Mum sets up women-only taxi company

A South London mum has launched her own taxi service that will only pick up women and children.

Sade Agboola felt there was a gap in the market, especially after hearing that Uber’s licence will not be reissued in the capital.

Concerned about the safety of her female friends and family members, she decided to take matters into her own hands and started the company.

She said: “Sometimes a female will be left alone after a night out and they just don’t feel safe in the taxi or mini cab. I have friends who are mums and feel uncomfortable using public transport or private hire firms.”

Her new launch, Annisa Cars, covers Croydon, Sutton, Brixton and Streatham, and hopes to be able to service all of south London by next year.

Aside making sure women get home safely, Sade also started the company to support children.

“Working parents might need someone to pick up their kids from school and often mini cabs won’t take anyone under 16 or 18,” she continued. “I did a lot of research in my area and discovered there really was a need for this service. I was surprised this hasn’t been catered for before.”

One of the most important elements for Sade was keeping people safe; something that she thought current taxi services couldn’t necessarily guarantee.

She said: “There are quite a lot of assaults happening in mini cabs, I was shocked to find this out. These are drivers who have been checked and have all their documentation but it still happens.”

“It’s not taken seriously enough. Women or children should never have to feel unsafe or uncomfortable because of a driver.”

She got her licence four months ago, and Sade currently has five drivers for Annisa Cars. She also has 30 guardians who are able to look after children if their parents work outside school hours.

“If [Uber] goes, then there would be a big gap in the market that we could fill,” she said.

“There are also a lot of women drivers who work at Uber – they would definitely be welcome here.”

All of her drivers will be CRB checked and have completed a health and safety course.

Eventually, Sade would consider picking up male passengers too, but only by a male driver.

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