This Houston Uber Driver doesn’t wear a mask and brags about it

Whether or not you believe in the severity of COVID-19, or if it exists at all, one thing is for certain: Our world as we know it is changing.

One of the ways it is changing for us drivers, is that we are required by Uber and Lyft to wear a mask. As I have stated before, this is very simple to do in your own vehicle. Feeling too warm because of the mask? Turn your a/c up!

According to KPRC, Uber stated “If a rider cancels a ride and reports the driver was not wearing a mask, that driver will be terminated.”

So why do drivers lie Dezarae still refuse to wear a mask?

While being terminated sounds a bit extreme, not wearing a mask can lead you, the driver, to spread the virus to countless others, directly or indirectly. While you may think the death rate is fairly low, for me, one person dying because I refused to wear a mask is completely too much for me to process. I do not want someone dying because I simply refused to wear a mask.

Do the right thing for a change Dezarae, wear a mask or stay at home.


Advice for riders on staying safe from COVID-19 (from a driver)

Sadly, this is one of those, you get what you pay for situations:

I am currently not driving, but if I decided to take an Uber or Lyft somewhere, I would spring for the Lux/Select or even UberBlack, assuming I wasn’t going far, as it can be costly.

So why pay more?

It’s simple. Drivers with more expensive vehicles that can get a better wait on Lux/Select/Black. While there is a drastic wait increase between rides, we can often make up for this lost time in just a couple of rides. When I was an UberX driver I would do 20+ rides when it as a busy night. Do you think I had time to stop and sanitize everything down after each ride? No.

Uber and Lyft’s terms are – “Drivers must sanitize once a day”. Imagine if I had 10 rides before you came into my vehicle. With UberX allowing 4 people (now max of 3, which drivers are not enforcing because they need the money and don’t want to turn down rides) that can be 40 people that came into my car. 40 chances of COVID-19 being left behind waiting for you. All at a rate of 2-3 rides per hour, very little to no downtime to sanitize properly between every rides.

In contrast, sure Lyft Lux, UberSelect/Black riders can still leave behind COVID-19 but the key difference here is the fact that we are taking rides less frequently. Sometimes we go home, but most of the time, we are waiting not far from where we dropped you off at. What do we do to pass the time? Netflix and Clean. We have the time.

Now, if you are coming from the airport, keep in mind, these wait times are at least an hour for UberX. This can be upwards of 2-3 hours easily with less people on flights and yes, there are plenty of drivers, even on UberX taking the time to clean their vehicles. I would say at the airport, you are safe to take a UberX just because the downtime is there.

On a side note: I know you want to be safe, but please do not rub hand sanitizer, or bleach wipes all over your seat or the door handles. We use chemicals that are safe for the car, that will kill COVID-19. Bleach wipes and hand sanitizer will ruin leather, fade ABS plastic, etc. If you are deathly afraid of touching the door, most of won’t mind opening the door if asked.

Above all stay safe and please only take rides when it is necessary!