I got up, worked on the computer. Took a shower, got my grocery delivery and put it away, tried to take a nap, couldn't.
Ron was up so I got up and we talked a little. He was very frustrated, he had a short in the cord going from his cable box. He asked me if he could give me money to go to Walmart and buy him a new one. I said yes.
I had a little money in my online account so I decided to try Uber. The interface was pretty easy. The driver came in less than 5 minutes.
Now let me tell you a little about my experience riding around in Houston.
- Pay Chuck $20 a trip to drive me around and hear stories about the perverted things he is doing to his sugar baby, how he is trying to game the VA, etc. His version of politics: "What the guy on the radio said...in great detail just to say I agree with him".
- Call a cab and hope someone takes the trip. On one occasion I waited for TWO AND A HALF hours at Walmart and I STILL didn't get a ride. I ended up calling Chuck and had to wait an additional half hour plus deal with all the above. I have gotten accustomed to simply not riding at certain times because the rides are impossible, weekends, any time after 2 PM, around the house, etc.
- Deal with cab driver attitudes - Alex and Arturo are cool but like I mentioned in another post I had one driver tell me I had tuberculosis because I let the cats sleep with me.
- Filthy public transit vehicles, all of them... buses with strange moist stains in the seats, gum everywhere, sticky messes, etc on the buses. Paratransit cabs are probably the worst with overall filth, bad odors, horrible stains on seats. Clients urinate on the seats on a regular ongoing basis. Regular cabs are not that much better.
- Long waits and rides on the bus just to get a couple miles from my house. It is common to ride an hour and a half just to arrive at the Walmart.
So I had no idea what to expect: a private vehicle with a driver who does this likely as a "side hustle" - nothing wrong with that.
First driver showed, very nice. Detailed car with wax, etc, very shiny and chrome blinding. A very nice ride. Got in, vehicle is spotless. Driver is squared away, not sloppy and dirty. He wasn't very chatty but did laugh when we passed a police car and I said "I'm glad I put my seatbelt on". Got me there in a few minutes, very nice.
So, first ride - easy to rate driver and tip. I went in the store. Ron called a couple times wanting more things - batteries, cooked chicken strips, etc. I had a hard time finding his cord but did get it. I would bet my next paycheck the man "shopping" next to me was security because he just stood there fingering a few items, watching me, no cart. But I didn't steal so it was very boring for him.
Ron told me to buy myself something. I looked at the tables, I need a new computer desk. They wouldn't work, I only have about 3 square feet. I later found something on Walmart.com.
I got some filters for the water fountains and looked at t-shirts. I wear a men's tshirt because they are more comfortable, have better coverage, I am not showing my belly, butt, back, and chest every time I open a bottle of soda. I saw a really cute Meowy Christmas t-shirt in red, with a wreath of cats in Christmas hats. I found it in my size and added that to my cart. I got Ron his chicken, me some bananas, and got him a lot of batteries.
He goes through them so fast I wonder if he eats them. I found a checkout line, very short, nice cashier. I went outside and asked for another ride.
The guy showed up in 3 minutes. Remember when I waited two and a half hours on a ride that never came? He was very nice and I liked him. Again, not a chatter.
Ron was drunk and kept calling with "helpful suggestions" like "Get his phone number so you don't have to use the app" "Get his number and put it up at work"
Cab drivers hate to make pickups at work because the employees have a bad track record of cheating the drivers, not paying them, running off, disrespecting them, etc. I would NEVER suggest a professional driver make a pickup at work unless it was us.
I just "uh-huh"ed him until we got home, I got out, rated and tipped the driver, took my stuff in the house. Ron was very drunk in the kitchen. I got him to bed. I got some chicken into him. I gave him his stuff. I reminded him Baby Girl can't eat after 8 PM (they are going to sedate her for the shave). He should be OK for a while.
I have had a pretty nasty headache all day but I still managed to get a lot done, the shopping, housework, got my grocery delivery, pet care, litter boxes, etc. I will likely go to bed early tonight but not for a little bit yet.
I would absolutely take a Uber again. Now the one driver wasn't really crazy about the idea of moving a wheelchair, and I doubt anyone will be happy about a cat in a carrier, so I will likely be using my regular modalities for trips with Ron.
And honestly, if I am rated as a passenger I really don't think I should have Ron around.
13 comments:
Yay for Uber!! I am so proud of you for trying it.
Ron told you to buy something for yourself - vacuum?
So was it cheaper than taking a cab?
The whole trip (both ways) was a little over $10 savings on a regular cab. I wasn't so interested in that so much as the SUPER FAST PICKUP. Unlike waiting for freaking ever on the cab company. Every time I open the app I am surrounded by Ubers. It is incredible and I could get very spoiled. I rode in 2 very nice Toyotas today and will absolutely do it again.
About my gift... no, I didn't think I had that kind of budget. Ron only got himself about $30 worth of stuff so I got a $6 (I believe) Meowy Christmas tshirt and some filters for the water fountains.
uber driver guy again—awesome you did it! Congrats Heather. This will help you do errands and get around.
Ron had a question on how hard it would be to travel with a small folding wheelchair (trunk size) if he can get in the car with my help. Would I have to put something in the pickup notes or easier just to go with the guys we use now? (they are OK with putting up the wheelchair)
I would go with your first idea of just riding yourself now then add Ron later once you know the system and yes they do rate you and will drive right by if they know Ron is a tough passenger to deal with if he behaves it is fine but enjoy your treat for a while while you learn it!
I personally wouldn't mind, but you don't know the size you are going to get.
However--it's a little more expensive than a normal Uber--there is Uber XL where you KNOW you are getting an SUV, that would be what I would recommend.
You don't have to ok a trip to see price--just put where you are going. See Uber XL price? Might be cheaper than a cab still.
Glad you did this! It will be great for you.
BTW, Uber is a great job for someone like me. I have a college degree, I have a "normal" job, but it is weird. We shut down for almost all of December and January. Being able to make extra money during that time is awesome!
A lot of drivers I know are relators. Something to do on the off days.
I got regular Uber X and they would have been fine for Ron had there been trunk space for the wheelchair.
I don't worry so much about price, it is very reasonable and consistently cheaper than a cab - as convenience... there is always a Uber around, it seems. That is huge because with the cab company I can wait up to an hour on a ride.
One time I took a cab home from the grocery store. When the cab driver opened up the trunk for me to put the groceries there were a couple of big dead roaches in there. And I had to put my food there.
I did not see any dead roaches yesterday! :D
Why do you have to involve piss man in this? He's just going to try and us ed them to get his vodka.
I wouldn't want piss man in my car if i drove for uber. And don't over tip them like you do the cab drivers. There are so many ubers you don't have to bribe them with ridiculous tips like you do the cab drivers to get them to pick you up.
I gave them $3 tips for $11 ride. They each also got 5 stars which are important per the driver who posts. I need a name for you, I can't keep calling you that. If you don't want to give a name I will call you Chris.
Ron wants to involve himself in it but I will encourage him to remain with "his" drivers. They aren't going to do side trips and risk losing a lot of money.
A cab driver likes side trips but a Uber gets plenty through the app, he doesn't need to go looking. Plus Uber is not going to protect us if we have a problem.
Ron has 2 men who are happy to bring him alcohol. That is plenty. I am certain, if he called Chuck, Chuck would also happily bring vodka because he knows it upsets me and makes Ron abusive. I have told Chuck this and he kept bringing vodka. Chuck, however, had more trouble figuring out what Ron wanted. Arturo knows if they don't have little bottles bring a couple of big ones. That's what Ron wants.
To my understanding the "Favor" app delivers alcohol but I would not tell Ron about that.
I would agree with you Heather. Focus on doing yourself some favors because it's so much easier when there's Uber and Lyft. I use them both a lot when I'm out of town and have not had any issues. It's so much better than walking by self.
To reply to your question about wheelchairs - some drivers will not accept wheelchairs because they are not familiar with how to handle passengers that are wheelchair bound. I know Lyft has an option on their app to activate "Wheelchair access" but I'm not sure about Uber. Googling it, it seems that Uber has an acronym for it (WAV) at the bottom of the screen when you confirm pick up and drop off addresses are correct. It's location-dependent though.
Good luck! -star_tigress
I will look it up on the Uber website. Disability advocates can be pretty scary if they feel we are being shafted so I am sure they have something posted.
I know one cab driver refused to handle the wheelchair because he broke one and had to pay several hundred for a replacement. He insisted I be the only one to handle it. Another cab driver who smoked a lot in the cab (!!) was on crutches due to some sort of birth defect and could barely drive. He had the customers load their own stuff.
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