"Chariot for Women" is a Massachusetts-based startup that targets to launch a ride-hailing service where drivers and passengers are both women. Due to incidence of violence and discomfort, this unique service focuses on the safety and comfort of driver and passengers alike. It will launch in Boston on April 19.
Michael Pelletz, a former Uber driver for eight months, is the brain behind the ride-hailing service, "Chariot for Women" that is driven by female drivers who service female passengers. The intention is to provide female passengers peace of mind by making sure that another woman is behind the wheels. Aside from female passengers, boys under the age of 13 will be considered a passenger but if he is over that age he will be denied of the service.
Chariot for Women have signed up more than 1,000 women aspiring to be drivers. According to Pelletz, his company has the most "stringent background checks in the industry" and drivers will be fingerprinted, USA TODAY reports.
"Chariot was born to ensure safety, comfort and pleasure as well as giving back to female-focused charities and foundations through our transportation services," the company's website states, adding that a percentage of profits will be given back to women's foundations, as reported by the Boston Globe.
The service was about to launch in Boston on April 19 but some civil rights lawyers state that the company may run into legal trouble if men are refused of rides, said Money.
Joseph L. Sulman, an employment law specialist who was based outside Boston said that rejecting men as drivers could raise a potential problem. However, with Massachusetts Attorney General's Office, the state's anti-discrimination laws preclude discriminating against a qualified employee on the basis of sex, except in the events where sex is a "bona fide occupational qualification," which is a qualification employers are enabled to regard when hiring employees.
Pelletz attorneys said that the company is operating a legal business model that accomplishes a market need.
Chariot for Women was established from Michael Pelletz's idea when he once picked up a male passenger who seemed to be overdosed on drugs. He thought what if he was a female driver and has this kind of passenger; his safety will likely be in jeopardy.
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