Aug 23 2025: I pick up Juwan from a church at night for a 30-minute trip to his home. We’re both very tired. It’s my last trip of the day. I am playing my standard shuffle of my personal music library. Juwan doesn’t care, he is just being quiet. Five minutes from his house we get Eva Cassidy doing Wade in the Water, and before you know it we’re both singing along at top volume. He’s told me about his childhood in Africa and his time as a missionary. He doesn’t know much American music but he knows this song (not Eva’s version) and it brings him back to his childhood and his home village. I’ve made his day. Great time. (It was also a good tip from someone who can’t afford much.)
(When a passenger seems religious I sometimes tell them to “have a blessed day”, trying to connect for more of a tip. Is that slimy? Maybe. It’s just different words for a genuine sentiment.)
Aug 25: I get my second repeat passenger, Shaunikawan. (Yes, that’s her name. People have insane names. You don’t even know.) I didn’t recognize her, but she knew me. She knew where I lived, she knew I had three kids. Coincidentally, she was going to the same Walmart as my first repeat customer. She was thinking of taking up Uber herself. I think I talked her out of it. If you don’t have a nice car already, buying or renting one for Uber is a loser. Particularly a gas car. I don’t see how anyone can make profit without an electric car.
September: I’ve been waiting to be matched with a passenger I already know in real life. It’s bound to happen. It still hasn’t happened yet. But I got my first customer from my neighborhood, Diana. She lives just down the road from our house. She was very surprised how quickly I got there! We didn’t know each other but spent the ride introducing ourselves and finding all our common connections. It was fun!
Sept 29th: How the f did a cigarette butt get on my nice carpeting? No one smokes in my car…
Over the few last months I’ve averaged around $30/hour. That is my baseline now. I usually reject rides under that amount.
(Most drivers optimize on dollars per mile instead of hour. It’s a surprisingly subtle question which way to think about it. In the end dollars per hour is more appropriate for me specifically.)
Uber questions:
1. What percentage of riders tip?
2. Can you accurately predict tip based on the route requested?
3. What % of your average hourly take is tip based?
4. What is the furthest from home you have found yourself after a stint of Uber driving?