Women do not always feel safe when using the transportation services in Armenia.
While taxis are a popular and suitable means of transportation, many young Armenian women have horror stories about harassment from taxi drivers. They mentioned instances of unwarranted advances during taxi rides, such as inappropriate comments and unnecessary amounts of personal questions.
These incidents are valid reminders of the safety risks women deal with while using a taxi. The transportation from one destination to another should be a stress-free experience. However, several reports indicate that during these trips, women frequently experience discomfort, harassment, or worse.
Aline Minasian, a frequent taxi rider, expressed her discomfort during the taxi ride she experienced on Saturday, November 27, 2023. She ordered a taxi at around 9 p.m. to take her home from the cinema. However, what should have been a simple twenty-minute taxi ride stretched into an unexpected and harrowing hour-and-a-half-long journey.
“He stopped the ride, insisting that the mapping system was malfunctioning, thereby protracting the duration of the ride. Meanwhile, he persisted in asking highly intrusive questions,” says Aline. “It was one of the most uncomfortable moments of my life.”
Several more women shared similar stories afterward. Maria Tumanyan, an EC sophomore, talked about her unpleasant taxi ride.“The driver made me feel uncomfortable by asking about things like where I lived, whether I lived alone, how old I was, and if I paid rent or owned the house,” she says claiming that this was nothing new and had been going on for years.
Another AUA student, Eliza Barkhudaryan, an EC sophomore, requested a taxi ride to her grandmother’s house. During the ride, the taxi suddenly stopped in the middle of the street and the driver got out, leaving her inside the car with the doors locked. “I could not breathe because I could not open the windows,” explains Eliza. “I was uncomfortable, which was made worse by not knowing when the driver would return.”
The driver came back after half an hour and began asking personal questions. After discovering her age, the driver began to make flirtatious comments. Eliza adds that he tried to propose a napkin as a gift to her, saying that was all he could offer, which left her flabbergasted.
Following a negative taxi experience, Eliza, along with other women, contacted the support services of the taxi service company immediately, but they all reported that the assistant did not take action to resolve the issue.
While acknowledging the concerns, the company’s support services are yet to carry out decisive measures to ensure the safety of female passengers. Some argue that a bolder approach is needed, like having people choose a woman to be their driver for a safer environment.
Laurie Aghbabian, a woman who works as a customer success specialist for a company and had a bad experience with a taxi ride, thinks these responses are repetitive and untrustworthy. “It seems like the staff in the support system follows a preset batch of responses,” says Laurie. “It’s almost like a template, which they send out repeatedly.”
Laurie believes that this makes it clear why there are no noticeable repercussions. If they are using the same responses repeatedly, then it is no surprise why the companies are not taking any sensitive considerations.
Moreover, the companies have faced criticism for not taking more significant steps to guarantee the safety of their riders. Despite repeated complaints, progress seems to be slow, or none at all, leaving women to feel vulnerable during what should be ordinary taxi rides.
There is an increasing concern and urgency for critical and concrete action as the discussion over women’s safety in taxis in Armenia continues. Many believe that the community’s combined voice, boosted by social media posts, will force the service providers to prioritize the problem and make the necessary changes.
Meanwhile, Armenian women continue to be watchful and robust, sharing their experiences in the hopes that they would inspire the necessary reforms to ensure that everyone may travel in a safe and comfortable ride.
