Research Article: Experiences of sexual and interpersonal violence among passengers of taxi and rideshare services: findings from a pilot study in Victoria, Australia

This paper reports on pilot data from online surveys among 97 passengers of taxi and rideshare services in Victoria, Australia about their experiences of sexual and interpersonal violence. Survey findings reveal that 58% of the sample had experienced sexual or interpersonal violence in either a taxi or rideshare service; 47% reported that they had at least one harmful experience in a taxi and 30% in a rideshare service. The most common behaviours reportedly experienced were a driver or other passenger staring or leering, unwanted attempts to flirt, unwanted comments about their physical appearance, offensive sexual comments, unwanted attempts to establish a romantic or sexual relationship, offensive or degrading comments about gender, and unwanted sexual requests. Overall, women were more likely than men to report harmful experiences. Engagement in reporting mechanisms was low, but participant’s likelihood of reporting to taxi and rideshare companies and to the police in the future remained high. This is the first study of its kind in Australia and provides important insights into the nature and impacts of these experiences. The authors call for further research to better understand safety and interpersonal violence in the taxi and rideshare industry at the national and international level.