The other day my car was in the shop, so I called an Uber to run an errand. A friendly driver named Eric picked me up.
I noticed on the app he had driven 12,000 trips with a perfect 5-star rating. I pointed it out and asked how he kept his customers happy.
“Pretty simple things. I try to be kind, say hi, and drive safely. That’s what I’ve been doing for seven years.”
His lowest score ever was 4.95, he said.
I asked if the tech companies’ recent cost-cutting had affected his living. He nodded.
“The pay has declined. When I first started, I was able to make a decent hourly rate. Now it’s challenging. There isn’t much left after the cost of gas and maintenance.”
He told me that Uber had started piloting driverless cars with Waymo, Google’s self-driving car company, in Phoenix.
“It may still be a few years out, but Uber will likely replace many human drivers soon.”
He said he planned to keep driving for now until he figured out what to do next.
