BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM

In response to growing concerns about women’s safety after dark, several German cities are offering a pragmatic (and much-needed) solution: subsidized night taxi vouchers. Think of it as a modern answer to the age-old dilemma of how to get home safely without breaking the bank or risking a walk through a poorly lit underpass.

These vouchers, usually worth €10 ($11.84), are proving wildly popular. Cologne’s 1,500 vouchers disappeared within days. Munich more than tripled its supply this year to over 105,000, raising the value from €5 to €10 per ride. For many women, the message is clear: We see the problem, and we’re trying to help.

A rising tide of concern

The urgency is real. In 2023, Germany recorded a six percent rise in sexual offenses, reaching more than 52,000 reported cases. Surveys show that women are changing how they move through cities. In Hannover, only 28 percent of residents now say they feel safe at night, down from 42 percent in 2018, and women are twice as likely as men to avoid certain public spaces.

In Mannheim, women cite catcalling, staring, and verbal harassment by groups of men as key reasons for avoiding public areas. It’s not just discomfort; it’s a shift in lifestyle. Many women opt out of public transit altogether or pay out of pocket for what feels safer.

Cue the rise of night taxi programs.

How it works

Each city handles its system a bit differently. Munich requires users to pick up physical vouchers from local offices. Mannheim, however, has gone digital, offering registered users up to 20 online vouchers a year.

Eligibility varies: Some cities restrict access to local residents; others open it up to all women over 14 or 16, including trans women. If your ride exceeds €10, you pay the difference. If it’s less? No change, no refund, but at least you’re home safe.

Voucher use is limited to participating taxi companies, which has sparked some complaints. In Freiburg, long wait times prompted officials to expand the number of eligible cab firms.

A hit— with caveats

The program is a hit with many users. “We’re not going home alone, we’ll take the women’s taxi,” said 18-year-olds June Rothstein and Aletta Höppner, who use Mannheim’s vouchers regularly. But awareness remains patchy. One Mannheim resident, Anne H., said she avoids public transit at night but hadn’t even heard of the program until a reporter told her.

That lack of visibility is part of the problem, as is the lack of data. Few cities have formally assessed the effectiveness of the taxi voucher programs, making it hard to justify sustained funding. Munich, for example, ran out of money by spring 2025.

Even supporters admit that these vouchers are more of a Band-Aid than a cure.

“The women’s night taxi is a very important measure, but ultimately it is only fighting the side effects of patriarchal conditions,” said Zahra Deilami, Mannheim’s equal opportunity officer.

Safety, for whom?

The program also risks deepening existing inequalities. For women living farther from city centers, who are often those with lower incomes, even a €10 discount may not be enough. “Women’s safety must not be dependent on income,” said Celeste Eden of the German Women’s Council.

And while taxis might offer temporary relief, the larger picture remains bleak. Forty percent of German women over 15 have experienced physical or sexual violence. More broadly, everyday microaggressions like unsolicited comments, invasive stares, or feeling outnumbered in public spaces add up.

“As a woman you don’t feel respected at all,” one Mannheim resident said in a recent survey. “They see you as an object.”

Designing cities for everyone

Some cities are getting more creative. In Stuttgart, women can request night buses to make unscheduled stops closer to home. Mexico City introduced women-only subway cars. Vienna has long applied gender-sensitive urban planning, redesigning parks and lighting to make them more inclusive.

Sociologist Kerstin Sailer of University College London believes cities need to go further. “Cities must normalize the presence of women in public spaces,” she said. That means better design, more people out at night, and a rethinking of who public spaces are really for.

Taxi vouchers, then, are a start. They say: We see the problem. But they can’t be the only solution.

“If the night cab is embedded in a comprehensive catalog of measures, it can certainly be beneficial,” Sailer added. “However, it cannot be the sole measure.”