Schultz: My Top Ten Ride-Sharing Complaints
As Uber and Lyft Change the Way We Travel, Some Riders Such As the Ultimate Curmudgeon Charles C. Schutz Find That Not All Is Perfect
By CHARLES C. SCHULTZ
Published July 8, 2017
Ride-sharing is sweeping the country. Why fix your car, pay insurance and search for parking and then get arrested on the way home for having one glass of wine too many when someone else can drive you home at an affordable price? But ride-sharing is fraught with its own perils.
Here are my top ten frustrations with ride-sharing, including both the Uber and Lyft services.
1. Learn English
If you want to work in the service industry in the United States, learn how to communicate with your clients in the native language. Or move to wherever they speak your language and drive there.
In some large cities, a huge proportion of Uber drivers, in particular, only understand a few English words. Once things get the least bit complicated, they get confused. “Turn left,” “turn right,” or “stop here” they can handle. But try asking something like, “am I able to change my destination during the ride?” and they will just mumble something or look at you quizzically.
The worst is when you are picking up a new passenger during an Uber “Pool” ride and the driver can’t find the new passenger. They start talking on the telephone and the driver can’t understand a word the person is saying. “I can see you but you have to drive up another block,” the new passenger might say but the driver doesn’t understand a damn thing. You have to interject yourself into the matter and try to explain it to the driver. That’s not our job, is it?
2. No Herky Jerky Driving
One would think that if all someone does all day is drive around people, he would know that his clients’ comfort level is dependent on his inputs on the wheel and pedals. Yet so, so many drivers feel the need to tap on the accelerator and the brakes. How self-absorbed do you have to be to not realize that when you tap on the accelerator/brakes you are jerking your passengers around?
Drivers need to simply keep up with the flow of traffic and make slow and steady adjustments. You don’t get there faster by lurching forward every 10 seconds. Drivers’ gas mileage will improve, their brakes will wear slower and, most importantly, their passengers will be thankful if they just stop with the surging.