Since debuting in 2012, rideshare services Uber and Lyft have nearly obliterated demand for Los Angeles taxis. Cab drivers who once took home $800 a week are now making half that amount. Still, there’s little sympathy. Taxis are too expensive, their drivers too rude, their cars too smelly, their arrival too unreliable. “Adapt or die,” passengers say.

I was chief among them. I recently spent two years here without a car, during which I relied on two or three rideshares a day. It’s easy to see the appeal of Uber and Lyft, which provide a comfortable, friendly and — most importantly— inexpensive ride. A mid-afternoon Uber Pool from Silver Lake to my ex’s place in Westchester took a quarter of the time of public transit and cost a third of a taxi fare. As a passenger, I enjoyed talking with drivers and relished saving money on car payments, gas and insurance. I often said that if I owned a car, I’d definitely be an Uber driver because it seemed like so much fun.

That is, until I actually tried it. Read more….

http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-vahtel-rider-turned-uber-driver-20160516-story.html

• “I scoured The Rideshare Guy blog for tips and tricks”