A Newcastle taxi firm is offering free taxis to women to ensure they get home safely after a night out in the city.
Budget Taxis has teamed up with the volunteer group, Women's Street Watch Newcastle, to provide them with a set number of free taxis every month for women travelling home alone at night. The organisation, which was launched in October last year, sees groups of female volunteers patrol the city's streets every Friday and Saturday night to look out for vulnerable women.
Beth Dunn founded the group with her girlfriend following the shocking murders of Sarah Everard and Sabina Nessa. Every shift, the group assists women who have lost their friends, have had too much to drink, or need a hand getting home safely.
READ MORE: Women's Street Watch Newcastle reflects on first anniversary of Sarah Everard's murder
And now they will be able to ensure women in need have a free ride home, thanks to the offer from Budget Taxis.
Founder Beth said: "We’re extremely grateful for all of the suggested ways in which Budget Taxis are offering to help our cause and this is just one of the many incentives we will be hoping to roll out, in order to ensure the safety of vulnerable women out at night in Newcastle.”
The kind act comes after a number of reported rapes that have taken place in Newcastle in recent months. Police launched an investigation following a report that a woman was raped by an unknown man in Leazes Park on Friday, April 1, at around 6.30pm.
And on, Monday, March 28 a woman reported she had attacked in the Rising Sun Country Park, in Benton, at about 4.10pm near the Pit Heap area. Another woman was reportedly raped behind Beech Hill Primary School, off Linhope Road in West Denton, at around 12.30am on October 10.
David Singh, customer care manager at Budget Taxis said the firm wanted to do what it could to keep women safe.
"We have been in correspondence with Women's Street Watch Newcastle since their launch last year with ideas of ways in which we can help and this is just one of the many initiatives we would like to roll out to assist them," he said.
"No woman on a night out should feel unsafe and if there is a way in which we, at Budget Taxis can help, then we want to do our part.”
