Last week, Uber had a big push to get as many drivers in the great LA area as possible. The did this with a promotion to their drivers...do 75 trips within the area and you get an extra $500 on top of whatever you make.
One catch. EVERY Uber driver in Southern California got this. That means that EVERY driver who wanted a cut of this sweet pie was out in LA. I was one of them.
I was going to try and be smart about it. I found out late on Tuesday that it was going to happen. So I set Wednesday aside, ready to make some cash. I arrived in Downtown LA, near the Staples Center, and turned my app on. Got a ping almost at once, drove a lovely young graphic design student to her place. Then, got another ping. I thought I was sitting pretty.
Then, I got stuck. I was in LA, waiting and waiting for a fare. Drove around, for almost an hour with no pings, nothing. Stopped at a Barnes and Noble in Marina del Rey, just to do something different. Wondered around the sic-fi section and noticed another man, with his phone out. About two minutes into wondering if I could find a copy of Saga Volume 6, or maybe 7, (Awesome comic by the by, any self respecting comic book fan should be reading it) his phone goes off and he rushes out the door.
I look down at my cell, thinking I might be next. Any second now. Any second, I kept telling myself. Twenty minutes later, I'm outside, in my car reading a book I bought--can't remember what it is off hand, a steampunky story which I am sure I'll talk about later--and nothing.
I decide to end the day a bit early. It is 7 pm and I head home. Once I'm outside the area, I switch off my app and cruise home. I spend some time there, relax, watch some tv. Then, thanks to some friends, I decide to try and hit the road again for one more shot.
I get two more rides before I realize it is almost 2 and I need some sleep.
Grand total of rides that day= eight.
Needless to say, the next day, St. Patrick's Day, I decided against driving in LA--though I did get two long rides into LA during the day. Made a bit of cash, but didn't get anywhere close to the number I needed.
And now, this week started out with a similar promotion. $300 if they make 75 trips, $500 if you make one hundred trips. On top of whatever you make. Sounds great, yet I am not even going to attempt it. One reason, it is Wednesday. Two, I don't have the time to devote to spending twelve to twenty hours in my car driving people around. I like driving for Uber. But, I'm not going to do that.
Don't get me wrong, if things were different, I would try it. But, I don't see the point to it.
Thank you for reading, have a wonderful day and for all the other Uber drivers, keep chasing the red...
