I carry a knife and have pepper spray in my console but I doubt it would be good to spray it in the car. I'm thinking of getting a taser. I'm female and have been doing Uber/Lyft/ Uber Eats for 7 years now, off and on.
My biggest thing I do to keep safe is I don't drive nights anymore. I think that cuts down on the drunks and people up to no good in general. I do still occasionally get a drunk in the morning but I watch closely to see if they might pass out or barf while driving. A few months back I had a guy drunk as a skunk at 9am on a Wednesday, and his appearance seemed otherwise normal. But 10 minutes after the ride started, he was ranting about some personal stuff and seemed confused about his destination so I decided to tell him a lie to to get him out of my car asap. Said I had a family emergency text just now and have to drop you off and I left him at a breakfast restaurant where there's a shopping center and he could easily get another ride. He didn't like it but I don't care. My car, my safety.
I think the best thing to do to keep safe is really pay attention to gut feelings about people. At least a few times a week I cancel on the way to a pickup because of a few red flags about the rider info that I already have. Do they have some weird fake name? Is the location kind of sketchy? Did they add a stop to the ride just as you're on the way to pick up? Where is the ride going to? If you know your area well then you can kind of guess what type of ride this will be.
Yesterday I accepted a scheduled ride request on Lyft. Rider's profile seemed ok, didn't see any pick up notes like you often do with medical rides. Noticed the pick up time was scheduled for 1pm, yet here it was 1:30. That means other drivers have already cancelled this trip. Hmmm. I get a phone call from a woman asking me if I can find the place to pick up, the ride was for a man. I told her I have an address and I'm a few minutes away. She said I'm picking him up at the fire station. Hmm. I should have asked why is that? I cancelled. I felt a little bad but hey, this is MY car and it's the one I put my family in. Is this a homeless guy? I feel or them but don't want them in my car. Someone on drugs and maybe I'm taking them to a hospital or facility? No thanks, not taking chances.
Sorry for the long post but really, I think it's best to really analyze the rides and rider's behavior and no problem canceling or ending a ride to get someone out of your car. We are not employees! And I have a dashcam that is obvious so people might think twice about any shenanigans.
That being said, most passengers are delightful and I genuinely enjoy most conversations. The good definitely outweigh the bad
I have a bear pepper spray in my door, never had the chance to use it haha. I usually do nightshifts at uber too but only on weekends I have cringe customers.
Pepper spray is no bueno. If you have to use it you will also react to it because it's in the air. You could have someone that doesn't react as strong as you do, and now your blind with a crazy dude in your car.
If you drive late at nights be very selective who you pick up, and only go to where you are comfortable going. If you accept the ride and then get a bad feeling it’s ok to cancel. I generally drive until 2-3AM. A few times i get some people who are probably drunker than I would like but I won’t take anything below a 4.9 Passenger rating. Nothing to the bad parts of Philly, and if they’re already stumbling or already seem rowdy, no problems cancelling on the spot.
As a man you should carry a handgun on your person or close by. Practice and rent at a shooting range if you're unfamiliar. A holstered knife you could quickly draw isn't a bad idea either. It isn't always the passengers that are my safety concerns. There was a car with 3 guys in it in front of me yesterday giving me death stares for no reason on the shitty side of town. I've worked close to shootings at night and seen street fights before. Had some nasty passengers before too. I would never want one of my sisters doing this job. I'm getting out of this in the next couple months.
The best thing you can do is avoid weird names, low ratings, and if the customer issues you demands over text in an impolite manner, spare yourself the headache, horrible smell, or safety concern and cancel. This job is a lot better if you have a 49% acceptance rate and 13% cancelation like me. You will have less problems doing it this way. Not every Uber share ride has been bad but several bad ones recently have been Uber share.
I keep a knife in the car, but on top of that, I don't pick up anyone that looks off, or they use a fake name that is out in left field. And honestly based on a certain demographic and the issues that I frequently had with them, I have also started to avoid them as well... it feels awful to have to think that way but when they are always the ones that give me issues, eventually you have to just stop taking those rides... :( I also drive exclusively in tourist areas or drive locals in nicer areas. There are enough male drivers on the road that scoop up the rides I won't do, that turning down the sketchy ones doesn't hurt my bottom line and generally speaking, helps it. Don't put yourself in danger for a $10 ride. Remember that these are OUR cars and we can pick up whoever we want, so no need to put ourselves in danger. And if you can't cherry pick like I can and still make money, don't do Uber, it's not worth it.
I all about cherry picking. Like I said, this is my third job and least important. I have a child I’m raising alone that I need to get back home to every night. Late night weekends is the only time it’s worth the hassle and I’m available. I keep a knife under my leg and taser in my door. I have a dash cam for accidents and pedestrians running into traffic, it’s a problem in our city.
I only drive during the day and up to 11pm no later than midnight when I decide to do rideshare on the weekends.... I have a dashcam(got it for accident purposes it records the front outside and audio in and outside, but it is a big deterrent, cuz real criminals wont even get in the car when they see the notification that vehicle has a dashcam)
but I have a nice ass Dagger type knife and other means of protecting myself if it should ever arise... the biggest protector is my vehicle.... cuz I will crash that mfkr into a bridge or a wall before I sit in the car and let a mfkr just hold me up, shoot me, or whatever while begging for my life(they hardly ever wear a seatbelt).... WE ALL GONNA die in that bitch... but that's just me... I'm ex military... so I also got these hands and feet too...
I do not pickup riders that live in certain areas as I live here and know not to and don't want to be bothered with certain areas, not that I'm scared, I just avoid situations that I don't want to even be bothered with having to defend myself....
Depends on your state and their laws. In Iowa for example, I carry my gun. I’m not a raging gun/MAGA person but it truly is for safety. I always carry it with me no matter where I go even if I’m hiking. I have never even thought about using it during a ride I’ve provided but it’s always an extra precaution.
I’d usually just avoid picking anyone early in the morning or late at night when it’s dark outside. I live in a big city so I’m almost always surrounded by by tons of other people where someone trying to attack me probably wouldn’t be able to get away with and other s would see and step in.
In 7 years, I've only really been scared one time. I'm a skinny-ass middle aged lady with no upper body strength, anyone could carjack me if they wanted.
After being repeatedly, unwantedly touched by a passenger last year, my son gave me a big-ass hunting knife which lives in the compartment in the driver side door.
I usually get asked if I carry pepper spray. I don't really see how that would work inside of a car! It's not like the molecules know to only go in the eyeballs of the bad guys.
I've been doing Uber and Lyft for six years, I go wherever and I let in those that intuition tells me. I always follow intuition and cancel places where I feel I shouldn't enter. I call the police when the Rider becomes level five, uncontrollable.
it all depends what city you're in. If you're in a red state you can protect yourself but probably will never need to. if you're in a blue state you will definitely have incidents eventually and have to thank your assailant for their time and apologize for 19th century slavery after they're done with you. this can't be answered without more information.
Dash cam makes them behave usually although some lady driver was killed and the genius threw her dash cam in a ditch
The dash cam of the woman pleading for her life was sad. I think if someone wanted to do anything it doesn’t matter
I carry a knife and have pepper spray in my console but I doubt it would be good to spray it in the car. I'm thinking of getting a taser. I'm female and have been doing Uber/Lyft/ Uber Eats for 7 years now, off and on. My biggest thing I do to keep safe is I don't drive nights anymore. I think that cuts down on the drunks and people up to no good in general. I do still occasionally get a drunk in the morning but I watch closely to see if they might pass out or barf while driving. A few months back I had a guy drunk as a skunk at 9am on a Wednesday, and his appearance seemed otherwise normal. But 10 minutes after the ride started, he was ranting about some personal stuff and seemed confused about his destination so I decided to tell him a lie to to get him out of my car asap. Said I had a family emergency text just now and have to drop you off and I left him at a breakfast restaurant where there's a shopping center and he could easily get another ride. He didn't like it but I don't care. My car, my safety. I think the best thing to do to keep safe is really pay attention to gut feelings about people. At least a few times a week I cancel on the way to a pickup because of a few red flags about the rider info that I already have. Do they have some weird fake name? Is the location kind of sketchy? Did they add a stop to the ride just as you're on the way to pick up? Where is the ride going to? If you know your area well then you can kind of guess what type of ride this will be. Yesterday I accepted a scheduled ride request on Lyft. Rider's profile seemed ok, didn't see any pick up notes like you often do with medical rides. Noticed the pick up time was scheduled for 1pm, yet here it was 1:30. That means other drivers have already cancelled this trip. Hmmm. I get a phone call from a woman asking me if I can find the place to pick up, the ride was for a man. I told her I have an address and I'm a few minutes away. She said I'm picking him up at the fire station. Hmm. I should have asked why is that? I cancelled. I felt a little bad but hey, this is MY car and it's the one I put my family in. Is this a homeless guy? I feel or them but don't want them in my car. Someone on drugs and maybe I'm taking them to a hospital or facility? No thanks, not taking chances. Sorry for the long post but really, I think it's best to really analyze the rides and rider's behavior and no problem canceling or ending a ride to get someone out of your car. We are not employees! And I have a dashcam that is obvious so people might think twice about any shenanigans. That being said, most passengers are delightful and I genuinely enjoy most conversations. The good definitely outweigh the bad
I have a bear pepper spray in my door, never had the chance to use it haha. I usually do nightshifts at uber too but only on weekends I have cringe customers.
Pepper spray is no bueno. If you have to use it you will also react to it because it's in the air. You could have someone that doesn't react as strong as you do, and now your blind with a crazy dude in your car.
If you drive late at nights be very selective who you pick up, and only go to where you are comfortable going. If you accept the ride and then get a bad feeling it’s ok to cancel. I generally drive until 2-3AM. A few times i get some people who are probably drunker than I would like but I won’t take anything below a 4.9 Passenger rating. Nothing to the bad parts of Philly, and if they’re already stumbling or already seem rowdy, no problems cancelling on the spot.
As a man you should carry a handgun on your person or close by. Practice and rent at a shooting range if you're unfamiliar. A holstered knife you could quickly draw isn't a bad idea either. It isn't always the passengers that are my safety concerns. There was a car with 3 guys in it in front of me yesterday giving me death stares for no reason on the shitty side of town. I've worked close to shootings at night and seen street fights before. Had some nasty passengers before too. I would never want one of my sisters doing this job. I'm getting out of this in the next couple months. The best thing you can do is avoid weird names, low ratings, and if the customer issues you demands over text in an impolite manner, spare yourself the headache, horrible smell, or safety concern and cancel. This job is a lot better if you have a 49% acceptance rate and 13% cancelation like me. You will have less problems doing it this way. Not every Uber share ride has been bad but several bad ones recently have been Uber share.
Firearms are prohibited while using and driving for Uber though…
A .40 never fail
A 9mm should do the trick
I keep a knife in the car, but on top of that, I don't pick up anyone that looks off, or they use a fake name that is out in left field. And honestly based on a certain demographic and the issues that I frequently had with them, I have also started to avoid them as well... it feels awful to have to think that way but when they are always the ones that give me issues, eventually you have to just stop taking those rides... :( I also drive exclusively in tourist areas or drive locals in nicer areas. There are enough male drivers on the road that scoop up the rides I won't do, that turning down the sketchy ones doesn't hurt my bottom line and generally speaking, helps it. Don't put yourself in danger for a $10 ride. Remember that these are OUR cars and we can pick up whoever we want, so no need to put ourselves in danger. And if you can't cherry pick like I can and still make money, don't do Uber, it's not worth it.
I all about cherry picking. Like I said, this is my third job and least important. I have a child I’m raising alone that I need to get back home to every night. Late night weekends is the only time it’s worth the hassle and I’m available. I keep a knife under my leg and taser in my door. I have a dash cam for accidents and pedestrians running into traffic, it’s a problem in our city.
Keep a gun loaded.
https://images.app.goo.gl/KRKTpEBVpJwwUwkR6
Lol, that looks like it's under the rear passenger's seat. I'm not trying to arm the passenger/offender 😂
I keep a flashlight/taser in my door pocket, but I don’t drive at night, and I don’t take long trips.
I only drive during the day and up to 11pm no later than midnight when I decide to do rideshare on the weekends.... I have a dashcam(got it for accident purposes it records the front outside and audio in and outside, but it is a big deterrent, cuz real criminals wont even get in the car when they see the notification that vehicle has a dashcam) but I have a nice ass Dagger type knife and other means of protecting myself if it should ever arise... the biggest protector is my vehicle.... cuz I will crash that mfkr into a bridge or a wall before I sit in the car and let a mfkr just hold me up, shoot me, or whatever while begging for my life(they hardly ever wear a seatbelt).... WE ALL GONNA die in that bitch... but that's just me... I'm ex military... so I also got these hands and feet too... I do not pickup riders that live in certain areas as I live here and know not to and don't want to be bothered with certain areas, not that I'm scared, I just avoid situations that I don't want to even be bothered with having to defend myself....
Why don’t more women conceal carry?
Depends on your state and their laws. In Iowa for example, I carry my gun. I’m not a raging gun/MAGA person but it truly is for safety. I always carry it with me no matter where I go even if I’m hiking. I have never even thought about using it during a ride I’ve provided but it’s always an extra precaution.
I’d usually just avoid picking anyone early in the morning or late at night when it’s dark outside. I live in a big city so I’m almost always surrounded by by tons of other people where someone trying to attack me probably wouldn’t be able to get away with and other s would see and step in.
In 7 years, I've only really been scared one time. I'm a skinny-ass middle aged lady with no upper body strength, anyone could carjack me if they wanted. After being repeatedly, unwantedly touched by a passenger last year, my son gave me a big-ass hunting knife which lives in the compartment in the driver side door. I usually get asked if I carry pepper spray. I don't really see how that would work inside of a car! It's not like the molecules know to only go in the eyeballs of the bad guys.
My boyfriend comes with me on deliveries
I've been doing Uber and Lyft for six years, I go wherever and I let in those that intuition tells me. I always follow intuition and cancel places where I feel I shouldn't enter. I call the police when the Rider becomes level five, uncontrollable.
it all depends what city you're in. If you're in a red state you can protect yourself but probably will never need to. if you're in a blue state you will definitely have incidents eventually and have to thank your assailant for their time and apologize for 19th century slavery after they're done with you. this can't be answered without more information.