We had read from some of Pulse’s women drivers about a new rideshare company being launched in Boston that is ONLY for women drivers and women and children passengers. We decided to take a look at Chariot for Women

Background

Michael Pelletz founded Chariot for Women on Feb 9th this year. He started driving full time for Uber in January after part time driving since 2013. According to them, the main motivation in forming them was such,

With options dwindling, Michael decided to drive for Uber part-time for a little extra money. To his surprise, he loved the gig; his wife thought about driving also, but she said she was too nervous and scared to do it. This point stuck with Michael for the next year. It happened in one terrifying night, after a year of picking up and dropping off over 850 passengers, Michael had his first unsafe ride. A 20-something man stumbled into Michael’s backseat, incoherently babbling behind his rolled-back eyes. Something about grandmother’s house—it was clear he had no idea where, or perhaps even who, he was. He would pass out, wake up, squirm violently and reach repeatedly into his pocket before passing out again. With few options left, a horrified Michael spotted a nearby police officer, pulled over the car and ran out for help. One thought kept coming up in his head: “What if I was a woman?” he thought, “How would a woman handle that situation, especially when I was so nervous myself?” Then the words his wife said a year ago, that she wanted to drive but was too afraid, repeated in his thoughts. Michael knew he had to come up with a better way to keep people safe. Especially women passengers and drivers.

Out of this Chariot for Women was born.

For Women By Women

The key idea behind making women feel safe women driving is having only Children and Women passengers. All applicant drivers will undergo a background screening process using a company called Safer Places, which offers a whole host of screening options. It is unclear which of these checks Chariot for Women will employ.

If you decide to drive with Chariot for Women, this is what you need to know

​Chariot Drivers get paid as soon as their passenger exits the vehicle.

Chariot For Women takes 25% of the first $100.00 earned in a 24 hour period. Chariot gives 2% of that 25% to Charity.

After the first $100.00, the driver then keeps 98% of all the remaining fares for the rest of the day.

This could mean a 23% raise after four hours of driving.

Drivers can opt for taxes to be withheld.

This last point about taxes being withheld is interesting to me. As an independent contractor you are responsible for paying your own wages. If Chariot for Women is withholding income, it could mean they are planning to be your employers, since unless they could estimate your expenses there is no way they would know how to accurately withhold income.

Availability

The App will be available for download starting mid April for passengers. The service has initial plans to launch in Boston and spread quickly there after.

Safety

The main driver behind Chariot for Women has been safety. According to the founders,

The app is built for safety. Every time the driver starts her day, she has to answer a random security question that changes daily to ensure her identity. When the passenger requests a ride, a safe word pops up on the driver and passenger’s phone. If the driver says the correct word, the ride may begin. If the driver doesn’t have the same safe word, the passenger then knows immediately not to get into that Chariot, and will then look for the correct vehicle. The passenger will also see a picture of their driver, car make and license plate number every time they are picked up by a Chariot for Women driver. The app has adapted the model of real-time GPS tracing and maps, so the they will know exactly when their Chariot will arrive, rather than standing on a corner waiting for a taxi. Safety is THE priority. As needed, more features will be added.

Donating to Charity

Chariot for Women will donate 2% of the initial $25 they get from you to charities that support causes for women. They will take suggestions from their users about which charities to choose and act accordingly.

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Photo credit: autoguide.com