Taxi service for women in Beirut

BEIRUT: A taxi firm in Lebanon has unveiled a new concept geared toward women, complete with a fleet of pink cars and pink-attired female drivers ready to keep the sexes apart.

"Initially, I thought I would have a rough time finding female taxi drivers given that in Lebanon this is a man's job," said Nawal Yaghi Fakhri, owner of "Taxi Banet" or "Taxi for Women" which was launched on Tuesday.

"But to my surprise I got about 40 requests."

The initiative, the first of its kind in Lebanon, has won the backing of the tourism ministry keen to cater to a growing clientele of wealthy female tourists from conservative Muslim countries in the Gulf region.

"This is the second such company to open in the Middle East after the United Arab Emirates," Lina Ghanem, a spokeswoman at the tourism ministry, told a foreign news agency.

The company's drivers will only serve women.

The idea, however, has not gone down well with some. "This is what you call sexual discrimination," joked Jad Fakhoury, a Lebanese businessman who attended the launch ceremony.