Uber Stories and Things

A place for Uber things

[uberstoriesandthings-blog]

Classy Women

I just wanted to do a shout out to women of Chicago. I pick you ladies up all the time and I’m impressed. I don’t really prefer working at night, but from time to time I will work the late night shift because I didn’t wake up early enough. With the late night shift comes various types of people. You’ll get the couples and the groups and sometimes single individuals. You have like the couples going out to meet other couples and friends and then you have the individuals going out to maybe meet up with friends. I’m a really good judge of character, but one thing I noticed is that I pick up a lot of individual women and it’s a testament of loyalty. both to their devotion to themself and to their future partner or even to their partner out of the picture. Sometimes you formulate an opinion about a sex and stereotype but you women have made me proud. Women have a lot of self control I appreciate it, and I hope the women I pick up find a man just as devoted. How difficult would it be for a woman to find a dude that’s been drinking to go home with? But women aren’t just looking for that. They want someone that treats them right and has love for them and seeks them out. I’m kind of jumping to conclusions but I am a psychoanalyst and I study behavior. Lots of times these individuals are quiet and somber. As if they were searching for something and didn’t find it. Maybe in another person, or a group, or in an event.. I know guys are more likely to feel comfortable filling in their night with another guy such as myself but sometimes I run into scummy dudes who are just trying to find a hookup. Believe me they’ve told me or their conversation was scummy. They aren’t looking for “the right one” Not every guy is looking for their special someone. Obviously I don’t recommend you go looking for that someone at the bar lol It could happen, I’m not gonna shoot it down, just better if you wait on love rather than to go and find love on your own. We aren’t good at judgment of character. Love is revealed over time. I believe love can be found at any time of the day.

I’m not claiming to be anyone super magnetic or anything with the opposite sex but I have been hit on by a few women and I will say and I believe this is probably a pretty accurate consensus among men but if I’m right, you have women that are throwing themselves at you kind of unladylike versus a woman who isn’t in that pick-up-line mentality. She will be content with having a conversation and her mind isn’t on sexual advancement but on a much more personal level. Sexual attraction comes after love and commitment. I am very professional with everyone I come in contact with so things never get sexual but if a woman asks if you’re single or some other advancement before really even introducing herself or anything it’s just an immediate turn off. But when I see lady after lady going home on her own, it’s a sign that the community is more solid than I thought. I obviously see those wreckless couples who could have possibly met at the bar and are going home together and they usually aren’t friendly people, they are wrapped up in themselves, they’re rude, they are self-absorbed and that right there is a testament to what that type of lifestyle reveals about a person.

Moral of the story, I meet a lot of people. Most of the trips are very brief and I rarely get into any deep conversations but I notice behavior types and they classify a person. A classy woman is either quiet (because she is taken,) or she’s respectful and reserved, she doesn’t dress like a slut, she has respect for herself and her bf or husband, and that matters. It’s super important. I want to say something and address it and be like dam you are classy stay that way, your husband is a lucky man, or congratulate her and assure her that and she will attract someone like minded and not to lose hope, or I’ll notice a couple that just has incredible energy in the way they interact with me and themselves and with conversation and I can tell that they have a lot of trust for each other and it radiates. When two people live for each other have trust, it shows; I can point them out every time. When a woman has respect for herself and is classy dressed and has a classy mind, I can point it out every time. That’s what a guy should look for. Not a girl that dresses to impress every night and flirts with guys and lets her tongue slip. So cheers to you women out there that I’ve run into that are classy and I pray you find a solid dude because you deserve it. I noticed you and I know that your man is out there and he will also notice your devotion. Sometimes I wish that I could til a passenger lol “Here’s a tip for being a classy individual.”

[uberstoriesandthings-blog]

Psychoanalysis

Yesterday’s trips were great. Alot of fun people. Just friendly peaceful people. You’ll have good days and bad days. Sometimes you’ll get days where people just sit in silence and never talk to you. You’ll get days where people just complain about everything like heat too high, dirty floors, that type of thing. Yesterday tho I picked up two passengers coming from an event. It was really funny how their conversation turned throughout the trip. They talked normal at first and tried to get me to engage with them in conversation. They talked about music. Then it got weird. They started using different tone of voices to make each other laugh. It wasn’t really that weird. I guess it was a form of disassociation.  They would say things like “oh molly, i love our cat. she hates us but loves our attention.” In a weird child like voice. I didn’t really think of it. It was just a way for two friends to joke around. They had a really good relationship. I could tell. The tone of voice and level of comfort they both had expressed showed me that they really enjoyed each other’s existence. Then after they finished talking about their day, video games started to surface. We were getting closer to their destination and I could tell as their conversation about socializing outside of home started to wear off, video games was the reality that they were much more comfortable talking about. I heard mention of gems and stats and magic and “for the month” and all these keywords that told me they were very passionate about video games. They started talking about a video game chair as if it was just a joke, like “who would buy this video game chair, only the nerdiest of nerds” Tho they had one and it showed their level of reverence for fantasy. Again I thought nothing of all of this conversation. They were talking loud, they wanted to include me in their conversation and maybe get another gamer tag or see what kind of video games I played. I don’t really play anymore tho I do enjoy them. “What day is it Molly?” “Its Friday I believe. I wouldn’t have know what day it is if it weren’t for my clan. They brought it up this morning.” 

I was like what?? That was the weirdest thing to say. They were so lost in video games they didn’t care to know the day of the week. I could tell by the way she said it that it was a common thing to get so lost in video games that they would forget what day it was. He said sometimes he would become so involved in this particular game that he would forget to eat and to shower. They both laughed but it wasn’t a joke. 

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Yesterday I tried to explain to a passenger that you need to trust the driver’s discretion when traveling. He expressed his concern in the route that I had taken to Chicago, but didn’t have any supporting evidence as to why it was quicker. As an Uber driver, its important that you know the area you’re driving in. If you don’t Google Maps can assist you. In this particular trip tho google maps had me take the highway all the way into the city. Over 6 miles of trip. Thats a long way to drive stop light to stop light. You could be talking 20, 30 minutes. In this particular occasion, google maps gave me a 10 minute trip if I jumped on the highway. The passenger wouldn’t have it. He never mentioned being in a hurry but he did mention wasting mileage going to the highway. That was his first mistake. The highway trip was actually a more direct route. “I’ve been taking this route for years.” Well you’re wrong. I told him that I have to follow the gps and that his trip would take 18 min longer than the highway. 18 minutes!! When google maps gives me an alternative route thats 4-5 min faster take it. They are usually right. But 18 minutes. Thats like unbelievably slower. I could have driven back and forth to where we started in 18 min with the highway route lol But he continued to press me to take his route. I refused and he mentioned that “the customer is always right.” It just doesn’t work like that as an Uber driver. And I don’t go by that slogan. Its my car and we’re going on a 10 min trip. Just sit back and relax and don’t tell the driver what to do. You’ve invested 8 dollars into this trip and you don’t have much say. Hey! If I was your personal chauffeur, and you were paying me a handsome salary or if you were paying a livery driver to go 8 miles, you’d be closer to $40 in and then maybe I would consider taking your advice. But even then I can tell you that I probably would not have gone his route. Thats just stupid. Even if the highway was backed up, you don’t stop. His route would have had 20 stop lights. Its common sense. But in any amount, its worth trusting people. 

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A good portion of my day as an Uber driver consists of listening to people’s stories. Like today I listened to this one individuals frustration in his relationship with his gf. He mentioned that she had communication issues and would do certain things to disrupt their relationship and take risks that would hurt him in the process and threaten the relationship. But because she had selfish pride she would justify her actions. And because he had failed to come to an agreement with her on certain life issues he would fall into an apathetic state and ignore her attempts at getting his attention because he felt that she wanted certain things that he wasn’t ready to give. So they would function in this disarrayed state and the pain and suffering would come in cyclical waves and they weren’t able to grow because of it. He told me that they both seemed to understand where they were going wrong yet because there was so much anger and resentment built up, they felt so far away and that everything was beyond repair. So far away that any counsel or commitment would be able to resolve any deadlock. From my standpoint it sounded like a simple fix; she stops doing this and takes responsibility for her actions, and he stops ignoring her and hiding away emotionally so that the two of them can start reversing all of the pent up emotion and focus on forward progress. I praised him for talking about it without getting into too many details but congratulated him for identifying with the deadlock and I told him to pray about. Not dream about it or think about it or write about it, but to pray about it. Because God is the only one who can make a person aware of their actions when they are in denial. He brushed off praying and told me that I had given him the advice he needed and that God wouldn’t be necessary. But then I told him that God would be the one who would care tonite when I’m driving around in my car and that God would be the one who cared in a week and next month and next year. He would always be there to hear him out. And that people can only help each other out momentarily. Not infinitely. He didn’t say much after that but I felt as if it sunk in. As if he thought back on a moment in time where he felt alone and absent from life and there wasn’t anyone around to console him. And that maybe there was someone there all along. We said our goodbyes and I told him I’d be praying for his relationship because I could tell that even tho he had been apathetic in the past he cared a lot and wanted more from his gf, more from himself, and more from life.

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I had just picked up an individual from the bar. He was teetering. Although I was parked next to him, I needed to honk to wake him up. He awokened rather sharply, excited to see his Uber arrive. We started talking. He began talking about his younger years and when him and his wife used to travel alot and go on adventures. He didn’t tell me about his night at the bar. But yet he trusted me to hear his stories. He was still in story-mode from whatever encounter he had in the bar. His stories would break up here and there and it would shift to other topics but I was really intrigued when he started talking about his trip to Mumbai, India. It was difficult to tell who this person really was but I started to question whether this man was just a local bar fly when he would bring up trip after trip and story after story. This man had some stories let me tell you. He went on and on about this cruise and how they went deep sea diving in the Pacific somewhere in Indonesia and the relaxing trip to Bali and the trek through Mount Kilimanjaro. And I just couldn’t believe this gentleman had so many dreams and was so good at telling stories when he was so visibly drunk. And this man was drunk. I could see his head from the rearview mirror slumping over every couple of minutes as if he was teetering on the edge of a very deep cliff to sleep city. But he managed to continue on. He straightened up his neck and sat up straight and he brought himself back to consciousness when he said, “I found gold. I hid it. LOTS OF IT.” Woah, really? This dude had gold stored somewhere. I was dead silent. “Yep, yep. Gold.” Ok, its always difficult to tell if someone’s telling the truth when one eyes closed and the other eye looks as if its in a battle for life and death as if there is a tiny troll between the two eyelids using the last of his strength to keep the eye lids from closing in around that last standing eyeball. And the same man who in all consciousness seems to have lips that are rejecting his words but subconsciously manages to get them out. This man was barely coherent but he was determined enough to tear out this memory from the past. I asked him nervously, “where do you think this gold is at, can you find it again? where would we have to travel?” He replied, “I hid it in a cave bruh. I buried it behind an entrance. We canget it. You need money bro??” I replied almost immediately, “Yes, yes I do actually. Lets go, where is this cave??” The conversation was getting tense, I turned off the music and closed the windows. I wasn’t trying to take advantage of this man and lure his secrets out but it sounded like he didn’t need much gold and would be willing to share some of the catch. “Pshhh hey misstur, cpam youm get me home i’m veruslepy” Just like that I saw his head drop as if he had been holding up the world under that scrawny little neck. And I knew at that point that he had drifted off into a deep sleep. I had lost the gold. We arrived at our location. I woke him up, but there was no gold in his eyes, only sleep. “Here sir take this dollar as you end this beautiful night. Wonderfl ride mistur. I’m due for a pillow see ya latur sir.” And that was that. He left me there that night alone in my car. No gold. No hope. But I still think back on that trip. If only I had splashed some water in his face. Or if only I had refused to take him home until we planned our trip to Mumbai. Blast it all! I hope that gold is safe. Until next time...

[uberstoriesandthings-blog]

Submission

thecoredriver: One time I was driving with Uber and it was snowing alot and I was driving my Nissan Juke with snow tires and awd and I was actually enjoying the snow but I got a trip that was 50 miles away. I picked up a gentleman who said he had been drinking at work and needed me to drive him home because he was unable to get behind the wheel. I remember looking at the app and thinking holy shit, 50 miles in the snow is going to take forever. He felt bad about it and actually apologized. We drove for about an hour and a half before arriving to our destination. He thanked me and said here and gave me a $50 dollar bill. I had a bad attitude at first but ended up making $90 something dollars!

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Submission

thecoredriver: Another story involves an iphone. I had just picked a passenger up in the Loop and we were heading north and the passenger yelled to me to stop and he bolts out the door for an object in the road. He came back and he was like yo dude check this out I found an iphone 6! I was like "no way" He hands it up to me and it was very very visibly annihilated. It looked like it was the product of someone's fierce rage. There was not even a sliver of glass left on the phone and it looked as if it had been run over by a large truck continuously for a few weeks. We laughed about it and then he said "I wonder what will happen if I put it on the seat and pretend not to know that its there?" He ended up leaving it in the door handle and the next person in saw it but didn't take the time to look at it and tried to sit on it and slide it out of the car but then realized that it was destroyed and left it on the edge of the seat lol

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Being an Uber driver has really helped me reflect on who I am and who I’m not. I’m not someone who will become a milionaire driving for Uber. I realize that. Neither am I someone who pursues random people all day hoping to find someone I can marry or hook up with in a short trip around the city. I’m dead set that the person you’re meant to be with is someone who you have a history with who you are constantly pursuing. To the guys and gals out there who are in this constant state of anxiety and awareness within social environments involving other people, stop keeping an eye open for that “one person who sticks out” Chances are that one person who you’ll end up with is probably already in your life but you shafted them and you’ll have to retrace your steps until you find where you’ve left them. I had a really deep conversation with a passenger a few months ago about this exact topic. I try not to get into deep conversations but this gentleman was upset that he got treated like shit at a bar with a lady so we started talking about the importance of previous friendships and relationships and to really look back at what was had and where things went wrong. I told him that my search is over and that I felt that I already had someone that I was going to end up with. Even tho I’m driving around away from this person and even tho I don’t go home to her or call her, I felt as if I was meant to have faith that she would meet me where we found division. And he respected that I could tell that he had a similar experience or relationship that he felt stuck out. We give up on each other so easily these days its no wonder people are so unhappy. I generally think tho that if you’re with someone and its only smooth sailing that you two probably haven’t had any real opposition yet that you’ve had to battle. Which means that you’re probably just living a pretty comfortable and convenient life. Which is not accurate in any sense of the word. Life is a struggle and a war and if its only jelly beans and cake, you’re going to be sorely disappointed when things take a turn for the worse and you have nothing to prepare for it with. So if you take anything away from this I would establish right and wrong within yourself first of all, bind your life to love, and do the best you can with what you have and don’t always be looking for something else. We have the tools to go far.

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I’m not gonna lie who actually likes to get hit on? Its not comfortable for me and it shouldn’t be for you. I hate fake conversation and flattery. Obviously being a guy I dont really get hit on by many women but I do get hit on by gay men. And it’s kind of funny at first but its uncomfortable. I don’t believe its really acceptable in any environment. Flattery should never win you over. Its an accelerated response. Its an overzealous behavior. Its fueled by everything but passion unfortunately. And yet I know for a fact that so many people appreciate when they are hit on. They love the attention, they love the opportunity. They find enjoyment in being put on a pedestal by someone who isn’t a predominant figure in their life. I just don’t understand that. You should never in any amount find yourself letting flattery get the best of you in order to let someone into your life. As an Uber driver, I find flattery to be extremely fake and artificial. I want the real you. The you that isn’t trying to win me over with some stupid compliment or line that you feel is a game winner. Being authentic and real is a game changer and its rare. And it reveals itself in time. There is no rush because authenticity attracts the same. There are certain pathways to specific responses and positions in life. If you like your appearance to be complimented, wait until you’re in marriage to expect and appreciate it from someone enough to allow them further into your life. Its not proper to expect someone who isn’t yours to compliment you in that nature; you’re only encouraging people to make a statement by flattery. Compliments are great and they help us navigate, but they aren’t ultimately the answer. I know women want to know that they are important to their significant other, but until marriage, you will have to believe that they put others first and take their own life with seriousness. Thats really the only way to gauge how they will treat you in marriage. Its not our role to press someone into pickup lines or flattery or compliments in order to choose them. Its our role to analyze their life with their actions and to trust their intentions and to believe in their love. Be careful who you compliment. Be careful with the direction that your words lead. Don’t be a quick trigger. Have composure and allow your steps to be lead by love, not vain ambition and cheap lust. 

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If you’re going to forget anything in my car, please don’t forget your cell phone. Uber compensates you around $15 to return a phone and whatever you work out with the passenger, but its a hassle. You will have to coordinate a time to meet the passenger while working. Which means that you have a second phone to tend to. 

It has really only happened once to me, but it was kind of funny how it happened. I picked up 3 college age students who were headed to a concert. They were all having a good time with their pre-show energy buildup. Otherwise known as pregaming. I made that determination when I noticed them passing around the Mcdonald’s cup. As if three football players would share a coke. They were drinking alcohol. Those sneaky bastards. We were almost to the venue otherwise I may have asked them to chug it and throw out the evidence. Right before they left, I did mention that it was weird that 3 guys would share a coke and they laughed. I took off and immediately received another trip going far south of where I had just dropped them off. I picked up the passenger and we headed on our way. Thats when I heard a phone ring. The passenger didn’t pick it up but she did hand me a phone that had been in the door handle. “Oh, someone left their phone.” She said.. Well that was convenient. I tried to ignore the fact that I just dropped them off and they just recognized they forgot it and now the phone is ringing again. Great. So I let it ring. “I’ll pick it up for you the lady said” “Hello? Yes you forgot your phone in the back of this gentleman’s car. Um, no he’s driving right now he can’t talk. No, I would suggest you wait until Uber contacts you with the instructions for how to get your phone back as the driver needs to focus on his work. Ok, sorry, bye.” That was awesome, she literally drove the nail in the coffin and now I could relax and finish my night and expect a call from Uber.

I dropped off the lady at Garret popcorn and expressed how thankful and cool a response she had given the forgetful passenger. 

I finished out my night and went to bed.

The next day I woke up and immediately remembered I had someone’s brand new Iphone X in the back of my car. I drove into the city and began my day. As I was driving I kept on hoping that when I received a call from Uber that it would be when I was in the area that the phone needed to be returned to so I wouldn’t be required to drive too far and leave the area. I decided to take a break and get off the road and get some food. And just as I was about to eat, I overheard someone across the room talking to someone about their phone being lost. I thought to myself, well you and my friend the student. I chuckled to myself and took a chug of water. “Yeah, I went to this show yesterday and we were so drunk I left my phone in the Uber’s car. I’m going to offer him 200 dollars to come return it I need it so bad.” What?? I stood up and looked across the room to see THE gentleman on a phone that had forgotten his Iphone X. No way, I ran across the room and and tapped his shoulder. He looked at me in bewilderment and asked if I had the phone. I ran out to my car and brought it in. 

What a relief. I returned the phone, didn’t have to drive far, and he gave me $20 bucks. Not bad

[uberstoriesandthings-blog]

Jealousy and Eaves dropping

One sure fact about being an Uber driver is that over time you will hear and participate in many conversations. I overhear couples talking and friends bickering and lots of times just sit in silence. I won’t forget one conversation I eaves dropped into regarding a couple and some jealousy and betrayal. I could literally feel this couples pain. But from what I could tell he was narcissistic and not very level headed and I’m willing to expect his very own behavior led him to be in his very position. I pulled up to pick them up and I could already sense attitude with the guy from the get go. I immediately felt as if he had a distaste for male Uber drivers. I would assume its a common disinterest among married couples and in relationships. As soon as they both were buckled up and ready to leave he abruptly signaled for me to wait until “I found the right address” I think i overheard them discuss a bar that had been closed. I saw the glow of their cell phones and assumed they were looking up the address. After a few moments the guy snapped at me questioning why I wasn’t moving. “Oh, you said you needed to find a different bar but you never specified what it was??” Uh, you should have just headed to where the original location was until I updated the destination.. “Oh, yeah my bad I should have just assumed so..” I said sarcastically. I took off towards the closed bar. “Um make sure you figure out where you need to go before we get to this supposedly closed bar please..” *He mumbled something. I already felt bad for his wife. He seemed like a douche bag. She began talking about a work outing where her co worker had brought her husband or boyfriend. I wasn’t sure of the details. She started emphasizing how nice of a guy he was and how he had this “thankfull calendar” where he documented his days as a doctor and worked through some of his struggles. Her husband seemed to be taking all this in very annoyingly and I could tell she was trying to upset him but at the same time he wasn’t receiving the information receptively. He asked “who is this guy? yeah i’m sure he’s a nice guy” The conversation quickly shifted...He says, “So this so and so book. I can’t wait till it gets in from amazon. Its about how the military tests and assesses soldiers individually for training.” She didn’t say much. I think she wanted to hear something different. Whenever she talked it was always in this almost innocent but yet mischievous tone. 

She was breaking him down and he wasn’t opening up. Was it the right way to do it? No. Did he care that she was talking to another man? Yes. She should be grateful he cared and got upset. Could she have used another method of conversation to open him up? Yes of course. Could he have spent a little more time on the topic and explained his disinterest for her talking with another man in so passionate of a way? Yes. 

There’s are just things you overhear if you’re interested. Or you can just focus on the road and block things out. I go back and forth. But I will admit its every man’s fear when the woman he loves starts to use her time away from him to approach other people in order to break him down. We are a species of trust and as an Uber driver, I see and hear so much disarray within couples and spouses its very unsettling. And being a lone male among other lone females is a vulnerable place to be. But yet I continue to do the right thing and respect the divide. Just because someone likes me or is friendly is not an opportunity to pursue them. I’ve got very strict guidelines for who that person will be and where we need to be spiritually and mentally for it to succeed. That way my boundaries are set in place and my heart is not “open for anyone” When you have a very specific love that you’re set out to find, friendliness or attractiveness, or flirtiness just isn’t enough to set you free. I hope most drivers feel the same way. Itll save you alot of heartache.

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Male and Female drivers

14% of Uber drivers are Women.

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Total Drivers

By 2017 Uber had over 1.5 million drivers!

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Uber Valuation

Uber Valuation in 2017- $69 billion (Bloomberg)

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Brutal Story

It starts like this, I had just finished dropping off a rider to their destination. It was cold out. In fact, it was -10 degrees. Yet that didn’t stop the partying. The partying must go on despite the weather. Which also means good things for Uber drivers. I believe i took 42 trips that night. Anyways back to the story. True story of course, just to clarify. Nothing fictional about this. So I had just finished dropping off a rider and was heading back to a street that had a decent amount of bars; I’m at an intersection and see from a distance a very classy looking lady in a dress, and a gentleman. They both looked as if they were fighting but from their body language they looked extremely cold so I drove over to them and offered them a ride. Excuse me, I opened the window and asked “do you need a ride” and they didn’t say a thing but just opened the door and jumped in. (it was THAT cold!) Upon entering my car I noticed the gentleman had what looked like ketchup dripping off his face due to the thickness of it. Not to freak anyone out or turn you away from Uber, but I could tell they were just out of a party and they were not thinking clearly waiting outside for an Uber so I decided to help them out. It turns out that they were arguing because the gentleman, a potential bf, or current bf, had started a fight on what I could tell was one of the first or second date and got his face scratched when the bouncer kicked him out. But because it was so cold outside, the 5 minutes that they were waiting, the blood dripping down his chin FROZE! Bloodcicles! I was so intrigued yet concerned for this gentleman. I gave him a napkin and he started breaking off the blood chunks and thanked me for picking him up. It turns up that the ride that they were scheduled was a ten min wait and in that cold, was much too long a wait so I drove in and stole the trip. We ended up making 2 stops and over 20 miles but because of the surge pricing and the generosity of the lady, I made almost $50 in fare. 

I’ve never seen a bloodcicle before. Happy New Year