eab0e - 2y
I normally keep my Uber rides under 45 mins. But for a few reasons I ended up just getting a two-hour Uber from an airport the other day. The driver was nice but was like, “damn lol I hope Uber pays me well for this”. The issue with long rides is that the Uber driver is far away after the ride in a new territory and has to try to earn rides back to their normal location. He asked if he could at least stop for coffee or something and I said of course. So we go for a while and eventually pull over over at a convenience store and he goes to get some coffee and a snack. I go out and get a coffee too and then I pick up his tab and pay for both of us. Uber ended up calling both of us for a health check because the car was stopped. Buying him a coffee opened him up a bit so we talked for a while. He asked where I was coming from and I said Egypt, and he said he was from Ghana. While chatting and me explaining why I am coming from Egypt, he made a great point that in many places outside of the US, family is a big deal whereas in the US, it is much diminished. And as a result, it’s very important to build connections with neighbors and coworkers in place of that. Even just tell people “good morning” if you usually see them on the way to work so that people know who you are. He came to the US alone four years ago so that is something he describes having learned and a strategy he is using. Anyway as we pulled up to my destination I gave him an unusually big tip to compensate any inconvenience or unpaid time he might have getting back. A few mins later my doorbell rang and he had come up to say was super thankful for the big tip. The Uber algorithm had kind of screwed him over and the trip price (and thus his share) was low for the hassle, and he felt screwed over by Uber, but then he saw my tip which instantly fixed it. I should have checked to see if he had a lightning wallet or tried to convince him to download one if not, because then I could have done one of those social media “okay everybody tip this guy” posts. :/
signal_and_rage ☕️ @signal_and_rage ☕️ - 2y
if we’re gonna commit to using these proprietary software services we got to at least be shilling nostr or bitcoin all the time :)
AK @AK - 2y
uber is ironically ripe for disruption, and stuck with fiat incentives playing short term games
Karnage @Karnage - 2y
Get another ride from him 😆
2d5b6 - 2y
日本の都市部(東京以外の地方都市も含める)では隣に誰が住んでいるのか知らないしあいさつもしない。おじいちゃんおばあちゃんや子供たち、海外から来た留学生などは公園でよく話したり遊んだりしている。大人たちは孤立している。 In urban areas of Japan (including regional cities outside of Tokyo), people do not know who lives next door and do not greet each other. Grandparents, children, and foreign students from abroad often talk and play in parks. Adults are isolated.
東京、京都、奄美大島をお勧めするよ。
The nature of Amami Oshima is wonderful. it is cold in November, so Beppu Onsen might be better than Amami Oshima. you can see beautiful autumn leaves in November. 奄美大島 https://www.exploreamami.com/ 別府温泉 https://beppu-tourism.com/en/ 京都の紅葉 https://souda-kyoto.jp/guide/season/koyo/index.html
Marakesh 𓅦 @Marakesh 𓅦 - 2y
Good for you for your generosity to that Uber driver! I have seen personally how that Uber takes 50-60% of the fare, while it's the driver who is doing all the work, using his or her gas, their time, paying for their own insurance and maintenance, etc. I can't wait until a decentralized rideshare app, perhaps based on Nostr, disrupts Uber and Lyft, and returns the money and power back to the drivers, and the customers...
deleted @deleted - 2y
Thanks for sharing this story, Lyn!
🫂
