Saturday, November 5, 2016
11/05/16
Any time the rider calls 30 seconds after the ride was accepted and is wondering "hey, where are you", there is going to be a problem. This would have been the only ride of the night but the rider did not show up.
11/04/16
First ride was at 7:32 pm, the moment I turned on the app and was leaving work. Had 4 Fare riders and 2 Uber riders. My placement was off from where I usually keep it and I was up north during the time riders would have been requesting rides downtown. However, there are a great number of clubs scattered out in the north and I decided to flip over to Uber and take advantage of some of those possible riders going home. I did get some activity but standard pricing didn't add up much. The 6 total rides by 11:00 pm got me about half way to my goal.
I have only given a few less than good ratings to the riders. An Uber rider tonight was one of those. To start with, the app froze shortly after accepting the ride and once it began working the navigation was slow to catch up. After receiving a call from the frantic rider, I realized that the navigation was completely off target. Between frequent moments of hysteria, the rider was able to tell me what street she was on and I made my way back to that street and drove right to her location without understanding half of what her paranoia was saying. She got in the vehicle and was going on about how her boss had locked her keys somewhere and was waiting for her to come to the store and help and she had to be there right now. In reading what I just wrote, the whole situation sounds like nothnig at all but hearing psychotic lady say it made it sound like the world was going to come to an end if she did not make it over to help her boss.
The navigation showed a drop of location about 4 miles away, so I took off to try and trim some time off of the trip. We were about half-way to the indicated location when Ms. Paranoia blurts out, "You just passed it!" "Oh, my God and there is my boss, Oh my God"! I let her know that all was okay and that all we needed to do was a quick u-turn and then dive into the shopping center, which is exactly what we did. "Boss lady" looked to be calm and whatever business they had to do was done. Ms. OMG was then drove back to the spot where I picked her up and dropped off.
This chick has a problem. She never crossed the line with what she was saying but she got awful close to doing so. I do not like it when people panic as it will always add a level of difficulty to any situation.
The last ride of the night was also an Uber and it was a man purchasing the ride for his drunk friend. The guy seemed okay and guided me to his residence without any problem. Certainly better to pay for a ride than to cause an accident or get thrown in jail.
I have only given a few less than good ratings to the riders. An Uber rider tonight was one of those. To start with, the app froze shortly after accepting the ride and once it began working the navigation was slow to catch up. After receiving a call from the frantic rider, I realized that the navigation was completely off target. Between frequent moments of hysteria, the rider was able to tell me what street she was on and I made my way back to that street and drove right to her location without understanding half of what her paranoia was saying. She got in the vehicle and was going on about how her boss had locked her keys somewhere and was waiting for her to come to the store and help and she had to be there right now. In reading what I just wrote, the whole situation sounds like nothnig at all but hearing psychotic lady say it made it sound like the world was going to come to an end if she did not make it over to help her boss.
The navigation showed a drop of location about 4 miles away, so I took off to try and trim some time off of the trip. We were about half-way to the indicated location when Ms. Paranoia blurts out, "You just passed it!" "Oh, my God and there is my boss, Oh my God"! I let her know that all was okay and that all we needed to do was a quick u-turn and then dive into the shopping center, which is exactly what we did. "Boss lady" looked to be calm and whatever business they had to do was done. Ms. OMG was then drove back to the spot where I picked her up and dropped off.
This chick has a problem. She never crossed the line with what she was saying but she got awful close to doing so. I do not like it when people panic as it will always add a level of difficulty to any situation.
The last ride of the night was also an Uber and it was a man purchasing the ride for his drunk friend. The guy seemed okay and guided me to his residence without any problem. Certainly better to pay for a ride than to cause an accident or get thrown in jail.
Sunday, October 30, 2016
10/29/16
First request was at 8:40 pm and the last request was completed at 12;28 am. 5 rides for Fare and 1 ride for Get Me. Peak Pricing was in effect for the entire period tonight.
Most riders were on their way to Halloween parties and were wearing their costumes.
I learned for a very cute female rider that the Ride Austin app is similar to the Uber app. I am going to have to check that out.
So apparently cats can have acne. That was what one girl's cat was diagnosed as having by a veterinarian. I also learned from this group of girls, that guys really dont need to share thier names with girls due to girls already having a system of identification for guys. You can be "the food truck guy", "the drunk blonde guy that was taking selfies with everyone", or "the guy with a tail" (yes, a tail), etc.
There is a neighborhood near Braker and Dessau streets where all of the streets are the names of the months in the year. Do not expect to be able to tell someone what the date is after driving through that neighborhood.
After dropping of a group at the Walter Seaholm area, I turned off the app and headed home. The last riders had exhausted me mentally listening to their pointless conversations. As I approached home, I stopped at the nearby Whataburger for a taquito. When I stopped, a lady approaced me and asked if her group could get a ride. I asked her if she had the Fare app to which she said no but that she had the Fasten app. I told her that I also had the GetMe app and she happened to have it as well. Once I obtained my taquitos, we linked up on GetMe and I was able to complete the ride on GetMe.
I noticed that not a single one of the Fare rides had a tip. We will see if maybe they do it latter. The Get Me ride tipped.
Most riders were on their way to Halloween parties and were wearing their costumes.
I learned for a very cute female rider that the Ride Austin app is similar to the Uber app. I am going to have to check that out.
So apparently cats can have acne. That was what one girl's cat was diagnosed as having by a veterinarian. I also learned from this group of girls, that guys really dont need to share thier names with girls due to girls already having a system of identification for guys. You can be "the food truck guy", "the drunk blonde guy that was taking selfies with everyone", or "the guy with a tail" (yes, a tail), etc.
There is a neighborhood near Braker and Dessau streets where all of the streets are the names of the months in the year. Do not expect to be able to tell someone what the date is after driving through that neighborhood.
After dropping of a group at the Walter Seaholm area, I turned off the app and headed home. The last riders had exhausted me mentally listening to their pointless conversations. As I approached home, I stopped at the nearby Whataburger for a taquito. When I stopped, a lady approaced me and asked if her group could get a ride. I asked her if she had the Fare app to which she said no but that she had the Fasten app. I told her that I also had the GetMe app and she happened to have it as well. Once I obtained my taquitos, we linked up on GetMe and I was able to complete the ride on GetMe.
I noticed that not a single one of the Fare rides had a tip. We will see if maybe they do it latter. The Get Me ride tipped.
Monday, October 24, 2016
04/01/16
I accepted a call for a pick up at the Cedar Park Center. I knew that the D-League Basketball playoffs were underway so I was sure that it would be someone that had seen the game and I could catch up on how the Spurs were doing.
When I arrived it took a moment for the rider to find me. It turned out to be a large group of riders and some of them were already "toasted" and it was only about 10:00 pm. We started away and I was following the app on how to get to the location. We were on a fairly empty road and one of the guys in the back starts yelling to open the window. I forgot that I had the windows all turned off but immediately energized the window for him. He was barfing and was barfing a lot. When one of the back windows is down it causes a resonating sound in the vehicle so I had rolled down my window a little to stop the deafening pounding of the sound. It was cold outside so I was worried that the group was going to complain about it being too cold. Instead the guy setting next to me said that we needed to find a place to clean my car. I told him it was okay that all of the barf had gone out the window. He kept repeating that we needed to stop so finally I pulled into a gas station and stopped. I got out and went around to the other side of the vehicle and holy cow! I had never seen so much barf on the side of a vehicle in my life. I grabbed one of those little windshield washer squeegees and began cleaning it off. Everyone got out of the vehicle, grabbed other squeegees, and started helping. I went over and asked the big barfer guy if he was okay. He said that he was okay although he wasn't moving around much.
We got the hell out of the gas station before they complained about their contaminated squeegees and made it to the destination not long thereafter. They guy in the passenger seat began to apologize profusely. I told him that it was all okay and that I could easily finish the clean up. He gave me a twenty dollar bill and continued apologizing. We shook hands and I left, heading straight for a car wash.
When I arrived it took a moment for the rider to find me. It turned out to be a large group of riders and some of them were already "toasted" and it was only about 10:00 pm. We started away and I was following the app on how to get to the location. We were on a fairly empty road and one of the guys in the back starts yelling to open the window. I forgot that I had the windows all turned off but immediately energized the window for him. He was barfing and was barfing a lot. When one of the back windows is down it causes a resonating sound in the vehicle so I had rolled down my window a little to stop the deafening pounding of the sound. It was cold outside so I was worried that the group was going to complain about it being too cold. Instead the guy setting next to me said that we needed to find a place to clean my car. I told him it was okay that all of the barf had gone out the window. He kept repeating that we needed to stop so finally I pulled into a gas station and stopped. I got out and went around to the other side of the vehicle and holy cow! I had never seen so much barf on the side of a vehicle in my life. I grabbed one of those little windshield washer squeegees and began cleaning it off. Everyone got out of the vehicle, grabbed other squeegees, and started helping. I went over and asked the big barfer guy if he was okay. He said that he was okay although he wasn't moving around much.
We got the hell out of the gas station before they complained about their contaminated squeegees and made it to the destination not long thereafter. They guy in the passenger seat began to apologize profusely. I told him that it was all okay and that I could easily finish the clean up. He gave me a twenty dollar bill and continued apologizing. We shook hands and I left, heading straight for a car wash.
Sunday, October 23, 2016
01/16/16
Picked up a group of guys from a club north of downtown and started towards an address that was south of downtown. After a few short minutes it became obvious that the guys were all gay. We were having a very good conversation and I asked them where they were going. The gentleman in the passenger seat said they were at a bachelor party and the group was headed to a mens club. For some reason that did not strike me as odd at that moment. When we arrived and they were all getting out, I said some of my usual good byes and since I was still clueless as to the scenario with gay men being at a gentleman club, I blurted out, "you all have fun". The man that was in the passenger seat turned and with a somewhat forced smile said, " we'll try to". The expression struck me as being odd and as I was driving away, it hit me. "Holy shit!" I shouted out and then begin laughing. I continued talking out loud alone in the vehicle, "those poor guys are going to be torturing themselves having to look at naked ladies".
10/22/16
First rider at 6:38pm. Last rider at 9:38pm. 5 rides that pushed me way past my goal and gave me an average of $48 an hour.
A few weeks ago Fare started a program with their pricing called Peak Pricing. It raises the rates for riders during specific times of the day. The last few weekends I have been hitting my $ dollar goal in only 3 rides and about 2 hours. I feel a little uneasy about his as the riders pay a lot of money using this service. More than they should be, in my opinion. I don't know what Fare is up to but it is certainly different.
I have not drove much since my last entry and the riders that I have driven were fairly calm and didn't talk much. With fewer riders, due to what I described in the previous paragraph, it stands to reason that there would be fewer stories to tell.
The first riders this evening were picked up at the Travaasa Resort. I had never been up there before and it was quite interesting and had beautiful views. We were having such a great time and good conversation until it was discovered that the destination address was wrong. No one is sure how that happened but we turned around and headed back towards County Line BBQ which was where they were supposed to be going. I felt really awkward about the $86 ride, due to what I described in the first paragraph, and attempted to contact Fare. The rider said not to worry about it that they would consider it as all part of the "adventure". I agreed to that but told them that I did feel awkward and would still send an e-mail to Fare asking that they check and see if they could see what happened. I noticed later that they left a large tip so perhaps the great time we were having, up to the moment the issue was discovered, was still taken into account.
The last ride of the night ended with an experience that had not occurred before. As I arrived at the address I could tell that something was not correct. This was not much of a surprise as the app had been doing weird shit all night. I called the rider and they answered but I could not hear anyone on the other end. I hung up and sent a text and they told me where they were at. I knew the location and I was not at that location, however it was not far away. When I arrived there was a lady setting on the curb and neatly dressed man standing beside her. As they got in the lady appeared to be significantly drunk but said she was tired. I knew better because I could smell the alcohol. The guy went around and got in on the other side complaining the whole time about his "new fucking piece of shit phone". He had an Australian accent but due to his elevated state of anger about his "new fucking piece of shit phone", I did not engage in any questions to him. The drop of address of this ride was close to my house so I declared to myself that this was the last ride of the night, especially since I was already way over my goal. When I dropped them off at their house, the lady insisted on giving me a hug. The man kept trying to get her out and I explained how I was strapped to the seat and could not easily reach into the back seat for her. That did not stop her one bit. She raised up between the driver and passenger seats giving me a big squeeze and a kiss on the check. I was able to reach around with my left arm and somewhat hug her back. That was the first time a rider wanted to give me a hug and a kiss, at least that I know about.
A few weeks ago Fare started a program with their pricing called Peak Pricing. It raises the rates for riders during specific times of the day. The last few weekends I have been hitting my $ dollar goal in only 3 rides and about 2 hours. I feel a little uneasy about his as the riders pay a lot of money using this service. More than they should be, in my opinion. I don't know what Fare is up to but it is certainly different.
I have not drove much since my last entry and the riders that I have driven were fairly calm and didn't talk much. With fewer riders, due to what I described in the previous paragraph, it stands to reason that there would be fewer stories to tell.
The first riders this evening were picked up at the Travaasa Resort. I had never been up there before and it was quite interesting and had beautiful views. We were having such a great time and good conversation until it was discovered that the destination address was wrong. No one is sure how that happened but we turned around and headed back towards County Line BBQ which was where they were supposed to be going. I felt really awkward about the $86 ride, due to what I described in the first paragraph, and attempted to contact Fare. The rider said not to worry about it that they would consider it as all part of the "adventure". I agreed to that but told them that I did feel awkward and would still send an e-mail to Fare asking that they check and see if they could see what happened. I noticed later that they left a large tip so perhaps the great time we were having, up to the moment the issue was discovered, was still taken into account.
The last ride of the night ended with an experience that had not occurred before. As I arrived at the address I could tell that something was not correct. This was not much of a surprise as the app had been doing weird shit all night. I called the rider and they answered but I could not hear anyone on the other end. I hung up and sent a text and they told me where they were at. I knew the location and I was not at that location, however it was not far away. When I arrived there was a lady setting on the curb and neatly dressed man standing beside her. As they got in the lady appeared to be significantly drunk but said she was tired. I knew better because I could smell the alcohol. The guy went around and got in on the other side complaining the whole time about his "new fucking piece of shit phone". He had an Australian accent but due to his elevated state of anger about his "new fucking piece of shit phone", I did not engage in any questions to him. The drop of address of this ride was close to my house so I declared to myself that this was the last ride of the night, especially since I was already way over my goal. When I dropped them off at their house, the lady insisted on giving me a hug. The man kept trying to get her out and I explained how I was strapped to the seat and could not easily reach into the back seat for her. That did not stop her one bit. She raised up between the driver and passenger seats giving me a big squeeze and a kiss on the check. I was able to reach around with my left arm and somewhat hug her back. That was the first time a rider wanted to give me a hug and a kiss, at least that I know about.
Sunday, September 25, 2016
09/24/16
Downtown did not seem as alive as I was expecting. Only did 4 rides tonight but with the "peak" pricing that Fare is doing, I achieved my goal with only those 4 rides.
The last ride of the night was a full load of 6 guys that I picked up downtown and dropped of at the Perfect 10 Cabaret. They had plugged a phone into the aux jack and were singing a song that I had never heard. They obviously knew the song well as all of them were belting out the words in perfect unison and at the top if their lungs.
Saturday, September 24, 2016
09/23/16
The night felt different. I only had one trip downtown and was able to make it all the way back home before another request came in. All other trips were to areas in the north, which has not happened in a long time. Usually, once I have a trip downtown, I get bounced around in that general area. The 1.5x and 2.0x rates really added up quick. By midnight I was almost double my goal.
Lots of interesting riders tonight. Didn't much care for the couple that smelled like the testing room of the Marlboro factory but they were interesting to talk to. The most interesting conversations of the night came from a couple of airline pilots that were headed to West 6th Street.
Not sure why Fare added the pricing change during certain hours. Obviously it is related to the higher demand times, but I almost felt guilty seeing how much it was costing the riders. ACL is coming up and perhaps it has something to do with getting ready for that. Maybe it is a ploy to draw drivers from the other TNCs to insure they have adequate coverage in the coming weeks. It is hard for me to say exactly what they are thinking.
Wednesday, September 21, 2016
09/21/16
Oh my God! Dirty Mexican girls. They were speaking in Spanish and I could tell where their conversation was headed. Right when I was about to let them know that I understand every word they were saying, they started talking about the guys they had or had not "fucked" and they used that specific word, in Spanish of course. At that point I did not dare let them know that I understood every word they were saying. How did I know they were Mexican? By the way they cursed. That profanity only comes from one country. One of them is a fucking party animal, literally. She said so herself by what she was saying to her friend.
These were a couple of beautiful ladies. It is interesting however, that all of that beauty evaporates when a lady speaks in such a repulsive manner. I am not offended by profanity or fast women but these two have their priorities in a very bad place.
Saturday, September 17, 2016
09/17/16
Another steady night that got me to my goal and home by 11:30pm.
I am partial to brunettes but there was this group of blondes in black dresses, that looked more like lingerie than dresses, that was quite a site to behold. I think it was a bachelorette party but they didn't ever really say.
One thing that they did say is that America was turning into a bunch of whiners. They had been discussing the Texas Tech "get your guns up" and the "wreck um Tech" and how a group of people were claiming that these were violent statements and should not be used.
Picked up a couple on the west side of downtown. As soon as the lady got in the vehicle the cork blew on the bottle of wine she had. I commented that now we can get the party started.
09/16/16
12 rides and I was way over my goal by 11:00pm.
The keyword of the night seemed to be "chain". Multiple conversations between the riders themselves were critical of chain restaurants. Not the typical McDonald's / Burger King type but instead restaurants such as Chuys and Texas Land & Cattle.
Picked up a couple that were probably in their 70s. Great conversation about several things including the benefits of ride-sharing from their perspective. I was very impressed at the way they were as a couple. I have always had the utmost respect for my elders and even as I approach those ages myself I still feel like I am supposed to show respect to them. I still see them through the eyes of my younger self.
One pair of guys were very interested in my thoughts an opinions on the situation related to Ride Austin dropping their prices earlier in the day. I had read the e-mail from Michael Leto of FARE stating that it was not a good thing and that FARE would not be going down that path. I shared that information with them and also shared why I did not get "warm fuzzies" when I was reviewing the Fasten web site. To my surprise the guys said that this is exactly what other drivers had said as well.
Picked up a large group of guys near the Hula Hut who had been on Lake Austin apparently as part of a bachelor party. As we headed away the gentleman next to me shared the experience they had with a neighboring bachelorette party. According to him at some point in the afternoon there were breasts exposed for their viewing pleasure. Shortly after those comments their was an "F-bomb" dropped in the back of the vehicle. One of the other guys made a comment about it and I responded that there should be no worries as this ride-sharing experience was F-bomb friendly. The guy next to me exploded with an F-bomb and then thanked me for sharing that information as he had been holding the F-bomb in for hours.
I picked up a couple of nice looking ladies that were going to a show at the Moody Theater. They talked about a variety of things and at one point became distracted from what they were discussing. As one of the ladies tried to get the conversation back to where it was before the distraction, she retraced what they had talked about prior. "Where were we. Lets see. We talked about yesterday, we talked about John, we talked about your mother-in-law, the threesome thing, oh yeah now I remember." I almost laughed out loud as she went down the list as if there actually was a physical list of what had to be talked about during the trip.
The keyword of the night seemed to be "chain". Multiple conversations between the riders themselves were critical of chain restaurants. Not the typical McDonald's / Burger King type but instead restaurants such as Chuys and Texas Land & Cattle.
Picked up a couple that were probably in their 70s. Great conversation about several things including the benefits of ride-sharing from their perspective. I was very impressed at the way they were as a couple. I have always had the utmost respect for my elders and even as I approach those ages myself I still feel like I am supposed to show respect to them. I still see them through the eyes of my younger self.
One pair of guys were very interested in my thoughts an opinions on the situation related to Ride Austin dropping their prices earlier in the day. I had read the e-mail from Michael Leto of FARE stating that it was not a good thing and that FARE would not be going down that path. I shared that information with them and also shared why I did not get "warm fuzzies" when I was reviewing the Fasten web site. To my surprise the guys said that this is exactly what other drivers had said as well.
Picked up a large group of guys near the Hula Hut who had been on Lake Austin apparently as part of a bachelor party. As we headed away the gentleman next to me shared the experience they had with a neighboring bachelorette party. According to him at some point in the afternoon there were breasts exposed for their viewing pleasure. Shortly after those comments their was an "F-bomb" dropped in the back of the vehicle. One of the other guys made a comment about it and I responded that there should be no worries as this ride-sharing experience was F-bomb friendly. The guy next to me exploded with an F-bomb and then thanked me for sharing that information as he had been holding the F-bomb in for hours.
I picked up a couple of nice looking ladies that were going to a show at the Moody Theater. They talked about a variety of things and at one point became distracted from what they were discussing. As one of the ladies tried to get the conversation back to where it was before the distraction, she retraced what they had talked about prior. "Where were we. Lets see. We talked about yesterday, we talked about John, we talked about your mother-in-law, the threesome thing, oh yeah now I remember." I almost laughed out loud as she went down the list as if there actually was a physical list of what had to be talked about during the trip.
Sunday, September 4, 2016
09/03/16
Huge demand tonight. First time since being with Fare that the requests were one immediately after another. 12 rides tonight.
One rider was discussing travel and foreign languages. At one point in the conversation she commented about a quote she saw that said "you don't really know one language until you know two languages". I can proclaim this to be true. Thanks Jacqueline.
Saturday, September 3, 2016
09/02/16
It felt like a slow night but in reality I think everyone started going out later than on most nights. College kids are back and I had 2 loads of them tonight.
I have some really insightful conversations with the younger ladies. Tonight the conversation was anchored to the subject of how boy's irresponsible behaviors are prevalent much deeper into life than those of girls. Based on my experience, observations, and the many interactions with a broad demographic of people, it is blatantly true that boys are irresponsible for a much longer period of time than girls. I would dare to say that this is one of a handful of reasons you see younger women with older men. The other reasons will not be discussed in this blog entry but feel free to let your imagination decide.
Thanks Sarah, for a very interesting conversation.
Lots of the usual "Uber" conversations. I was feeling extremely irritated about something but could not figure out what it was. It caused me to become mentally tired and I shut off the app at midnight to try and rest my mind.
Thursday, September 1, 2016
08/31/16
With a weekend out of town, a family crisis and a visit from mom, it has been a couple of weeks since driving. Went to the mechanic to get an $8.00 inspection and was able to get out at a discount rate of $3,100. I could tell that there were a couple of things going on so it really wasn't much of a surprise. Just wish it would not have cost so much. Money I did not have yet.
Did a couple of rides on Monday and Tuesday and then exploded into tonight. Steady requests beginning at about 5 pm shortly after I turned on the app, and 5 hours later I had earned $100 from 10 rides. Several pieces of data that can be formulated out of those three numbers, each of which I am pleased with. I have yet to hit the $30 an hour and higher level that I was maintaining with Uber but this is working okay.
Did a couple of rides on Monday and Tuesday and then exploded into tonight. Steady requests beginning at about 5 pm shortly after I turned on the app, and 5 hours later I had earned $100 from 10 rides. Several pieces of data that can be formulated out of those three numbers, each of which I am pleased with. I have yet to hit the $30 an hour and higher level that I was maintaining with Uber but this is working okay.
Sunday, August 7, 2016
08/05/16
Have been turning on the app all week after work. Achieved my money goal for the week.
In talking with one of the riders I confirmed a comment made by a previous rider regarding the return of Uber. It appears that Uber and the City of Austin have been in contact regarding Ubers return. One rider saw a post where Uber was hiring a city manager for Austin and another rider stated that Uber is hoping to be back in Austin in time for the Austin City Limits music festival.
If Uber does return, I have very mixed feelings about what I will do. I have questions about the way Uber handles themselves when under adverse conditions. From what I witnessed when Uber left, I dont think there are very many Uber drivers that would balk at getting fingerprinted, in fact the all are probably already fingerprinted so they could drive with the other companies that came in when Uber left. Perhaps that was Uber's goal. Have someone else manage the whole fingerprinting process. I doubt it but the thought did pop into my head. The millions of dollars spent on a campaign that easily failed is crazy. That money could have been much better spent.
The other side of this equation is that Uber is more universally known and used. When a person steps out of the airport and is need of transportation, their default is going to be Uber. It typically is available to them in any city. Also, the Uber app is great. It has a wealth of valuable information and works well. Riders dont care for the Surge pricing structure but the drivers certainly like it.
Fare has come in and worked hard to get everything going. It is going to be a tough decision but just like anything else, the demand will be the determining factor.
In talking with one of the riders I confirmed a comment made by a previous rider regarding the return of Uber. It appears that Uber and the City of Austin have been in contact regarding Ubers return. One rider saw a post where Uber was hiring a city manager for Austin and another rider stated that Uber is hoping to be back in Austin in time for the Austin City Limits music festival.
If Uber does return, I have very mixed feelings about what I will do. I have questions about the way Uber handles themselves when under adverse conditions. From what I witnessed when Uber left, I dont think there are very many Uber drivers that would balk at getting fingerprinted, in fact the all are probably already fingerprinted so they could drive with the other companies that came in when Uber left. Perhaps that was Uber's goal. Have someone else manage the whole fingerprinting process. I doubt it but the thought did pop into my head. The millions of dollars spent on a campaign that easily failed is crazy. That money could have been much better spent.
The other side of this equation is that Uber is more universally known and used. When a person steps out of the airport and is need of transportation, their default is going to be Uber. It typically is available to them in any city. Also, the Uber app is great. It has a wealth of valuable information and works well. Riders dont care for the Surge pricing structure but the drivers certainly like it.
Fare has come in and worked hard to get everything going. It is going to be a tough decision but just like anything else, the demand will be the determining factor.
Sunday, July 31, 2016
07/30/16
Shrek the Musical was playing at the Zilker Hillside Theatre and I received a request near that area. There was no rider at the indicated pick up spot so I called. The rider said they were at some apartments 1 block over. I circled around and found no apartments and no rider. I continued on and got a call from the rider saying that I had just gone past them. I did a U-turn and went back the way I came and saw nobody. Made another phone call and was at the place they said they were and no one was there. The rider ended up cancelling the ride a few moments later.
Only seconds after the ride was canceled another request came in with the same location. This one was a female and instead of driving around in circles again I called her to find out where she was. As she answered the phone I looked to my right and she was right beside my vehicle. We both made silly hand gestors related to the blatant obviousness of the location, and she got into the vehicle. We immediately connected and a chain of very interesting conversations started and continued all the way to the drop off location over near Riverside and Pleasant Valley. It was an amazing connection. I later noticed that she had added me as a Preferred Driver raising my client count up to 12.
Just as always, I try to make my way home and never make it. It was after 1:00am and I was hungry so Whataburger taquitos were sounding really good. I was headed out of downtown and received a request from someone in the UT campus area. I wasn't too far away and made it to the indicated address in a short period of time. There was no one there and it was a parking lot in a back alley. I called the rider and they told me where they were, which was not where the app indicated. It was close and I turned onto a side street and headed that way. Only seconds later the rider calls back and asks where in the hell I was and why it had taken over 20 minutes when he had "dropped the pin" in the exact location. I informed him that the indicated location was not the location where he was at and that it had not taken more than 20 minutes from the time I had received the request. He continued talking at me as if I was an employed servant. I told him not I was only 2 minutes away and then turned into the parking lot 15 seconds later. He saw my vehicle and came around to get in without any of his previously disrespectful tones. I took him to his destination and upon closing out the ride, felt obliged to give him a negative rating, which I did. This was the first time in over a year of rideshare driving that I have given anyone a negative rating. There is no reason for someone to act like a fucking prick and certainly not towards someone such as myself.
If I would not have been pissed off at the previous ride I probably could have enjoyed the upcoming ride much better. I received a request from Rock Rose street in the Domain just as I had the night before. Upon arrival I indicated that I had arrived and made a pass down the street not gaining anyone's attention that might be waiting for a ride. Upon the 2nd pass I texted the rider to let him know I had arrived. Moments later I received an answer to the text and a phone call at the same time. The person calling was a female and stated that she was the one to be picked up. She said she had a glow stick and was having it from the curb. I saw her ahead and could not believe my eyes. As I stopped and she was coming around to get in, I reviewed the text from the requestor of the ride as it had become clear that he would not be the actual rider. The text said "She's outside Dogwood." "Tall hot Hispanic chick." He was telling the truth. "No fuckin shit", I said to myself as she got into the passenger side of the vehicle. "I have got to get the fuck out of here" she said.
I started the ride and there was no drop of location. She said she was going to the Yellow Rose and asked if I knew where that was. I told her that of course I did and away we went. She was very antsy and at one point in the trip grabbed my forearm and ran her hand up to the inside of my elbow in a moment of anxiousness. She asked about me and what I do to which I answered with a few general and vague things about myself. She kept commenting on how great she felt and could not wait to get to the Yellow Rose so she could have someone touching all over her body. I speculated to myself about what it was that had here feeling so good and what kind of day life she lived to support her obvious familiarization with the night life. She was a big party ready and waiting to happen and it would be an expensive party if one was going to take her on. Wow. What do girls like this do when they get older and their looks don't carry them as well? As good as this chick looked it would probably take until she was 80 for all of that to wear off. There is no way on earth I would want a lifestyle like the one I was perceiving that she had, in fact its kind of a bummer thinking about what her perceived priorities are. Still, I could not help but wonder about her life style. And what is going on with these night ending trips from Rock Rose to a gentleman's club?
I turned off the app and made my way to a Whataburger. As I pulled up I received a text from one of my crew at work saying that there had just been a shooting on 6th street. I read information about the shooting on the Internet while I was thoroughly enjoying my taquitos.
Only seconds after the ride was canceled another request came in with the same location. This one was a female and instead of driving around in circles again I called her to find out where she was. As she answered the phone I looked to my right and she was right beside my vehicle. We both made silly hand gestors related to the blatant obviousness of the location, and she got into the vehicle. We immediately connected and a chain of very interesting conversations started and continued all the way to the drop off location over near Riverside and Pleasant Valley. It was an amazing connection. I later noticed that she had added me as a Preferred Driver raising my client count up to 12.
Just as always, I try to make my way home and never make it. It was after 1:00am and I was hungry so Whataburger taquitos were sounding really good. I was headed out of downtown and received a request from someone in the UT campus area. I wasn't too far away and made it to the indicated address in a short period of time. There was no one there and it was a parking lot in a back alley. I called the rider and they told me where they were, which was not where the app indicated. It was close and I turned onto a side street and headed that way. Only seconds later the rider calls back and asks where in the hell I was and why it had taken over 20 minutes when he had "dropped the pin" in the exact location. I informed him that the indicated location was not the location where he was at and that it had not taken more than 20 minutes from the time I had received the request. He continued talking at me as if I was an employed servant. I told him not I was only 2 minutes away and then turned into the parking lot 15 seconds later. He saw my vehicle and came around to get in without any of his previously disrespectful tones. I took him to his destination and upon closing out the ride, felt obliged to give him a negative rating, which I did. This was the first time in over a year of rideshare driving that I have given anyone a negative rating. There is no reason for someone to act like a fucking prick and certainly not towards someone such as myself.
If I would not have been pissed off at the previous ride I probably could have enjoyed the upcoming ride much better. I received a request from Rock Rose street in the Domain just as I had the night before. Upon arrival I indicated that I had arrived and made a pass down the street not gaining anyone's attention that might be waiting for a ride. Upon the 2nd pass I texted the rider to let him know I had arrived. Moments later I received an answer to the text and a phone call at the same time. The person calling was a female and stated that she was the one to be picked up. She said she had a glow stick and was having it from the curb. I saw her ahead and could not believe my eyes. As I stopped and she was coming around to get in, I reviewed the text from the requestor of the ride as it had become clear that he would not be the actual rider. The text said "She's outside Dogwood." "Tall hot Hispanic chick." He was telling the truth. "No fuckin shit", I said to myself as she got into the passenger side of the vehicle. "I have got to get the fuck out of here" she said.
I started the ride and there was no drop of location. She said she was going to the Yellow Rose and asked if I knew where that was. I told her that of course I did and away we went. She was very antsy and at one point in the trip grabbed my forearm and ran her hand up to the inside of my elbow in a moment of anxiousness. She asked about me and what I do to which I answered with a few general and vague things about myself. She kept commenting on how great she felt and could not wait to get to the Yellow Rose so she could have someone touching all over her body. I speculated to myself about what it was that had here feeling so good and what kind of day life she lived to support her obvious familiarization with the night life. She was a big party ready and waiting to happen and it would be an expensive party if one was going to take her on. Wow. What do girls like this do when they get older and their looks don't carry them as well? As good as this chick looked it would probably take until she was 80 for all of that to wear off. There is no way on earth I would want a lifestyle like the one I was perceiving that she had, in fact its kind of a bummer thinking about what her perceived priorities are. Still, I could not help but wonder about her life style. And what is going on with these night ending trips from Rock Rose to a gentleman's club?
I turned off the app and made my way to a Whataburger. As I pulled up I received a text from one of my crew at work saying that there had just been a shooting on 6th street. I read information about the shooting on the Internet while I was thoroughly enjoying my taquitos.
Saturday, July 30, 2016
07/28/16
Met my $100 goal for weekdays. Made the biggest mistake of my ridesharing driver career today. I had a request from a female and was having trouble finding her and the pick up spot. I pulled into a parking spot for the LUX valet service to get an idea of where she was when a guy comes up to my window and is waving at me. I thought it was the valet guy so I waved him off and then vacated the parking spot. I called the rider to ask where she was. She said she would have someone call me, which I thought was a little strange. The caller called and then asked if I was the rideshare driver and if I was the one who had pulled away a few moments earlier. "Shit!" I said to myself and then began to profusely apologize for leaving him standing on the curb. I then saw the rider again and picked him up. I continue pouring out apologies to which the rider stated not to worry.
Everything seemed fine and as we reached the drop of spot the rider stated that this would be a little uncomfortable for him but he had to ask me a question. He asked if he had scared me at the pick up spot and if that was why I had left. I answered that no, he had not scared me but that I was expecting a female rider and being that I was parked in one of the LUX spots, I thought he had come to park my car. He seemed to accept that and thanked me for the ride. I found the question a little strange but thought maybe he had a complex of some kind and felt he needed to know to get some sort of piece of mind.
Everything seemed fine and as we reached the drop of spot the rider stated that this would be a little uncomfortable for him but he had to ask me a question. He asked if he had scared me at the pick up spot and if that was why I had left. I answered that no, he had not scared me but that I was expecting a female rider and being that I was parked in one of the LUX spots, I thought he had come to park my car. He seemed to accept that and thanked me for the ride. I found the question a little strange but thought maybe he had a complex of some kind and felt he needed to know to get some sort of piece of mind.
07/29/16
The riders of the Austin night have left me in deep thought. The demand took me deeper into the night than any night has before. The atmosphere in the vehicle had started out with clueless and baseless arrogance, and had ended in almost overpowering machismo-ism. In between those two extremes, was everything else.
It can be mentally taxing when there is a wide span of different personalities, especially when they are as diverse as the ones experienced tonight. It is also incredibly interesting to be constantly bringing out different components of my own personality as I attempt to connect with the rider and create a friendly and comfortable atmosphere in the vehicle. An atmosphere of trust and confidence.
The first riders actually gave me a headache from the conversations they were having as I was taking them to a wedding in south Austin. All of the "as ifs" and "I was like" followed by the pause where one has to fill in the blank of what is being referred to. Terrible conversational skills from two beautiful and obviously well-off in life, ladies. The wedding location looked to be very cool.
I had my first verbal cancellation from a lady because it had taken too long to get there. I did not like this at all. I had circled the indicated pick up spot 3 times and even parked once. The lady had made no attempt to make herself visible in the pick up area even after calling her twice and describing my vehicle to her. She said she had not used rideshare before and it was certainly apparent. In an incredible coincidence, the moment she canceled her ride another person at the same spot requested a ride. There was no problem in picking them up.
I was tired and on my way home knowing that I had not achieved my money goal for the night, when I received a request near 183 and McNeil. I was at the exit and made a smooth transition over to the right lane and then slid silently down the exit ramp. I picked up the 2 young gentlemen and took them east to the Techridge area where I dropped them off knowing that I had ended up reaching my $100 goal for the day after all. While checking the earnings in the Fare app, I received a request from someone to be picked up at the Domain. I had forgotten to turn the app off and I am typically not one to decline ride requests. I accepted and saw that the pick up was at a cool and happening new area of the Domain on a street called Rock Rose. I arrived at about 1:40am as closing time for the clubs was approaching, and picked up 2 gentleman who had been partying and were not ready for the night to end. The gentlemen carried with them a very strong presence that prompted me to opt for the more masculine aspects of my personality while conversing with them. It was not much of a surprise that they were discussing continuing the night at a strip club. Their original destination request was the Yellow Rose, a well know gentleman's club on North Lamar. For some reason that destination was vetoed and the totally nude XTC club was selected. We arrived and the place was alive with both activity and the lighting on the outside of the building. As the passengers were unloading, one of them turned and invited me to go with them. I had the quick and calm answer of, "its tempting but no thanks", but inside I knew that it would have been one hell of a time had I accepted.
I turned off the app, checked my earnings and surrendered the deep night to the remaining drivers that I knew were out there somewhere in the dark, ready to respond to the next request.
It can be mentally taxing when there is a wide span of different personalities, especially when they are as diverse as the ones experienced tonight. It is also incredibly interesting to be constantly bringing out different components of my own personality as I attempt to connect with the rider and create a friendly and comfortable atmosphere in the vehicle. An atmosphere of trust and confidence.
The first riders actually gave me a headache from the conversations they were having as I was taking them to a wedding in south Austin. All of the "as ifs" and "I was like" followed by the pause where one has to fill in the blank of what is being referred to. Terrible conversational skills from two beautiful and obviously well-off in life, ladies. The wedding location looked to be very cool.
I had my first verbal cancellation from a lady because it had taken too long to get there. I did not like this at all. I had circled the indicated pick up spot 3 times and even parked once. The lady had made no attempt to make herself visible in the pick up area even after calling her twice and describing my vehicle to her. She said she had not used rideshare before and it was certainly apparent. In an incredible coincidence, the moment she canceled her ride another person at the same spot requested a ride. There was no problem in picking them up.
I was tired and on my way home knowing that I had not achieved my money goal for the night, when I received a request near 183 and McNeil. I was at the exit and made a smooth transition over to the right lane and then slid silently down the exit ramp. I picked up the 2 young gentlemen and took them east to the Techridge area where I dropped them off knowing that I had ended up reaching my $100 goal for the day after all. While checking the earnings in the Fare app, I received a request from someone to be picked up at the Domain. I had forgotten to turn the app off and I am typically not one to decline ride requests. I accepted and saw that the pick up was at a cool and happening new area of the Domain on a street called Rock Rose. I arrived at about 1:40am as closing time for the clubs was approaching, and picked up 2 gentleman who had been partying and were not ready for the night to end. The gentlemen carried with them a very strong presence that prompted me to opt for the more masculine aspects of my personality while conversing with them. It was not much of a surprise that they were discussing continuing the night at a strip club. Their original destination request was the Yellow Rose, a well know gentleman's club on North Lamar. For some reason that destination was vetoed and the totally nude XTC club was selected. We arrived and the place was alive with both activity and the lighting on the outside of the building. As the passengers were unloading, one of them turned and invited me to go with them. I had the quick and calm answer of, "its tempting but no thanks", but inside I knew that it would have been one hell of a time had I accepted.
I turned off the app, checked my earnings and surrendered the deep night to the remaining drivers that I knew were out there somewhere in the dark, ready to respond to the next request.
Wednesday, July 27, 2016
07/02/16
First ride at 8:52pm although I turned the app on at 5:22pm. Last ride at 12:18am with a total of 9 rides. That will be all for this week and it was a good week with 27 total rides and $310.20.
Had a couple of military aircraft pilots, one of which was a trainer. One of them flew the T6 and the other flew the T38.
A couple of ladies were discussing things that were of no interest to me but I did acquire a couple of good terms.
When passion turns to obsession When justice turns to vigilante ism
07/27/16
I literally paid my way home from work today as the first ride was from downtown out to near Windsor and Mopac and the second ride was one my way starting at Mesa and Spicewood Springs going all the way to Anderson Mill and Parmer.
Had an interesting conversation with a gentleman that had somewhat similar free time experiences as a kid, to those that I had growing up. I began thinking about all of the different "worlds" that we all come in contact with in our daily lives. Whole lifetimes of experiences right in front of us and we have know idea of the knowledge, achievements, thrills and heartbreaks that are only inches from us. Even in the most in-depth conversations that may occur in passing, we are only exposed to these other worlds for a few moments. Perhaps we will have the privilege of gaining some small piece of knowledge or experience from their world. Perhaps it will be something that changes our lives for the better. Perhaps it will be something that allows us to make better decisions. Regardless, the interaction does add information to the overall database in our mind and therefore modifies who we are even if it is a microscopic modification.
Had an interesting conversation with a gentleman that had somewhat similar free time experiences as a kid, to those that I had growing up. I began thinking about all of the different "worlds" that we all come in contact with in our daily lives. Whole lifetimes of experiences right in front of us and we have know idea of the knowledge, achievements, thrills and heartbreaks that are only inches from us. Even in the most in-depth conversations that may occur in passing, we are only exposed to these other worlds for a few moments. Perhaps we will have the privilege of gaining some small piece of knowledge or experience from their world. Perhaps it will be something that changes our lives for the better. Perhaps it will be something that allows us to make better decisions. Regardless, the interaction does add information to the overall database in our mind and therefore modifies who we are even if it is a microscopic modification.
Friday, July 1, 2016
07/01/16
First ride at 5:49pm. Last ride at 10:22pm with a total of 10 rides.
The town felt dead tonight. There were people out and about and I reached my quota by 10:30pm but it felt dead. Saw a pedicab chick with some really good marketing tools.
6/30/16
4 rides within about an hour and a half.
Picked up three ladies in the Rollingwood area who were going downtown for diner. One of them told about a male acquaintance who had a funny incident with his auto-correct function when sending texts. He did not notice until after the damage was done.
He apparently was a manager of a shipping and receiving dock somewhere and reported to his boss via text message throughout the day. The problem was that every time he texted the word "dock", the auto correct function was changing it to the word "dick". One of the messages that the lady shared, was a message that he had sent to his boss at the end of the day. The message was supposed to say, "dock is cleaned and I am ready to go."
6/26/16
An afternoon thunderstorm had rolled in and it was pouring down rain. I was leaving my real job and had turned on the FARE app while still in the parking garage. As my vehicle climbed up the last ramp before once again coming in contact with the outside world, I got a ping for about 4 blocks away.
The rain had just about completly stopped as I spotted the riders and begin trying to find a close-by spot to pull over and carry out the pick up. Once they were inside, it was immediately evident that this was going to be a fun ride. Indeed it was. We told silly jokes and laughed the whole trip. I shared with the gentlemen in the passenger seat, the "Hair Nation" story from a previous rider. He busted out in laughter and asked me if it looked like the girl had Buckwheat in a headlock. It was my turn to bust out into laughter as I had never heard anyone make that analogy about someone with hairy arm pits before.
5/29/16
Was driving Get Me and received a ping for an address out past Mansfield dam. I had to wait for a moment and then texted the rider that I had arrived.
He came out and got into the passenger seat in the front. He had obviously been drinking for a while and the first thing he blurted out was, YOU GOT ANY WEED? I thought to myself, "fuckin moron. He doesn't even know who I am and he is asking if I have any weed. Even if by some far fetched and extremely random coincidence that I had some, I sure as hell wouldn't give him any. Why don't you get out of my vehicle and go listen to your damn Lynard Skynard albums." Of course with my many years in the customer service business, I played along with his humor and let him lead the coversations for the 15 to 20 minute length of the trip and then he was gone. Probably forever.
Saturday, June 25, 2016
06/24/16
First ride at 5:59pm and the last ride was at 10:10pm. Had a total of 10 rides. Things are falling back into place like they were when Uber left.
As always, turned on the app and headed home but never made it. Another busy evening. Achieved the money goal in about 4 hours and called it a day.
Discovered a really cool looking restaurant, Fonda San Miguel.
Didn't much care for picking someone up at Corona and Cameron. A trashing looking area. Nice rider, just a mess where he was picked up.
Took a rider to the Alamo Drafthouse on South Lamar. Seconds after dropping him off he was calling for another ride. He had lost his ID and needed to go back downtown to his apartment to get it. Took him home, waited outside and then took him back to Alamo Drafthouse. That was a first. The rider is in a rock band and told of a time when they opened for Cheap Trick.
The last rider was an attractive blonde female but what was most outstanding about her was the perfume she was wearing. It was amazing.
As always, turned on the app and headed home but never made it. Another busy evening. Achieved the money goal in about 4 hours and called it a day.
Discovered a really cool looking restaurant, Fonda San Miguel.
Didn't much care for picking someone up at Corona and Cameron. A trashing looking area. Nice rider, just a mess where he was picked up.
Took a rider to the Alamo Drafthouse on South Lamar. Seconds after dropping him off he was calling for another ride. He had lost his ID and needed to go back downtown to his apartment to get it. Took him home, waited outside and then took him back to Alamo Drafthouse. That was a first. The rider is in a rock band and told of a time when they opened for Cheap Trick.
The last rider was an attractive blonde female but what was most outstanding about her was the perfume she was wearing. It was amazing.
Wednesday, June 22, 2016
06/21/16
First rider at 4:59pm, last rider at 6:09pm. Only 2 today.
Turned on the app as I was leaving work at about 4:45pm. The first rider I picked up had been swimming and was still in her swim suite. I was sure that all girls shaved their armpits but that was not the case with this one. As we left the parking lot I realized that there was no music playing and I reached over and turned the radio on. The music started playing and I looked over at the display to see which Sirius XM station was playing. Of course the station was Hair Nation. How appropriate.
Monday, June 20, 2016
06/18/16
First ride at 7:32pm and the last ride was at 12:20am with a total of 10 rides. Busiest night that I have had since signing up with FARE.
I think they were from France and it wasn't the Coneheads. Very nice people.
Lots of conversations. Most of the time it is about a 50/50 split of those who carry on conversations and those who don't.
Witnessed a wreck as the car in front of us decided to switch lanes in a hurry and with no advance indication. Took out the car that was coming up fast in that same lane.
Found a significant amount of humor from one young female rider who was drunk and had the hiccups. Each hiccup was followed-up with an "F" bomb or some other form of profanity.
Picked up a young male who was a good looking young man. He spoke his mind about everything and it was interesting that how it did not really match the way he looked. He actually spoke about this stating that he usually was able to reel the chicks in with his looks but them ended up running them off because he speaks his mind. We began laughing about what was being said and shared a couple of inappropriate jokes to each others delight. I like it when they want to shake hands when we arrive at the destination. Anytime I get to laugh together with someone, I feel like I earn a friend and a life achievement award.
Saturday, June 18, 2016
06/17/16
First ride was at 7:10pm, last ride was at 2:36am. 11 total rides for the night.
There is still much conversation about Uber and Lyft leaving. Everybody (100%) thinks that the whole situation was silly.
I have always been interested with the manner in which different people use profanity. That is why you will hear me frequently laugh when someone utters or spews profanity. All riders tonight dropped the occasional "f" bomb and I was impressed with the wide spectrum of conversations and how well each piece of profanity was placed making it the appropriate and possibly only adjective or adverb that could have successfully completed the sentence. Sometimes the rider will apologize to which I respond that one of the benefits of selecting this vehicle and driver is that they are both "F" bomb friendly.
Beautiful young woman broke down in tears when I asked her how the night was going. A long term relationship that she was in had ended and although she claimed the guy turned out to be a jerk, she was still very upset. She felt that it was time that was wasted and had been lost. She felt like that at her age she should already in a deep relationship and having babies. I quickly went from driver mode only, to driver and broken heart support mode. I explained to her that she had no way of knowing that the relationship would turn out this way and that the time was not lost as it had provided her with some good information about life. I also gave her a personal example of how bad things in life can start us down different paths in life, that lead to even better things. She cried and talked at the same time all the way to her house. I assured her that everything would eventually be okay. When I arrived home I sent her a text letting her again know that I was speaking from experience when I say that everything will work out for the better. She responded to the text thanking me for the advice and for the kindness that I had shown her.
Picked up a young married couple and had one of the most interesting conversations ever about kids, discipline, daddy's girl's and the likes. Apparently it is true what you sometimes hear about how special a girls relationship with her father can be. Appreciation, respect and a whole litany of things are born out of a strong father - daughter bond. Discipline is part of that relationship. Everyone in the vehicle agreed that spanking was effective and did not have any permanent or even temporary traumatic affects other than the lesson that it was intended to support. All in the vehicle had been raised by receiving and occasional spanking and felt that when one was received it was actually warranted. The couple was a lot younger than I was and I found it interesting that they were both raised with this type of discipline being from a younger generation.
No obnoxiously drunk riders even as I pushed towards the 3:00am hour trying to reach my money goal for the day. And I did. The last ride came in at about 2:30am as I had just set down to devour 2 Whataburger Bacon Egg and Cheese taquitos. I was frickin hungry so I grabbed the stuff and ate it as I headed towards Round Rock. I arrived at the address and sent a text to the rider as I could not see the addresses on the houses. The rider called and said that I was at the destination and not the pick up. He did not admit it but he entered the wrong address into the app. He said they were at Main Event and being the nice guy that I am, I told him to stand by and I would be right there. I made it there, picked them up and then headed back to the neighborhood I had just came from. I should have charged him double but it actually worked out good in that in gave me time to finish the 2nd taquito before it got cold. I was not going to eat it in front of the riders and was anticipating a cold taquito, but, alas, consumption of a cold taquito was not to be.
There is still much conversation about Uber and Lyft leaving. Everybody (100%) thinks that the whole situation was silly.
I have always been interested with the manner in which different people use profanity. That is why you will hear me frequently laugh when someone utters or spews profanity. All riders tonight dropped the occasional "f" bomb and I was impressed with the wide spectrum of conversations and how well each piece of profanity was placed making it the appropriate and possibly only adjective or adverb that could have successfully completed the sentence. Sometimes the rider will apologize to which I respond that one of the benefits of selecting this vehicle and driver is that they are both "F" bomb friendly.
Beautiful young woman broke down in tears when I asked her how the night was going. A long term relationship that she was in had ended and although she claimed the guy turned out to be a jerk, she was still very upset. She felt that it was time that was wasted and had been lost. She felt like that at her age she should already in a deep relationship and having babies. I quickly went from driver mode only, to driver and broken heart support mode. I explained to her that she had no way of knowing that the relationship would turn out this way and that the time was not lost as it had provided her with some good information about life. I also gave her a personal example of how bad things in life can start us down different paths in life, that lead to even better things. She cried and talked at the same time all the way to her house. I assured her that everything would eventually be okay. When I arrived home I sent her a text letting her again know that I was speaking from experience when I say that everything will work out for the better. She responded to the text thanking me for the advice and for the kindness that I had shown her.
Picked up a young married couple and had one of the most interesting conversations ever about kids, discipline, daddy's girl's and the likes. Apparently it is true what you sometimes hear about how special a girls relationship with her father can be. Appreciation, respect and a whole litany of things are born out of a strong father - daughter bond. Discipline is part of that relationship. Everyone in the vehicle agreed that spanking was effective and did not have any permanent or even temporary traumatic affects other than the lesson that it was intended to support. All in the vehicle had been raised by receiving and occasional spanking and felt that when one was received it was actually warranted. The couple was a lot younger than I was and I found it interesting that they were both raised with this type of discipline being from a younger generation.
No obnoxiously drunk riders even as I pushed towards the 3:00am hour trying to reach my money goal for the day. And I did. The last ride came in at about 2:30am as I had just set down to devour 2 Whataburger Bacon Egg and Cheese taquitos. I was frickin hungry so I grabbed the stuff and ate it as I headed towards Round Rock. I arrived at the address and sent a text to the rider as I could not see the addresses on the houses. The rider called and said that I was at the destination and not the pick up. He did not admit it but he entered the wrong address into the app. He said they were at Main Event and being the nice guy that I am, I told him to stand by and I would be right there. I made it there, picked them up and then headed back to the neighborhood I had just came from. I should have charged him double but it actually worked out good in that in gave me time to finish the 2nd taquito before it got cold. I was not going to eat it in front of the riders and was anticipating a cold taquito, but, alas, consumption of a cold taquito was not to be.
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