Rideshare
Can I speak frankly for a minute?
Rideharing as a driver definitely has its ups and downs. First off you are hated right out the gate by all of the other traditional riding programs, your local cabs and transit buses, etc. People who use ride sharing apps are not your typical bus riders. They have had not so great experiences with cabs, would rather walk than take the bus, and they are usually techy, trendy urbanites who like being on the cutting edge of new fads.
The drivers range from experienced pro drivers to college kids who need to make a little extra money for their car payment to people like myself who could not work a standard job and needs huge flexibility in my schedule. Ridesharing personalizes the experience. The riders are everyone from college kids to alcoholics, professional people who know they are going out to drink and leave their precious high end cars at home and those that have lost their license for one reason or another, They are individuals who need a ride to and from work and those that just want to go out shopping without parking a mile away. It's people needing a ride to the doctors office or just to pick up a few groceries. Its sons and daughters miles away from home with no car. They can text while riding instead of driving.
I drove for Uber for a while and yes, there are stories... but that will be for another time. The great thing about ridesharing as a driver is you will have the opportunity to work on your own schedule. At least for Uber anyways. I cannot speak for the other programs out there. However, the need and saturation of drivers and the city you choose to drive in dictates your money. The most requested times in non tourist areas are pretty much weekend evenings. Say good bye to your social life! You might make half way decent money if they don't keep lowering the prices of the rides and they take more than 20% of your income check your pay check stub...its all there. The cities keep fighting the issue because they have got some pretty steep fees for cabs and transportation companies all tied into licensing. The people that answer the emails for Uber are friendly, encouraging and empathetic..at least they were with me. It also gave me an opportunity to earn a small income on the days that I was not suffering with migraines. No schedule adherence worries. But the city does not want them here so here I sit blogging. Most of the riders are really nice people. As a driver you may end up with some very humorous stories and conversations.
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The down side is that there will be people who don't respect what does not belong to them. They don't seem to be able to distinguish the fact that this is someone's car not a borrowed vehicle like most cabs are. When you get off the road for the evening you still have to use your car for your regular life. They will slam your doors, try to overload your vehicle, call 1 car for 10 people, want to drink open beverages, scrape your paint, vomit in your car, get dog hair and people hair all over your seats and rugs and leave their trash in it no matter how nice your car is. They will put on way to much cologne or perfume and drink too much before they call you and leave behind a sickeningly sweet smell that days of febreezing will do little to diminish. They will wear shorts and skirts that are way too short and have their unmentionables sticking to your leather seats...ewwww. They will be too hot and too cold and want to listen to music too loud and too soft or not at all. They will not always know where they want to go and even sometimes try to beat the system by making making multiple accounts to get free rides and they will rarely tip. And that is just a small teeny tiny tip of the iceberg.
The upside is that we are keeping more drunk drivers and unlicensed drivers off the road, I cannot tell you how many college girls I have saved from a bad experience. They would literally say "I was not going to have anyone at the party take me home." They would also request and cancel rides until a female driver came up. So parents before you send your kids off to college with no car, get them an Uber rider account it only takes a few minutes and a credit card to add the app to their cell phone. Here is a Free code to get them started JDT9D I mentioned to Uber that perhaps having a choice for female drivers for female accounts say starting from 9pm might be a really good idea. Being a woman driver also gave female riders a sigh of relief and they always mentioned that they felt safer. The riders could be free to text and talk on the cell phone all the way to their destination without the worry of it being their or someone else's last tweet.
If ride-share has proven anything is that the appearance of them in your area means what is there is lacking, just since ride-share came to Orlando we now have the regular cab companies inareas they took for granted, they have teched up and the buses are now making stops in areas that they would not have gotten to for a few more years. So ride-share is good for everyone.
I have never used Uber to ride to a destination but ordered one for my family when they were going to Mexico for my brother's wedding which due to work and finances I ended up missing. I was unable to get them from the airport so I proudly had them use Uber. It turned out to be disastrous the driver did not know where she was going and did not speak English well enough to take instruction...Thanks Uber for leaving that wonderfully awful taste in my family's memory. I immediately contacted Uber and they took care of the costs. They also took care of damage I had received to my car from riders. So for that I am thankful. They do seem to support the driver in that aspect. Overall my experience with them was not too bad. I just needed to make more money and with the changes in fees, the over saturation of drivers, the cost of gas, continual car maintenance and then the city pretty much kicking us out...well now I can sit home and talk about books all day.
When and if I use them as a rider I will definitely update you on the experience. Here is a code you can use if you are interested in taking the journey as a driver in your area. Drive for Uber
Since this is a book blog check out this story of a rideshare driver.
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The story of how I went from Harvard-Trained Spine surgeon to Ride-share driver is in itself an interesting one.. This abrupt professional transition in my life has provided me with a new set of lenses to view the world. In this book, I share some of my outrageously funniest experiences from what I call the UberSphere- 'Lyftmosphere'- 'Side-Carnival' or the World of Ride-sharing Services.
Want to drive for Uber yourself to make a little extra money in your area? Here's a code to use and good luck. May the roads be forever in your favor Uber On! CLICK AND DRIVE
