is allowed per ride. If the fare exceeds the voucher’s value, users must pay the difference. If it is lower, the remaining amount cannot be reimbursed. The voucher is also non-refundable and cannot be exchanged for cash.
Similar initiatives have been rolled out in other German cities, including Mannheim, Cologne, and Munich.
In Cologne, the vouchers were claimed within days of launching in late 2024. Munich significantly expanded its program, distributing over 105,000 vouchers—more than triple the 30,000 issued in the previous three years—and increasing their value from €5 to €10. But by spring 2025, funds had also run dry. Cities across Germany now face the same challenge: how to meet high demand with limited resources.
The initiative has also drawn criticism. Mannheim’s Equal Opportunity Officer Zahra Deilami told Bloomberg that the women’s night taxi “is only fighting the side effects of patriarchal conditions.” Celeste Eden, a board member of the German Women’s Council, said that “women’s safety must not be dependent on income.” For low-income women, who often live farther from the city center and have less disposable income, even a subsidized cab ride may still be unaffordable.
While the Women’s Night Taxi initiative is not a solution to the root causes of gender-based violence, it reflects growing awareness of the issue—and could be effective if paired with broader efforts.
Around the world, similar initiatives, such as female-driven cab services in India and the U.S., or women-only subway cars in Japan and Mexico, are examples of how cities are trying to make public spaces safer and more livable for women.
