Who’s Driving?
Personal Discovery:
I woke up on Friday, May 9th, 2025, and told myself I was going to start interviewing my Uber/Bolt/InDrive drivers. Why? Well, I have had insightful conversations with every driver I came across.
I am like an inquisitive 7-year-old child who is adored by her parents and would indulge every reasonable whim of hers.
I am able to solicit tears, happiness, laughter from the riders. How I do it? I don’t know. But I beginning to understand that I love to talk, ask questions, know more about people, and solve problems. All I need is to be interested in you.
This is an interesting development, given that I have spent most of my life believing I am introverted and shy. I got into my mid-20s, and every cloak of shyness disappeared. It’s a miracle! I am bold and do not seem to fear.
Ritual:
I do a ritual where whenever I board an Uber, I get them a fizzy drink, and if I can afford it, I get them food too. Then I engage them in meaningful conversations about their lives all through the journey.
This is my attempt to ensure:
1. They don’t have time to think of harming me. If they are evil.
2. To share their experience with them and take some burden off their shoulders. A problem shared is a problem half solved.
3. To know something interesting about them.
4. To help them if I can.
The thing is, Uber drivers are unique. They are humans and must be thinking…
Anita, of course, I know they are humans
…but that’s not what I mean. I mean, they feel pain like you do. They get hungry. They get sad and frustrated, and depressed. They get happy and excited. Some are illiterate, and some are literate. They love football. They can smell, sometimes awfully and sometimes sweet. They get thirsty and hungry. They have big dreams, even the older ones. They adore and love their children, and they most times, do not joke with their wives.
I need you to sit with that for a minute.
Driver Stories:
I have met an Uber driver who is a Master’s degree holder in Economics. He left his corporate job for Uber because he makes his monthly salary in one week.
I have met an Uber driver who still dreams of being in an office. Surprisingly, he also studied economics, but he loathes his job as an Uber driver. However, he believes he doesn’t have a choice because his proceeds from Uber foot the bills.
I have met an Uber driver who doesn’t joke with his wife and is quite grateful for her. He told me of how he saw her through tailoring school, and now she has three apprentices learning from her. He expressed his happiness for being able to train her and his gratitude that she supports him in running the home financially, especially when he lost his job.
I have met an Uber driver who is a grandpa. His car was filled with tiny spiders and for a moment, it felt like I was in a house that was rarely used. The car was clean but had a lot of spiders and cobwebs. According to him, he does Uber when he wants to meet new people. I think it’s an irony to want to meet new people in a car filled with spiders.
I have met an Uber driver who, according to my housemates, has body odour (my sense of smell isn’t the greatest). However, he used to work in Senegal, and because of the way Nigerians, especially those without updated passports, were treated over there. He decided to come back home. And now he works as a driver for wealthy people and occasionally as an Uber driver for people like you and I. Turns out he is an Igbo man. He tried so hard to hide it throughout the ride, but his intonation when he said ‘biko’ and ‘nne’ gave him away. LOL!
I could go on and on, but I will stop here. I intend to document this newfound love on my YouTube channel, so make sure to follow and subscribe. I don’t think I am comfortable with you sharing, and that’s because I am scared I will make mistakes. But who cares? I am going to make them anyway. So, don’t forget to share with your friends and family!
Here is to new and exciting ventures. Cheers!
Please note that throughout this post, I used Uber to mean Uber/Bolt/InDrive.
