Lessons from Riding with Uber
Trigger Warning: This article contains some content about harassment.
A long time ago, I was terrified of riding an Uber. What if I get raped or killed? Those things have happened to people!
To add to my anxiety, friends and neighbors would always remind me of these realities. Some of them even gave specific examples of news stories. While I appreciated their concern, the reminders didn’t help.
After riding Uber several times, I was finally able to relax. Some of the drivers had really nice cars with clean interiors. Some of them let me borrow phone chargers when I needed them. Others played upbeat music. My favorite part about Uber rides was that some of the drivers had interesting stories to share.
Drivers can be inspirational.
One woman told me about how much she loved her husband. She talked about how they met and how her husband proposed. Then she told me they would be celebrating their twentieth anniversary. This gave me hope for a love that will last.
One man told me about how he worked a full-time job that he loved before the pandemic happened. After he got laid off, he started driving for Uber and found it to be therapeutic while job searching. I was inspired by his persistence and optimism.
