A new app called Chariot for Women will launch later this month. An Uber-like rideshare app, it assures both women drivers and passengers that their ride will be safe. The app provides thoroughly background-checked female drivers to female customers and children 13 and younger, and of course, men are already saying it’s discriminatory.
The app was created by former Uber driver Michael Pelletz, who experienced the firsthand trepidation of picking up a rider who made him feel unsafe. According to the Chariot for Women website, Michael asked himself, “What if I was a woman?” He thought, “How would a woman handle that situation, especially when I was so nervous myself?” Then he remembered that his wife had previously said that she wanted to be an Uber driver too, but was too afraid.
Stories of sexual assaults, robberies, kidnapping, and deaths have sullied the Uber name enough to inspire a call to action. Similar women-only rideshare apps called SheTaxis and SheRides have launched in New York, but they have faced thousands of dollars in legal fees due to male drivers suing them.
If Chariot For Women doesn’t sound like it’s doing society enough of a service, it’s also an app that gives back. Every month, customers will be able to choose from a list of 10 charities, where 2% of the proceeds will be donated.
Photo: Psycho
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Michael Pelletz, a former Uber driver
