Adventures of a Lyft Driver

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!

Today, some Uber and Lyft drivers will be "striking" because they feel their "wages" are too low. This shows a clear misunderstanding what some of these drivers signed up for and should stop driving not just today, but for good, to find an actual job. It's a shame I just started this blog yesterday so it will not get a lot of exposure. Apparently, these idiots are more interested in poisoning the well than do what is right for the ridesharing community -- drivers and riders. You can't strike for higher wages when you are not an employee, you numbskulls. You can take yourself off the platform at will, which is the whole point of the freedom the rideshare experience offers for drivers. Wages are something an employee receives from an employer, while Uber and Lyft are not employers and drivers are clearly not employees. Nor are drivers self-employed, rather they are clearly independent contractors. They were told this in no uncertain terms when they sig...

So, I was near the Boca Raton Airport ( #KBCT ) and received a request for a Lyft at one of the FBOs. Headed over and picked up a young guy (late 20s-early 30s) who had just flown in from L.A. on a chartered jet. He was dressed like I used to often dress in my early 20s -- weird. He looked like he could of have been the spawn of Johnny Rotten (that's a compliment, btw). Anyway, his friend was supposed to pick him up but due to a scheduling conflict, his friend was unable. "Johnny Rotten, Jr." just wanted to go to a certain Boca Raton restaurant until another friend was able to pick him up. The scheduling conflict was his because he got his weekends mixed up and was debating whether to head down to Miami with his friend where another friend was going to be performing or renting a car and heading over to the West Coast of Florida where his sister is staying. After putting his bag in the trunk, he sat in the front seat and was extremely down-to-Earth.  On the way, a...

In mid-April, the Tortuga Music Festival happens every year on Fort Lauderdale's south end of the beach. During the week, I had transported workers prepping for the event so I got to know some of the "behind-the-scenes" happenings. During the festival, I was in Pompano Beach and got rung up for a 2-star hotel. It took a while, but three young women came out who, much to my surprise, were not drunk or on drugs - though they sure seemed like they were. They were a bit of a mess and took a while to get ready to go. They were hilarious! One girl thought she was bringing her supplies for the beach, but it was a bag of trash that needed to go into the hotel's dumpster, for example. On the way, there is a small strip center on Federal Highway called the "VAG Plaza". Well, this became the theme for the ride as we all came up with different hysterically funny slogans for the VAG Plaza. There was some talk of doubling back to take a picture with the VAG Plaza...

I picked up a 19-year-old mother who was just getting off her overnight shift and she used the ride as somewhat of a therapy session, which happens often. During the ride home, she would go from laughing to crying, telling me what her life was like.  She wants to be independent, but it is very hard. She lives in an apartment with her boyfriend, her son's father. She told me how hard it was to pay the bills and how she doesn't know what her boyfriend does while she's at work and supposed to be keeping an eye on their son; she doesn't care so long as he contributes financially. She suspects he is cheating on her. She works nights because it pays better and she doesn't eat regularly as keeping the lights on and the health of her son is more important. She has high hopes for the future though; going to school to get a better job, perhaps starting her own business. Her son is a prime motivator for her to excel in the future and I suspect she will be a great su...

On this day, I picked up a rider in Mizner Park. A lady helped this other lady to the car even though she seemed able-bodied. The lady who helped the rider disappeared quickly and do not know who she was, but the rider got in and wanted to make sure I had the destination correct. We established that I did, and we were off! I guesstimated her to be in her mid-50s and was on her way to get some tests done at a well-known medical company. I realized quickly the rider seemed a bit confused about things. Driving along Glades Road she voiced that the route on the GPS was wrong and that I should go another way. I told her I am happy to go any route she would like, but the one on the GPS was the fastest route. She was reluctantly accepting of the new route, but the moment was got in a turning lane, she quickly voiced that she was feeling very uncomfortable. I profusely apologized and said we can take her normal route if that would be better for her. Again, she reluctantly agreed to go the...

In the early hours, I got rung up to pick up a Dr on A1A. I knew he was a doctor because that is all that showed up for a name. Turns out it wasn't just any place on A1A, it was a house that had to be worth at least $15 million or perhaps closer to $20 million -- beachfront. I couldn't understand why this guy wasn't using Lyft Lux or Lyft Lux Black, as it turned out it was his house and he wasn't just one of the staff. Pickups and drop-offs at such homes are more often staff than the owners of the home, but not always. It was going to be a 45-minute ride and we got along swimmingly. He was a super nice guy heading out on a two-part trip, business, and pleasure. He had made some of his money building a certain type of medical clinics but made his big money through a few patents he developed and is now getting into another division of health care with has great growth potential. He is a very down-to-Earth type guy, hard-working and is a fortunate soul. Turns out ...

This morning I picked up a gentleman and his daughter to take to the Tri-Rail station in Delray Beach, Florida. The pick up was in a lower-income area and the ride was short. During the ride, the father was telling his high school age daughter about riding the Tri-Rail and had arranged for her transportation from the Deerfield Beach Tri-Rail station to her high school in Coconut Creek. The father was incredibly nice and "fatherly". Also, during the ride, the daughter called her mother (the father and mother are going through a separation) to see if this afternoon she could take her from the high school back to the Tri-Rail station in Deerfield Beach. The response was quick and profanity-laced. I quickly saw the reason for the separation and why the daughter was living with the father. During the ride, I also learned the family was struggling financially as the father had recently lost his job was only able to rent a room at the location I picked them up at. I dropped...