Conversations with Uber
Memoirs of an Uber Rider
I moved to India from San Francisco Bay Area in May 2013. I lived there for 4 years before that. I had never heard of Uber. I visited the Bay Area in May 2014. Uber was everywhere. It had become the preferred mode of transport. After my first ride, I was hooked as well.
After I returned to India. I was extremely pleased to learn that Uber was in my hometown as well — Hyderabad. I had become extremely intrigued by Uber and how it is able to do what it does. I find it hard to find a parallel to the convenience and level of service they offer. I find immense value in this little app and I can safely say — Uber has improved my life. During my last few rides, I wanted to find out how Uber had improved the lives of Uber Drivers.
Conversation 1 — Durgesh
This was my Uber ride in India. I was heading to the DoctorC office after meeting an investor. As my meeting was about to end, I requested for a car. 2 minutes later, my phone rings and Rahman, my Uber driver, was asking me for directions. I’ve never been called for directions in the US. Uber Drivers always just showed up, magically. I chalked this out to a minor inconvenience and moved on.
As I got into Durgesh’s Toyota Corolla, I was curious about his story. Durgesh was a taxi driver at Meeru cabs for 2 years. He recently quit his job, bought a second hand car and started his journey with Uber. I asked him about what made him take such a big step.
It appears that Uber did something amazing for Uber Drivers, the same way it did for me. First, they made it convenient to work. Durgesh had the flexibility to work when he wanted. Second, Uber paid on time, everytime. This is something almost anyone in India can understand. Lastly, Uber paid them better than anyone else.
Driver 2 — Rahman
I was at meeting one of DoctorC’s partner centers. I had ubered over there, but there was no car available for quite sometime when I needed to get back to the office. I walked out to the street and found a taxi around the corner. As I got in, the taxi driver asked me to pay Rs 50 above the meter as a convenience charge for hailing him down on the road. I believe this has now become a common practice — fleece the customer by feeding him bullshit. I quickly pulled out my Uber receipt from my earlier ride and showed it to the driver. I offered to pay exactly the same, not a rupee more. He agreed.
As we headed towards work, Rahman started speaking to me about Uber. Uber was making life difficult for him by offering unfair advantages to drivers who could afford their own vehicles. Rahman was supporting a wife and 2 kids and was barely making ends meet. He hated Uber. When I asked him why, he responded — “because I don’t have enough money to buy my own car”.
Driver 3 — Ravi
Ravi was my most recent ride and also the most interesting. He was also the first Uber driver who spoke flawless English and was eager to make me feel at ease.
Ravi was a Team Leader at JustDial. He was earning around Rs 25000/month. After paying his living expenses, he was left with around Rs 1000 each month. Earlier this year, Ravi heard of Uber and he was sold on the idea. He had no idea where to start. He spent a month and a half figuring out which car to buy, the next 2 months getting a yellow taxi plate — a requirement for Uber drivers in Hyderabad. In April, Ravi started his journey. Today, Ravi earns upwards of Rs 25000 / week. After his living expenses, he is left with a minimum of Rs 50000 each month.
And then I understood exactly how Uber changed the life of an Uber Driver. Uber made Ravi a businessman. Ravi plans to buy 2 additional cars, hire drivers and start an Uber business.
As I continue on my journey with my own startup — DoctorC, I am inspired to provide Uber like value/service to my customers and improve their lives.
Cheers,
Neehar
If you’ve ever had a bad experience with DoctorC, please email me personally at neehar@doctorc.in. I will personally look into the issue and resolve it.
