To take the jab, or not take the jab. The latest trend on both sides I must add are shaming those that have or have not taken the vaccination. I will try to refrain from injecting my social political ideologies from this discussion, (“try” highly emphasized) and not be subjective on the matter, so my apologies in advance if I’m not able to.
Right now the trendy thing is to flash your vaccination card on social media or curled arm with kiddy sticker saying I got my shot. This is terrifying! Your medical records should always be kept private unless you really seek to bring awareness to a matter. With all the health discriminations from insurance companies, and jobs why on earth would you publicly speak on anything; as it relates to your health that can later be used against you? (rhetorical question)
Remember, these are still classified as “experimental drugs” that are NOT, FDA approved nor are any of the pharmaceutical companies held responsible / liable for any adverse affects of the drug. Many of the providers have been liable in pass time for unethical practices and issuance of drugs. Have you seen the late night commercials asking if you’ve been diagnosed with an illness or side-effect from a drug / vaccine between the years of 19XX – 20XX? Well, you get my point.
With all that being stated, can and how will this effect our once somewhat protected private medical files? As an independent contractor, gig worker, freelancer, can you see how this degree of possible superimposed measure can lead to other infiltrations that can lead to discrimination? Are you in a financial position that if adverse effects occur you are medically covered or can take the time off needed to recoup? Will we have any financial help for any long-term effects? Most gig workers and freelancers I know do not even have medical insurance.
Who will protect us, and our rights? Right now, absolutely no one! You and only you is your first line of defense in this area. When it comes to gig platforms like Uber, Lyft, Doordash, TaskRabbit, Grubhub, etc. it will be interesting how this all plays out. Can they afford to force a huge part of their bottomline to be vaccinated (us the partners)? As independent partners can they in fact impose this being we are not traditional employees? What about ride-share drivers? If they are forced to take the jab would that not be a requirement of all parties that enter our vehicles? Can we impose that need too?
This is the slippery slop; I can clearly see in not only the gig economy but in all businesses of sorts. But, this is the biggest question; how and if this measure of action is infringing on our constitutional rights as American citizens? We all should have the choice, and each ones choice should be respected and honored! If forced to do this, do we have legal standing in the courts to holding these businesses liable for any affects?
So there’s this new rideshare app named PULLUP N GO… oh wait it isn’t new exactly; it’s like so many other would be rideshare companies hoping to ride on the coattail of megatron rideshare companies such as Uber and Lyft. They’ve been looming in the background waiting and wanting in on the peace of the pie; they actually been on the scene since 2017 from what I’ve gathered. I actually don’t have a problem with that, but what I do have a problem with is would be gig companies and startups alike trying to take advantage of the hard working giggers! I did a simple research sweep of the rideshare company being they used a prop Yung Joc (my opinion) in a recent video having gone viral showcasing the Atlanta rapper/entertainer who is shown to have a net worth of 4-5 million dollars, currently driving for the rideshare company. Y’all if you can see my blank Kanye stare right now *tuh all of this clearly was staged and dummies are taking the bait! Look I get it, I see the point of marketing, I see the point of broadening your base in attempts to gain exposure, but this was just not the move! Anyone having truly driven on a platform for an extensive amount of time and wanting to be profitable could call this hoax for what it is. So here I am going to outline some red flags about this company that seemingly just re-up and reappeared. I will also speak on the foolishness of giggers wanting to actually partake in this and why more than ever giggers you must be mindful of this here today gone before it even starts companies opping on the scenes.
Gig apps can be an awesome cash grab for criminals, hustlers, you name it especially if asking for a “starter fee” *rolled eyes again*. These apps have a lot of the same red flags that seem to come from a MLM (multi-level marketing) playbook full of phony promises, hype, and no return on investments made. In my brief attempt to research and gain collective data on this company (mind you it was shallow and brief because literally any information or data sought after is like non-existent google it for yourself, but I digress), I found nothing, but red flags. Here are a number of them:
Membership fee, or as they suggest a “The Flat Fee Subscription Plan” for $39.99 A WEEK, from what I gathered from their website IG account @pullupngoceo and @pullupngocfo and @pullupngo_ if you sign-up now you will be granted 2-months free. Y’all let’s just stop right here! Ugh, wait why do I have to pay you? For what? This screams broke and scam already. NEVER PAY TO WORK ON AN GIG APP!
Website is trash and poorly functioning. Go to it for yourself and I do not suggest downloading the app, being you’ll be uploading serious documents you cannot risk your data being compromised. I attempted to navigate on the website and much data is either missing or currently unavailable. Also instagram account lacks consistent info and I literally see no Youtube account.
Phone number doesn’t work. They suggested I call their 24/7 support team so I did. And whelp I got an error message stating the number is out of service.
Could not find any driver or rider reviews for nothing! Unless my google is different from your google I couldn’t pull up a thing. How is that so, they list that they are currently in 5 major markets and not a thing.
A famous “prop” using an entertainer in what I believe to be intentional marketing strategy (check video links and see what I mean). All over headlines from Rolling Out mag, to the local channel 2 news it reads “Rapper Yung Joc Shamed for Driving Rideshare”. Newsflash rideshare drivers and delivery persons alike are shamed all the damn time, yet this one goes viral. I can show you thousands of videos of people mocking us giggers, but now “shaming” is of need of coverage. Smells like a pile of horse shit and many people are stepping in it.
Don’t see any investors, don’t see any companies or persons behind this brand? I read on a post on their IG they were turning down investors left and right to maintain staying black owned. That is most likely because the investors are you, those that are going to be paying a WEEKLY subscription.
I have so much more, but I am trying to keep this brief. For more in depth information on this company visit my YouTube channel CEO DriveHer, I’ll definitely be uploading a vlog on this matter. Look this company can actually mean well and have nothing but good intentions, but if you’re going to emerge on the scene I’d hope that a number of basics will have been thoroughly thought out, planned, and executed. The only thing that I see that has successfully launched is their marketing campaign for exposure, hell I had no clue to who they were until my feed was flooded with these Yung Joc videos of him being a rideshare driver. In addition I am not blaming him neither, but understand something my fellow giggers, you are their deep pockets. The person that gets screwed the most and worst on these platforms be-it Uber, Lyft, Doordash, Postmates, etc. are the drivers/delivers unequivocally. These gigs depend on your ignorance and co-dependency. The new marketing approach I see trending just like with TYRP is the whole “keep all your earnings” bit while you’re paying a subscription / member fee each week or month. The apps and websites info is never properly updated, or vague, filled with false promises of “coming soon”.
A lot of these startups I believe are trying to capitalize off the emotional strings of drivers, many of which feel trapped or wanting a way to earn more. Look people if you watch my Youtube channel at CEO DriveHer where we Drive to Fund Our Dreams, you know I always say spread yourself thin, gain as many gigs as possible to put on your belt, this is the ultimate diversify method in the gig economy. But I must caution you about the fake love affair many of you tend to gain for one platform over another. I say look at them all as the beautiful charismatic cheating girlfriend that, yes she’s there most of the time, you can have a great time with each other, but unfortunately she’s a whore and is not to be trusted. Take it for what it is, have fun, but NEVER fully commit! In short gigs are friends with benefits and all parties involved have a clear understanding of the situationship. *wink*
In closing things I want you ask yourself as well as research for yourself when these type of companies just up and appear the following:
Is this gig worth the investment?
Is the company able to publicly provide real drivers, riders, patrons, reviews/testimonials. i.e. quarterly, annually, etc.
Are they asking you to recruit in an obscure manner?
Maybe I should try being a customer FIRST and do my own internal field study.
Is the gig in “LIVE” mode, beta, or simply a “coming soon”?
Go to all their platforms (without downloading the app) see if it’s functional, if the phone number works, email them for more in depth info, etc. Look, if the website is not properly formatted and half-ass working why would you trust downloading their app? In this day of viruses and hacking don’t chance it.
Take a look at what the platforms are actually offering you, is it worth it, can you articulate with proof that the added gig will allow you to immediately earn.
MARKETING! What is their currently marketing strategy, are they even a buzz, are people using their services and if so where?
These are surface questions that you can easy obtain with little effort. People you are a business and you must “mind” how you conduct business. These companies own you information, vet them first before jumping on hyped up bandwagons filled with marketing ploys and false promises. My intentions is to protect the freelance, the gigger, the part-time hustler, the side-hustlers, entrepreneurs who are funding their dreams and trying earn an honest living. Sadly we must be mindful of possible startups being predatory on those who simply want more control of their gigs and higher earnings.
So I decided two weeks ago to do a small experiment on implementing shift work in the gig economy seeking to figure out the following. 1. Will it increase earnings. 2. Is it a better method in regards to granting an individual more time on the back end. 3. Can you be just as strategic. At the end of it all my conclusion actually surprised me in the oddest way.
So I began this experiment on a Thursday and it was in my opinion an utter fail from the start. Did I make a lot of money over the course of those 4 days, well yes of course, but I made the same amount just a little more than usual. In short my findings proved that working 12-hour shifts doing one solid platform be-it Uber, Lyft, of Door Dash is pointless unless in odd situations whereas the demand is an all time high, but that is rare. I will maintain my firm belief that strategy out weighs work hours in exchange for higher earned income.
First issue with working 12-hour shift, if there is dead time you’re stuck and left to just wait it out when in fact if you stay to strategic split shifts you in turn can make more of a profit, have more time to expend on what you want, and incorporate a nice mix of other gigs. Second issue with working 12-hour shifts, SLEEP deprived! This by far was exhausting and for someone like me that likes to be mobile and fluid in my day-to-day activity this limited me severely. Sitting in a vehicle just isn’t sustainable and extremely unhealthy. As a holistic wellness coach I notice I got more lazy, I started to swell up, and my eating was off big time. A big factor to consider with rideshare or any gig for that matter, for the most part the demands come in waves. Staying logged on in down-time is literally a waste of time, as a business owner you’re best investing that time in other endeavors and contributing more time to resting up. Third with 12-hour shifts, irritability and lack of mental clarity and sharpness. It seemed as if my days were running in to one big lump. I literally felt like a slave to the road, which defeats the point of doing this gig. I refuse to be an employee to it. I work on my rules, terms, and when I wanna.
The surprising overall effect! So after a day or two of recouping I noticed after a few days I was able to work longer hours effortlessly. Working the 12-hour shifts caused me to become adapted in a new way in regards to how I went about doing rideshare. I use to space out my time hoping off and on and not following through on time when logged in. I seen myself declining fewer rides and trusting the process. When logged in I was committed for the long haul. My work time went from averaging 4-5 hours a day to 7-8 hours a day. I was more targeted and strategic in my earnings. I made more money is less than the time I had when working those 12-hour shifts. In all the greatest thing taken from those twelves is I was able to push myself more seeing what I was capable of doing. Me being uncomfortable those few days was enough to quickly condition me to work more efficiently.
So in my humble opinion if your only option is rideshare and you don’t seek to do anything else and don’t mind long dead time then it just may work out for you, but I can guarantee it is not suitable for the long time. If you’re an entrepreneur like myself this is like dying a slow and painful death completely tormenting to the entrepreneurial soul because we seek to be profitable every waking moment. Wasted time is dollars, taking away from us committing time in other avenues.
If you’ve ever been victimized on the smallest scale often it’s not the actual event that is tormenting, but rather the constant thought of “what could I’ve done different” that cycles through your mind, especially as a woman. Hi, I am Kimberly Nuzingah Bradley an ex-officer that worked within a jail facility in multiple capacities and yes I too have been the victim of assault (a number of times) so I am speaking from first hand knowledge. I am a practicing Life-Coach and Holistic Wellness Coach that serve women of all ages and backgrounds. In addition as I continually build my practice my true passion is writing; I use various types of gig economy jobs to help fund my dreams. Of all the various gig jobs that I do hands down UBER and LYFT are the larger of them all and the riskiest. When I do rideshare I tend to utilize UBER the most both for riding and driving, the functionality of the app I am just more accustomed to. In this blog I want to quickly share with you a feature in the UBER app I believe is vastly overlooked and barely used. The feature I speak of is in the app for both rider and driver and it’s known as the “Share my Ride” tab. The setup takes literally less than a 30 seconds and is a great form of accountability. Above is a small clip from my youtube channel The CEO DriveHer on how to set it up for both user types beit rider/driver. Now I have specified “women” only because that is my target audience, but this feature is of course for everyone.
The setup is so simply the last thing you needed was a video tutorial, but for my newbies I wanted them to go right into the app without fail and quickly set this up. Dads, fathers, uncles, grandpapas, brother, and sons of the world if you have young teenage daughters 17+ and above, mother, sister, wife, etc. this feature is a must! This maps their travel in realtime and holds them accountable too. I know some people don’t like the tracking idea, but it’s all about accountability and safety. If someone is traveling 2-3 miles up the road, but the trip is taking 35 minutes you may want to phone in and check on the person.
To set-up the “Share my Ride” feature it’s this simple in the UBER app:
Log into account.
Click on you profile pic. (for Drivers only)
Click on tab at left corner w/3 lines (for Riders only)
Click on tab that say Account.
Scroll down to App Settings and click.
About 5 rows down is the SHARE TRIP icon, click on it.
Once in follow the setup instructions and customize as you like.
Mind you the app is always being updated and/or looks different for different account holders. Not sure how this workers with corporate accounts, but for personal UBER accountants the above instructions should relatively be this method.
For my female drivers you ladies rock, but I know like me you can get a bit to comfortable doing this and we tend to get a little lack in our day to day dealings when doing rideshare. We must always be alert and aware of who is getting in our vehicles. One time I use the app to my advantage, I had a dude that was making strong advances and would not back down in his requests for my number and to take me out. I was able to squeeze in the fact (casually) of how all my rides are monitored and shared for my safety. Now do I believe he was going to do physical harm to me? No. But to be on the safe side I wan’t to plant the seed that there is a monitoring system along side if someone has it, along side of a dash cam. I believe if these monitoring systems are used more often the word will get out that they too are being watched be it driver or rider.
Let’s continue to put safety first ladies, I am not trying to scare anyone. It seems like a look but in fact it isn’t. If you set yourself to use/take security measures all the time in your day to day activities it becomes 2nd nature, it becomes part of you! Remember to always go off you instinct, never silence that internal voice, it’s quiet but speaks volumes. Take care and stay tune to daily and weekly blogs and vlogs in reference to creating passive income, maximizing the gig economy and freelance culture, and rider and driver safety.
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Well hey hey hey, have you ever been hit with the cancellation bug? I am a rideshare driver and occasional rider and yes I’ve been the victim of the cancellation bug. As a driver I knew I was at fault for not communicating my location as the rider when it happen to me. I was at a large bank preoccupied on my phone. The bank sat at the corner of a major road and had 2 sides for parking and pickup. The driver never reached out to me nor was it his responsibility to do so. Reaching out to riders is a courtesy not a mandate (LYFT we must call on regular rides but not shared rides). I think it’s our due diligence to do, but that’s the luxury of gig jobs like ridesharing, we can do as we like at our discretion. I was at fault and took the loss, but in this blog I am going to advise you on how to not be the victim of the cancellation bug. For more in depth reasons and ways to avoid cancellation click on the above link for my vlog which is deeply detailed. Click above link!
SUBSCRIBE TO MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL FULL OF DAILY VLOGS ON FINANCE, PASSIVE INCOME, RIDESHARE, GIG JOBS, AND DIGITAL NOMADING!SUBSCRIBE TO MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL FULL OF DAILY VLOGS ON FINANCE, PASSIVE INCOME, RIDESHARE, GIG JOBS, AND DIGITAL NOMADING!
I believe for the most part drivers don’t want to cancel out rides, there has been a few times I almost cancelled due to wait time and the payout was vastly in my favor. Sometimes the rider seen the inconvenience and greatly tip me, other times it was a long distance trip or had a higher surge than normal. I try to be understanding and put myself in the place of the rider. If I make a courtesy call or text usually I can discern the matter and I am willing to wait. It is those riders that care not to communicate back or totally disregard our time that annoys us rideshare drivers. What we’re asking for is basically communication, respect of time, and understanding of how most rideshare platforms works. We are not the traditional taxi by no means at all, we do not get paid on time! I want you to maximize your rideshare experience, enjoy it, and keeps more dollars in your pockets, so here we go!
THINGS YOU DO THAT CAUSES CANCELLATION FEES:
STOP PINNING your location while still in your office building or apartment. Don’t do this it throws off the GPS showing to possibly be on another street or area oppose to where you are walking to. This causes wasted time and drivers will give up.
DO NOT request an UBER while in an elevator. The elevators tend to take a long time in large office buildings and apartment building. Usually the driver is now forced to waste gas and circle the block and it’s just not worth it. Get to the lobby then send request for rideshare of your choice.
DON’T BELIEVE the arrival time. I have literally shown up 10 minutes earlier than what was projected to the rider, remember it’s just an estimated time. Be ready, be prepared.
STAND distinctly in pickup area! Stand out from the crowd, we cannot drive asking everyone we pass for their name.
(MY FAVORITE) Use the TEXTING feature!!! Communication is everything, text your clothing, where you’re standing, how many people standing w/you, etc. especially in busy areas.
Coordinate w/those you’ve requested an UBER or LYFT for. How can we know who to get if you don’t tell us it’s someone besides you. If you’re a male requesting us to pickup your wife, yet we do to the name see BOB well we’re looking for a male not female.
WALK at least a .25 of a mile outside of major events! If can’t get to you or get to the location and you’re not there I assure you we are cancelling and taking that fee for our lost time. Plus the surge will be lower. *wink wink*
DO NOT REQUEST AN UBER WHILE AT BAGGAGE CLAIM!!!! I refuse to explain as to why, but basically it’s not worth the wait. Walk to the assign rideshare pickup lot then send request.
KNOW ASSIGNED PICKUP LOTS AT MAJOR EVENTS. We are fined high fees in some of these areas if we pickup outside of the assigned lots.
DO NOT CALL OR APPROACH MY VEHICLE W/ATTITUDE!!! Please be respectful!
WRAP UP YA SOCIAL SESSIONS. We are not waiting for you to finish your conversation nor cigarette. This is rude, BE READY!!! When you clearly show disregard for our time that is one of the ultimate forms of disrespect. We don’t care about the .09 cents a minute we get for waiting.
Ultimately we’re out here to make money, drivers don’t make that much on average, they are using their own resources as independent contractors with the rideshare platforms. I love granting great service and giving an awesome rideshare experience, but this is a business, our business and we must be profitable. Wasted time is the death of us. We make most of our money off mileage, but in being able to have quick turn around on those miles; long wait times adds up and just isn’t worth the wait. I hope this piece grants you some understanding and we can continue to bridge the gap between riders and drivers so for the both of us that continuity makes for a better rideshare experience. Take care and be sure to subscribe to my blog and youtube channel!
THE CEO DRIVEHER 