Lessons from an Uber Driver

I have a friend who is an Uber driver.

Actually, it isn’t very rare these days. With the economy the way it is, and regular jobs getting harder to land, many have taken to alternative revenue streams like selling things online, professional shopping and yes, driving other people around.

Far from being Taxi 2.0, the new generation of driving isn’t just about getting people from point A to B. The previous generation of taxi uncles is slowly giving way to professionals who exude charm, intelligent conversation and advice on anything from where to go to what the best food choices around the area are. And trust me, it’s not as simple as getting into a car, picking someone up and dropping them off at the office.

Here are a few things that I’ve learnt while talking to my Uber friend – things that we can apply to our lives, even if you don’t spend much of it in a car.

Smile, even when the passenger can’t see you. It’s all about the service. These days, with the myriad of choices and the fleetingness of moments only exaggerated by short attention spans and the Internet, customers make up their minds about something (or someone) in a split second, mostly unfairly. Perception then takes over and your make-it-break-it moment is over. On the other hand, in most cases, all you need is a smile, a cheerful greeting, and a decent hairdo. Statistics show that a customer who is truly happy with your service is up to 6 times more likely to come back to you again – of course, this is difficult in an Uber setting, but used as a mantra for life, it should hopefully gain you some good friends and some free meals.

Be app-savvy. Everything is app based now, and mobile. You order your food, groceries and your car, all from that tiny little screen you squint at. On the driver side, they use the app too, how else would you expect it to work? Even though I work in IT, I often grimace at the thought of installing, learning and using new apps. My eyes and brain are tired, and the benefits from the energy I would have to expend would have to be worth much more than the bits and bytes the are being shoved into my phone over the airwaves, to be clobbered together into some hastily designed software put together by developers in a windowless room somewhere.

Be prepared to suffer. If you currently don’t have a job, but have a car lying around (OK, cars can’t lie, even if they tried to – and I’m also not talking about vehicles that tell things that aren't true), and think that maybe you can just get some extra pocket money by sending strangers to random places, you might want to think again. You’ll be sitting in a cramp little seat, with your foot balancing on a tiny pedal all day while your hands have to be permanently clamped to a wheel. On top of that, you have to be constantly on the lookout for crazy drivers whizzing all around you – and you know, the number of insane users on the road is only on the increase, what with the rise in Uber drivers. Hmmm. Bottom-line, it is a mentally and physically draining profession which is not for the lazy majority of us. But for those that have it in them, hard work will get you places, and I’m not just referring to the car ride.

There you have it. If you like driving around (a lot) and like to think of your driver’s seat as your personal mobile office space, it just might be your thing. Go for it!