This was not a quote from a rider of mine, but actually from another Uber Driver. Amazingly enough the comment was made to me on Facebook. The Uber/Lyft drivers here locally have our own Facebook site that we share information and make comments. Although I rarely comment on regular Facebook, when it comes to Uber/Lyft I do make comments and share information.
I posted information on the number of tips I received in 2019 and how Uber Tips compared with Lyft tips and the differences there were in the months during the year. I knew that only a few people would be interested, because most people really don't like numbers and their eyes just glaze over when you start talking numbers.
The driver's comment meant that I spent way too much time looking at these details and I must have a lot of free time. I replied politely and gave him a list of things I do and assured him that "things picking up" would not be a good thing for me and my wife would much rather I get another 60 minutes of sleep each day.
It did get me thinking how different people's perception can be. When you enjoy something you hardly notice the time spent, but when you don't enjoy it, the activity can be a real grind. For me to spend 12-13 hours online picking up riders on a Saturday and Sunday is not a big deal to me. I used to drive those kind of hours in New Jersey delivering and once a month I would do 19 hours a day.
However, 6-8 hours of driving for most people is a lot and something most people are not comfortable doing. It's difficult for them to understand how twice that amount of hours driving can be easy for some people.
I guess this is one the reasons driving for Uber/Lyft is so interesting. I'm meeting a large variety of people with different views and experiences. Here's another example: I've been surveying people who live in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina. This is a very large suburb of Charleston with over 100,000 people living there. It is beautiful and has a little bit of everything, including restaurants. A couple months back, two women who live there told me that there were not enough restaurants in Mt. Pleasant. According to Trip Advisor, there are over 350 restaurants. About 3/4 of the residents I ask believe there are a lot of restaurants, yet I have spoken to some people who insist there are not enough restaurants in Mt. Pleasant. So, which is it?
It depends on who you talk to. Did I spend a lot of time getting that tip information together? Some people would say yes, but in my eyes, the answer would be no. Keep in mind that sometimes what you think is not necessarily what most people think. Are you right or are they right? Or, is there no right?
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