Regulations and Safety...

I listened to an informative broadcast today...

The Diane Rehm Show provided a well rounded look into ride-sharing programs. It is not pro-Uber or against. But, the show did discuss some of the potential regulations and fees which may be imposed upon drivers across the States.

I think it's worth a listen!

http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2014-12-11/the_future_of_uber_and_online_car_services

A Big, Fat Wedding...

I just dropped off three passengers... I picked them up from Palace Theatre on 4th Street in town.

Turns out, the final episode of a show called MY BIG, FAT AMERICAN GYPSY WEDDING was being shot there tonight (never heard of that one!)... and my passengers were extras in the show!

If you know that show.. look for the guy,  in the last episode, who slaps one of the main characters... that guy was just in my back seat!

Apparently, there are a number of 'big, fat weddings' taking place on television.

It's cool that there's so much 'big, fat love' in the world...

and it's cool that three of my passengers were a part of spreading it around!

Lost and Found...

Sometimes passengers leave items in my back seat... I returned a smartphone (I checked the contact list for familiar names or faces to determine who's it was), I also had someone's scarf, and a blouse (I still have the blouse, actually)...

Today, I returned a guys iPad.

I picked up the guy at a 'gentleman's club' in town... actually it was a strip club (nothing too 'gentlemanly' about it)...

On the way to his home, we stopped by the ATM... then we compared notes on the very popular SERIAL podcast (love it!!)...

He was so distracted, I guess, that he left his tablet in my car!

Uber.com has a COMMON ISSUES page for passengers. One of the issues is 'leaving your stuff in the Uber car'...

The passenger went to that page, and he found my contact number... He called me... I returned the iPad... he gave me twenty bucks (that was cool)...

...all in a day's work, I guess.

I had also contacted Uber earlier today, when I found the tablet this morning. I was told that, for returning found items, drivers can send an email to their local Uber contact (for example 'partners.louisville@uber.com' is the email contact for my area)...

The contact will help track down the passenger also.

I took note of that... good to know, for future reference.

Random Plug!

When I'm waiting in a parking lot for pickup requests... late at night... at a McDonald's or a White Castle...

I LOVE LISTENING TO REPEATS OF "SERIAL" PODCAST!!

I think it is, at least so far, one of the coolest programs ever spawned from NPR!

...and Sarah Koenig is awesome! Her style and wit are just perfect for this audio series. And, even before "Serial" started, I was a big fan of Ira Glass and "This American Life"!

Between the two podcasts, I have plenty of great content to occupy my thoughts... while waiting for the next pickup request to come through!

Now, I know that you have probably listened to every episode of these great programs... but... just in case (in case you've been vacationing on, say... Mars), I highly recommend you check it out!

Cousin Ronnie!

I just wanna give a special shout-out to my cousin Ronnie Lea...

He IS one of the hardest working men I know... a true hustler (in the best sense of the word!)...

He owns a small automotive body shop... and a limousine company as well!

A few weeks ago, I attended a wedding in Louisville KY... Ronnie's limo service was hired to provide the transport... it was a top-shelf enterprise!

He let me check out the limousine... nice!!

So, if you live in the Louisville KY area... and you are looking for a limo service... check out my cousin Ronnie!

Exclusive Limousines
http://www.exclusivelimousineslouisville.com

Go cousin! ...proud of you!!

We All Work for Money...

Most drivers, especially in small cities, work with Uber for a secondary income. They usually work somewhere full-time as well. Some also use Uber as their sole source of income. But, all of us basically work for money...

A few months ago, I went to a seminar that changed my life financially. The seminar, MASTER YOUR MONEY, was hosted by Dale Gibbons. It cost my wife and me $100 - fifty bucks a person... it is alot more expensive now, I think. But, that seminar was worth every penny we spent!

The live seminar (I believe Mr. Gibbons does webinars now) was broken up into three segments... the first segment was my whole problem:

#1... Get control of your income!

Isn't that the real key for most people?

We often want to make MORE income; and that's cool... it's one reason I started driving with Uber. But, really, the first thing that most of us should do... job number one... is to get control of the income we already have! Then, when we make more, we will be better equipped to handle that!

We got a book, and his income-tracking software, free with Mr. Gibbon's seminar fee. The seminar was life-changing! But, if you can't do that, at least buy the book...

It's titled MASTER YOUR MONEY IN 7 DAYS. Here's a link to the book information...

http://www.masteryourmoney7.com

Whether you work full-time, drive with Uber part-time, or have multiple income streams (which I do), you need to figure out the basics...

We all work for money; and we need to get control of the money we have.

Build a Client Base...

You can build an unofficial client base with Uber...

Because I provide professional service, some of the local tavern owners and bar keepers want to continue requesting me personally (for their patrons who need rides back home, after getting a little too 'relaxed' at the pub!)...

So, they sometimes ask for my personal cell number. I can also give them the Uber-assigned cell number that I use. When the bar keep needs an Uber, she can call me directly...

If I am available, I will head over to the pickup location. After the 'relaxed' passenger is in the car, the bartender will request an Uber... and since I am the closest Uber driver, well, I get the request!

I never offer my number up front... and I never give it to a regular passenger. But when a pub owner or bar keep asks for it... I'm glad to give it to them....

And, this allows me to get some repeat business, from my 'unofficial' client base!

Anthony Bourdain

A few weeks ago, I picked up Anthony Bourdain... the famous author, chef, and world traveler! I didn't recognize him at first... he was with two of his entourage... and he had this crazy big beard, which I wasn't used to seeing on him!

The three guys got into the chevy, Bourdain and one guy in the back seat. As we got on our way to a local hotspot... The Back Door on Bardstown Road... the guy up front said to me, "Hey, do you know who's in the back seat?" I said, "No."

The front seater asked me, "Have you ever heard of Anthony Bourdain?" I looked in the rear view mirror... at the bearded passenger... and I said, "Oh man! You're Anthony Bourdain!"

Despite the "obvious" nature of my intro to Anthony, he was an extremely cool passenger... and very funny!

We talked about some of his experiences. He philosophized about the need for people to show more respect to one another... he said something about the government creating a bomb that seeks out and blows up _________s (the plural form of a particular part of the anatomy, which everyone shares in common... use your imagination)!

When we got to the destination, Anthony  Bourdain actually invited me in to have a drink with him! I thanked him, but thought that might be a bad idea (since I was actually gonna be picking up other passengers).

You know, I don't even know why Anthony was in Louisville KY... though I'm sure it had something to do with eating delicious food, and drinking large quantities of alcohol!

I have some pretty cool experiences driving with Uber...including the fact that I almost had a drink with one of the coolest drinkers (and chefs!) in the world.

Drunk People...

Let's talk about drunk people for a minute...

There are different kinds of drunk people:

there are happy drunks (lots of fun!)...

there are sad drunks (no fun at all!)...

there are certainly obnoxious drunks
(who always seem to believe that they can sing!)...

and, sometimes, there are the understandably drunk...


One of my passengers tonight was completely drunk! Her husband was a nice, relaxed kind of drunk... conversationally drunk. But, the wife... she couldn't even walk to the car! It took two guys to get her into the backseat. And, once she was inside, she was 'layed out'!

My initial thought was... 'really?!'

I thought, 'how can you get so drunk lady?' and, 'how can you let her get so drunk, dude?!'

I saw the neighborhood they were traveling to, and I thought, 'it figures... a couple of wealthy, privileged folks who have nothing better to spend their money on.'

But, then...the husband and I started to talk. I found out that her mom died this year. And, the bar where they had been drinking... the Dundee Tavern & Grill... that was her mom's bar. I don't mean, that's where her mom liked to drink... I mean, her mom had owned that bar... it was a 'family business'... and the daughter... the really drunk lady... had just sold the bar.

And, tonight... tonight was the last night that the Dundee Tavern & Grill would be a 'family' tavern...

There are different kinds of drunk people... happy drunks, sad drunks, obnoxious drunks... and yes, sometimes the understandably drunk as well.

Uber Rating System...

I've actually noticed on the Web, that some folks aren't sure about the "safety" of riding with Uber...

Uber is actually a very safe alternative to a taxi...

1. The vehicles themselves have to be registered, visually inspected, and approved by Uber.

2. There is a thorough background check on all new drivers... no questions there!

3. Uber has a pretty cool rating system. So, at the end of each trip, the passenger has the opportunity to rate the driver and experience. It starts with a 1 to 5 star rating. Then the passenger can make whatever comments they wish. Those ratings are tracked and compiled by Uber. And a consistently low rating means you get the kabosh! ...no more driving with Uber!

     It works the same with the passengers... drivers can rate them too! And low ratings mean... sorry, catch a cab! They won't be allowed to ride with Uber anymore!

So, over time, that creates a consistently safe and comfortable experience for everyone... and that is great stuff!

My First Trip...

Welcome back!

I remember the first pick-up request I received...

I had just finished my new-driver orientation in Southern Indiana, across the bridge from Louisville KY. I was really excited to get started, so I decided to go online for work on the way home from my orientation. I was headed south on Bardstown Road, getting closer to home, when... BEEP! ...

My first request came thru to my Uber-provided iphone4s! All of a sudden, I got a little bit nervous! This was my first trip! I wasn't sure how it would go! ...but the phone was beeping, so...

I touched the beeping screen, and I accepted the request. The app was pretty well user friendly... I could see the address of the pick-up location; I saw the GPS route to the location clearly mapped out; and I had the first name and passenger rating (very cool feature) of the guy I was going to pick up... it was all pretty much right there on the screen!

So, I made my way down Bardstown Road to the pick-up location. Two guys hopped in... one in the back seat, one next to me up front. As we got on the way to a local hotel... one of those right next to Louisville International Airport... I discovered that the two guys were comedians... not just two guys trying to be funny... actual paid comedians!

The guy up front explained that he and the guy in the back seat had flown in from L.A. earlier that week. They were part of a group of, like, 40 comedians! They were doing a gig at the local comedy shop called The Laughing Derby. These two had done their routines earlier that day, and they were flying back to California the next morning...

I think they probably did well, because the guy up front was hilarious! He very effectively denied the existence of any appeal to life in Louisville KY, causing my audible laughter... and without offending this Louisville native who was driving him down the road!

I dropped them at the hotel. As I recall, they gave me a tip! And, as I drove away, I remember thinking... yep, I think I'm gonna like this Uber thing.

Welcome!

Hey folks!

I want to welcome you to the blog site about my book...
DRIVING WITH UBER: "TREAT IT LIKE A BUSINESS", AND OTHER TIPS TO GOOD INCOME.

(Check Out This Intro Video...)

I will be posting helpful information (I hope it's helpful!) for drivers and passengers. But, I would also like to share some interesting stories with you...

So welcome, and stay tuned!

By the way, check out this resource for newly interested drivers...
video.uber.com

Oh, and if you want to register to drive... or, get your very first Uber ride free...

use this code... h2ejv