EITM: A Sideswipe Whenever You Need One 4/5/24

Uber
Collisional

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Doesn't it seem like there's no waythat this is possible. What's that?
Let me make sure I have it. One in three, that's thirty three
and a third percent, got it? One in three ride share drivers have
crashed while on the job. Wow, that seems like a lot. There's

(00:20):
no way. I mean, thankfullyI've never had that experience. No,
I haven't either. Yeah, buthow is that possible? So on the
job means there is a passenger inthe car or well, or on the
way to get the way too.Yeah, I mean I'm willing to accept
that. I mean, at thatpoint you were kind of connected, you're
you're going. But even still,that's a lot. Oh yeah, that's

(00:44):
a lot. Thirty three while onthe job, I wouldn't have incidents.
I think it kind of I thinkit kind of runs the uh runs the
gamut. If you would have askme what percentage of people have car accidents
in a year, I wouldn't haveset a third. Yeah, we have

(01:08):
those numbers of all people. No, I don't. I don't. Now,
granted, this is a smaller group. These are people that drive for
a living, right or part ofa living. So, uh, six
million car accidents in the US everyyear out of how many out of how
many licensed drivers? That's what thelog You can't just look a population.

(01:29):
Yeah, no, you got togo buy licensed drivers. If I don't
have a license, I don't counttwo thirty two. Well that's not a
third, No, it's nowhere close. No one third have been in an
accident while on the job, right, So that doesn't mean Uber driving.

(01:49):
Are they counting like they're not countingfood delivery? Right? I think that
comets absolutely, But does that ifyou're does that? Does that? Does
that fall into this? I understandif you're ride share, can't you flip

(02:12):
flop between delivering food and packages andpeople? You know what? I don't
know the answer to that. Ithought you could. So if I'm if
I'm if I'm driving Uber, ifI'm driving Uber and I don't have something
could pop up. I could pickup a passenger, or I could pick
up a rotisserie chicken. Yeah,I thought so. No, I don't.
I don't think so flip flop betweenUber and Lyft. Why couldn't they

(02:35):
do it between? Well, becauseyou're doing your job, but then you're
you're you're you're checking out of Uber. There's no way there's no way.
I mean, doesn't it seem likethat would be an efficient way to operate.
No, no, it doesn't.It says all drivers can receive delivery
requests for food and more. Ohso it is, I'm wrong. Yeah,

(02:58):
okay, now I get it.Now I get it. Why does
the food thing change it for you? Where you think a third of drivers
should be an accident? You pullup and you know what, it's only
because I lived near Boston and there'sthere's fifty restaurants between the And I'm not
saying that in a bad way.I've been to all of them. Yes,
but if anybody who orders, it'slike it's honestly, it's like it's

(03:24):
it's like somebody came in and theythrew like like money on the ground,
and these guys come in and theythey they will they don't. They don't
just find a place to park.They park in the middle of the street,
Yeah, just to run into again. They could be going to Bartaco,
they could be going to Chick filA. They could be going to
Metsa. They could be going Icould sit here for hours and name in

(03:45):
a mastaurant the but I could seethose guys crashing into each other a lot.
So a third of drivers have beenin accidents, but one hundred percent
at the restaurant. Yes, yes, and they do. They pull right
up and sometimes sometimes and I getit. They're just hustling to get in
there, get the food and getout. They don't want they don't want

(04:06):
to start park mobiling and all that. I'm just pulling up, I'm running
in. My flashers are on.I know I'm three lanes over, but
my are on and I'm going in. What was that? Then? I
get mad. I get mad whenthey do take up a parking spot.
I'm like, oh my god,I'm going to Salt Line get out,

(04:26):
but they're going to Taco Bamba topick up some tacos. By the way,
in the teas video last night,that was a Salt Line sweatshirt.
It wasn't actual Army fatigues. Noone wonders lids. She's like, I
didn't know you had camo the yeah, there you go. So yeah,
those weren't official justsl Remember it was. This goes back a couple of years

(04:55):
and it may have been. Wasit a door dash promotion that led to
cheesecake factory disaster? Yes, yes, yes, Coon and everybody was going,
no, you're right, you're right, Yeah, it was Cheesecake Factory.
You couldn't remember for sure which restaurantI was. It was cheesecake,

(05:15):
which, by the way, Ithink that promotion is still going on by
the Cheesecake Factory and Clarendon because theyjust shut down the roads like it's a
motorcade coming through. But everybody's gotto go in there and get dumplings and
salads and uh and oh the chickenpop pie. But yes, every cheesecake
factory may be the worst. Sothose drivers that prefer to stick to ride

(05:38):
share, you think they would tellyou, Oh, the drivers that strictly
do food, Yes, they're crazy. Now, it makes it. They
are they are, And it's bumpercars. It is those cars. Their
cars are designed to be hit that. I get that. I get,
man, there's no and honestly it'sjust flashers. How do you fix it?

(06:01):
I don't know, because I don'twant them parking in regular spots.
And I still want the food.I absolutely want the food. By the
way, I have the same problem. I have the same problem at Lee
Harrison Center where my sushi'sn is thatit is a horrible parking lot. It
is a horrible parking lot. Butwhere do you want them to park because
a lot of times they park inthat one little spot up front where it's

(06:24):
like all the loading and unloading.But you get two three, four knuckle
deep and you can't you can't drivethrough and everybody's honking you and screaming at
you. But what and by theway, would it kill you to park
further down to pick your kid upfrom karate or taekwondo whatever? Would it
kill you to park further away togo to a restaurant? I'm not going.

(06:45):
I'm having it delivered Line one,Hi Elliott the morning. Hey Elliott,
it's Catherine. Hey Catherine, howare you? Oh by And by
the way, let me say this, I don't know if that are we
taking the food into account or isit just an anything that is a ride
share is taken into account anything anything. Yeah, but isn't one in three

(07:10):
still high? Yes? I'm sorry, yes, Catain, I would think
I would think one in three washigh. But in twenty twenty one,
my husband and I got a ridechair to a local restaurant. So she
comes to pick us up. Weget in the car as we're getting our
seatbelts on. She explains, I'min a new car because I got hit

(07:31):
by a deer during my last drivefor Lyft for ride chair, and so
I'm driving my son's car to pickyou guys up. Absolutely, no joking.
We pulled. She started to pullout of the parking spot with my
husband and I in the car andgot hit in the parking lot. Damn
it. So we had to callthe police for her and have the police
come. We had to call anew ride share and left this poor lady

(07:55):
with her second accident in two weeks. Wait why did you have to call
the lace? Was she just tooshaken up? She was a little flustered.
Yeah, she was a little flusteredat that point. I'm out and
I'm getting another one. I'm noteven asking, I'm just him Elliott.
She rice, no, no,like she takes up the highest percentage for

(08:18):
everyone. She's got the two outof three. Wow, that's a lot,
that's a lot. No. No, but I was gonna say,
like, thank god, I've neverbeen in an accident in a ride share,
but I've definitely been in accidents intaxi cabs. That's what she said.
And you ended up, like gettingout and walking for a while,
right and get out. Yeah no, I'm not having a conversation. I'm
just out and I'm not paying.Oh no, we did not pay.

(08:39):
No, that did not happen.I'm paying for a service. My service
isn't getting hit. All right,Very good, very good. Listen,
let me beat that up if anybody, if somebody was hurt, I'll obviously
stay. But I'm not staying asa witness, but i will stay if
somebody's hurt. You guys, figureit out. You got cams. Oh

(09:01):
yeah, I mean one, everyonehas camera, A lot of them,
don't one in three while they're onthe job, like six, Hi Ellie
of the morning? Hey is itme? Yeah? Hi? Who's ass?
Hey? This is Patrick from gwynAllen. Yes, sir, I'm
doing door to ass right now.Actually, oh yeah, I just wanted

(09:26):
to No. I was just gonnasay, like, it's really not as
bad as doing like the ride share, because you got to think with the
ride shair, you got people inthe back that like, whenever I take
the Uber, I'm always talking tothe person, or like you gotta think
when they pick up drunk people,they're always blabbing and making noise, like
right now, I'm just chilling,listening to you and just delivering food,
so it's pretty chill. And thenwith the parking thing, Yeah, I

(09:50):
park wherever I want. I justI don't care about double park. You
of a handy cap. No handycapby the way, like there's no other
parking spots. Yeah, I'm inthere for ten seconds, I'm out.
Yeah I did it. By theway, there's a whole strip of handicap
parking over by the mall. AndI guess the new thing for handicap is

(10:11):
no placard, no plates, flashers, okay, because that's all that you
see. Yeah, but by theway, I'm not a thank you sir.
I'm not going to take I'm notgoing to take heat because I talked
to the I talked to the rightchair guys all the time. But I'm
not taking heat for the reason thatthey're crashing. You're the distraction, he

(10:35):
mentioned, like drunk people in theback because you know they're they're looking in
the rear view half the time beinglike, oh God, please just don't
throw up in my car, rightyou know. Of course, of course,
now that is mentioned, I'm readingthrough the study here. Uh,
the passengers behavior in the back issaid to contribute to the one in three

(10:58):
experiencing some sort of accident. However, there is stuff that is universal between
food and being that isn't just adrunk person talking. What is it?
The workforce for uber and lyft anddoor dash or whatever has seen an increase
in age as people are trying toget back into the workforce but then work

(11:20):
on their own time, their ownhours have more flexibility, so older drivers
but also a lack of familiarity withthe roads. Well then don't don't drive
there. No, But it's justit's not their neighborhood, it's their city.
It's like they're they're trying to justgo where the job calls for them

(11:41):
to be. They're hustling. Theycan't be like, oh, I don't
know that neighborhood and refuse that rideif they need money? Can can I
can? I? Can I addressthat for a second. Yeah, when
we've when we've done a show trip, right and we've gone to a place
that we've never been before. Whonormally drives you, Right, those are

(12:03):
like fully foreign streets to me andrecklessly the never had an accident, never
had an accident on a show trip. So roads are roads, so you
may not be through that truth.You may not know like, oh,
the next street is Wilson and thenafter that it's Fairfax or whatever. You
may not know in your hand itwas because you were in that big truckle

(12:24):
Oh no, but it's no.But that's true. I mean they got
a map. They know it saysright there where you're going. I've never
been in an accident with Uber electdriver, but I've certainly had them get
lost on me. Yeah, nofollow ways or whatever the Uber version of
it is. Follow it is.Sometimes they'll explain because they have to make

(12:46):
a big deal out of it becauseyou watch how they're no longer following getting
kidnapped. That often leads to trouble. Not something horrific like that Dayane,
but when I was when was thatwhen we were down in Atlanta and I
went to that first Braves game bymyself and trying to get the truest.
The woman's like, I know thisarea really well, No, we got

(13:07):
lost, right, Okay, Wellthen that yeah, that's bad. That's
bad. So at that point yougot lost, But did you crash?
No? But at that because youcould still follow roads, but it's unfamiliar.
Right on red, go on green, like it's still the roads.
If I got to make a left, I get in the left hand lane.
If I got to make a right, I get in the right hand
lane, like I'm still just driving. Not always true. Now, I've

(13:30):
been in the car with you whereyou have to motion it said the driver
who's actually in the right hand lane, that you'd like to also turn right.
And I don't know if I've seenit left, but I've definitely seen
it right. There's one. Thereis one right that I make forty one
times a year that I know I'mnot supposed to make. Well, I
can't say forty one because sometimes youcan't even get down that road. But

(13:50):
the line to make the right istoo long, so I just go right
from the center lane. However,No, but I don't. I don't
buy that unfamiliarity with the roads.People are unfamiliar with roads everywhere. No,
yes, true, if I droveinto the middle, if I drove
into the middle of Hagar's town rightnow, I'm not familiar with all the

(14:11):
roads in Hagerstown, But I bet, I bet I wouldn't get in an
accident. But you're not also onthe clock. Yeah, well, but
I'm rushing to drop someone off orto pick something up. Yeah, but
I'm also I don't have my seatback, and I'm just like out for a
Sunday stroll. I'm doing something.No, just ran over another cat.

(14:31):
Damn cats up here? No,you know what I mean. Just drive
the old people, said, thandone? The old people. I get
by twenty thirty drivers sixty five andolder will account for one fifth of all.
No. Oh hell no, no, no no, So when you

(14:52):
turn sixty you want your license takenaway? No, but I don't want
to be I don't want to beresponsible for well, by the way,
not sixty six. Yes, butI don't want to be a chauffeur.
Yeah. But it's like he said, it's a job that's attractive to many
people because you can set your ownhours. And if you want to go
out, understand, and you wantto put in fifteen hours in a day

(15:15):
driving, because a lot of timesthey do. So let me ask you
this. Then, let me askyou this. Then. Now, now
let's pretend that you're that you're goingto choose a driver. But and listen,
I understand how it works that you'rejust selecting and whatever. That's fine.
Three uber drivers are like, hey, we're all available, and there's
a guy who's in his thirties,a woman is in his thirties or a

(15:37):
seventy year old. Which one areyou getting in? If I'm choosing,
yes, I'd probably go with thewoman in her thirties. I'd go with
the guy in his thirties only becauseI probably have more to talk to him
about. But it was also nobodyis choosing the seventy year old. A
couple of why did you choose theseventy year old? They can't. No.
I'm thinking the most recent super recklessuber that I was in where I

(16:03):
texted somebody saying, it'll be amiracle if I get to you in one
piece was a guy who was flyingthrough my neighborhood. I had to scream
stop sign because he was about toroll through a four way stop. Maybe
he was going like sixty miles anhour on a neighborhood street. I'm like,
dude, stop sign. By theway, I know Diane's not making
that up because as I'm stopping ata stop sign, Diane will yell stop

(16:26):
signing this guy. He was notgoing to stop. He was like,
oh I couldn't see it around thetree. I'm like really, okay,
so that's all guys. Let metell you this. The last bad experience
I had in an uber was awas a young woman who was just driving
all recklessly. Okay, well,I had a bad experience with a woman
too. She was one of thosetwo feet drivers. I was like,
oh, it's gonna be bad.Nobody's picking the all she was also,

(16:51):
but she was older and she wasalso going well below the speed limit.
Oh so yeah it was he feltcomfortable. Was I almost late from my
reservation? But you know what,no harm, no foul. But also
what app shows you age of No, no, no, no, That's
what I'm saying. If you hada choice, right, nobody's choosing to
have a seventy year old driver underno circumstances. Only time, the only
time you want a seventy year olddriver. And again, no disrespect anybody

(17:14):
who's seventy in listening right now,But if you the only time that you
want that is you're like, ohmy god, I'll never get anybody.
The closest car is forty minutes away. That's it. That's the only time
who it is, just get mehome. Yeah that nobody. Nobody's actively
looking for for a seventy five yearold Uber driver just because their psycho motor

(17:37):
skills are diminishing. Man, Well, we're at your stop. I may
as well just drive you into thelobby because I don't know where the break
is. Where did that just happen? There was, and it was a
good one. They were again.They were all the way in. Oh,
it's gonna bother me too, damnit. They were all the way

(18:02):
yeah, Philly, that's right.The US. It was a recruiting company
or company, the recruiting office.Yeah, they went all the way.
I'm here to serve, that's me. Last night during the teas hi Ellie
had the morning what's off? Elliott? Hey, what's going on? Dude?
Right? Not much, man.I took my first Uber I've taken

(18:23):
in probably I couldn't even tell youthe last time I took it. But
I had to take my truck tothe shop yesterday. This moved up to
Jersey, so we're up here.I had to go twenty minutes away to
go pick up the ex wife carto be able to use it, and
I set the Uber. I sawthat Evelyn was coming to me. And
Evelyn's on her way, and youknow, Jersey, you can't take a

(18:45):
left turn. You got to goto a just yeah. So so she
missed the turn and I complained inthe office, and the lady was like,
oh, you got to tell himto turn right after the trucks,
right after the hotel. So Imessaged the lady. It now says she's
going to be to me in eightminutes, when she was right next to
me because she's got to go downand turn around and do that and do

(19:07):
that. And so she's on herway to me. She's she's on thirty
five. All she's got to dois take a rite and all of a
sudden, the trip disappears. AndI'm pretty sure what happened is she just
canceled because she didn't feel like tryingto find where I was. So instead
of Evelyn, I got Carlos andI sent the same message to Carlos,

(19:30):
and Carlos made it. Thank you, Hey, thank you, my friend,
thank you. Line eight Hi elliotthe morning. Hey good, what's
going on, dude? Nothing much. I was don Dallas one time visiting

(19:51):
a buddy and we were heading outto some bars making in the middle of
the day on a Saturday, andthere's a car pulls up to the stop.
There's a group of girls next tous, so we know we're you
know, out the window a littlebit this and I'm not not too crazy.
But light turns green. You startgoing again. Our Uber driver gets
caught up and looking over also andends up side swiping a car. The

(20:14):
dude panners. The mood changed immediately. The dude parked in a gas station
lot. Panic. He goes,I don't know what to do. You
guys got to get out all right, very good? Thank you, my
friend, thank you. Yeah,I get it. I get it.
Everybody's now where, everybody's in anaccident, panicked, pulled right over.

(20:40):
Hi, Elli, have the morning. Hey, what's up the dogs?
Travis? Hey, what's going on? Travis? Hey man, I'm one
of your friendly Uber drivers and I'mactually out driving right now. But I'm
sorry to say that I have beenon the job and in an accident.
First first, I logged on oneSaturday morning, about eight o'clock in morning,

(21:00):
went out the very first ride.I'm in a neighborhood that's a mile
away from my house. But itjust kind of got complacent and there was
a car coming. But you know, I mean, on the other hand,
in terms of all the rides thatyou take and Uber directions are terrible.
I mean I've been coast to coastand bordered to border with Google Maps

(21:22):
only had a handful of problems.I have ten problems a night, maybe
more with the directions from Uber thatare just ridiculous. Help me to turn
down roads that aren't there. TellI mean, telling me the wrong side
of the street someone's on, missingthe turns. I just took a girl
to put on the constool and itdidn't even tell me the street. It's
just like turn left, but itdoesn't even get me the street name.

(21:42):
I mean, it's all kinds ofstuff all the time. No. And
by the way, you're right,because like everybody else, I'll sit in
the car and watch their map andlike just kind of see what's going on,
and you look at it and yougo like, I know where I'm
going. I'm just not driving,and I'll look at it. You know,
why in the f are we thenlike tell me there's an accident or

(22:03):
something, But you still end upgoing that way? Do they not?
Do they really frown? Upon youlike firing up ways or something like that.
No, there are ways, likeyou can click a tab that will
take you aways. You can clicka tab will take you to Google Maps,
but you can't completely abandon the Uberapp. And at times there will

(22:23):
be two things talking to you.Let me see, one's giving you one
set of directions, one give youanother. Right, so you can't communicate
with your riders. Like if myrider is trying to text me through Uber,
but I'm on Google Maps, it'snot going to show me any of
that, you know. And solike I've had times where but there's times
where I've the Uber directions are sobad. One night, for example,

(22:45):
I picked up a woman in Dalgron, was taking her off the buoy,
and then it tried to send meback through Fenwicksburg, which is my hometown.
As opposed to just shooting straight upthree oh one. It was forty
miles closer to shoot up one.You know what I'm saying. But I
mean, that's not an accident,man, that's just some dumb stuff.

(23:06):
But you know, I mean,that's just stuff. You know, that's
the main reason you're talking about drivingthe areas you don't know. I drive
into DC. Every night, Itake people to the airport. I'm an
all night driver. I take peopleto National and Ballast. Every morning I
go to Richmond. But when Igo to places that I don't know,
like the back of my hand,to like my Fredericksburg, Stafford Spotslvania area,
I log out so I get backat least the Woodbridge. So I

(23:29):
have an idea because as bad asthe directions, all, you find yourself
and somebody they might just have yougoing around the block, just I mean
get not giving you a specific point, giving you the wrong place. I
mean, riders selling and go I'mhere where you at? I mean,
who knows? I mean, butit can be a little bit of everything.
But you know, it's still thebest job I ever had. Man,
no boss, no schedule. Isjust showing most of the time,

(23:52):
you know, and most of thepeople, Man, good people. I
mean it's I could count on onehand the bad rides I've had, but
I've given over like four thousand rides. Yeah that's great. Good for you.
My kids thinking about doing it thissummer, Yeah, yeah, may
as well. I don't get thefood. I was just do uber eats.
Man, Look look what fell outoh yeah, free meals,