Hmm, I like this idea. I hope the market supports it.
A new Boston-area startup hopes to be a new on-demand ride service that will only offer rides to women, trans women, and children of any gender under 13.
Chariot for Women, which was founded by a husband-and-wife team from Charlton, Massachusetts, is set to launch nationwide on April 19. Its pricing will be much more similar to traditional taxi fares, with a base charge and a per mile rate—and with no surge pricing.The company says that it is focusing on safety and will only employ female drivers, who will have background checks run by Safer Places. All prospective drivers must also pass Massachusetts’ Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI), according to TechCrunch.
By contrast, Uber has been sued multiple times by female passengers who said they were sexually assaulted by their male drivers…
While some critics have raised the question of sex discrimination as a possible legal barrier to Chariot for Women’s expansion, the firm’s lawyer, Chase Liu, said this would not be an issue.
“Courts have long held that hiring on the basis of sex is permissible where sex is a bona fide occupational qualification in the context of serving privacy interests,” he told the Worcester Telegram & Gazette. “At stake here is more than just privacy—safety and security are also at issue. As such, we are confident that our hiring of women drivers constitutes a bona fide occupational qualification, where doing so is necessary to uphold the privacy, safety and security of our drives and riders.”
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It probably won’t fly in Massachusetts. But at least now they can launch this service in North Carolina by the simple expedient of throwing a toilet in the back seat and proclaiming the vehicle to be a mobile women’s room.