RSG041: The Husband And Wife Team That Did Over 600 Uber Rides Together

It’s not every day that you hear about a husband and wife team that has done over 600 Uber rides together.  But today’s guest has done just that!  And although she was eventually deactivated by Uber (since driving with someone else is against Uber’s policies), on the podcast Karen shares the reasons that led her to do this in the first place and details her experience riding with her husband.

As a newlywed myself (2 years this summer), it was inspiring to hear how Karen and her husband worked together to solve problems on the road, keep each other company and provide an awesome Uber experience for their passengers.  Oh and they’ve also been married for 25 years!

If you’d like to read a transcript of this podcast, please click here.

In this podcast, we talk to Karin Levine, part of a husband and wife rideshare driving team that completed over 600 rides together.

Intro

  • Interview with Karen Levien, one of the people in a husband and wife rideshare driving team
  • Completed 600 rides, had a high rating and positive passenger reviews
  • Interview will cover what made her drive as a team and the pros and cons of team driving
  • Xero smartphone app that helps you track your business expenses right from your phone
  • Xero Tax Touch – will help you figure out taxes and save a bunch of money on your taxes too
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Interview with Karen Levine

  • Drives in Southern California
  • Began driving to supplement income
  • Had problems with the voice navigation app and began bringing along her husband to help with navigation
  • Ended up being a really successful team, as her husband brought strengths to driving she didn’t have and vice versa

Difficulties for New Drivers

  • Uber provides little to no assistance for struggling new drivers
  • LA location for help is difficult to get to, no ability to make appointments
  • Lyft is not much better
  • Depends on the type of Lyft mentor you get and the information provided
  • Lots of improvement needed to help new drivers, because learning on the job can be dangerous

Driving as a Team

  • Began driving together initially as support when voice navigation didn’t work
  • Continued to drive together because of positive reviews & late night driving concerns
  • Deactivated from Uber after 600 rides, yet high rating and positive feedback from passengers
  • Interesting especially because driving as a new driver is difficult, made extra difficult due to attacks on drivers recently
  • Many women afraid to drive (feedback from passengers) because they’re afraid of being attacked. Bringing along your husband or partner as a new woman driver should be seen as a positive way to get more women drivers
  • Driving is inherently lonely, driving with someone else makes it more enjoyable, both for driver and for passengers

Advice for Uber

  • Karen and her husband have an easy icebreaker to introduce him to passengers
  • Uber could easily approve husband as driver and let them drive as a team (husband and wife photo on app)
  • Lyft may be the better platform to introduce team driving to
  • Many passengers have felt more comfortable with the team driving aspect, and others have expressed interest in team driving with their spouse or partner

Outro

  • Basically, you can’t bring anyone (spouses, friends, pets) in the car with you while driving
  • However, it’s interesting to see how team driving could work if Uber allowed it
  • Karen’s experience probably would work for a lot of new drivers, especially women drivers
  • Being a new driver can be difficult – would be great if Uber or Lyft offered something to help new drivers
  • Feel free to reach out to me at harry[at]therideshareguy.com
  • Leave comments, questions and feedback below!

Show Notes

What do you think of team driving, and do you think it’s a good idea for new drivers? How do you think passengers would feel about this?

If you’d like to read a transcript of this podcast, please click here.

-Harry @ RSG