5 things I've learned driving for UBER

My Life as an UBER driver. It has now been about two months since the popular ride share service company, Uber launched in Auburn, AL - A college town about a 40 min drive from my house. When I heard that Uber was launching near me, I was excited. I would now be able to add Uber driver to my current roster of multiple professions, right under newly hatched realtor.  As I attempt to find a relaxing position in my "office" for the day, carefully navigating my extremities through the cavities of my Chevy Aveo while simultaneously finding room for my laptop, chords, purse and coffee, I reflect on why someone would subject themselves to this (by someone, I mostly mean myself).  Although you can detect my sarcastic tone, I do really enjoy being a driver and here is why:

1. There are no typical Uber drivers...

Uber has a very diverse work force of contractors. In the last 2 months, I have met a few of my other "colleagues." Being that I work in a college town, I was expecting other drivers to be one out of two things - students or begrudged cabdrivers who finally gave in to this revolutionary way of travel. I was wrong. So far, only one of the people I met is in fact a student and to my knowledge none have previous experience as professional drivers. Uber drivers range from ages 20 to infinity, come in all shades and drive for Uber for various different reasons. Some are just doing it for the fun of it and to make some extra money, some pay their bills and pay off debt with each check. We all have one thing in common, we all love it.

2....but there are typical Uber riders.

Uber is for young , white college kids. Naturally, being in a college town greatly affects the demographic of riders picked up. Most of the people benefiting from a ride share service are people who do not have their own transportation, which in Auburn is mainly college students. It would be silly of me to expect to see middle aged men in suits enter my vehicle. I did not expect a gross over representation of namesakes though. I have picked up so many Blakes, Katies, Peytons and Taylors, that I am starting to wonder if there was a limited supply of baby names to choose from in the mid to late 90's. I have had exactly two fares where the rider was not caucasian, one where the couple was over the age of 35, and two that almost ended in me detailing my car due to...gastro intestinal issues before the clock struck 10:30  PM. Despite the lack in visual diversity, I have met some pretty diverse people when it comes to personalities. You have the ones who only want you to drive them from A to B, the Uber interrogator asking  you a million questions about the service, and the over sharers who in a 5 min ride will disclose all their personal dilemmas to you. No matter how tired I am at the end of the night though, I feel good about knowing that Chad and Brittney got home safely and aren't stumbling down the sidewalk, weaving in and out of traffic, or stranded in some questionable frat house with no way to get home.

3. Uber is safer than a taxi.

I'll probably catch hell for saying this but I think using Uber is way safer than a regular cab service.  For one, all Uber drivers are directly connected to the rider via the app, so you know the name of the driver, what they look like, the color, make, and model of the car picking you up AND the license plate number. That's more information than I have ever know about any cab driver I've hailed EVER. As a driver, I only know your first name so I can verify that I am picking up the right person. Uber however, has the passenger's credit card information and knows where I am driving them at all times. No money is exchanged in an Uber transaction so there is less of a risk of either party to be robbed. Uber minimizes the level of risk simply by the way the system is set up, just think about it. Imagine if you were one of those creepy rapist/murderers that people imagine lurk behind trees in the park at night or around the corners of dark alleys that you have no business walking down in the first place. Never mind the fact that most sexual and violent assaults are performed by someone the victim already know or has met prior to the incident. Imagine you are the creepy person, wanting to inflict harm on someone, anyone for no particular reason. Got it? OK. Now imagine yourself in that moment, pausing...downloading an app, liking your credit card information, opening the app, getting a driver to pick you up all the while hoping that the driver would be just the type of person you like to attack. Or better yet, signing up to be a driver, submitting personal information and your own vehicle's documentation, waiting for 7-10 business days for the background check to go through, then wait an additional week for the Uber phone to arrive, and then getting on the road to attack folks. Did you do it, were you there? No? That might be because NO ONE is that stupid. Anyone can create a make shift cab sign and forge a cab license though. I would bet money that is the preferred route of creepers when preying on innocent citizens, not Ubering.

4. Uber did not invent ride sharing.

The concept of ride sharing as used by companies like Uber, Sidecar, and Lyft is certainly not novel, they merely developed a way to make it available and in a way somewhat exclusive. For centuries, people have been giving each other rides in their vehicles. I am pretty sure the inventor of the wheel was the first Uber driver on earth. We've all done it in some form, whether we took the safe route of carting our kids off to soccer practice or lived on the edge by picking up a hitch hiker. I recently learned from a friend that a system solely based on the honor code and word of mouth has existed in Baltimore for years.  The concept of giving someone who needs it a ride is not innovative, it is just the right thing to do. It is kind, humanitarian, and selfless. So how do you make money off random acts of kindness? Simple. Create an app, and make people pay. Thanks to Uber, only people with a smart phone and a credit card can get a ride. Which, in my opinion still makes what Baltimore has far superior and much more inclusive but possibly less safe.  

5. Driving for Uber is not for everyone.

Uber is not for the faint of heart. First of all, you have to be comfortable with strangers riding in your car. That's the bare minimum. It helps if you are working on your biography or thesis - sometimes you'll be waiting for a rider for a long time. I don't see being an introvert as a great characteristic of an Uber driver. You kind of have to know how to communicate with all types of individuals. Some people who you drive, will not have those same abilities. I have had people apologize for saying the word "black" in the car (Don't ask me why) and have overheard some pretty elaborate weekend plans being described involving detailed descriptions of sexual activities. I have also been accused of calling a person fat (It should be noted that I did no such thing and that the person was in fact not fat but rather drunk, exceptionally touchy, and possibly hard of hearing). [caption id="attachment_2421" align="alignleft" width="300"] The person in the picture above and at the top, is NOT me. All photos in this post are courtesy of UBER[/caption] Overall, I think UBER is great. I love meeting new people, sometimes making great connections, and knowing that I am preventing a person from maybe doing something dumb, like driving drunk. I don't know how long I will continue doing Uber, but as long as it is fun and makes me money, I'll be out there. I think it is safe to say that I won't stop anytime soon. If you, or someone you know would like to drive for UBER, visit their website and type in promo code: AP0L6. See you on the road!