Ubered: My Life As A Rideshare Driver

by Evan Kail

His family’s wealth has long evaporated, and now serendipity is all Evan Kail can salvage from his riches to rags nightmare. He’s been chasing a screenwriting dream ever since he was in college, and he’s put everything on the line to attain it. So when a new phenomenon called “Rideshare” enters his market in Minneapolis, Kail seeks opportunity in a job he believes will pay well and afford him time to pursue his calling. His only item of value, a BMW sports car purchased in the glory days of wealth, affords him a down payment on a used luxury sedan. Before Kail knows it, he’s a soldier in the trenches of a tech revolution, and he’s in way over his head. “UBERED” is a journey through the jungles of a wild young mind in an even wilder adventure driving full-time for Uber and Lyft. Over the course of one year, Kail dances with all hosts of personalities and professions, battles all sorts of scenarios, and struggles to realize what it means to be an independent contractor, and not an employee. Prepare for the craziest year of Kail’s young life, one that would leave him grappling to understand the very meaning of fate and all he thought was sacred.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Biography

302 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 23, 2016

About the author

Evan Kail is a born-and-raised Minnesotan who has been writing for his entire life.
In his spare time, Evan can be found pursing his love of the arts. He draws, paints, and currently holds the rank of third-degree black belt in taekwondo, and first-degree black belt in kumdo. He is the author of "Ubered: My Life as a Rideshare Driver," "Ubered 2." and "Wolf in the Jungle." In 2020, he plans to release his fourth book.

Follow Evan on his social media pages @evankail to keep updated about his latest projects.

Reviews

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the author an intelligent guy, who (generally) expressed himself well. Unfortunately, I found him quite immature. Perhaps, 3.5 stars might be fairer, but four would be over-generous.

Perhaps, I'm not the target audience, but the many references to drugs and casual sex turned me off. I wasn't real thrilled with his repeated stories of lecherous (old) men coming on to him either. He may be in great shape from all that martial arts training, but "HAWT!" ... not that much. Also, he admits a deep - seated hatred of police, so their appearances in the book will be unflattering.

He can be funny when sticking to the weirder rides, such as getting lost with an elderly couple who spoke no English. He drives a few prostitutes around, including one sent to a location that scared me reading about it! A similar one driving a crazy lady to a Craigslist hookup I found fascinating.

As for the business aspects, the guy doesn't seem to have the greatest sense. Buying a sportscar waaaay out of his price range to Uber around was never going to work. Then again, zooming around in a totally cool car was important to him. We do hear a bit of the pay schemes, etc. However, not sure he was a fully reliable narrator in how he presented that.

Perhaps, a story by an older driver who concentrated less on club kids as clients might be more my speed?

I got this one free via Kindle Lending Library, but wouldn't advise anyone to pay more than a couple of bucks out-of-pocket.

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Found this on Kindle Unlimited and thought - why not? It was surprisingly interesting getting not just the stories (which I expected) but some of the behind the scenes information about how it actually works. The things I am sharing below are as of ...I believe it was 2015. Some of the things may have now changed.

Did you know....

1. Drivers do not know your destination when they pick you up? It is like playing the lottery - it could be a 1 mile trip or all the way up to St. Cloud.

2. When you call your driver or they call you, those calls are routed through uber or Lyft (he drove for both) and you never have their number nor will you get theirs.

3. Not sure if this has changed but Uber' app didn't have a tipping feature and I think even advertised as being "tip free" but that was very bad for the drivers. For Lyft, they do have the tip feature and 100% of the tip supposedly went to the driver. Please tip your driver - even just a couple of bucks is better than no cash at all.

4. The driver needs to maintain a 4.7 rating or they can be dropped. This is what is odd about the world today, if you ask me. There is a whole school of people who believe that nothing is perfect and there can always be improvements so they will vote 8/10 or 4/5. I do that with books, right? The book has to be AMAZING to get a 5 stars. But if you rate your driver less than a 4, it could mean they lose their job.

5. If they rate you a 3 or less, your next call will never go to that driver - you essentially suck. What makes a rider suck? His list included snogging in his car, eating in his car, being racist or in some other way annoying, and/or - and this is obvious...throwing up in the car. Also, no "clown car" (that made me laugh) "it's just a couple of blocks!" If a driver sees you coming with too many people, he can cancel the trip and in some cases, you might still be billed a nominal fee.

6. If you choose to engage in conversation with your driver, do not ask these questions: Why did you decide to Uber? What is your other job? What's the longest trip you have ever had to take? Has anyone thrown up in here? EVERYBODY asks those questions. I found myself thinking what I would ask (who am I kidding - I probably would love to enjoy the silence) but if I did, I might ask what they like to do outside of work.

7. Such a large percentage of riders are drunk. On the one hand, that sort of makes sense because otherwise wouldn't they drive? But gross. That would really get on my nerves. Quote from book: "There’s a huge takeaway I had from rideshare, and it’s this: Alcohol doesn’t do you any favors. Period. It doesn’t make a person smarter, more charming, or more fun to be around. It just made them stupid, and all too often, it brought out their worst qualities."

8. There was a lot of talk about surge pricing. If you DO need to call for a ride, don't do it right at bar closing, at the end of a sporting event or a big concert. You will easily pay 2-6 times the normal price. It sounds like the best time to get a ride is 30 minutes prior to bar closing, although he learned to shut off his app until 2 so as not to miss out on the surge.

9. Quoted from book "Approximately 65 percent of my total rideshare trips were done through Uber and 35 percent were done through Lyft. Of those, about 15 percent of my Uber passengers were what I considered to be problematic. It was quite the opposite with Lyft, for its passengers were almost always enjoyable. I estimate I rated seven percent of my Lyft passengers below five stars."

Drivers have little choices when it comes to accepting a ride or not. They must accept a certain percentage or their rating goes down. Lots of other information about insurance, what percentage they receive and more. Quite interesting indeed.

What made the book even better is that it is based right here in the Twin Cities so when he talked about certain areas, it was pretty funny. I'll share a few and if I offend, I apologize.

"I found myself driving a car full of typical St. Thomas kids- Rude, drunk, loud, with terrible taste in music, and referencing their other friends who had stupid bro-bro d-bag names like “Slacks,” “Hozzie,” and “Doomer.” If you go by any of these nicknames, please reassess your life."

"Eden Prairie was a rideshare wasteland. It was one of a few cities I dubbed “Suburban Hell,” because once I ended up out there, escape was futile. Every passenger in a “Suburban Hell” city always traveled to a destination within that city, or further beyond into obscurity."

The writing style was essentially a page or two for every ride / story. It was easy to pick up and easy to put back down. I thought I would tire of it after 100 pages, but I did not. I think there are certain occupation that give you so much storytelling fodder (including my own). This is definitely one that would make a person interesting to sit next to at a dinner party...and make some of us thankful for the people in our lives who have good manners and common sense.

[Joshua Meijer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though it was hard for me to get into the story at first, it was still a very enjoyable reading experience and the stories were great fun.

[Kris Ogara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty entertaining. Seems like the author is angry with life but he tells some great stories of being an Uber driver. It’s one of those jobs where you say” I should write a book” and he did a nice job with that. I’m sure there are others out there who have some great stories to tell!

[Kerry Dikken · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read. Evan experiences were funny, shocking and totally entertaining.

[Kristen · Rating 2 out of 5]

While the author provides fascinating insights and an inside look at the rideshare industry from the point of view of a driver, I found his attitude unbearable. Multiple instances of mocking accents, using casual slurs, and an overall immature and pompous personality that make the narration impossible to relate to.

[Lillian Cain · Rating 1 out of 5]

I could not stand reading this and quit not even a chapter in. I wish I could give it negative stars. I sincerely do not understand the positive reviews.

For one, the author is just a terrible writer. Horrendous. Literally made me cringe. Felt like a I was reading the diary of a middle school bro.

And second, as others have noted, the author is a judgemental misogynist. Reading the way he talks (and clearly thinks) about not just women, but other human beings in general, makes me want to punch him in the throat. I could not stand it. What an insufferable jerk.

Please, don’t waste your time reading this.

[Sandra Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding

A real page turner. Evan has a gift for writing .. he's honest and open and so refreshing. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it.

[Regyna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Was not what I wanted. I wanted some fun stories about ride sharing and this guy is a little bit of a jerk if you ask me.

[Whistler's Mom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Too smart to drive an Uber or too smart to run Uber?

This book is a testament to the fact that you can enjoy a book, even if you know nothing about the subject and have nothing in common with the author. I've never used a ride-share service in my life. I've always lived places where the paucity of public transportation made owning (and using) a car the only viable option. And not being a drinking woman, I've never needed anyone to drive me home because I was too drunk to find the steering wheel.

This book was offered for free and I nabbed it, expecting some funny stories about crazy passengers. I was surprised at the depth of the author's perspectives on his life and on life in general. This is a man who's not content to cruise (or speed, more likely) through life, but wants to figure it all out, even the most mundane of matters like how we get from Point A to Point B. In seven decades, I've gotten from a lot of Point A's to a lot of Point B's, but never in an Uber.

So the author's description of the Uber phenomenon (and I'm old enough that it still seems like a new concept) was all fresh to me and I found it fascinating, if somewhat disturbing and depressing. Uber is now used as a generic term, although there are other companies providing the same service. In fact, the author started out driving for Lyft, which he claims is a superior company in terms of management, customer service, and employee benefits. However, he needed the wages of a full-time job and Lyft simply didn't supply the numbers for him. Uber was the first ride-share company and others are having trouble breaking into the market. So the author started driving for both companies.

I was surprised at his claim that Uber's technology is sub-par, causing problems for both drivers and clients. His impression is that the company is poorly (meaning inefficiently) run, which I'm well able to believe. Anyone who's worked at all is likely to have had the same experience. And, sadly, sometimes the companies that are run the worst are the most profitable. I can't explain it. Dumb luck? Ruthlessness? A combination of the two? The owners and CEOs of profitable companies are worshiped as demi-gods. In many cases, they should be banished to the modern equivalent of the mail room.

But the most interesting part of the book is the author - a complex man in a complex world. He's a pot-head, nerve-ridden. Ambitious and business-savvy, but contemptuous/frightened of the traditional three-piece suit business world. He suffers from insomnia, anxiety, clinical depression, and something that sounds like a sensory disorder. He medicates with heavy pot use.

He loves luxury cars, speed, martial arts, and pure mathematics. He hates cops, cyclists, meter enforcers, and people who barf in his car. He's very, very bright and frustrated that most people (including people in positions of authority) are of only average intelligence, if that. He's painfully polite, but socially isolated. He resents his passengers asking the same questions over and over again, but he's even more resentful if they fail to talk to him, include him in their conversations, or call him by his name. In other words, he's very young.

When he starting as a ride-share driver, he was bussing tables. Before that, he was a bartender, but he was drinking too much of the stock to make that a viable career option. He's bright enough to realize that being a "contract worker" is short-hand for "low-level employee with no benefits and no job security." But the "gig economy" flourishes because of people like him who want an income without the restrictions of a 9 to 5 job. In his case, he's a wanna-be script writer and (so far) a conspicuously unsuccessful one. But he's not looking to move into the boring world of grown-ups. He just wants to find some cool way to make a lot of money.

Not surprisingly, some of his opinions raise the eye-brows of an older person. He rails against "terrible drivers", but brags about speeding while weaving in and out of traffic. He casually accepts "green tips" (of pot) from customers, but draws the line at driving someone who's engaged in something "seriously illegal" like heroin. He prefers to drive sober, intelligent people, but wants the extra money he earns during busy times, so he drives late at night when (guess what?) obnoxious drunks are running rampant. [Did you know that a ride after a concert or big game or holiday or at bar-closing time will cost you up to SEVEN TIMES the regular Uber rate? Think Lyft!]

So it's a book that can be read on several levels. There ARE good stories about passengers - pleasant, unpleasant, and off-the-wall strange. And it's interesting to me that all of this strangeness is taking place in that model of white-bread, middle-western normality - Minnesota. If a ride-share driver runs into this much madness in the Twin Cities area, what must life be like for those who drive in L.A. or Chicago or New York City? The mind boggles.

I'm glad I read this book. It was both entertaining and educational. I may never ride in an Uber, but I now know more about the industry than 99% of the people who do. I feel good.

[Kelly Martin- Loudermilk · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a story of Evan's life as a Lyft and Uber driver. His shares stories with his passengers, the hardships that come along with being a full-time driver, and the pain of long hours in his car. What I really enjoyed the most was that Evan really had a "customer service oriented" approach to his business. I also found several things about about Uber vs Lyft, including both services tend to slash prices frequently with no warning to their drivers. All drivers, on both platforms, are independent contractors, and essentially, all the risk is on them. Another interesting tidbit is that Uber doesn't have a tip on the card feature whereas Lyft does. At this point in history, Uber should have this tip feature added into its app. I mean, a restaurant can figure this out, but a much larger company cannot? I just find that insane.

Another wonderful thing about this book is the short time that Evan has driving various people around, you get to share in that experience. You get to see the highs and lows of driving the drunks around, the highs/lows of trying to find your passenger at bar closing time, trying to find your passenger when a sporting event lets out, having to manage with traffic cops, etc. It really made you feel as if you were riding with Evan. I think he did a wonderful job of bringing these characters to life, not just some names.

Finally, like Evan, I follow the theory that autonomous cars cannot get here fast enough, because most people are horrible drivers.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the book and found it quite humorous. I'm looking forward to reading the author's 2nd rideshare book entitled "Ubered 2." I would totally give this 5 stars, but due to a few grammatical errors I had to give it 4, as the book needs a wee bit of polishing up of those by an editor perhaps. It doesn't detract from the story and as I said its a hilarious read. It's just a rule I follow from my uni days.

I liked the layout of the book, and enjoyed the behind the scenes stories of how the apps and companies worked. It was interesting to learn more about Minnesota cities as I've never been to the state. It was easy to pick up and get into when I was forced to put the book down to take care of any real life stuff. I've had a few occupations too that just give you so much storytelling fodder, I never did anything with mine, but I'm glad the author did. It would make for great stories to share in group settings.

Gutted me when that kid told his mom "oh you don't need to tip it's included in the ride", where as it actually wasn't and rideshare drivers really need those tips. The book is a real page turner, and the author has a knack for writing. Injecting witticisms, humor, and sharing stories of situations just almost too crazy to believe people behave in such a manner while taking a rideshare.


**Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest unbiased review**Free media does not affect my review.

[Netanella · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked up this Kindle freebie after my long weekend trip to Vegas, where I spent most of the time Uber-ing from the Strip to Fremont Street to the airport. To me, Uber drivers are similar to cabbies, except their cheaper and have cell phones.

I decided to give it a read.

Evan Kail does a decent job in detailing his life as a driver for both Lyft and Uber, and giving the uninitiated reader an understanding of the peculiarities of this modern transportation, and the differences between the two companies. These elements were what I found most enjoyable about the book.

All of the nitty, gritty details about the passengers - the drunks, the lechers, the college students, etc., etc., -- this all read like an episode of Cabbie Confessionals, ad nauseum. Story after story after story of practically the same thing, with the same voice.

I was only able to get about halfway through the book, unfortunately. The writer shares with the reader many details of his personal life - his bisexuality, his pot-smoking habit, his distaste for most of his customers. These elements were all interesting to a certain extent, however, but not interesting enough to carry the book beyond the endless chronicles of the moronic passenger.

You know, I'm sure I've asked some of these same questions...."So, why did you become an Uber driver...?"

[Suzan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have used rideshare a few times and always thought the drivers should write a book. They will often tell you about some of their interesting customers. So when I saw this kindle book I just had to read it. At first I was caught off guard by the frankness of the author. Then I thought he was writing about his sexuality to up his selling of the book. Then I thought I don't want to read about this any more but the book would draw me back. I just had to see who the next customer would be and what crazy thing they would do or ask. All in all the book was okay. I did come away with the thought that I never want to visit Minneapolis. People think living in San Francisco area is bad well read this book and you will think San Francisco is nothing. I also learned a lot about both Uber and Lyft as companies. Granted the author might have had a bit of skewed view.

[Andrew Stein · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disappointing read

When the author wasn't complaining about not being able to make money via uber, he was complaining about his customers. Spoiler alert, he seems to dislike almost everyone. And, uber doesn't care about their independent contractors. He does a good job of explaining why you can't make money - i.e. You take on all risk but don't control your own pricing. He seemed to figure that out quickly but never made an effort to get the hell out. When you figure it out, move on. Don't sit around and whine for 300 pages.

Too many stories about passengers he didn't like. I mean really didn't like. I don't like most people either. Knowing that I didn't put myself in customer facing. Probably time to learn that lesson too.

Too bad. Could have been an interesting read.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmmm

I enjoyed this guy's wit when he wasn't whining or extrapolating his mathematical universe etc. I also enjoyed his style of writing. Since I neither drive for Uber or live in Minnesota it was an interesting experience to hear Evan's story. I guess the one thing I missed in Evan's story was compassion for others that went any deeper than.. "I can't do anything about it.". He seemed to have a very prejudiced view of a lot of people but never in a favorable light. So I guess maybe it's Evan's character I was disappointed in and not the book. Edited 3 star rating up to 4 and would recommend to anyone interested in Minnesota, rideshare, contracting with Uber or Lyft and struggling writers.

[Jerry Jares · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book certainly doesn't speak to me; what a whiny guy. I can't imagine someone earning a college degree and still waiting tables or ubering. Yes, I heard that he wanted time to write screenplays and thought ubering would give him the time. But when a person is still sweating the rent, it is time for a serious re-evaluation of goals.

Then the author tells the reader of the awful things he'd like to do to some of his rides. Do we have a Ted Bundy-in-training? That is a total turn-off. I cannot imagine why the author shared his sexual orientation with us; to increase sales? I won this book; I'm so glad I didn't pay money for this questionable read.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very cool, fun, fascinating and interesting book and I believe this author is a very talented, intelligent writer. I liked it a lot! In the book he tells his experiences of being an Uber and Lyft driver. Just be prepared for a few particularly raunchy bits. Most of the book was great. I was kept curious throughout. I will definitely be reading his “Ubered 2” book and I will read this one again in the future. I am following this author on multiple platforms. He is Pawn Man on social media.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars
As a Minnesotan for the first 28 years of my life, this book was like a trip down memory lane. However, the writing also pointed out something that is a bit negative about Minnesotans- racial micro aggressions. There were time I just had to put the book down for the night because I was getting frustrated at the authors’s poor me story. However, I WILL look at Uber and Lyft in a new eye and ALWAYS tip!

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some interesting stories, almost all reflecting poorly on the people he drove (weird, stoned, drunk, perverted, mean), or tales of his antics and highly questionable life choices.

Autonomous Uber cars can’t get here soon enough.

[Ralph · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating!

Terrific read to get you behind the scenes of those rideshare companies. Lots of great stories of the riders but it gets monotonous after a while. They all seem to blend into one another. But worth a read!

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a great read! Highly recommend to anyone with a sense of humor. Even my grandparents loved it! Hoping the author writes another book, loved the writing style.

[Michaelbraga · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great insight

Walk or drive in the shoes of an uber drive with a great attitude and pithy wit- good job Sir

[shelly bass · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book captivated me. I found it very interesting and loved the authors honesty about his own live. I thoroughly enjoyed this book from beginning to end!

[Tina · Rating 3 out of 5]

DNF, but what i did read was good and interesting.... just after reading halfway through i was bored of hearing uber driver stories.

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some good stories. Author is a bit rude and arrogant

[Aly Simunek · Rating 3 out of 5]

Simple

Basic summaries of driving experiences. All author opinions, and there wasn't much in the book that I gained. 1 point remained constant.... Tip your Uber and lyft drivers.

[Tammy Lynn Doyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lyft me up :)

Thoroughly enjoyed this!! Brutally honest, fun, silly, sometimes scary, Evan tells it all ad then some!! Can't wait to read the sequel!!

[Raquel (Silver Valkyrie Reads)]

Yeah… The author’s drinking habits, pot smoking habits and cursing would need to be balanced with a much more fascinating story or writing style for this to hold my interest.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok Evan, 5 0ut of 5. Having to work on a point system would be miserable. You have my sincempathy.
Your stories keep me entertained for the whole read.
Recommend read.