Driving for an Uber is a serious business these days and there’s a thriving community of Uber (and Lyft) drivers that’s only growing given the scope for flexible work and high returns. That said, being in a field where spending a considerable amount of time with dozens of strangers is a part of your job, day in day out, interesting things are bound to happen. So we did a bit of trawling on the internet, and dug up some of the most interesting things that have happened to Uber drivers on the job.
1. This guy who picked up the legendary “Grumpy Cat’ as his first customer in an Uber Black
This Uber driver had no idea his first customer for Uber’s luxury ‘Black’ segment would be a non human being. The 5 year old cat is the face of the famous “grumpy cat” meme, and goes by name Tardar Sauce.
2. This Uber driver helped a victim of domestic abuse by dropping her to a shelter instead
This Uber driver believed the woman and his child were in a dangerous situation, and coincidentally he knew of a rehoming shelter for domestic violence victims on the route. About what he calls just his good deed of the day, he had this to say, “Just hope this post helps a little to make people more aware that lots of people are in abusive relationships and that help is available, and make this kind of coincidence more common. They are all around us and talk to us every day. They usually look perfectly normal and smile a lot, but they’re hurting.”
3. A female Uber driver got offered $500 to ‘Chill” with the customer later on
Female Uber drivers are rare, and this is part of the reason why. A female Uber driver in Atlanta once got a $500 bill dropped on her lap with the implied message to “chill” with the customer later on. A lot of drivers claimed that the incident is common, and female (even male) drivers are often flirted with or even propositioned to.
4. This Uber driver was beaten up and assaulted by a rider over an argument about directions
An Uber driver in California was severely assaulted by a rider, while on duty after he asked the rider to leave, over the latter giving inaccurate directions. The driver’s footage of the accident was recorded on a dash cam and shared on YouTube. The assaulter was a manager at Taco Bell and has been fired after the incident.
5. A drunk girl gets rough with an Uber driver after hijacking his pre-booked car.
Looks like being an Uber driver isn’t entirely safe after all. An Uber driver in Miami was assaulted by a drunk girl who mistook the driver to be hers and hijacked the car which was already full of other riders. When asked to leave the car, the girl got abusive and even tried to rough up the driver. Eventually the police had to step in and control the situation.
6. This Uber driver has a mini-mart in his Uber
This Indian-origin Uber driver doesn’t believe in missed opportunities. So along with making serious money driving for Uber, he runs a deli in his car. Chocolates, mints and crisps are hung from an ad hoc line across the back of the front seats, to be enjoyed on the go. The hustle is strong with this one.
7. The Uber driver who dressed up as ‘Business Storm Trooper’ on Halloween – on duty.
An Uber driver who drives as a side gig went all out on Halloween and dressed up as a storm trooper (or at least his head.). But much to his dismay, neither did he get a tip for his Halloween swag or the fact that he was a pretty awesome Uber driver. Here’s his story.
8. The Uber driver who made his customers dance on Halloween night
By his own confession, “I wasn’t going to drive around all these people in costumes on Halloween and not ask them if they can Ju Ju on dat beat, ya know?”
9. This Uber driver who survived a gun fire nearby
And in another instance that points out to how unsafe being a driver in some locations could be, this Uber driver shares a story of when he survived a gun fire happening nearby.
10. This Uber driver who literally had a rider shit all over his car
While stories of drunk and puking passengers are common to almost every Uber driver, this one tops them all. An Uber driver had a passenger with questionable bowel movements, who helped herself to the front seat.
11. Woman goes into labor, husband calls Uber pool
So there are penny pinchers, and then there’s this husband, to whom saving a few bucks on an Uberpool took precedence over getting his wife in labour to the hospital immediately.
Driving for Uber has got to be one heck of a job.