An Uber driver has lifted the lid on what his job is really like, including that it could take hours of work to make a profit. Uber has become a staple part of London transport, with over 3.5 million users a year hitching a ride via the app.
Despite this, many are unaware of the events that occur behind the scenes, and the many trials and tribulations faced by drivers on a daily basis.
An ex-Uber driver in London revealed some of her most memorable rides, along with outlining a surprising area that drivers don’t dare to go.
Sue, 66, recently quit her position at Uber, instead opting to drive a black cab around her hometown.
“I couldn’t see a future working for Uber,” she told MyLondon, adding that there was ‘no money in it’. “I was being offered jobs for 80p (per mile). One guy was offered a job to Birmingham, £114! But then you have to drive back. It just isn’t worth it.”
Sue added: “To be honest you cold earn the same amount being a grocery delivery driver.”
Due to offering little financial gain, Sue revealed that they are to avoid as a driver isn’t something like a council estate, but rather the city’s busiest part – Central London.
“No one goes central, there’s no advantage,” she said going on to highlight that the downside of such a populous area is the charges and the traffic.
“You get more money out in the sticks because the fares are based on distance. If the job takes longer because of traffic you still get paid the same’. Sue went on to say that ‘you end up with a £65 fine for stopping in a yellow box. In Epsom you can have a picnic in there and you’ll be fine’.
Another issue faced regularly by derivers is being placed in the position where you unknowingly ferry around drug dealers.
Sue continued: ‘You get a lot of drug runs. You don’t know until they say wait here and disappear round the corner. Then they come back and want a lift back home’.
She went on to say that there’s not a lot you can do’, stating that the best thing to do in the situation is to present yourself in the correct way to prevent any harm coming to you. ‘If you’re aggressive, then you get that back’.
A slightly less dangerous by still uncomfortable situation you cold find yourself in as a driver is being hit on my customers.
Sue spoke about one particularly flirtatious individual. ‘He was in his trackies, in his late 20s. Not the person I’d go for. He asked if I’d fancy some fun. Asked if I’d take him back home if the person he was visiting was out. I turned around [after he exited the car] and drove off’.
