UBER - Uber Kindness
A project documenting real UBER drivers and the times they went above and beyond!
“A few moments into a trip, one of my passengers started screaming and I quickly realised she was in labour. She began to shout “the baby’s coming out!”, so I told her to push. I didn’t care about not being at the hospital or about the mess in the car, all that mattered was her doing what she needed to.
Afterwards, I wrote to the Uber team asking them to refund the customer’s journey and waive the car cleaning fee because, honestly, what’s a bit of mess compared to a new life? This was one of those situations where you have to look at things from an emotional, human point of view rather than financial.” - Ariful, Partner Driver for 5 Years
“I was driving a couple down the countryside when I noticed something in the bushes. It was a very small and frightened dog, and the wife got out and picked it up. The collar mentioned that it was a deaf dog, so it would be even harder for it to find its way home. I told the wife it was okay to bring the dog in the car.
I was more than happy to oblige when the husband asked if we could drive around to find the owner. We did so for over an hour during a busy night. The husband offered to pay for the fares lost over the time but I told him not to worry, doing a good deed is more important than making money.” - Kamran, Partner Driver for 1.5 years
“In 2010, I wanted to do something to help the youths in Ghana. It’s a nation of football and I have a coaching badge, so it made sense to try and help the underprivileged youths through football, ones from poor backgrounds whose parents can’t help them. That’s when Akosombo United FC began.
The first couple of years weren’t easy as I was funding it out of my own pocket. Working two jobs to help keep it up, but it has been great. Every penny I make with Uber gets sent back to Ghana - at least £200 a week.
The boys stay in rented accommodation, we pay rent and bills, feed the boys, buy provisions and equipment, it all adds up. My wife and I have spent over £70,000 in the past nine years, then another £25,000 from fundraising. I could have built a house in Ghana by now! But I want to do the right thing. If I have the money, why wouldn’t I help?” - Frank, Partner Driver for 2 years.
“I had a pickup in Chelsea and as the rider entered and confirmed the destination, I could hear from her tone that she was quite shaken. I turned the lights on and could see she had blood on her, her make-up was a mess and her clothes were ripped and dirty. Her requested destination was to her friends’ house, but I suggested the hospital instead as she could have internal bleeding or a fracture or worse.
I eventually convinced her that the hospital was the best option. After leaving her with a nurse, I reported the incident to Uber and asked for the journey fare to be refunded to the rider and the car cleaning costs waived. It’s the humane thing to do. We all do our best to try and help other people.’ - Zaid, Partner Driver for 3 years.
“I had picked up a couple in their 70s on a very cold New Year’s Eve. After dropping them off I happened to see the lady slip backwards and banged her head on the pavement. She hit the ground hard as blood was oozing from her head. I’ve been first aid trained for over 16 years so I jumped straight into action.
I got the lady in the recovery position then cleaned and applied pressure to the wound. I then called an ambulance and kept her warm with the blanket I keep in my boot. After everything had happened, I realised how many trips I had missed, but I thought, being able to help potentially save a life will always mean more than the bit of money I could have made.” - Alexander, Partner Driver for 10 months.
Companies
Uber
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