What have I been doing? Where have I been? I have been driving for Uber that’s where I have been. About a month ago I signed up for Uber and shortly thereafter began driving people around the SF Bay Area. Here I am going to discuss why I decided to do this and what I have learned in the first month.
Why
Since I am currently unemployed and I need money to live I decided to try Uber out. It has helped with the bills and basic living costs. I can work when I want and I am making money at the same time. I was also intrigued by the fact that I am stuck in the car with a total stranger/s for every trip I accept. I have realized that my social skills are somewhat lacking as I have been stuck behind a computer for the last 15+ years. I have started to work towards being myself in these situations and not so closed up. So far it is going well in that regard, slowly I will open up and hopefully create more opportunities to network with people and talk freely about more than just small talk.
My truck
For about 25% of the people I pick up the first thing they say when they get in is “I have never had an Uber truck before”. I usually respond with “that is what a lot of people say”. Even though my truck is not very economical it does have its benefits, including safety, better visibility, and comfort. I do make money but likely have to stop at the pump more often then other Uber drivers. Overall guys love the truck, most women like the truck but there are a few women who have made comments that are quite the contrary to a love/like scenario. Some say is this an XL? Which means it is an UberXL which basically holds more people than 3 passengers. Nope and not UberBlack either which is the luxury/limo version of Uber. The requirements to drive for Uber are that the car must not be older than 15 years, it must have four doors, and it must pass a safety check. My truck fits in that category so it is good to go. Leave it to me to be different right.. 
It has come in handy, as one person had their bike with them and I just loaded it into the back. One person said that the truck would be perfect for moving their stuff and I replied with “Well I can make that happen if you need some help”. I did look into getting something more economical and even looked into making my own Biodiesel fuel which would cost me much less than at the pump but the setup cost is comparable to setting up a small solar power system. I will stick with the truck for now and see where things lead me as I am not sure I want to make this a long term full time gig.
People types
There are so many different types of people that I pick up. Just about all ages, nationalities, and social classes. From NFL players to tech executives, from middle school age kids to grandmas, just about everybody seems to use Uber. And in the late hours of the night there are plenty of intoxicated people. No one has gotten sick in my truck yet, but there have been some people that have fallen asleep and I or the people that are with them have to wake them up. Of course there are apologies for their behavior but it is kind of like driving kids around which I am very used to anyways. It is entertaining to me actually is what I say. As long as they are not angry or disrespectful then it is all good. I am glad people choose to use Uber rather than attempt to drive. I would like to think that there are less drunk people out there driving around due to the increased popularity of the rideshare platforms.
My schedule
One of the perks to being an Uber driver is you can set your own schedule. Since I have my kids 50% of the time I can spend time with my kids when I have them and don’t have to worry about work during that time. When I don’t have them I can drive for Uber for pretty much as long as I want. I do try to drive when it is the busiest however, for example weekends are busy and the busier it is the more money I have the opportunity to make. There are times when the fares surge to higher amounts usually during the busy hours. Special events also are good times, for example when local sports teams play people go out to watch the games and that means people are drinking and they need a ride to and from their destination. Unfortunately my sleep pattern has been disrupted due to this new schedule I have set for myself. I have stayed out all night a couple times and got home when the sun was rising. I then couldn’t go to sleep the first time so I was less than fully awake the next day and I was a crabby patty. I also tend to use the days that I have my kids to recover from the couple of days I have been driving. Overall this is not a healthy way to live from my experience so most likely driving for Uber won’t last long as a full time gig.
Networking
One thing I have noticed while driving for Uber is that it is a great way to meet new people, learn about what other people are doing out in the world and network with like minded individuals. I feel I have not taken advantage of the possible opportunities that have come by. Some people are interested in my background and also interested in web development services but I probably don’t sell myself on that as much as I could. Some people have been interested in me helping them move items with my truck and I have helped a few people do that. Sometimes I feel tired and not in the mood to talk to people. I like talking to people but when drained it is hard to keep up a conversation. I may be setting up a web development services page here on my blog as well as getting some business cards printed up. Overall I feel optimistic..
Uber as a company
I don’t really know the background of the senior management but so far they are very business oriented. Their marketing is excellent and I think that is why they have been the top dog over Lyft even though Lyft came out first. Something I have noticed as a trend is that Uber will do anything to get ahead and make a profit. It is a very dynamic organization and I already see them making changes here and there to adapt to supply and demand. It is not something the drivers should count on as a full time job with a steady income as one day you could make some good money and other days the rates change, the bonuses change, and or the way riders are treated could change resulting in a subsequent change for the drivers. Something that is controversial is the tips. Uber does not have an option for the rider to give a tip on the app like Lyft does. Some people ask me why they can’t do that. I say they just don’t. I understand that it has to do with luring riders who don’t want to feel pressured to tip and there may be other factors involved. Some people tip generously which is nice, but 90% of people don’t tip. I would say if you have some cash on you tip your driver if you ride with Uber. It will just brighten up their day/night a little more because it is unexpected, even if it is just a dollar it all adds up. Another issue I have seen that affects drivers is accepting rides when they are obviously not going to give the best fare. I always like seeing the rides that payout 2 to 3 times more than the typical ride. But that makes the other rides less favorable. For instance when San Jose is surging at more than the normal rate of 1 dollar per mile and you are right in the middle of it and you get a ride request from the airport it is always a bummer because for some reason the airport rides don’t surge ever. Uber must want that airport business so they give the airport riders a discount when the rest of the city is surging however I know that some drivers are not accepting them because they could wait and land a better paying ride in other parts of the city. Some airport riders are frustrated that it took so long to get a ride. I have gotten notices when I don’t accept rides. Uber wants you to have an acceptance rate of 90% or better and gives bonuses sometimes when you have a certain number of rides per week and your acceptance rate is over 90%. Something else that happens is when it is really busy before you drop off your current rider another request comes in. So for example if I need gas or need to go to the restroom I have to not accept the ride and then try to go offline right after I drop off my rider. Sometimes a few requests come in one after another before I can go offline. The driver app needs a button for a pee break, or gas break, or even I am done for the day button. I have all kinds of feedback for them like that which I have not had time to submit. It is almost like they want you to not make the 90% acceptance rate so they don’t have to pay you the bonuses. One last thing I would like to mention is that when the request comes in you have no idea where the destination is going to be. For example I picked up a couple at SFO because I had to drop someone off there. They needed to go to Sacramento. They were already loaded up in my truck when I found this out and I just had to bite the bullet and do it. But what if I needed to get back home at a certain time and I didn’t have 4 hours to spend on that ride round trip. The app should have a radius of how far the driver can go or a time frame of how long the driver can drive for and not assign the trip to someone with limitations. Because if you cancel the ride at that point it could affect your driver rating and Uber requires that you maintain a certain rating or else you can’t drive for them anymore. So those are my rants.. Maybe it will get better. I had a chat with one gentleman and we were talking about the self driving cars. At some point Uber in partnership with google will likely be using self driving cars to drive people around. Then the driver will be completely out of the picture. Just like the taxi drivers, the Uber drivers will be driven out. Like I said it isn’t a stable career path by any means. Oh yeah and if you would like to drive for Uber and earn a 1000 dollar bonus use my referral link here to signup. https://partners.uber.com/i/yhftsssg8
Overall the experience has been worthwhile. I think the prime age for Uber drivers is between 25 and 30 when they are fresh out of college and not making as much yet and need extra income. It is perfect for me at the moment as I am in between jobs and deciding what I want to do next. Who knows it could lead to my next opportunity. I have decided to accept every ride request even if it looks unfavorable and let my angels take care of me. I could be rejecting a rider that has an amazing opportunity for me or someone who needs my help in some way. It is an adventure that I am enjoying and optimistic about.
Live better, be happy, and love all that is!
Namaste!