The idea of Uber always freaked me out a little bit. Anyone with a car, a license, and hopefully a background check can be ordered to your door. Just because they pass a background check, it doesn’t mean they are not a crazy person. Of all of the complaints that are submitted to Uber, 6,160 have the keywords “sexual assault” and 5,827 have the keyword “rape.” Are you fucking kidding me? Are women at the mercy of Uber drivers, just hoping they don’t get stuck with an attacker? Not anymore.
On April 19, a new app called Chariot For Women is launching. This app, created by a former Uber driver named Michael Pelletz, will provide rides for women, by women. Only women and boys under 13 years old can request a ride from Chariot, and all of the drivers are women. Pelletz came up with the idea for this app when a belligerent rider got into his car and kept reaching for something in his pocket, and he wondered how he would have handled the situation if he were a woman. Personally, I would have tucked and rolled out the front seat. But luckily, with this new app, that would not be a problem.
All the riders go through a background check more thorough than when you’re creeping on your boyfriend’s ex-girlfriend, and just like Uber there is a picture of the driver as well as the car make and model. To make it even more secure, there is a “safe word” that the driver must know before the ride can start. No, not that kind of safe word. This is to make sure that the driver is a part of the Chariot initiative and is not trying to pass themselves off as someone else.
As if this isn’t already a step in the right direction for women, 2 percent of the profits will go to girly charities. There will be a list of 10 charities every month chosen by riders, and while you are en route to your destination, the list will pop up and you can pick where your money is going. You’re not just headed the bar anymore: you are changing the world.
So delete Uber and be treated like the princess that you are. Your Chariot awaits..
[via Dose, Chariot For Women]
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