Being an Uber driver down here was something I considered 9-10 months ago when we decided to move. Since I enjoy driving, I expected to work at several things, and it was very flexibile, this would be a perfect fit. However, thinking about it is different than deciding to do it, and it's different than actually doing it.
I finally decided when I saw a scene from the "Rosanne" TV show. In the show she was an Uber driver and they showed her driving a man who was sitting in the back seat. He said something like this, "I'm never really sure if I should tip my driver." Rosanne said something like, "well, I picked you up at your house, so I know where you live. It's up to you." It was funnier watching it than reading it, but I said then that I was ready.
I ran into a problem getting approved because they needed to confirm that I was a driver for at least a year and did not have serious violations. Since I had just moved, nothing in South Carolina counted, only my record in New Jersey mattered. My New Jersey license had on it the date it was originally issued(or at least a couple years old), but the South Carolina DMV took it from me when I got my South Carolina license.
It took me maybe five weeks to get approved although I had a certified five-year driving abstract from New Jersey. I had to get an abstract that included my record for my whole life. However, today was the big day and I was on the road at 7 am on a beautiful Sunday morning.
It did not feel like working. I spoke with people from New York, New Jersey, Detroit, Texas, Ohio and a few other places. I picked up people at the airport, the IHOP, their home, and brought them to the airport, to work, to Wal-Mart, and to hotels. I spoke with a man moving to New Mexico, parents who had brought a child here for a college orientation, two students from Saudi Arabia, and several people who were in town just for a couple days. I also got a little reading in while I waited at the airport, ate my lunch in the car(which I usually do), and even took a short nap.
And best of all Rosanne, I got a number of tips without threatening anyone.
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