Madame Decourcelle, the First Female Taxi Driver in Paris

It is well known, women had to wait longer in the history to have the same rights as the men ones. If they had the right to vote in France in 1944, the first Paris’ female taxi driver appeared in 1908.

Before Mrs. Durcoucelle, 3 women began an apprenticeship in 1906 to drive carriage – an exclusively male profession – followed behind them by other women. While most abandoned, especially under pressure from the family, the first coach driver females appeared in February 1907. A real curiosity for all Parisians!

Already graduated for carriage, Madame Decourcelle would get her taxi license in 1908, making her the first woman in history to drive a taxi in Paris streets.