Snow Means Uber Surges
Blog #2
Syracuse New York, 18 February 2022
It's messy and complicated driving an Uber in the snow. Syracuse is the worst.
I have snow tires, so it's not impossible to get anywhere for the most part. But not all the other cars have snow tires. The person doing 20mpg on the highway tends to be the most significant hazard.
What I hate most is the salty grime that accumulates on everything. The back of my car gets covered like icing on the cake. The floor beds turn into a lake of melted snow. Dust and salt get caked on any part of the car where a shoe touches.
Snow grime is why I get my car cleaned every day during winter. Sometimes I get it cleaned twice a day. It's just gross.
The good news is we get paid. Surges go through the roof. From 10:50pm to 11:50pm, I did four rides and earned $56.79, of which $37.52 was surges. I even got a $20 cash tip.
Life is like that. Payouts increase when things get more challenging. Winning the Super Bowl is a lot harder than winning your flag-football rec league. And Tom Brady makes more. It's the same with entrepreneurs like Bezos or the doctor's salary after 10-years of med school.
Losing weight, climbing a mountain, or writing a book, most things worth anything, are complex. Not everyone wants to take on the challenges and risks either. It may not be worth it.
Sometimes we talk about trying. Only a few do it.
So for me, I drive an Uber in the blizzard, chasing the surge.