Former Lyft and Uber driver Evan Kail was flunking my road test and not because of his driving skills.
As you will see on my startribune.com/video, I got irked when his driving jeopardized my aging cameras. "All right, careful, [using his upper-crust voice] cautious driving," he said.
He's a great driver and a very good writer. Kail just self-published a book, "Ubered: My Life as a Rideshare Driver," about his 1 ½ years in the industry. The book is a revealing adventure, made more so by the things Kail did to make sure he had stories to tell. As requested by Uber, I submitted questions for comments, but the company did not respond.
Although Lyft wanted drivers to let passengers sit in front, "I got to the point I wanted people to sit in the back, [because] basically I had the same conversations so many times," Kail said. "I would play hypnotic music. I drove so many drunk people that it was one of my psychological tactics. I figured if I played soothing music, it would keep the [passenger] more behaved and it always did. I had people saying they felt like they were in a spa having a massage. Funny, I actually drove a massage therapist and he knew every song I was playing."
Kail gets annoyed with people who are not "efficient with their time on the road. People who break for green lights because it's about to turn yellow. I straight-up wanted to get out of my car and slap people who do that. That is one of the things I am not missing about doing this."
Kids. I've known this one since he was a toddler. Like a parent, I advised against writing this book. Like a 20-something, the U graduate with a degree in Japanese studies ignored me.
We're still buddies who share an interest in fast cars, artistic pursuits, video and writing, with Kail forging through YouTube and various writing projects.
Q: How does Lyft differ from Uber?