Women-only taxis gain customers as 43% report safety problems

WOWO, Naistaxi and Bolt are offering female-driver taxi options in Finland, where 43% of women surveyed in Helsinki and Espoo reported public-transport safety problems, Euro Weekly News reported Oct. 18.

The survey figure compared with 30% of men and has become a consumer-confidence issue for Finland’s taxi market after deregulation in 2018 drew criticism over safety and oversight.

WOWO, short for Women to Women, began operating in early 2026 after Katariina Kainulainen and three friends set up a service for women passengers. Customers use an app to book rides with female drivers, while women may travel with children under 14 under the company’s standard rules.

Kainulainen told elDiario.es that the founders first expected demand to come mainly from women returning from nights out. Bookings have also included trips to airports, workplaces and medical appointments, according to Euro Weekly News.

Naistaxi has also entered the market with verified female drivers and pre-booked rides, including airport transfers and trips with children. Bolt, the ride-hailing company, has introduced an option that lets female passengers request female drivers in Finland.

The safety debate intensified after Finnish public broadcaster Yle reported that more than 100 criminal reports alleging sexual offences by taxi drivers had been filed in Helsinki since the sector was deregulated in 2018. Yle reported 40 such criminal reports in Helsinki in 2023; the figures refer to allegations reported to authorities, not proven offences in every case.

Yle also reported a case in which a taxi driver convicted of raping a passenger kept working for almost two years before losing his licence. Euro Weekly News said the reporting did not mean most taxi journeys were unsafe.

Driver safety is part of the demand picture. Tara Oinonen, a WOWO driver, told Yle that one passenger grabbed her head and kissed her, while another touched her inappropriately from the back seat. The article said several incidents involving drivers have reached court.

The model has raised discrimination questions because standard trips are limited to women and eligible children. According to elDiario.es, WOWO contacted Finland’s Equality Ombudsman while setting up the business, and the ombudsman considered the service permissible because some women feel unsafe in taxis and some have experienced sexual violence during journeys.

Similar services have appeared elsewhere in Europe. Uber announced a female-driver option in six Spanish cities in February 2026, Bolt launched a Women for Women option in Brussels in March 2026, and Euro Weekly News cited comparable developments in France, Portugal and Ireland.

Finland’s government has pursued reforms intended to strengthen taxi-driver qualifications, supervision and consumer confidence after criticism of the 2018 rules.

Source: news article, Euro Weekly News, Oct. 18.