Someone is finally launching an “Uber for women”

Truth: Uber (and other ride-sharing apps) has definitely made a huge difference in our lives. Finding a taxi right when a bar closes? Dream come true.

But, we also can’t ignore some of the Uber horror stories our there. Too often, we hear reports of women being attacked by their drivers.

Today we learned that Uber driver Michael Pelletz is launching Chariot for Women, a new ridesharing service for women, driven by women. Chariot for Women will be active in the Boston area starting April 19th — so Boston ladies, mark your calendars.

As Pelletz explains on the Chariot for Women website, the idea for the company came about from personal experience:

Chariot’s patent-pending technology is all about security. Both driver and client receive a code in the app after they request a ride. When the car arrives, both the driver and passenger must make sure their codes match before the passenger even gets in the car. Even better, Chariot for Women donates 2 percent of every fare to charity, and the company does not use surge charging.

In addition to only having women as drivers, Pelletz’s company uses Safer Places, which is known for performing the most stringent and thorough of background checks. Chariot for Women also requires that all drivers pass Massachusetts’ Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) check, the same deep background check utilized by daycare centers and schools. If a potential driver cannot afford the many background checks, Chariot for Women pays for the CORI check and plan to add fingerprinting ASAP.

Chariot for Women is also LGBT-friendly. “If they’re trans and identify as a woman, they can drive and ride with us, no problem at all,” Pelletz confirmed.

Of course, Pelletz expects more than a few legal battles, with people claiming the service discriminates against men. Pelletz isn’t scared:

Boston ladies — if you try this out, we’d love to hear about your experience!