Why your driver avoids certain towns / wants to work locally

Flat tires are an occupational hazard of rideshare driving. Go long enough, especially in urban areas where the majority of efficient requests are going to happen, and you are going to find potholes and get unlucky. 

But here's the thing about potholes in my immediate area; I usually only hit them once. If something is especially bad, it logs in the memory and you either try to avoid that street, or treat it gingerly.

Guess where none of that comes into play? A city you don't know very well.

Here's the five towns where I've gotten a flat in the last two years of rideshare.

Newark. Under an overpass, in rain, where the repair guy came out and told me he's at this place all the time. Glad it's working out for you. This came on a Saturday night, during heavy surge pricing. Faboo.

Camden: On the way to Costco, in a neighborhood that was more than a little intimidating, with a car full of people who did not speak a word of English and didn't seem to understand that no, the ride is over, find another way to get where you want to go.

Willingboro: On a very cold night, with a terrible passenger in the car who kept telling me that my car had a jack (it doesn't; hybrids cut the weight as much as possible to save on mileage) despite all evidence to the contrary. That was a truly magical two hours waiting for service.

New Brunswick: A town of personal horrors. Nail in the tire, but at least I found a repair place that was open and got on the road again in an hour. New Brunswick is also the only place where I've ever gotten a ticket while working in rideshare (bullspit cop nonsense where I didn' t know what was going on with a road repair situation, and cut over safely, but seemingly annoyed him), which wound up getting managed away by an attorney referral. Don't just pay the fines, people. Also, don't go to New Brunswick, and if you ever do go there, turn off the apps and leave ASAP.

Philadelphia: Tonight, in Southwest Philly near Grays Ferry, AKA a part of town where nothing good ever happens. While using Destination Mode to try to get closer to my home, because the Rideshare Gods truly suck some of the time.

The commonality of all flat tire experiences is that they have all occured on a weekend, where I'm more likely to expand my zone because I'm taking in a full shift. Which means I'm chasing surge, and under stress, and likely not making my best decisions.

Oh, and there's another commonality: I'm *way* more likely to not take rides to those areas in the future, or if someone takes me there, to turn off the app and drive right the hell out as soon as they are out of the car.

When I worked this side hustle in California, I'd go anywhere, even though I tried to generally stay local, where the fares were higher. But I never had to worry about an app not working out of state, because leaving California was never possible; no one ever asked for a ride to Reno, Vegas, Portland or Mexico. But while some towns and areas had rough roads, it was never as bad as the East Coast, where temperature changes and poorer areas means bad roads here are simply the worst.

Tonight's happened while driving for Lyft, who have gone back to letting the app work for me in PA -- and also, seemingly, constantly dragging me over there. PA roads aren't as good, the lighting is worse, there's more deer and potholes, the base rate isn't as high, and tips haven't been as good. But other than that... well, there's nothing, But I need points during certain hours to stay in the highest ranking on Lyft, so today was the day I was going to grit my teeth and just commit to Lyft for a full shift no matter what... which is when the Rideshare Gods decided to intervene. FML.

Tomorrow, I'll get to my tire guy first thing in the morning (we're on a first name basis now, or at least should be), then try and fail to make up for the prime time half shift I missed. All while just loving the income disparity at local levels that cause the majority of my work to be in places where I'm way more at risk of real damage to my car. It all adds up to a true net that's over 20% lower than what it was two years ago, when inflation is up about 11% in the same time period. So the hustle is 30% less effective than it used to be for the driver, or, at least, this one.

Still wondering why there don't seem to be enough drivers around when you need one?

A night at the cinema, in three acts

 I start the shift in poor spirits for reasons, and the first half dozen rides respect and reflect my mood with quiet passengers and good for that. But the gods of rideshare / rules of math will not abide, and I get a fare to pick up a woman at a convenience store in a bad neighborhood. It's a guest ride, which is alays trouble but I find her with no real difficulty... as she spends several minutes stuffing  detritus into a trash bag from a vehicle that is literally being held together with duct tape, and is about to be abandoned in front of a sign that promises towing. Nope; not going to ask, nope, not in the mood... and fifteen minutes of fare commences with a constant shuffling of goods in the back seat, along with a low muttering. I see you, Rideshare Gods that are intent on getting me to connect with humanity for the sake of a narrative. No sale. I'm not buying. Drop, 3 stars just for a general sense that this story will continue and I don't want to be here for it, besides delays suck, and next.

The next fare is a highly cautious woman from a good restaurant in a dicey-adjacent neighborhood. I reassure, don't make eye contact, offer amenities that she's impressed by, and we're off. It turns out she's African-American, retired, used to teach second graders and shares my political science degree. Goddamit. Fine, Rideshare Gods, I'm not made of stone. The app takes me through a neighborhood that concerns her, but I reassure and distract with conversation, and since I'm winning on so many conversational levels, I prove my progressive bona fides with a name drop of "The 1619 Project" as it's now got a Hulu series (she hadn't heard of it, was instantly intrigued), then ask her professional opinion on "Abbott Elementary" (loves it). She calls me the best Uber driver ever and tips later. Fine, Rideshare Gods, I'm back in the saddle. Let's be available for people.

The very next ride, because the Rideshare Gods are absolutely ham-handed with the timing, is for a woman outside of a closed Starbucks who is having what seems to be the worst day of her life. Her father is having  a horrifying time with what may be a terminal disease, and her adult daughters are taking the opportunity to, seemingly, lash out at her. She's missed her train back to NYC, and I've got her for 20 minutes to a train station that she'll wait at for the next hour. There's absolutely nothing I can do for other than inadequate transportation (no, I'm not taking her to NYC, and it sounds like she doesn't have the money for it anyway), and the last 18 minutes of the ride is her alternating between talking and sobbing to a friend on her phone.

I go home, write an overly long email to the person that inspired the original bad mood, and contemplate this blog post. Goddamn Rideshare Gods.

Five Ask Me Anything questions on rideshare driving

A list of commonly asked questions with the answers I give, and the answers I want to give, because I am a smartass. I don't say the DA, because the first rule of rideshare driving is remain on the platform, and you remain on the platform by not saying terribly memorable and problematic things to your passengers. Even when you really wanna...

Q: Do you prefer Uber or Lyft?

Real Answer (RA): It depends on the week and passenger. Lyft passengers tend to be outliers -- the best and worst -- and the apps are a little different when it comes to how much control it gives to the driver. But generally, it's not too strong, one way or the other.

Desired Answer (DA): Like all drivers who are on both platforms, I am a bloodthirsty pirate with no allegiance to anything beyond the almighty dollar. You would be too, if you drove. Tip. Then tip more.

Alternate DA: I prefer more interesting questions than this one. Try harder.

Alternate DA: Is this the part where you blast away on your past grievance with the platform you are not using now, and I pretend to care?

Q: Has anyone ever had sex in your car while driving?

RA: Yes, because weight shifts and noises are not particularly hard to notice in a hatchback. Since they outnumbered me, and stopping them would have compromised safety, I pretended not to notice and completed the work. After they exited, I wiped down all surfaces, filed an incident report, made sure to rate them in a manner where I wouldn't get them again, and went about the rest of my shift. No, I'm not going to tell you if this has happened more than once.

DA: Are you offering?

Alternate DA: I'm doing it right now. Don't judge.

Alternate DA: Are you a cop? You have to tell me if you're a cop.

Q: How much do you make?

RA: It depends on the shift and varies a lot. We get paid a base, surge, promotion and tip. If you hit on just the base, it's not worth it. If you hit on all four, it's quite acceptable. I know how much I've made to date, and I've got a pretty good estimate on what I can achieve this week, but it's kind of like fishing. You don't really know how it's going to go.

DA: Not enough. Tip. Now.

Alternate DA: I make nothing. This is penance for my sins. So many sins.

Alternate DA: How much do *you* make?

Q: Do you prefer short rides or long rides?

RA: I prefer rides that end at the exact place of my next passenger, so that there's no inefficiency in my shift. Other than that, it depends on the week, if I'm chasing a high ride count bonus.

DA: Ask me again in a little while, when I see if you can hold a conversation.

Alternate DA: It's more about the thickness than the length.

Alternate DA: All rides are the same... under the sheets.

Q: Should I become a driver?

RA: If you have the right kind of car and personality for it, and can be different people for different people, sure. I've done this for 6+ years and 26K+ rides, and I think I've become a better person for doing it. There is also, well, money involved. Rideshare has helped me to avoid a lot of worse ideas when things weren't going well. But the reality is that 2 out of 3 drivers who try it don't stick with it past the intro period.

Alternate DA: No. All rides are mine. Not yours.

Alternate DA: It's something you're *born* with, man. If you need to ask the question, you'll never be a *real* rideshare driver.

DA: I get a bounty if you do it from my referral, so you should only do this if it makes me ..money. Or, shorter, YES. YES. DO IT. DO IT NOW. I NEED MONEY YOU CAN MAKE ME MONEY MAKE ME MONEY MONEY MONEY...

A ride with perspective

Stop 1

The pickup comes at a supermarket that’s hood-adjacent and is always a good source for quick trips. I’m chasing down a number of rides to qualify for a bonus. It’s a Sunday afternoon. I’m not on empathy auto-pilot, but it’s a near thing. Weekends are when I do the majority of the work now, and after 2-3 days of mostly full shifts, my body hurts and my outlook is not great. I’m just grinding through it.

My pickup also has a stop. Not for nothing but stops generally stink for the driver. We make about a third of the money for waiting as we do for moving, parking spots are not always available or legal, this does nothing to help me complete the rides completed bonus, and so on. Not a fan. But I can’t avoid rides with stops, at least not usually, and the total ride length estimate is within tolerance levels. Let’s do this.

My guy is ready when I get there, which is not always the case at this supermarket or this neighborhood, and a serious plus. He’s a high school student, chatty, and he’s got a small bouquet of flowers from the supermarket in his hands. Aw, sweet. Maybe the stop is for his beloved. He listens to my spiel about amenities, confirms the address, and we’re off.

I don’t recognize the address, but that’s not a big issue, until we get to it. It’s… the cemetery.

It turns out that he comes here every week to visit the grave of his younger brother, who died after a long fight with cancer, last year.

We creep along small paths until we get close, and he hops out of the car to have a conversation that I, mercifully, can not hear. He takes all the time he needs. I check my email and social media, as if this was just another ride with a stop, and don’t otherwise do anything, because the last thing I want to do is (a) hurry him along, or (b) make him feel self-conscious. He needs a ride, not an unrequested and ham-handed attempt at therapy.

He pops back in the car after a few more minutes. I take him to his next stop, close out the ride, and wish him well.

And go back to doing the job, having scratched off one more unique use of ride share off my card.

With a fresh understanding that the problem of getting enough rides to qualify for a bonus isn’t that big of a problem, really.