Silent All These Months

What's it like to do rideshare during a pandemic?

Reasonably lucrative for a side hustle. But quiet. Really quiet.

I used to drive a lot of college students. Travelers who did routine commutes from New York City. Drinkers. People on expense accounts, out for a night on the town, doing the responsible thing by not driving.

This was all predictable. Surge prices were known, distances were pretty standard. You could bank on pretty consistent hourly rates, cadge a few conversations from people, see your tip revenue rise as you played with people. I'd try a little stand up from time to time, offer water, mints and cough drops, and clean at the start of the night only, for my ratings.

None of that now.

Now, it's essential workers going to warehouses, court houses, fast food restaurants and big box stores. People coming home from the grocery store with supplies. Stragglers at train stations with fairly random drop points. I crack the windows to the point of making things uncomfortable, enforce the mask mandate, and have bought my own spare masks if the fare is without one and looks like they'd actually wear it. I also rank those people low enough so I'm sure I don't get them again.

You can make a lot in an hour, or you can make very little. 

The rideshare platforms have been more and less aggressive in courting drivers. Tips have gone down while ratings have gone up. People are grateful for the service, but they are quiet, and all of them probably make less than I do, so I can hardly blame them.

Most of the time, I don't mind the silence. If I talk, there's more heat in my mask, and I have a three-layer mask that keeps me safe at the sake of comfort. I pinch the metal clasps, perch my glasses further on my nose to cut down the fog, and work more hours than I used to.

I also try not to think about the odds that someone with the virus has already been in the car, has already put me at risk. I try to stay local, because my area has low infection rates outside of nursing homes, and I know the roads (and potholes). I watch the rates. 

Since the pandemic started, and since I've gotten back on the road, here are the numbers.

1,190 rides in 486 hours for $14.5K in gross, $13.5K in net. That's $27 an hour.

Living wage for a ghost.