Former Boston Uber driver to launch all-female ride-hailing app

A former Boston-area Uber driver will be launching a new ride-hailing app that will exclusively cater to female customers.

Michael Pelletz got the idea for Chariot for Women when he was still working as an Uber driver in Boston and encountered a drunk passenger who made him feel uncomfortable, the Boston Globe has reported.

“What if I was a woman?” Pelletz said he thought, according to the company’s website. “How would a woman handle that situation, especially when I was so nervous myself?”

Launching nationwide on April 19, according to the Globe, Charlton-based Chariot for Women will only take female passengers, and cars will only be driven by female drivers.

Pelletz has said that the company aims to hire 4,000 women as drivers before the launch date, MassLive reported in a related article.

Pelletz told the Globe that the company’s prices will be similar to those of Uber and Lyft, without the surge pricing.

A portion of the company’s fares will be donated to various women’s charities, according to the Chariot for Women website.