Calls for taxi alternatives spike after driver charged with assaulting Winnipeg woman
Ikwe Safe Ride was created in 2016 in response to reports of abusive and inappropriate taxi drivers
The demand for a safe-ride alternative to taxis has soared since an Indigenous woman said last week that she was assaulted by a cabbie, whom Winnipeg police have now charged.
"We're already receiving more ride requests than we're able to meet, so it's concerning," said Christine Brouzes, co-director of Ikwe Safe Ride, which was created in 2016 in response to reports of abusive and inappropriate taxi drivers.
"Since this incident has come out, I've had three different non-profit organizations reach out to me saying 'We no longer want to have our contracts with any taxi company, but particularly the company that was involved. Can you instead provide our transportation?'
"And I have to say, no, we don't have the capacity."
Ikwe — which means woman in the Anishinaabemowin language — is operated by and for Indigenous women through a Facebook group, with volunteer drivers.
Police this week charged a 44-year-old man with assault and forcible confinement after a First Nations woman said she was attacked and then dragged by his taxi before escaping.
Serenity Morrisseau, 19, said a Unicity Taxi driver punched her multiple times and locked her inside the cab, speeding off in the early hours on Sept. 26 while leaving two of her friends standing in the middle of the road.
Unicity has said it was their driver who was attacked by Morrisseau and her two friends. The company has declined to comment further since the driver was charged.
Brouzes' reaction, when she heard about Morrisseau's encounter, was a mash of emotions.
"Not again, not again, not another one," she said was her first thought.
"I wasn't shocked. I was so sad for her. I absolutely believed her. I felt so proud and glad that somebody was speaking up and sharing their story because it takes such bravery," she said.
"We hear stories like this all the time. Maybe not quite as physical as this story came to, but constantly we hear stories about abuse and mistreatment from taxi drivers to women, Indigenous women and all women, actually."
Brouzes listed off the complaints as verbal abuse, racist comments, sexualised comments, inappropriate questions and inappropriate statements — "things that make women feel very afraid."
"One of the common phrases that we hear our passengers tell us is that taxi drivers will ask, 'Do you want to pay another way?'" she said.
"There are good taxi drivers, but it's not one or two bad apples that are spoiling the cart. It's a lot."
Ikwe urges their volunteer drivers to encourage women to report their experiences to police or the taxi company itself, but Brouzes said very few ever do.
"They feel often that they won't be believed or that they just don't want to have to relive and restate what they went through," she said.
"They feel it'll just be a he said-she said, or that the things that they felt frightened about were not something that was illegal, just something they have to put up with as a person taking a taxi."
Ikwe is just starting back up, though not fully, after a hiatus due to pandemic-related restrictions. The service typically has about 50 drivers but only four at the moment.
Brouzes is not sure when it will be at full capacity again but expects calls to increase more as cooler weather pushes in and winter approaches.
"I wish it could be right now, but we're just being very cautious of restarting slowly," she said, and COVID-19 has not gone away.
"We always honour our volunteer drivers on safety decisions. Being in a car is such a close, small environment."'
Brouzes said it "just breaks my heart" to not be able to offer more rides at this time, particularly in the middle of the night.
"The young woman [Morrisseau] who shared that incident has — and every other woman of any age — has every right to go out with their friends, have a few drinks and choose to get home responsibly and not drive or walk down the sidewalk and take some sort of safe transportation," Brouzes said.
Until Ikwe can be there for every ride, she encourages women to take a few simple steps to protect themselves.
"Make sure that before you get into any sort of transportation, you know the company name and the vehicle number. And if something does happen, you can always have your cellphone on you and record the incidents," she said.
"And if something does happen, please share it, even if it's something you think is not illegal, it's just something that made you feel uncomfortable. Call 311. It doesn't have to be right away. It can be the next day, but call 311."
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