rideshare karma...

stories from both sides' experiences

a global industry that has infected many cities in the world at this point [2025],

[nyc, la, dc, atl, philly, mia, houston, boston, vegas, paris, london, tokyo, toronto, amsterdam, dubai, barsalona, cario, accra, nairobi, mexico city, bogeta, just to name a few]

we thought the yellow cab culture or era was ridged,

rideshare is worse lol, don't believe me check out the statistics,

i remember the very beginning,

the proposals,

the idea,

the promises,

the planning,

the budget,

the framework,

the legal battles,

the marketing,

the advertising,

media coverage,

the campaigning [negative & positive],

the investment dollars from wealthy sponsors,

the anticipation and predictions,

what a time, maybe we need to rewind, hindsight is 20 20...

i'm neither for nor against, it is what it is, a profitable necessity of society,

however,

i've had plenty experiences with ride share since its introduction to society,

remember the beef amongst old drivers and new drivers?

one app mad @ the other app, [app wars]

it became an "industry civil war",

it just a gig, no healthcare, naïve loyalty, no 401k, drivers are expendable,

it was every driver for themselves,

playing gig industry wars "games of rideshare",

the early days of the gig industry were golden, and dangerous,

you just had to be there...

anyhow,

the concept was brilliant, a gr8 part time hustle, available 24 7, rewards for 5-star service [culture & experiences may vary], it seemed promising,

for those that don't know [in da zity] shit can get a lil sticky and "prejudice-ish" hailing a taxicab,

back then a high percentage of drivers were sticking to the "city" not venturing to the "outer boros", lol, gentrification showed up and kicked the taxi industry's ass,

let me be a little clearer for citing purposes,

i'm speaking about 2010 until covid,

i knew eventually the issues would outweigh the progress, and problems would cripple or make drivers uncomfortable [some don't like change or believe in evolution],

ups & downs come with a new concept but eventual it balances out, [look @ social media] it became an addiction for many users, it too became toxic,

then covid hit,

an unexpected detox, shook the game up for good,

then the uprising of "the freelance" drivers' culture took off [wit no union protections just marginal wages], the hype was spread too thin and showing its cracks, or overlooked flaws from creators...

it's been a few years now,

we're in 2025,

probably millions of rides and thousands of complaints have been logged or investigated, [a.i. get to work, expose the facts, the truth has been tainted]

before i continue, this here ain't no hate talk, it's just user observation,

concerns companies "hire" damage control professionals to sweep "problems" under the "imaginary carpet",

it's my opinion from my pov,

it seems like these rideshare companies hire anybody willing to toil for the cause, or just desperate for the dollars [tips etc.]

dealing with the public can be very taxing, an underappreciated business,

as a driver you have to have tough skin and smooth customer service skills, streets smarts and an exit strategy,

many of the drivers currently lack customer services experience or training, or all-around customer relations experience or training,

there are culture barriers,

language barriers, [customers aren't always right]

lack of bizness management experience, everybody is a "wanna be boss" lol,

however, this doesn't go for a greater percentage of the experience,

i would say there are more smoother experiences than unfortunate ones,

what we see on social media are on steroids compared to actual statistics...

do these companies provide actual training?

do they provide ethical oversight without biases?

curious minds want to know...

without gps, most these drivers don't know the demographics they desire to drive in,

wasn't that one of the requirements to being a taxi driver?

or being a driver period? seems like standards have declined,

oversight seems like a joke, fancy words yet invisible actions, is there human resources for rideshare?

i mean like having inspectors, virtual services, secret riders reviews, maybe there should be a program for that,

or maybe a union type scheme to keep both sides in check like a referee,

or just use a.i. representatives to handle oversight, do background checks and hiring?

eventually doing the firing!

don't get it twisted,

many individuals take this rideshare thing serious, using it as transportation or as a source of income, you get out what you put in, there's always risk with rewards,

it just takes a matter of time...

if there weren't dashcams and other recording devices available, we [the people] wouldn't be safe, informed, cautioned or amused,

with all those social media reels, memes and whatnot, every ride share transaction should be a "stranger danger" moment, on both ends...

there are three sides to every story,

the driver's side,

the rider's side,

and the truth which i'm assuming was capture on dashcam [or any other visual device] ...

there are billions of rideshare interactions globally,

i spoke briefly for the employees [yes that's what y'all are, give it time],

now let's focus on the individuals that "pay to play" this rideshare game,

"the customers" aka "rider"...

it's not a privilege, it's not a right, it's a service so treat it accordingly,

customers should at minimum have some basic manners, and respect the vessel taking them safely to their destination,

the driver is actually in control, they're at the damn wheel, if you don't like it get your own personal vehicle, it's always a dice roll...

read the fine print, because whomever said "customers are right" should be bankrupted and exposed for a fraud,

clearly, we weren't "created equal" in the eyes of many delusional mammals,

so why believe every consumer is an upstanding customer, that can actually afford the experience?

with all the social media distractions, we've witnessed interactions between rideshare employees & "paying" customers,

most the time we only get a quarter of the story and a sixty second clip of 15-minute action,

but if you've been in any situation within these parameters,

what was the reason?

self accountably and pride usual fuels these red flags,

look back, could it have been avoided or was it that inevitable?

what are your rights in the rideshare world?

who regulates the behavior of customers?

or drivers?

the rideshare industry needs customer to thrive & profit, and customers need rideshare for accessibility & convenience,

supply & demand, that's what makes our civilizations tick tock,

however,

the powers that be see more profits from toxicity than positivity,

rumor has it, there's so many hush hush lawsuits under nda's out there,

but that could just be all propaganda...

where do we see rideshare in the next ten years?

this is a question to all the companies, driver's and customers that depend on this concept for convenience and their livelihood,

is it still a sustainable benefit to society?

its oversaturated, toxic, seems like the framework of a ponzi but a legitimate investment, what's the next chapter to the "game of rideshares"?

in human years, rideshare is a young adult,

self-accountability is now on its shoulders to bare,

on both sides of the table and to the masters manipulating the profits & payouts,

there has to be common grounds for this goliath to survive davids wrath,

don't be naive believing that it's too big to fail,

failure is inevitable if the scales of equality are uneven, we've all witnessed this industry growth,

has the rideshare industry game topped off?

is it just another thread in the fabric of life?

more on this topic to come,

until then,

what is the writing on the walls that you see happening?

i see a.i. and self-driving cars being the ultimate solution to our current problems of the rideshare, lol,

not funny but they've been programming this shit into pop culture since the 40's or earlier,

the flintstones to the jetsons,

smart phones,

smart cars,

smart homes,

smart cities,

smart drones, droids,

who the fuck you thought was going to manage such technical responsibilities?

surely not humans, lol!