After my not so great meeting I called for Uber.
As I settled myself in the cab and after my usual greeting to the driver (which I always do) he almost jumped off his seat with joy after knowing my destination. Surprised on such behavior I asked him the reason, he told me his car always gets a customer from there. I could see him smiling from the rear view mirror. That smile had something attractive.
He then started talking about the type of customers he gets during the day and few episodes too. It was easy to make out that he wanted to talk and so did I. After the stressful meeting I wanted to talk to someone absolutely unknown and non-judgemental. He had stories from all walks of life. We talked about how cab system has changed life of many and how it is easy and comfortable for customers .He then took me through the entire process of registration, getting into the system, training given, ethics at work etc . I almost felt like a part of Uber cab service system.
But, our conversation is something to share. Let me put in his own words.
“Madam, it’s so much fun riding the cab. I get to meet varieties of people. Few are big corporate hunks, few are stinking rich business man, sometimes sadhu (god-man) , at times very disturbing customers . It is wonderful to talk and learn from them. “
“I start at 6 am and finish my last ride by 11pm. Few customers who go long distance offer me food which I gladly accept. We finish the ride as friends. I love this work and I am truly enjoying it. I am a part of Uber service for past two years”
“I was working as a private driver but my boss shifted to America. Before leaving he gave me a lakh of rupee which I invested wisely .Within six months I bought this car Chevrolet Enjoy with a down payment of one lakh and rest on loan. I heard from driver friends that a new cab service will be launched and we can make a lot of money. I registered my car and started driving. It was not easy back then. The map was not in place and the app had issues. We had to wait for long and at times the drive got cancelled. But nothing comes easy in life. I waited with the hope that things will fall in place. And madam they did “
“It is not an easy job. There is a lot of hard work but when I see the result my will to work hard gets stronger. I got a car for my wife and she is now a part of this service for past seven months. In fact there are many women who are driving Uber cabs. We assure them that in case of emergency they should contact us immediately . We support them a lot. We have also advised them not take any ride after 7 pm “
“I have three children and I shifted them from Marathi medium to English medium now. I also bought 3 BHK house in Vasai. We have a laptop at home and my children can map my car. I used to go to local shops to buy stuff, I now go to Dmart . The other day I took my children to Bandra and we had Domino’s pizza. My children were making fun of me as I was unable to use fork and knife. I was happy for my children as they were learning new age nuances”
The car finally stopped at my destination and I moved out smiling with a thought,
happiness , joy and satisfaction is everywhere , just need to look around.
Happy in his own Chevrolet Enjoy
