A visit to the unemployment office inspired me to dip my toes into Uber driving this afternoon. 3 customers in an hour and a half netted me $33.92. I started with Bradley student heading to a dispensary in East Peoria, then a guy that got off work from a factory to his north side apartment with a liquor stop on the way, and finally a nice lady from the Shoppes to her south side home. The liquor store guy left me a tip, which was nice. Next time around I'll track my miles and factor that into the equation.
Good money if you like all things behind you. Bought new car for Gig of driving paid off in year. He would back in forth to Champaine and Chicago allot.
From stories I have heard, from both drivers and passengers , there seems to be a fairly number of people from Peoria that use Uber to get to Midway to catch Southwest flights because fares are much cheaper, even considering the Uber fare, than the fares from ORD. Also, for people just going to downtown Chicago or the north side, they go to Midway and catch the orange line there which is only a few stops from the Loop. There is no other way, except driving, to get to Midway from Peoria.
Seems to be a fair number of people that go to Champaign for sports events, meetings etc. and to catch a couple of Amtrak trains that do not stop in either Bloomington or Galesburg, It saves them from going to Chicago and have a layover only to have to backtrack a bit once they get on the train.
@PeoriaIllinoisan : Try driving cab first to see if you're interested in hauling people around. Do people carry proper liability insurance to do this. Is just regular insurance ok if someone would happen be hurt.
First, it's amazing how many people use rideshares. It's essentially nonstop. Quite a few are just doing round trips to the liquor store or pot shop (including one that added a taco bell stop after picking up her weed), but the majority, in Peoria anyway, are going to and from work. Think about it. They're spending $15-20 dollars twice a day to get to work and back. Assuming they're working an 8 hour shift, two of those are spent paying for their transportation!
Champaign Urbanans tip very well, especially around campus - ie students and professors. I'm going to shy away from saying they're spending daddy's money, but, ahem, I said I wouldn't say it. Peorians don't tip. Bloomington / Normal isn't much better.
Chicago has a world of loopholes, so my plan on driving around town for a few hours to pay for my visit to see my kids didn't pan out. Maybe next time.
It's not something you'll make a living from, or a very modest one if you do, but you do meet some really interesting people and it gives me a some cashflow while I'm in limbo. Not to mention, a reason to put a Harry Chapin song in a post.
And here, she's acting happy Inside her handsome home And me, I'm flying in my taxi Taking tips and getting stoned
An acquaintance of mine made good money running people to the Peoria airport in the wee hours of the morning as a Uber driver. He's no longer in the area, so maybe there is a void there?
billybob 14
~ 1 year, 1 mo ago
Dec 16, '24 10:29am
An acquaintance of mine made good money running people to the Peoria airport in the wee hours of the morning as a Uber driver. He's no longer in the area, so maybe there is a void there?
@AntiRanchDrssng : Especially, if he was anywhere near the Marriott Pere Marquette. Rare, is the day when there are not multiple people checking out early enough to catch the first flight to ORD or elsewhere. Some drivers have been known to make multiple trips between the hotel and airport by noon,
Driving at night is for the birds, or the brave, but not for me.
This morning I had a pickup at the OYO hotel on Knoxville. I wasn't sure what to expect and it turned out to be a young mother and her two children. I dropped them off at school. She gave them each $5 for "the Santa store" at school and walked them in. I said what sweet kids she had and she gushed about them. Then I dropped her off at her work. It was heartening to see someone that fell on hard times to do everything she could to do right by herself and her children.
I tell that story to say had I had a pickup at the OYO at night I would have thought twice about it. Like tonight when I picked someone up on Ellis. It doesn't have the best reputation and I know someone who lives nearby that echos that sentiment. During the day I wouldn't have batted an eye, but at night, on a dimly lit street, I did feel a little uncomfortable. The name on the reservation was for a female, but a young man came out instead. That's a red flag. His drop-off point was CityScape apartments on Romeo B Garrett. When I got there I had to turn on my brights because the parking lot was so dark. I asked where to drop him - "around the back side, look for a red chevy truck."
Before parting ways he said, "now you be careful out there, ok?" as if to reinforce the uneasiness I was already feeling.
The human mind is a funny and fickle thing. Whether my fears are warranted or not, from here on out I'll be sticking to picking up strangers throughout the nooks and crannies of this wonderful city during the daylight hours.
Chicago has a world of loopholes, so my plan on driving around town for a few hours to pay for my visit to see my kids didn't pan out.
@PeoriaIllinoisan : Now that's something that would interest me -- like when I visit family up north or on the east coast and got bored or just needed to get out of the house for a while, could I log into Uber and just start shuttling people around for an hour or two?
