For the first time in Turkey, a “pink taxi” — catering only to female passengers and driven by a female driver — hit the roads in February. The single cab, operating in the central city of Sivas, has been met with great interest by local women, while sending women’s rights groups up in arms.

The pink taxi is owned by local operator Gokhan Simsek, who obtained a license for his venture last month. The municipality not only gave it the go-ahead but got involved in its promotion with a grand inauguration ceremony. The new service, however, stirred passions in a society where the gruesome murder of a university student in a public transportation vehicle last year has left a lasting scar.

The public outcry against rising violence against women in Turkey boiled over in February last year after the charred and mutilated body of Ozgecan Aslan was found outside the southern city of Tarsus. Aslan, 17, was the only passenger on a privately operated minibus, whose driver attempted to rape her and, when she resisted, stabbed and battered her to death before cutting her hands and burning her body with the help of accomplices. The incident triggered a wave of demonstrations across the country and national mourning. While raising awareness of sexual harassment, Aslan’s murder also sparked fear and anxiety among women about using public transportation. The public debate at the time was marked by the narratives of women who either feared to board empty buses or hurried to get off early to avoid traveling alone with the driver.

A year later, the issue of safety on public transportation remains under the spotlight. Service providers have moved to step up controls, but the success of their measures is questionable. A few months ago, for instance, the Minibus Drivers’ Chamber in the Mediterranean city of Antalya tested hundreds of male members for drug abuse. The urine tests established that 40 drivers were drug abusers, while one was found to be “pregnant.” This surprise discovery showed that at least one driver — and probably others — had managed to submit urine samples from their wives, casting doubt on the efficiency of controls.