Rideshare Confessions: A humoresque peek into the grim reality of the gig economy

Rideshare confessions is the result of a three-and-a-half-year study by author and driver Duane Hanson. Readers will be greatly entertained by page after page of hilarious, sad and sometimes shocking real-life confessions from the people entering his vehicles (a Mercedes C-230 Sport and later, a Buick Enclave) . Not unlike a priest in a confessional, this middle-aged actor was immediately thrust into the role of non-judgmental therapist. Originally seeking a part-time gig to pay down his wife's credit cards, he quickly became intoxicated by the (seemingly limitless) earning potential of rideshare driving. He ramped up efforts to seven days a week, negotiating the labyrinth of tight, often homeless-choked, one way streets of Portland, Oregon, the "most moved to and least moved from" city in America. Along the way, he discovered the tremendous amount of psychology the job required, sharing an intimate space with a stranger (for four minutes up to four hours) . It was often impossible not to be pulled into whatever emotions the passengers were hauling along with them. The hangover would come on tax day when millions of drivers like himself would discover the heavy taxation levied on self-employment, once classified as "partners" working with the rideshare giants, Lyft and Uber. (He describes them as "Left" as in behind, and "Ubear" as in all of the employment costs.) Rated 5.0 - the highest rating - for years, he was puzzled that his earnings weren't as ample as they had been the year before, or the year before that, so he began looking deeper into the ever-changing algorithms that dictate pricing for both drivers and riders. It turned out that his original agreement of $1.15 per mile had gradually been whittled down to $.70 per mile while the 75/25 split he had agreed to on day one was now closer to 50-50...Sometimes even worse! What had been $35 an hour was now, at times, below the minimum-wage. And this was only one gluttonous secret he was to discover within the gig economy.