I started working for Uber in January 2019 when I left a software company and was looking my next foray into my software development adventures. I usually take a month break between jobs or contracts but at the time I was facing some financial troubles making it difficult to pay for my living expenses. I searched for easy to get jobs but I knew I wouldn’t get something right away. Eventually, I settled for Uber, initially by necessity. Uber requires a lot of paperwork to start picking up riders including a safety inspection. You’re considered self-employed so you’re responsible for registering a business and handling taxes.
I was working long shifts. Starting from 5 AM in the morning until 10 PM. Then another 4PM-9PM shift. This was on the weekdays mostly to serve people going to and from work. On Saturdays, it was usually from 4PM to midnight to satisfy those enjoying outings on the weekends both sober and drunk. Sunday was my break day and work was slow anyways, few people seemed to go out on Sundays.
I gained quite a bit of respect for taxi drivers and bus drivers. Driving for 8-10 hours a day was really difficult with the constant concentration and physical activity. I came back home with cramps all over my body and pain medication was my best friend. I took weeks for my body to adjust and the after shift pain went away.
Navigating a city was much harder than I though even with Google Maps. I actually asked my friend who was a bus driver how I could know the city better. He suggested to purchase the large maps from the gas station and start plotting routes on it. Eventually, the road network in Ottawa became more and more lucid in my mind and I started to rely less on navigation.
The most difficult part for me was actually finding the rider after the request. Incorrect addresses, misplaced pins and imprecise GPS positioning made it really hard. Sometimes I got the name of a venue and in tight downtown Ottawa sometimes it might be hard to find that particular restaurant. Pickup and dropoffs required me to stop sometimes in the middle of the road and I started to realize how impatient Ottawa drivers could be with frequent honking and overtaking.
When commuting to work you see only common driving situations. However, when exploring the city you get to see how wild drivers can be. Sudden lane changes, people going against one way streets, accidents, etc. Safety becomes much more paramount and require diligent attention. It didn’t help that you had a stranger passenger on board, you feel more obligated to protect them.
The amount of multitasking was quite overwhelming. First, you had to find and drop off the passenger in a safe location. You were to drive the car more smoothly and carefully than usual. Navigation was difficult too as you had to pay attention to both your phone and the street looking carefully for street names and not getting distracting missing an intersection. You had to talk and entertain the rider while doing all of the above. It didn’t help that I was driving a manual transmission car and all my limbs were busy.
After a month, I was back into my field. My car took quite the beating running thousands of kilometers. Within a month I need an oil change and a thorough brake job. Most of the driving was in the city and the heavy stop and go pace meant heavy fuel consumption. I started to understand why many Uber drivers purchased hybrids.
However, I realized after starting my new contract that I actually missed working for Uber. I decided to become a part time driver working on Saturdays only from 4PM to 1AM.
Uber was my first customer service job and it was totally different from anything I’ve done sitting in an office. Honestly, it was quite the relief from the isolation in being in a cubicle. It wasn’t about making a big company bigger, but rather serving people. It felt way more fulfilling than anything I’ve ever done. I actually felt like I was making people happy and providing them a service they needed. Intoxicated people were no longer driving, instead I was sober able to them home safely.
It didn’t help that I’m extremely passionate about driving. The part I look the most forward to in the day is my commute to the office. Every Sunday, I take my car for a 100 km stroll. I find driving very satisfying and engaging. Although I’m not a car enthusiast in the sense that I want to collect them or know how they work very well, I’m a driving enthusiast.
The job became more of a hobby for me rather than work. I actually looked forward to every Saturday more even then the weekdays with my day job.
I don’t think Uber is a good full-time job as it seems to make little money. However, if you’re interested in the social aspect and driving, it’s a much more interesting proposition. For those who work in an office all the time, I highly recommend trying a customer service job just to see what it’s like.