48. I Hate Driving to the Airport

I’ve been doing the rideshare thing for a few months now as my major source of income. I’m figuring out the best times to drive, the best parts of town, and how to make the most of it. I’ve been working on making sure I can pay for the gas to keep me going as well as upkeep on the car and paying my bills with what I earn. I have also been working on putting some aside for other causes. 

Some days are better than others and while I am figuring it out, there are always factors that can turn what would normally have been a productive day into driving around aimlessly. 

You can reserve rides on the app, and people often do. If those people are going from somewhere in your vicinity (and it seems the algorithm based that on where you told them you lived), you will get a request for it. It goes out to everyone in the area, so it’s on a first come, first serve basis. 

While some of these may be people making sure they have a ride to work, most of these reservations are for people going to the airport.

I hate driving to the airport. 

While driving people to the airport may provide good fares, it can be a long ride back clocking up mileage (which really loses the point of earning the higher fare). Or it can be a long wait in the rideshare parking lot at the airport, hoping to take a passenger back to the city, which doesn’t pay as well as taking someone to the airport. 

Also, most of the passengers I’ve taken to the airport are not of the best disposition. They might have had some issue with their flight, or some issue at home they didn’t get to resolve before they left, or just have travel anxiety. Sometimes I get a family of four who wants to jam into my car but were too cheap to pay for the bigger vehicle and are insistent they can fit everything and it’s a crowded trip full of cranky people. So, they end up venting it out on the driver of the rideshare, because it’s that person’s fault for taking them to the dreaded airport.

If I’m lucky enough, I might not have to wait an hour for the next flight to come in with people who need a rideshare. Then I don’t have to sit to in the rideshare parking lot with my car running the AC, watching all the taxi drivers smoking and playing cards. And so, if I do get somebody going back to the city, normally, those folks aren’t exactly the happiest either. They might have had a long flight, are only using rideshare because something happened to their rental car, or they have four people plus luggage, and have to jam it all into my car because they didn’t want to pay for the bigger car or wait for one. Or  I might get someone like the gentleman I had earlier this week who asked me all about strip clubs. That’s always a long, fun rideZ

The reason I bring up my displeasure with going to the airport is because tonight I accepted five reservations for people wanting to go to the airport. Starting at 2:15a and going through to 11a. Which means I drive to the airport, then back to the city to they the next passenger and then back again… 

I normally ignore these requests because they either take place during hours that  I am normally asleep or for the reasons I stated above. I also do not enjoy taking reservations, because many are prone to cancel at the last second, after I have already scheduled time to pick them up and pounded some energy drink to keep me alert.

But as the year winds down, I am trying to earn extra money. Like Springsteen sang, “…but I got the kind of debts no honest man can pay…” But I want to pay them honestly. So, I am doing things like finding when the frats are having their parties, what are the big nights for the bars, and taking airport reservations. 

I have been trying to put money aside to to pay back people who have helped me get through the last two years, which were extremely rough for me. They helped me get through a number of expenses, including medical bills, rent, and basic survival. I hate being in debt to people who were good enough to help me. I am getting close to making the numbers I need to pay back the people who got me through.  I want to get that done before the holidays.

And speaking of the holidays, I know this year will be a lean one, but I do have some people I would like to get something special for, people very important to me who I doubt I could’ve gotten through the last year without. After I pay off my initial debts, I can put money towards that goal.

Then I can start putting away money for my new play which I am wanting to stage in LA. That looks to be a doozy of a deal, and it is my major project for 2024. I want to do this play right. I want everybody to get paid, I want to stage it in a good space, and I want it to be seen. It’s a project I’m dedicating to a lost friend and so I want to do it justice.

So, for now, I will take all the rides I can to the airport. I will hope that the people I pick up are looking forward to their travels. I am hoping they travel lightly. I am hoping they do not cancel at the last second. And most of all, I am hoping they tip well.

And I’m guessing they will provide more interesting rides to share.