Fascinating Things I’ve Learned From Uber Pax
“You will learn some fascinating things driving for Uber. Riders will share with you their fears, dreams, life hacks, etc.”
-Peerless Money Mentor
7 Months of Ubering
I have been driving for Uber since August of last year and it has been a fun ride! While driving for Uber, I have met a lot of interesting people. Drunk people have screamed Oops I Did It Again by Britney Spears out my window. Upcoming and established artist have shared their work with me. A number of folks have shared their struggles with student loans. Suffice it to say, I have learned a lot of fascinating things! I will share three stories with you but let me first share with you what I wrote after my first pickup.
See Related Post: How Fear of Public Speaking Limits My Earning Potential
My First Pickup
Last night was my first time driving for Uber and it was definitely an exciting experience. My first Uber rider canceled on me but I got paid a cancellation fee. After circling around downtown BR a few times after that, a pickup opportunity presented itself within the Uber app and I promptly accepted. When I saw North 13th street as the pickup destination, I was a little hesitant. Honestly, I wanted to cancel the pickup and go home but I called the rider instead to get his exact location. He let me know that he was at the greyhound bus station so I continued my trip. During our ride across the river, we had a great conversation about investment opportunities, Hurricane Harvey, careers, Airbnb, etc.
462 Trips Later
After one exciting night, I continued driving for Uber. So far I have picked up 462 people. Starting out I had no plan but now I mostly do Baton Rouge airport pickups. I feel like those are the safest runs since people have to go through security. Plus, riders are more likely to tip; the majority of people who fly into Baton Rouge are business travelers. I pick up a lot of IT consultants, small business owners, and managers. It is awesome being able to pick their brains! Let me share with you a few of the things I have learned from some of them.
The Pilot
“I also transport prisoners who are serving life long sentences.” the pilot informed me. Say what, I thought to myself. I thought prisoners stayed put forever. He went on to explain the logic behind this. “Prisoners are sometimes moved around to help prevent large prison gangs from forming.” he explained. His explanation seemed to make sense to me. Does it make sense to you?
A Jason Aldean Band Member
At the end of last year, I had the pleasure of riding with a guitar player for Jason Aldean’s band. One of my go to questions when I pick up riders is, “What do you do?” The band member informed me that he was a part of Jason’s Aldean’s traveling band. “Have you ever heard of Jason Aldean? he asked me. I honestly had no clue who Jason Aldean was but he seems to be very popular. My next question was how he got his start. He shared with me his story!
After high school, he and his friends created a band of their own. They would play in restaurants here in Baton Rouge, La and surrounding areas. “One day Jason Aldean walked into a restaurant where I was playing and loved my music.” he said. “After the show, Jason Aldean walks up to me and asked me to join his band!” I asked him if he hesitated to respond. “No! This is what I had always dreamed of. When an opportunity like that presents itself, you accept it immediately.” After I dropped him off, I immediately searched for Jason Aldean on Spotify. I now know who he is!
The Financial Planner
Two months ago, I picked up a financial planner. Given the fact that I am a personal finance addict, I always get excited when picking up financial planners. When I found out he was a planner, I immediately started asking him questions. The first question I asked was, “What is your investment minimum?” He surprisingly responded that his firm did not have a minimum and focused more on the planning side.
He would go onto tell me that the financial planning industry was changing. “In the past, you had to have a certain amount of capital to get started investing. Now the barrier to interest is lower and more people have access to the investment game.” the planner informed me. I told him about this blog and asked him some resources I could use to learn more. We exchanged numbers and he text me a couple of resources to check out.
A day later I received a text telling me to check out the White Coat Investor. Kitces.com and some other resource I cannot recall. I had heard of the White Coat Investor but not Kitces. Two weeks later, I would see an articled titled Why Two Incomes Aren’t Always Better Than One featured on Rockstar Finance.
I would go on to cite that article in my own blog post The Dark Side of Greatness that was also featured on Rockstar Finance! It’s crazy how the universe works sometimes 🙂
Community Feedback
Would you play a card game worth $30,000 if you were a multi-millionaire?
Would you be interested in reading more stories my Uber pax have shared with me? My most recent story involves a $64 tip!
Did you know who Jason Aldean was prior to reading this article?
What fascinating story has someone shared with you lately? Please share the story with me in the comments section!
Related Post: My $147 Lyft Pickup
Author: Jerry
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Yes, would love to hear that $64 tip. After I had a surgery a few months ago, I used to take Uber to go for my Physical Therapy 3x/week until I was cleared to drive again. I did it for a whole month and each ride costs me between $7-10. I usually tip my driver $2. Can you comment on my $2 tips?
Thanks for stopping by, Bernz! It’s nice to hear stories like that. One rider told me that her hospital staff in a rural area was trying to get in touch with Uber to setup a patient transportation system. That would be a huge undertaking.
2$? That’s it, Bernz!? You can do better than that!
Jk, $2 is more than my friends would tip. They usually tip their drivers $1.
jobrown2787 recently posted…Fascinating Things I’ve Learned From Uber Pax
Wow! Who knew that driving for Uber would provide so many life lessons as well? I guess it never really occurred to me that Uber is basically a taxi and regular people use it too, not just drunk college kids. What a fun job.
Thanks for stopping by, Michelle! I love your writing! Just finished reading about your plan to rescue your husband.
I would love reading these stories!
You could write a book!!
That’s interesting about LeBron James but I also found it more interesting that he said prisoners are moved around to prevent gangs from starting.
GYM recently posted…Is a Timeshare Worth It? The Timeshare Presentation Experience
Thanks for dropping by, Gym! I am glad you loved these stories. I’ll have to create a part two!
Yes, I thought prisoners stayed in one place during their sentences. He did say it was mostly the top guys being moved around.
Great stories. Thanks for sharing. I always read a lot of stories about driving for Uber but usually not with as much personal perspective as this. I really enjoyed it.
Money Beagle recently posted…Greed Or Smart? Disney Overnight Parking Will No Longer Be Free
Thanks a lot for stopping by, Money Beagle! I am glad you enjoyed it. I will have to create a part two!
jobrown2787 recently posted…Do You Even Splurge?
Love your writing style Jerry. I’m always so engaged in the story.
I’m curious, has the return on your time and vehicle’s wear and tear been worth driving for Uber? I’ve heard the true hourly rate tends to be a little on the lower side.
Thanks for the compliment, Jason! Thanks for stopping by. Honestly, I haven’t come up with a method to calculate the wear and tear on my vehicle. As of now I have been paying more for oil changes/tire rotations than ever before. Do you know of a good resource that calculates wear and tear? From my spreadsheet, I see that I am making a profit after taking out taxes and including the mileage deduction.
Maybe one day, you could give Lebron an Uber ride and get a $30,000 tip!
Haha, Cal! Now that would be really nice! I would invest it.
jobrown2787 recently posted…When Your Mom Becomes Your Landlord