Stuff people say in a Uber
Usually after I pick up a rider(s) we exchange the standard pleasantries and then I’m always, or well almost always, asked some of the following questions as the trip progresses.
Please note you don’t need to be driving an Uber to witness the diverse personalities of the human race, however it makes for a far more interesting ride when the person(s) you just picked up says something funny or just plain stupid!!
There are a lot of instances where this has happened, and no doubt will happen in the future, so I will simply list them here as I go and when the page is getting a bit long I will start up another.
One rider got in all excited this was his first Uber Ride – aka in the job known as a ‘Uber Virgin’- he wanted to know everything as he had read lot and decided to give it a go. It was hard for me to answer as he was firing a lot of questions one after the other.
The one that stuck in my mind that simply made me sit back and think was when he asked:
‘I heard Uber only works around the inner city areas, but not that far out. So does that mean that when you reach the limit you stop and let me out and I find my own way?’
I had to think a little bit about this as he was genuine but I assured him I would take him anywhere he wanted to go, there are no real limits however Uber does cover the area from Noosa to the Tweed border if that gave him an idea. He was cool with that but I reckoned he didn’t quite get what I was saying. This was confirmed by his next statement.
‘Ok cool that’s good to know. So when I need to get somewhere in Brisbane I can call an Uber anywhere as long as its with those cities!’
Yea I let that one go to the keeper as it could be confusing for both of us if I pursued it any further!
FYI – I picked up this guy from his house in the South West of Brisbane some 12 klms from the CBD – I was going to mention the fact that I had travelled there to pick him up as his suburb was not inner city – however I let that one go through to the keeper as well.
I delivered him safely to the Valley and he was very excited with his first trip and he leaped out of the car with a spring in his step. I hope he got home ok!
Other questions often asked:
How long have you been driving for Uber? (An oldie but a goodie)
Have you had any passengers give you trouble or attack you? (Not so far – touch wood)
Do you drive full time or do you have a day job? (I am always intrigued why people need to know this)
What do you do for a living? (That’s a question asked depending on the answer I gave above)
More specific questions were asked whilst the whole regulation discussion was taking place:
Have you ever been arrested or hassled by the Police or the Transport inspectors? (No – I have given rides to both policeman/women and also government employees who all support Uber but cannot officially say so publicly)
Is it safe to ride in a Uber? I have heard scary stories? (Well you are in one now and you seem to be comfortable with it)
Have you had anyone throw up in your car yet? (Thankfully no, however I have had a lot of requests from riders to pull over at times so they could puke in the gutter or behind a tree. The record for pulling over was one memorable trip where I drove these people from the Valley to St Lucia and I pulled over no less than 5 times!)
Funny questions or comments made:
Why is it when I book an Uber by using the Drop the Pin option you guys never arrive where I am? (Well that function is an approximate guide only as its based on GPS coordinates. However if you move the Pin, only slightly, it can mean the pick up address could be streets away from your actual location)
Why did you pull over further up the street from where I am? (Unfortunately the App and GPS is not smart enough to follow you if you decide to walk away from the original location when you booked the ride)
When you give rides to women, have you ever been hit on? (Even if I was this is a professional job that I take seriously and I wouldn’t break that trust. I have been given a couple of numbers but never used them)