German cities are stress-testing a simple mobility fix for a complex problem: €10 night-cab vouchers that help women get home when buses thin out and streets feel hostile.
Think of it as a last-mile safety policy, not charity. Demand is proof of the gap. Cologne’s first 1,500 vouchers disappeared in days. Munich hiked supply to more than 105,000 this year and doubled the value to €10, only to run out of funds by spring.
Mannheim went fully digital and lets registered users claim up to 20 a year, while Freiburg expanded participating taxi firms after long nighttime waits.
The signal is loud, and the belief is clear: “Late-night public transport leaves too many women stranded and exposed. Mobility isn’t freedom if it evaporates after midnight.”
Unlocking the Last Mile: Digitise Vouchers, Sync Night Routes, Fund Fair Fares
The context is stark. Germany recorded 52,330 reported cases for women with claims of sexual offences in 2023, up more than 6% from 2022.
In Hannover, only 28% of residents now say they feel safe at night, down from 42% in 2018. Surveys show women change routes, avoid underpasses, or skip trips entirely. That is not just fear; it is suppressed demand for mobility.
Vouchers partially unlock that demand by turning a risky walk or a long transfer into a predictable ride. They are also flexible: if a fare exceeds €10, the rider pays the difference; if not, the city absorbs the full trip.
Some cities restrict eligibility to residents; most include females over 14 or 16, explicitly including trans women.
The mechanism is simple enough to scale, which is exactly why it exposes the limits of the current network.
To make the vouchers work as a mobility policy, three moves matter. First, remove friction: digital sign-up, app-based vouchers, and broad taxi participation cut waiting time and confusion.
A safe ride home shouldn’t require insider knowledge and a sprint to the library. Second, integrate with transit operations: align voucher hours with last-bus departures, add “stop between stops” options on night routes (as Stuttgart has done), and publish clear wayfinding to well-lit pickup points.
Third, design for equity: €10 covers short urban hops, not long suburban hauls. Target top-ups for low-income neighbourhoods, and measure usage by postcode to see who benefits and who is missing. Safety should not be a premium feature.
Although in Africa the government itself hasn’t taken such an initiative yet, women themselves are changing how cities move.
For example, in Kampala, Uganda’s first female on-demand taxi drivers, Taxi Divas, are expanding safe, female-led ride options, and Cape Town’s “Women Walk at Midnight” mobilises neighbours to reclaim streets collectively, fostering visibility, confidence, and a sense of community after dark.
Vouchers won’t rebuild trust in public space on their own, but they can buy time and confidence while cities do the heavier lifts: better lighting and sightlines, bus frequency that doesn’t collapse after 10 p.m., and enforcement against harassment.
Beneficiaries are encouraged to treat the voucher like a life jacket—essential in a storm, not a shipping policy.
