New Book Shares Rideshare Drivers’ Most Memorable Moments
In Tales from Behind the Wheel: Year One, rideshare driver Jonathan Wong shares some of his most memorable stories driving passengers through the Honolulu metro area. In these pages, he reveals that while sensational stories about rideshare drivers and passengers seem to be in the media all the time these days, those stories are exceptions. The truth is that most rideshare drivers perform a wonderful service in helping people with their needs to get from point A to point B, and most rideshare passengers are ordinary people taking care of their everyday affairs.
But just like any other situation involving humans, ridesharing opens up opportunities for weird, funny, and heartwarming moments.
Wong has broken this book into several chapters about the different types of riders or experiences he has had while driving for both Uber and Lyft. Each chapter is divided into several very short stories. Jonathan begins with an introduction to what it’s like to be a rideshare driver. By sharing his stories, he wants us to see a slice of life and the variety and similarities of the human experience. He affirms:
“I hope you’ll nod in agreement during the times you learn or see the truths of life in the stories I share, because ultimately we’re all just ordinary people, whether we’re just on our way to work, school or taking a business or pleasure trip to a far away land. The human experience is the same no matter where we are or what we do. And part of the wonder and joy of creating stories is the privilege of touching the lives of others. others. . “
I think my favorite stories were in the first chapter of the book, “Freaks Come Out at Night.” Here Jonathan tells his stories of religious people who don’t seem to practice what they preach, strippers who need a ride home, and people who take what Jonathan calls “the shame trip,” a trip home after spending the night in a lover’s house. Many of these stories made me laugh or shake my head, but they also revealed a very human side to Jonathan’s passengers.
Successive chapters include Jonathan’s experiences driving people for business: many are ordinary people who would rather take Uber or Lyft to work than have the expense of owning a car; others are in Hawaii on business. A chapter on celebrity sightings will leave you in awe of the people who will choose a shared ride over a private limousine or even a taxi.
And then there is the chapter on taxi drivers. The new ride-sharing economy has really hurt the cabbie business, and as a result, Jonathan has had some unpleasant run-ins with disgruntled cabbies who feel he is stealing their fare. It’s not uncommon for him to get a request to pick someone up from a hotel and pull up to his passenger’s door only to see a line of taxis waiting in line for someone to give them a fare. He also learned to avoid taking breaks in parking lots frequented by taxi drivers.
Another interesting chapter focuses on his confrontations with the police. As Jonathan points out, the more he drives, the more likely he is to be pulled over by the police, and as a result, he has had that experience several times. Fortunately, all of his encounters with law enforcement have been pretty positive, despite the fines.
There are many other entertaining stories in this book, and I enjoyed their variety. I loved that Jonathan finds it interesting to get to know all the diverse people he has had the opportunity to lead and how he often shares similar interests with them. I also appreciated how seriously he took his job, happy to help people who need a lift and feeling good about getting people, like those who are intoxicated, safely to where they need to be.
Jonathan has a final chapter on how being a rideshare driver means working alone, so you don’t really have co-workers. As a result, he explains how rideshare drivers have come together online to share stories and support each other.
Additionally, the appendices in the back contain helpful information for anyone who may be interested in becoming a rideshare driver. (Jonathan has written another book on how to be a successful rideshare driver called Driving Profits and Making Bank and offers rideshare classes.) There’s also information on special offers and referrals, as well as other ways you can earn money like rideshare. driver or through related companies.
Whether you’re thinking about getting into the ride-sharing business or just looking for some entertaining tales to brighten your day, you’ll find yourself laughing and even thinking a bit about the human condition after reading Tales from Behind the Wheel. : Year one.
