Uber drivers reveal what it's really like to work for the low-cost taxi company

Most drivers agreed that it was a good way to make money on the side

Uber's rapid growth has led to a multitude of teething problems. File photo

Six drivers for app-based cab hire company Uber have revealed what their job is really like in response to a question on Quora.

Most drivers agreed that it was a good way to make money on the side, but wouldn't advise leaving your job in order to work for them full-time. Many said a big perk of the job was meeting interesting people and good conversation.

Not all feedback was positive though: drivers were unhappy with the GPS location system the app uses – often finding themselves unable to find the customer who had hired the car. They were also discontent with the low ratings drivers had given them in response to problems that weren’t their fault, such as software issues.

Several drivers had the occasional problem with hard-to-please passengers. The comments were broken down as follows:

1. “A series of wild adventures”

“I've been exploring this brave new world of on-demand cab rides for the last two months as an UberX driver. It's been a series of wild adventures to say the least… more than anything else, it's the eclectic variety of personalities that you meet in this context that truly makes the experience so unpredictable and ultimately, so incredibly fun.”

2. “The riders are a diverse group”

“The riders are a diverse group. Earlier in the night they are typically headed out to party, and as such the ratings tend to be a bit better. After last call, the average rider is not totally in control of their faculties, and as such can be a bit off and ratings normally come a day or so later, and are lower than what I would consider appropriate.”

3. “Riders fault the driver for any issue with the ride”

“I have seen anecdotal evidence through local Yelp reviews that riders do indeed fault the driver for any issue with the ride, whether it’s a hardware, software, driver or surge issue. The driver is the only way they can show either pleasure or displeasure with the service, and this, frankly only hurts the drivers.”

4. “Passengers are pretty cool”

“As for the passengers, the majority of them are pretty cool and I've had some really interesting conversations with a few of them. but not a small number of them can be total jerks or divas.”

5. “GPS feature leaves something to be desired”

The actual GPS feature used by Uber depends on Google Maps. That leaves something to be desired, very desired. On a given night I can have the system misdirect me to a client a half dozen times or more. I can and frequently do receive an order that turns out is anywhere from a block to a dozen blocks away from where I go to find the client. This results in wasted time and gas on my part and generates great frustration for me and the clients who often comment.

6. “Like playing a video game”

“It is literally like driving and playing a video game. You drive around, you get a ping when you need to pick someone up, you drop them off and get instant gratification to see how much $ you make. Just follow the GPS and drive to the destinations. It's a super chill gig.”