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Posted on the 20th July 2025 in PHTM News
SINGLE MUM LAUNCHES FEMALE ONLY PRIVATE HIRE FIRM IN LEEDS
After several bad experiences in cabs in Leeds, a single mum has launched the city’s first female-led taxi company.
Launched just two weeks ago, Red’s Private Hire only features female drivers and is aimed at women who might feel unsure or unsafe taking a cab driven by a man.
Owner Leanne Hodgetts said she has had the idea for years after she had her own scary experiences in taxis.
“I was in a taxi and he wouldn’t unlock the back doors of the cab before I gave him my phone number,” Leanne told YorkshireLive . “I gave him my ex-boyfriend’s phone number and ran out of the cab.”
“I was really uncomfortable. I wasn’t interested, but he just pushed and pushed and pushed. I was okay, but that would have been absolutely terrifying for someone like my daughter.”
Leanne said many women simply won’t go out because they cannot get a cab back home, and she wants to be the solution to that. “Only 3% of taxi drivers are female,” she said. In Leeds, she said there are 64 private hire operators, of which just two are women.
“I know if there was a local female-driven company that was charging the same as a male driver, I would for the female,” she added. Some women have thanked her greatly for the company adding: “We have needed this in Leeds for years.” She added: “One woman called me today just to say thank you because she can actually go out now.”
More than 700 complaints were made about the conduct of taxi drivers in Leeds last year, official council figures show. Of these, 35 were about alleged inappropriate sexual behaviour.
Leanne also has a range of safe words people can use when they call her if they are in a situation where they need help but cannot say so, such as in an abusive relationship with their partner in the same room.
“If somebody calls up and asks for a premium package, that tells me they cannot speak but that they need picking up as a priority and I can bring that booking forward,” Leanne explained. She said she is also working on a phrase people can mention that alerts her to inform the police.
“It is something I wish I had in place when I needed it,” she added. “I think something like this is really important.”
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