Minutes after calling a livery car on an app on her phone, Lorena Cantillo easily picked out her ride in the crowd of black sedans on West 42nd Street in New York City: It was the only car with a pink sign in the window and pink stickers all over the rear bumper.
“Good morning, Lorena,” the driver, Martha Pitterson, 48, said as she pulled up along the curb.
Cantillo’s ride was provided by a service that began on Oct. 29 for New York City, Westchester County and Long Island, and has navigated logistical and potential legal hurdles to match nearly 300 female drivers with passengers who request them through an app.
Called SheTaxis — or SheRides in New York City, because of regulations prohibiting it from using “taxi” in its name — the service has received dozens of requests for rides and attracted a loyal following, as it tries to recruit more female drivers in an industry dominated by men.
“There are times when I don’t want to get in a taxi because I’m alone and the man [driving] can be intimidating, especially if it’s nighttime and I’ve had too much to drink,” said Cantillo, 31, a makeup artist who has booked three rides with the service in a week.
Now, Cantillo said she no longer has those worries and even felt comfortable enough to change into a dress and a pair of heels in one of the livery cars — something she never would have done with a man in the driver’s seat.
“This is definitely going to be my go-to service,” she said.
SheTaxis — which founder Stella Mateo describes as for women, by women — has drawn criticism from some legal experts and others who say it discriminates against men, igniting debates over whether gender preferences can, or should, have a role in transportation choices.
City officials have said the app appears to be legal, but that it would be illegal for a driver to decline a fare because of gender.
Representatives for the New York City Commission on Human Rights and the Taxi & Limousine Commission said this week that they had not received any complaints about the service from users.
On Tuesday, company spokeswoman Tamika Mallory said anyone could use the app, though only parties including a woman can request a female driver. A male passenger may be picked up by a driver of either gender.
“SheTaxis’ goal is to serve as many women as we can,” she said.
Mallory, who declined to disclose fare and revenue numbers, said more than three-quarters of the firm’s passengers have been women. The app dispatches male drivers as well because there were not enough female drivers to meet demand, she added.
The company, which had planned to start in September, delayed its launch by a month for recruiting purposes. It is currently holding seminars to help more women become licensed cab drivers. SheTaxis, which does not employ drivers directly, teams up with existing companies.
Norman Siegel, a civil rights lawyer who has criticized the service, said he continued to have concerns about it adding that “male passengers need to be serviced free of any gender discrimination.”
“We will monitor their operations, and if they engage in gender discrimination, we will speak up and if asked to, give consideration to filing a claim,” Siegel said.
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