“Hi! My name is Katie, so nice to meet you, total stranger! Won’t you hop into my car so I can take you where you want to go? Hope you’re not armed!”
Ok, so this isn’t exactly how I greet people when I’m Ubering (is Ubering even a word? It is now!) but you get the idea. About two months ago, I was asked to go “undercover” as an Uber driver and write about my experience. I had…concerns. Quite a few, actually. I’m a female picking up total strangers in my car and driving them to who-knows-where? Sounds totally safe, sign me up!!! After some thought, however, I decided to accept the assignment. I’m so glad I did. Over the last couple of months, I’ve had the opportunity to meet some great people, some not-so-great people, and learn valuable lessons that I truly believe will stay with me the rest of my life. Based on my experience, (I can’t stress this enough. This is MY experience and mine alone) here are 5 observations I’ve made as Milwaukee’s newest Uber driver:
- Some of the kindest people I have ever met are covered in piercings and tattoos. When I log into my Uber app as a driver and a ride request comes through, I am told nothing about the person I’m picking up other than how far away they are. When I accept the ride, I’m given a first name and directions to the pick-up location. On one particular Tuesday morning at 7 a.m a request came through for a pick-up at a West Allis location. I pulled up to the building and saw a man with a lime green Mohawk covered in leather and big army boots. He had about four piercings in his nose alone and huge disks in his ears. He also had a scowl on his face. I was concerned. Would I have been as concerned if he was wearing a suit and tie? Probably not. (Remember this. We’ll come back to this topic.) He hopped in my car and immediately broke into a huge smile. “Ahhh, air-conditioning! It’s sooo hot!!” I smiled back and teased him gently, telling him that most people don’t wear leather jackets in 100 degree heat, hoping he wouldn’t be offended. He wasn’t. He laughed and told me he wasn’t changing his style for any weather, hot sun be damned. The man told me his “look” doesn’t win him any fans, but he’s happy with it and that’s all that matters. I was embarrassed to recall my own fear from moments ago. This guy was great! We had a lovely conversation that lasted about 8 minutes as I dropped him off in downtown Milwaukee. So…I stereotyped. I saw the piercings and leather and assumed this would be a horrible ride. It was the best part of my day. I’m not saying you should ignore your gut instinct-if a situation doesn’t feel right or safe, remove yourself from it. But I’m slowly learning not to judge a book by it’s cover, or a man by his leather.
- Some of the biggest jerks I’ve ever met wear suits and ties and douse themselves in Drakkar Noir and Hugo Boss cologne. They may look “respectable” on the outside, but they’re arrogant and rude on the inside. Recently, the city of Milwaukee hosted an event and thousands of young urban professionals from across the United States visited the city. I thought it would be a great opportunity to Uber some of these young people. My first pick-up was two well dressed gentlemen heading to an event downtown. I smiled and said good morning. They stared at me and said nothing. I’m not sure what came over me this particular morning but I repeated myself, louder, “GOOD MORNING!” One of them mumbled something back and the other glared. My next pick-up was a young woman who became very upset with me for not making a left turn when there was clearly a no left turn sign directly in front of us. The Uber app isn’t always accurate and I politely explained I wasn’t willing to get a ticket in order to drop her off at her location one minute sooner. She grumbled and glared and gave me a bad review. My favorite young “professional” pick-up was the group of rowdy drunk twenty-somethings who proceeded to turn the volume up on my radio in retaliation for having to chug a beer before entering my car since I wouldn’t allow alcohol in my vehicle. Maroon Five is not meant to be listened to at ear-splitting decibels…or maybe not at all, but I’ll let you be the judge of that. Hey, remember I was nervous about Mohawk guy? I kinda miss him.
- I drive for Uber, I’m not a therapist. But sometimes I feel like one. Not everyone who sits in my backseat is chatty, but those who are really seem to need a listening ear. I’ve had people tell me of their failed marriages, naughty children, depression, and meddling relatives. It always amazes me that people are willing to be so open with a complete stranger about their personal lives. At the end of trips like these, the passenger always looks at me gratefully with a “thanks for listening” as they exit my car. Age, race, and gender do not matter…we all just want to be heard. I realize I’m not changing the world here, but it feels good to let a person vent for a couple minutes before they go back to their real lives.
- Milwaukee is a beautiful city, especially in the summer. I’ve lived in Milwaukee my entire life without fully realizing this fact. Downtown, the Third Ward, lakefront..gorgeous. It’s kind of fun getting to explore the sights myself as I drive people around.
- People are mostly good with a few bad seeds sprinkled in here and there. Call me crazy. Call me naive. But I truly believe this with all my heart. I’ve never been the most trusting individual so the fact that I’m allowing strangers in my car is laughable. For every arrogant idiot, there’s a single mom who’s coming home from a 12 hour work day and can’t wait to hug her children. There’s the college student who’s working hard in between summer classes so he can afford a down payment on a car. The good people in this beautiful city far outweigh the bad.
Overall, I’ve re-learned some basics: Treat others the way you want to be treated. Don’t pre-judge anyone, you know nothing about their life. Most of all, this Uber side gig has taught me acceptance. Black, white, gay, straight, everyone is welcome in my car. Just don’t touch my radio.