Chicago Tourist Places and Adventures to Recommend to Passengers

*Go on an architectural boat tour
*Go a walk down the mag mile
*Go to the Bean and Millennium Park
*Go get some deep dish pizza (from Lou Malnatis, Pequods, Parlor etc.)
*Go to the Green Mill and listen to some jazz
*Go to the Rosemont outlet mall and go shopping
*Go on a bus tour
*Go to Chinatown
*Go to Navy Pier

My View on Tipping Your Uber of Lyft Driver

When you get into a taxi or go to a restaurant, there's some kind of hidden expectation to where you should tip your service staff. The receipt for a restaurant bill has a tip line and in a taxi ride when you swipe to pay it displays amounts you can tip. Although Uber and Lyft drivers don't live off tips, it's always appreciated due to providing a service for others to enjoy. With Lyft, you can at least tip in the app and with Uber, I sometimes get handed cash tips (there should be an option to be able to tip in the Uber app too, many have complained to me). We the drivers drive our butts off in order to get our passengers to their destination safely. I'd say managing someone's safety directly and providing an experience is tip worthy. You don't "have" to by any means, but it would make someone feel appreciated if you handed them a couple extra dollars and said "thank you". Something like that would keep me motivated, that's forsure!

I've Driven Full Time For Uber and Lyft for Over a Year: My Testamonial

I've been living the freelance and Uber life for about year and 3 months and I don't feel like being a full time driver is such a good idea anymore...

Back in the day when I first started in January 2016, both Uber and Lyft had "guaranteed hours", which meant if you drove at prime time hours and acquired a certain number of rides, you'd get x amount of money per hour, generally ranging from the mid twenties to mid thirties per hour. That's a lot per hour! Several months later, that ended up going away and "surge bubbles" for both Uber and Lyft began, meaning if you picked up a passenger from a certain area, the fare would automatically be surged a certain rate (usually 1.1 or 1.2x, sometimes more). These surge bubbles definitely make less money per hour than the guaranteed hours. The more I drive, the more I feel like I'm making less money per hour. I went to averaging somewhere in the high twenties per hour to about $13-17 per hour (I drive in Chicago). At least the passengers are pretty cool, I like talking to people, and I end up on plenty of crazy adventures. I also get to explore new territory of Illinois while not being stuck at a desk all day. However, it gets to be a bit disheartening when I'm driving people to their fun activities while they're hanging with their friends and I wish I could do the same.

Not only do I make less money per hour than I did earlier in my driving ventures, but the commission given to Uber and Lyft is pretty hefty (25%), plus, on my 2004 Toyota Highlander, I spend 35 dollars every 2-3 days (sometimes even 24 hours) in gas. Not only that, but I've spent thousands of dollars in repairs and put thousands of miles on my car (about 100 or so per 8 hour shift). I basically feel like I'm barely turning a profit after overhead expenses are said and done. I only end up having enough for bills and that's it. I also generally drive during peak hours and weekends (and sometimes Sundays) and figured I'd be able to make more of a profit, but I guess not...

Rideshare drivers are supposed to be free, but the only way to make a decent amount of money is to spend countless hours on the road... probably more than 40 hours per week if you really want to make money. Since I do other freelance work, I drive 25-40 hours per week (sometimes more). I definitely don't feel like I make ends meet. I have enough for bills and that's it. My food and gas end up going to credit cards and my car repair credit cards are maxed out. Some people may have better luck than I have, but I'd rather only drive part time. Less miles on my car, less overhead, and I know I'd have financial security if I drove in conjunction with a full time job. I do not feel financially secure on just a rideshare salary.

Lately, I've been using both Uber and Lyft and lately they have been getting close to the same number of rides. However, even though you can tip in the app with Lyft, people are still stingy and I feel like I get handed cash more often with driving for Uber.

I do not feel free. I do not feel happy due to making subpar money and barely being able to scrape by (I like driving and taking to people a lot more than sitting at a desk). I feel like a slave to the road because if I don't drive enough, my bills won't get paid. It's quite the precarious situation to be in and I don't recommend it to any of my friends unless you have no job and no other options. Do not buy a car just to rideshare drive. I already had my car which I'm currently driving into the ground. I hope to get a full time job and use ridesharing to pay off debt and student loans (and fund my summer fun). Since I'm struggling to make ends meet, all my focus goes into making money and I don't have time to pursue my passions. I'm lucky I had time to write this blog!

So if you want to be a rideshare driver, drive part time unless you have no other options and are desperate for money like me. Then you can barely get by for awhile. Best of luck and happy hustling!

3-21-17 Uber Ventures: Casino Craziness

Originally posted on Instagram and copied here!

I ended up on the far south side in Pullman/Roseland, then Hammond, Indiana at the Horseshoe Casino. I've never been there before and had peemergency so I figured I'd give myself a grand ol tour while I'm at it. On my last stop, I wanted to check the buffet and upstairs out and run into this beautiful floral sculpture. As I'm snapping photos to put on Instagram, a lady's glasses fall off and her man asks me how to distribute an epi pen. I was the only one around and had zero idea how to use it. Then the lady wanted an ambulance, so I made my first ever 911 call. Security shows up to the scene and I wait to make sure the lady is ok. She begins puking. Gross! The ambulance and security arrive super fast because security didn't realize I called them. Tehehehe. The lady is ok. As we're waiting the security guard begins hitting on me and asks for my number. I was tempted to give him a fake number because this dude looked 15 years older than me and I wasn't interested. At least he was being nice and respectful. He wasn't creepy. I give him my number and am not gonna answer his call. But why does being a good samaritan mean getting hit on by the head of security? Weird... At least there's faith in humanity and nice men around. When I'm ready and know it's right I'll pursue, but for now I'll go home with a gold star, pretty pics of flowers, and knowing the right man will come along who I am interested in mutually will happen at some point! That's about the most story worthy thing that's happened to me on my Uber ventures lately. I made excellent money today with straight rides. Time to go home!

***blogger.com/rebsuberdriver
***www.facebook.com/rebsuberdriver

What it Feels Like to Drive Too Much

Someone I was driving home today said that driving for Uber is like a drug. It affects your life and relationships. I feel like it affects my life because I always feel the itch to drive and make money no matter what. I feel like I'm addicted to money because I want to escape the struggle game. It affects my life because I sometimes stay up til messed up hours or even pull allnighters just to make enough for bills. I don't sleep due to the stress of money sometimes. I barely get to see my friends because I have to drive a lot of hours to make enough money to live. I also drive weekends because that's the best time to make fares. Because I drive late, I don't get to chill with my roommate friends at night/for dinner because I'm hustling. I'm always tired. I always feel the need to hustle and all I want to do is breathe!

What a Bad Day of Driving Looks Like

*I've been waiting for one last ride by Midway airport and have had 0 luck for an entire hour. I'm serious! I even drove around the perimeter of the airport, through the lot 3x, and sat in the queue area with 1 driver ahead of me with both apps open the whole time. Fuck this noise I guess this is a sign I should go home, go to sleep, and try again tomorrow! Ripppppp! This is one of the worst days of driving I've had in awhile and I had both apps open the whole time. I guess it was just dead today. Lesson learned. I should drive earlier and not end up on a night owl venture all the time (generally 10pm to 4amish). Happy Wednesday/Thursday y'all! (May 2017)

*Other bad days of driving are when you make equal to $10 dollars an hour or less due to it being dead or have multiple rides that are more than 10 minutes out of the way!

*Bad days also consist of having both apps open and not getting a ride for more than 15 minutes at a time several times throughout the day...

Tips 20 Dollars or Greater

1. I drove a couple home from Alinea to Johnsburg and they gave me 20 dollars. This was also a 75 dollar and my longest and largest fare! They also just spent 1750 dollars between the two of them! The woman talked about relationships with me and the man fell asleep in my back seat from his wine. It was also 1:30am on a Friday night! This happened August 2016!

2. I drove a girl from Crystal Lake to Hoffman Estates and her friend who requested the ride gave me 20 dollars for delivering her safely. This was a few rides after my trip to Johnsburg too! This happened August 2016 at around 3am on a Friday night!

3. A drunk dude gave me 27 dollars (in several increments of handing me money) because I waited for him and took him to Popeyes for drunk food! I'm sorry you and your girlfriend were fighting that night! This happened April 2017 at around 1am on a Saturday night!

4. This wasn't really a tip, but I was at the gas station getting gas and caffeine and a random person came up to me and asked for a ride under the table from the Irving Park and Pulaski Mobil station to a bowling alley less than 10 minutes away on Foster and Northwest Highway and gave me 30 dollars for my patronage. This happened April 2017 at around 9pm on a Sunday night!

5. I was waiting at O'hare for 20 min waiting for a ride, left, and picked up 3 drunk guys in a Lyft Plus and drove them towards Irving Park road and Milwaukee. I talked to them a bunch and one of the guys handed me 20 bucks. They also asked me to hang out with them too, but I said no! It was almost 4am on a Thursday night! This happened on 5-19-17!

6. On 8-4-17 I was doing a late night short drive and gave a lady named April a ride from Norridge to like 15min away elsewhere in Chicago. We were talking about jobs at O'hare and told her I was in between jobs and needed more than 11.50 to survive. She told me to apply to Aerotek, but no luck on my end because I've already applied. Then, the ride was over and she was like "I hope this helps" and randomly gave me 20 bucks for a ride that felt super short. I almost cried, especially after 2 bad days in a row and having a bill due tomorrow that I'm scraping money for. Thanks lady!

7. Epicness hath happened today (9-13-17). I was outside of Christina's bar by my apartment about to do my first Lyft ride of the day. I get there and wait for about 5 minutes when the person who requested the ride said he got it for his friend who's drunk and not wanting to leave. He goes back in and tries to get his drunk friend to leave. Five minutes later he comes back out, says his friend isn't gonna come out, and hands me a 20. That made me happy indeed. Thanks dude!