Why she drives: we talk with a local Uber driver after one year of service

I’ve been using Uber since it launched in Columbus late last September. The international transportation company is a convenient way to get around, whether you don’t have access to a vehicle or you’re going out for a drink or three. Download the application to your phone, set a pickup location, and the application finds a nearby driver to pick you up.

Uber has also been in the news recently, both for a toxic corporate culture and for not treating its drivers, who work their own schedules as independent contractors, as well as competitors, like Lyft.

I’ve talked to a lot of Uber drivers over the past year. Most say it’s a fine way to earn a little extra money between jobs or retirement. But with all of the recent press, including being booted from London, I wanted a clearer picture of what it’s like to drive Uber in Columbus. Also, because most of my drivers have been men, I wanted to speak with a woman.

For this article, we’ll call her Christa, and she graciously agreed to speak with me about her work.

Uber is not Christa’s primary job. She takes riders between other jobs and on her free weekends.

“The app includes metrics,” Christa says, which track her hourly income. According to Christa, she can earn between $10 and $40 per hour, depending on how busy the time and tips. $40 per hour is not typical, she explains, and usually happens only if her fare is a regular client and leaves her a substantial tip, which can be given through the app or in cash.

Christa has developed a regular clientele, who call and request her. For Christa, the best part about driving for Uber is the networking.

“It also gives me a candid view of the city,” Christa says. “One fare might be a banker, the next one a chef. I’ve made a lot of friends driving.”

Christa says that she has never been uncomfortable with any rider. To use Uber, drivers and riders must create a profile, so the company knows who was involved if there is a problem. This helps keep everyone safe.

Christa has had trouble, though. When she first started driving Uber, she picked up an officer from Fort Benning. When she tried to take him on base, she and her fare were held for more than half an hour at the gate. The officer had to call a friend on base to pick him up from the gate, and Christa was told never to come back to post.

Other than acclimating to the way Uptown streets are blocked during weekend concerts, Christa has had a positive experience with Uber. While she encourages prospective drivers to carefully read the terms and conditions of their contract, and though she admits there are some nights where she makes very little money, Christa keeps driving.

“On slow nights, you just go home,” she says. “No one is there to tell me I have to work. I set my own hours. If there’s nothing going on, I go home. That’s what I love about it.”