When a male rideshare driver in Mexico City asked Ninfa Fuentes for her number and pressed her about Valentine’s Day, fear overwhelmed her. What began as a routine commute ended in panic. Fuentes, a 48-year-old researcher and survivor of sexual violence, said she felt as though she were “dying.” Since then, she has avoided public transport and male drivers entirely.

Her story echoes the daily experiences of thousands of women across Mexico. Many face harassment in taxis, buses, and the metro, where unwanted touching and intimidation are common. In 2025, Mexico recorded more than 61,000 sexual crimes. Yet activists say these figures reveal only part of the reality. Many survivors stay silent, convinced that authorities will not believe them.

In a country where a simple journey can carry risk, women are building their own systems of safety. Among them is a growing feminist rideshare movement designed to reclaim freedom of movement and trust on the road.

Women Travel With Fear in Their Own Cities

For many women, travel through Mexico City and its suburbs requires constant vigilance. María José Cabrera, a young engineer, learned to plan every journey with precision. She avoids skirts, keeps her phone visible, and ensures someone tracks her location. Like Fuentes, she no longer feels safe on buses or in mixed subway cars after repeated encounters with men who followed or groped her.

Another commuter, Nejoi Meddeb, describes a routine of gripping the car door handle, ready to escape if she senses danger. Her habit mirrors a collective anxiety born from high-profile tragedies such as the death of Lidia Gabriela Gómez, who leapt from a taxi in 2022 after the driver changed routes.

Official statistics record thousands of sexual assaults every year, yet the true toll remains hidden. Survivors often face ridicule or disbelief when reporting crimes. For many, silence feels safer than confrontation. Each day’s commute becomes a quiet act of endurance, shaped by fear and necessity.

AmorrAs Builds a Safer Way to Move

When 29-year-old activist Karina Alba founded AmorrAs in 2022, her goal was to restore safety for women who had lost faith in traditional transport. The network pairs passengers with vetted women drivers called “allies.” Each trip begins with a WhatsApp message that confirms the driver’s name, route, and arrival time, ending with a pink heart emoji that signals trust.

Alba drew inspiration from tragedy. The murder of student Debanhi Escobar, found dead after leaving a taxi alone, shook Mexico and galvanized women’s groups nationwide. Alba’s first driver was her mother, a taxi worker in Mexico City. Today, AmorrAs counts more than 20 allies serving over 2,000 women annually.

For passengers like Fuentes and Cabrera, these rides offer more than safety. They provide community. Drivers such as Dian Colmenero, who works in marketing by day, see their role as personal protection for women like themselves. As she navigates Mexico City’s crowded streets, she chats with riders about family, health, and work. Every completed trip affirms a shared belief: women deserve to move freely without fear.

Mexico’s President Responds to a National Crisis

President Claudia Sheinbaum became the face of a national reckoning when a video showed her being groped by a drunk man during a public event. She pressed charges and pledged to make sexual harassment a criminal offense across all states. For many, her reaction marked a decisive moment in a country long desensitized to gender violence.

Sheinbaum’s proposal follows decades of activism demanding recognition and reform. Lawyers such as Norma Escobar, who works with AmorrAs, say that weak enforcement and dismissive officials remain the biggest barriers to justice. Some forensic doctors, she says, still trivialize women’s claims. Such behavior reinforces a culture of impunity that deters survivors from seeking help.

Under Sheinbaum’s leadership, advocates hope that legal change will finally match public outrage. Yet until enforcement becomes reliable, most women continue to rely on networks like AmorrAs—trusting one another rather than the system meant to protect them.

Women Build the Safety the State Has Denied

Each journey with AmorrAs represents more than a ride home. It restores confidence stripped away by years of indifference. Across Mexico, women are creating systems of safety that function where the state has failed. Their efforts, born of necessity, reflect resilience rather than resignation.

As women reclaim control of the roads, they redefine what protection means in a country still struggling to value their security. For Fuentes and thousands like her, safety is no longer a privilege granted by institutions. It is a right women are determined to secure together.

Discover more from Feminegra

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.