Rideshare drivers aren’t just workers earning fares from Point A to Point B, they are often people who love their work and create positive experiences for passengers.
Jay Chanthalangsy, a former marketing manager of six years who left his corporate job to pursue a more flexible career, became a full-time Uber driver and began to earn as much—or more—as his former corporate role.
“I generally work 7 a.m. – 9 a.m. then take an 8-hour break and go from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Uber is great at giving us a general idea when the demand is high. Uber also gives us a snapshot of our prior week’s earnings, and shows when we can drive to make even more money, which really helps optimize your schedule to make the most money. Some days, depending on surge pricing or how I feel, I may drive extra hours. Most times I do–extra income always helps, especially if you have a wedding to plan for [laughs],” Chanthalangsy said.
“I’m able to spend more time with my daughter, who is almost 7 years old. Now, I can go to her PTA meetings, take her on field trips, pick her up and drop her off from school…simple stuff, like being a real dad. I don’t have to worry about talking to my boss or asking for time off. In itself, that was a big decision-maker for me taking the leap.”
Along with his fiancée, Chanthalangsy is working on his passion project: A travel blog and website based on positive content, love and relationships.
“We are coming up with the idea right now and laying the foundation. We love traveling so much, we want to find a way to travel and stay financially grounded,” Chanthalangsy said.
In an article for LinkedIn, journalist Molly Fletcher chronicled the experiences of Uber drivers that she believed characterized the quality of fearlessness and how that attribute can lead to making meaningful connections.
“A driver in Los Angeles shared that he was a recovering addict who was devoting his life to clean living. Because I have people close to me who have fought this same fight, I asked him to tell me more. He was so matter of fact about this journey. His loved ones told him he needed to change, but that wasn’t enough for him to quit his addiction. He had to get to the point for himself where he decided that he did not want to die. He had to do it on his own. If you work with or love people who don’t want to make a change, you can’t get them there until they want that for themselves,” Fletcher said.
“Recently in Atlanta, my Uber driver recounted growing up in Uganda after his father was killed. He made it to the United States by himself, and settled in San Diego with the help of Catholic Social Services. CSS just happens to be one of the charities that my church supports. His story reminded me of the importance of sharing what we can, how giving is full engagement. When we give, we don’t see all the people who benefit. CSS ended up helping this guy’s brother and mom join him here. Today he works two jobs, his kids go to private school, and I bet you couldn’t find someone more grateful.”
Like Chanthalangsy, Kevin Pham of Silicon Valley also left his corporate job working in finance to drive for Uber and Lyft, after battling a difficult combination of burnout and depression. He quickly found that being a rideshare driver was freeing.
“It was flexible. I literally worked whenever I wanted. I worked as little or as much as I wanted depending on my need for time or money. I had no boss and could utilize my own strategies to increase efficiency. I could stop and start work by tapping my smartphone. It literally was an on/off switch for work. I was able to completely separate life from work. No more sleepless nights worrying about deadlines. I was able to be present when spending time with family and friends without a looming deadline in the back of my mind. Without work on my mind, I was also able to rediscover, explore and cultivate my innate interests in philosophy, culture, travel and art (especially writing, which is what I’m doing at this very moment),” Pham said, in part.
“It paid enough. Considering the skill level involved (know how to drive, work a smartphone and talk to people) and stress level (close to zero) the pay was pretty good. It has a lot to do with driving in San Francisco, where the majority of people don't own cars and the fact that the companies are heavily subsidizing rides to grow, but I’ll save that for another blog post. It was spontaneous. No day was ever the same. I never knew who I was going to meet or where I would end up.”
Startup entrepreneur Greg Muender of San Francisco, who racked up over 1,000 rides in his first five weeks as a rideshare driver while “bootstrapping” his startup company, spoke about his professional experiences as a rideshare driver.
“I can usually fit in around 15–20 hours of drive time in on the weekends, while still keeping Monday through Friday to work on my startup, Whttl. A typical weekend brings in about $500. It’s enough to support my extraordinarily bare bones lifestyle. My wife and daughter may not be as receptive to Ramen as I am, but we still keep it on the cheap,” Muender stated.
“I truly love driving Lyft. I meet great people, earn enough cash to pay the bills and get to explore a breathtakingly beautiful city. I’ve made such a compelling case to drive for Lyft that I’ve even convinced a couple friends and family members to adorn the pink mustache.”
A husband and father, Muender also described making professional and personal acquaintances among his passengers.
“I can think of at least a few of my pals that I originally met via Lyft. I have business cards on hand, so if we really connect in the car ride, I say, ‘Let’s stay in touch,” Muender said.