Ubear

I went and did it.  I signed up to drive for Uber.

When Uber first came out, I thought it would be a cool thing to drive for them. When I finally got round to actually trying it, I found my car was older than their 12 year old limit, and I didn’t qualify.  So I dropped the idea.  Then, some months ago, I came into a new car after having trickled down my older Sonata to one of my kids.  Equipped with a 2016 Malibu, I could now qualify to drive for them.  Not knowing what to expect, I dove in.

For me, it’s not so much about the money (though a little extra pocket change doesn’t hurt).  I enjoy driving, but not so much that I’d just hop in the car for no reason and do nothing.  Uber  gives me an excuse and seems to be a way to put driving to a purpose.  It’s more like an experiment.  What is it like?  What can I do?  Where will I go? Who will I meet?

At this writing, I’ve been on the road a handful of times and I find it refreshing.  As a person who sits behind a computer screen much of the day, it’s good to get out and do something different. It’s also a little exhilarating, because you never know who is going to get into the car.  It could be (actual riders) someone who barely speaks English taking his son to Childrens Hospital, an affluent couple on their way to party, or a bunch of kids en-route to a concert.  Some are talkative, others not so much.  It’s definitely an interesting experience and I see a large cross-section of people in my area that I don’t usually interact with.

So once every other week or so, I’ll put the Uber plaques in the windows and hit the road with my two helpers, Ubear and Ubeartu [Ubear-2].  Ubear holds up the rear facing Uber plaque while Ubeartu waves at anyone who will take notice.  If you happen to see them on the road, they’d appreciate a wave.