A New Car Service Promises to Be Like Uber, But for Women Only
As complaints of sexual harassment and violence in Uber vehicles grow louder, a new Boston-based startup has decided to launch a car service made just for ladies.
Chariot for Women, which will hit the streets next week, will hire only female drivers and serve only women and children. A former Uber driver, co-founder Michael Pelletz told ABC News that he decided to start the company after he'd heard "stories about unsafe travel and Uber drivers hitting on women and just a lot of unsafe issues."
To protect passengers, Chariot for Women will fingerprint all drivers and partner with local law enforcement to run background checks on all candidates. The app will issue a "safe word" to drivers and passengers, which drivers will have to confirm with riders before a trip can start. And there's no surge pricing, which just feels feminist. Really, it all sounds like the kind of experience your dad would approve of.
In fact, "Michael has two daughters," the website for Chariot for Women explains, adding that the idea that they might get into the "wrong rideshare car" or try to get home in the wee hours of the morning "was like a knife to the chest."
"Just one bad apple behind the wheel, and those women would not be safe at all. 3 a.m. in Boston is a candy store for predators," the site continues. "Michael's fatherly instinct kicked in."
Too bad a "fatherly instinct" doesn't hold up in a court of law. Chariot for Women is already facing accusations of discrimination.
"You can't limit hiring to just one gender," employment law specialist Joseph Sulman told ABC News. "From a public accommodation aspect, you can't limit who you offer your services to just one gender."
Pelletz and his wife, Kelly, the company's president, say they are prepared to fight the necessary judicial battles. "If and when we ever do face a legal challenge, we will be very prepared. All we are doing is protecting women drivers."
