Adventures of a Lyft Driver

This morning around 6:30 a.m., I got pinged to pick up a guy at a Boca Raton drug store. It was early and the store had not yet opened. I arrived a couple minutes later to find two guys in their 20s with suitcases. Now, let me say from the onset, these two characters were genuine and hard not to like, so the following is written with affection, especially for their particular situation. When they see my car, they act as if they are blown away that I got there so quickly and had three large bags of luggage. I thought they were going to the airport though upon checking the app, I saw they were going to a WalMart quite a distance away. Odd start. The guy who requested the ride was shirtless, had cargo shorts hanging below his but and just looked a mess, similar to Keanu Reeves in "Bill & Ted".  The other guy was more of a Spicoli figure from Fast Times at Ridgemont High. They get in; "Keanu" is Facetiming with a lady about my age as they discuss how they ended up...

I rarely drive at night, but Lyft was offering some extra incentives, so I took the bait. I went out from 1:30 - 3:30 a.m. and will never do it again. I have greater respect for drivers who deal with the many things I do not during the day, which I guess, is why they tend to have more income than day drivers. Things started off okay at first. My first ping happened almost immediately upon turning on the driving app and picked up a couple of guys who were finishing their shift at a local bar. Took them home and had a great conversation along the way. Did a few more uneventful rides. Then around 2 a.m. I get a ping for a guy to pick up in an upper-class neighborhood out west a bit. Along the way, I get a text from the rider saying that I am actually picking up a girl and he gives me her name. I get to the home and am waiting. Four minutes pass and he texts me asking why haven't I picked up the girl, and I respond via text, that she hasn't come out yet. Three seconds unti...

While some drivers for Uber and Lyft took the day off yesterday, May 8, 2019, to protest low "wages". The headlines from some media, even business media, showed many do not know the basic terminology of business. Wages are income employees receive, drivers are not employees and are not self-employed, but they are independent contractors for Uber and Lyft.  Yesterday's strike was a flop because drivers who are happy with the current system took it as an opportunity to go out and fill in where the "striking" drivers fell off. In L.A., New York, Miami, etc. there were more than enough drivers for those seeking a ride with Uber or Lyft. In fact, I heard from drivers saying they felt there were too many drivers out there. The "striking" drivers who want to be treated as employees should go find a job where they can be an employee. They knew in no uncertain terms that driving for Uber and Lyft was not being in business for themselves or being an emp...

It's nice to have friends who have boats big enough with garages onboard. During the annual Ultra Music Festival this past March 2019, I picked up more than a few rides from Fort Lauderdale International Airport ( FLL ) to take down to Miami for the festivities. Why they didn't fly into Miami's airport, which is much closer, I couldn't tell you. One such ride was a guy from Las Vegas who flew in on a red-eye and was psyched to get to his friend's boat at a popular marina on Miami Beach. He hadn't slept for over 30 hours and seemed well awake. He goes to as many music festivals as he can, all over the world, apparently. He likes that techno music. 😕 Anyway, he was telling me of all the problems associated with the latest in Las Vegas but had high hopes for this Miami event and one he is going to in Ibiza, Spain this summer. I joked with him that I heard the guy behind the Fyre Festival was helping this one out and he got nervous for a second until he re...

Fort Lauderdale is often an interesting place to pick up riders. This day would not disappoint. I got a notice for a rider at a close-by Walgreen's -- about 4 minutes away. Three minutes later, as I was pulling up to the rider, I get a text from her: "Where U At?" as if I was late or something. 🙄 She gets in, SUPER pissed -- about what I have no idea. She quickly demands the music off as she winds down her window in the back seat. Is she mad at me because I got there so quick? 😌 I guesstimate her age to be about 20 or so, dressed a bit grungily.  "I need to make a stop on our way!" she emphatically tells me.  "No problem, wherever you want to go is fine with me," I let her know. This calms her a little. We stop at a CVS which is on the way to her 4-star hotel on the beach. She angrily asks if I will wait for her, she won't be but a minute. "Of course, not a problem," I tell her. A few minutes later, she comes out carr...

This is the third time I have picked up this particular construction worker. Apparently, he takes Lyft every day to and from the construction site he works at in Boca Raton, Florida. This last time, he got in, didn't say a word even though I wished him a "Good Morning" and, as always, "let me know if I can adjust the temperature or change the music to your liking." Nothing. Just head down to his phone. We get to his destination, he gets out, heads to work. Not a peep! He didn't appear angry or happy or anything quite frankly. I laughed out loud as that is the first of 2,300 rides where a rider has not said a word to me. Hilarious!