UBER Driving – Eric Capers Publishing

Eric Capers’ UBER Video Blogs

Eric Capers is a man of many talents. If you read his biography, you’ll see that he has experience as a Philadelphia taxi driver in the early 1990s, and now he is driving for UBER on a part-time basis. We would like to extend our appreciation to UBER for hiring Eric as an independent contractor. The video diaries below provide some insights into his experiences as an UBER driver. After 4 weeks of video, Due to scheduling conflicts, Eric has decided to create the video diaries on a random basis from now on.

UBER Driving Overview

People often ask me how long I’ve been driving for UBER and how it’s going. This Blogpost is an attempt to provide readers what is like to drive for Uber and some of the key issues I’ve encountered while driving for UBER.

First of all, let me express how driving for UBER requires the same level of humility that one must have when working in any capacity that is considered a low-skill service position. You are dealing with the public, but it is a certain segment of the public. All of the UBER riders are comfortable enough with technology to use the app fairly effectively (most users are very tech-savvy). The demographics probably show the majority of users are under the age of 40. I feel the need to point out the humility needed because an UBER driver needs to maintain a certain level of professionalism, and knowing your role is part of that professionalism. It does not matter how many college degrees (if any) you have, or how smart you are, you are perceived as “The help” and that is your actual capacity as an UBER driver. Some riders treat “The Help” like a good friend, and some riders treat “The Help” like “THE HELP.” As an UBER Driver, you should be able to get a feel for the 10-second relationship indicators given to you by your rider. Not all riders let you know the relationship in the first 10 seconds, but most of the time, the way the ride starts is the way it goes. Some Key points to remember if you are considering driving for UBER are:

1. Research and use the tips online that are given to help you in your everyday UBER life.

2. Keep track of your rating and try to keep your rating as high as possible (especially in the beginning of your driving life).

3. Learn from your mistakes and try not to repeat them.

4. Try to maximize your time and gas by not wasting either one as much as possible.

My video Blogposts discuss some of my experiences using video to bring some of my experiences to life, and give it some animation.

Eric Capers' UBER Video Diary Week 4

Eric Capers' UBER Video Diary Week 1

Eric Capers UBER Video Diary Week2

Eric Capers' UBER Video Diary Week 3

In the week 1video , Eric discusses the sensitive issue of race and how youth of all races listen to rap music. Some of the rap music of today uses explicit language and Eric discuss the impact it has on people of all ages. Feel free to post your own comments about this subject.

In week 2 video, Eric discusses dealing with customers and how the driver and rider ratings affect everyone. Eric also discusses some of the politics effecting UBER and the Public.

In week 3 video, Eric discusses his ongoing struggle to keep a good driver rating and trying to deal with various aspects of interacting with customers.

In week 4 video, Eric created a sign for riders to read that helps express his feelings about getting feedback from riders and the rating system.

ewcapers says:

May 18, 2015 at 6:54 pm

My experiences with UBER and life in general have led me to determine several categories of people that you tend to meet while driving for UBER. Please note that this is a generalization and not an attempt to stereotype people, but merely an observation about some of the behaviors I’ve experienced as a driver. Here’s a few of the basic types of people I’ve met:

1. The extrovert(s) – This person or person gets into your car and starts off by being in a good mood and their disposition shows you right away how friendly they are. The like talking to you and enjoy a good conversation. They ask you about your UBER experience and share some of their experiences with you. If you are an extrovert and like meeting new people, you’ll enjoy driving for them. The only problem arises when you have more than one person and you don’t want to offend anyone by talking more to one person than the other. My advice is to let the conversation flow naturally and talk to both people as much as possible.

2. The Introvert(s) – This person or person gets in your car and is very quiet during the ride. You can try to engage them in polite conversation, but you will get short quick answers. That type of answer is your hint not to talk too much. Sometimes people have things on their minds or they don’t enjoy holding conversations with strangers, so don’t try to force a conversation with a person with that behavior. When you have a group of introverts, it gets even harder to talk to the rider(s). People with this behavior tend to talk to each other in low, whisper voices. My advice is to just try to manage that awkward silence while you drive to their destination.

3. The Multi-tasker(s) – This person or persons gets in your car with one thing in mind – talking or texting on their phone or using their laptop while riding in your car. this person or persons may not be trying to be rude, but they don’t really have time to explain to you why they don’t want to know anything about you or get to know you. My advice is respect their wishes and try not to interrupt their conversation or work.

4. The Party Animal(s) – This person or person gets in your car and you can tell right from the beginning that you have party animal(s) in your car. People with this behavior are trusting you to get them to their destination safely and may or may not be outgoing, but will probably talk to you more than they usually do.

5. The Bilinguals – These persons get into your car and talk to each other in their native language. Sometimes they switch back and forth between English and their native language. Your natural curiosity makes you want to know what they are saying, but try not to feel left out, and ask for needed information when it becomes necessary. MY advice is to learn how to say “thank you” in as many languages as possible because people seem to like you knowing how to say that word in their language.

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