It's not a secret that Uber's basically dominating the transportation game in this city. Uber's transportation game is so strong, in fact, that Mayor de Blasio tried to restrict their growth back in July.
That didn't work out though, and Uber's dictatorship has both persevered and evolved.
Part of that evolution was the innovation of UberPool.
Oh, what's that? You've never heard of UberPool? Well, let us break it down for you.
It's when you take an Uber just like usual, but it's half the price. Oh, and there's just that tiny added feature that you have to ride in a car with a stranger.
So, we'll get to the point. Taking an UberPool is an emotional experience, in which you go through a lot. Just what emotions do you go through in order to save money riding an UberPool?
Is UberPool worth all these emotions? Well, that's up to you to decide.
1. Laziness
Let's face the facts here. Wherever you are, you really, really do not want to walk to the subway.
Let's face another fact: you can't justify spending $20 on an Uber to get home when you could easily take the subway for free (well ... not free, but you bought that monthly pass whether you ride it or not, so, basically free).
[anad]
Your options at this point seem pretty bleak. You seriously considering just canceling your plans. Then, you realize you can't let laziness dictate your life.
2. Euphoria
In a flash of brilliance, the idea occurs to you. You could take an UberPool! They're half the price of regular Ubers, with all of the convenience.
You spend some time marveling at your own intelligence for coming up with this idea. You whip out your phone, open your Uber app, and order an UberPool.
You're thrilled. You still get to stay in your pajamas for twenty more minutes, you still get to be delivered from your door to wherever your'e going, and best of all, you don't have to walk to the subway.
3. Contentedness
yolanda_knows_resumes I don't ask God to send me a brilliant career, I ask him to show me the brilliance within! It's working for me!😆😚😍 #imbrilliant #boss #empowered #motivation #inspiration #dontgiveup #resumewriter #Businesswoman #god #manifest #power #instagood #confident #personal #power #instagood #instadaily
The UberPool comes. You pull yourself into the car as someone else is getting out. Someone else was coming to your exact block! The convenience! The coincidence! The extravagance!
You get into the car, and conduct awkward smalltalk with the driver. You don't even mind, though. You're paying half the price of a regular Uber and there isn't even anyone else in the car.
You're so pleased with yourself for cheating Uber's system, you don't even notice the girl who'd just gotten out of the car sprinting back toward the car.
4. Fear
shahab_anari The major force that's holding us back is our fear. Our fear of rejection, failure, ill health, criticism, and so on. We can put different names on each of them: worry, doubt, etc, but if you think carefully, they're all FEAR in some shape or form. . What FEAR is holding you back and what can you do about it? The answers lie within you. Don't look elsewhere for them. . نيروي اصلي كه مانع پيشرفت ما مي شود، ترس است. ترس از شكست، طردشدگي، بيماري، انتقاد و غيره. شايد نامهاي متفاوتي براي اين نيروها بگذاريم: شك، ترديد، نگراني و غيره. اما نهايتا همه اينها نوعي ترس هستند. . چه نوع ترسي شما را از پيشرفت بازداشته و چه كاري مي توانيد بكنيد تا اين ترس را بشكنيد؟ پاسخ ها درون شماست. جاي ديگر دنبالشان نگرديد. . #اناري #موفقيت #shahabanari #success #motivation #fear#personalbranding #coaching
The girl who'd gotten out of the car is pounding on the car's windows. You look in alarm at the driver. He unlocks the door.
The girl reenters the car, furious. The driver brought her to your apartment and told her it was her destination, when really it was no where near her destination.
"Thank god for this red light!" She proclaims, looking at you for commiseration. You're not going to give it to her, though, because you're still mad at her for scaring you half to death when she pounded on the window.
5. Anger
olliebeartheberner The look I gave dad when he came home smelling like another dog 😡 #anger #confusion #dissapointment #bmd #berner #bernesemountaindog #bernerlove #dogsofinstagram #dogsofinstaworld #dogsofig
Now the girl in the car with you is berating the driver, explaining that he brought her to your apartment and told her it was her destination. The driver is scrolling through his phone frantically, still at a loss to understand his mistake.
[anad2]
Now, the girl is yelling at the driver for looking at his phone while he's driving. You sort of agree with her, but you still don't offer her any iota of eye contact, because you don't appreciate how mean she's being to the driver.
6. Exasperation
The girl isn't quite over her having gotten out of the car early debacle, but she's moved on to severe over-sharing.
She's telling you all about the end of her relationship, how she's going to volunteer today, how she can't believe she almost ended up further from her destination than she was when she started.
The driver sheepishly tries to apologize midway through this girl's over-sharing session, and she raises her eyebrows at you, trying to get you on her side. You refuse to be on her side.
,7. Confusion
Listening to this girl talk is terrible. It's almost as terrible as the fact that she didn't display any compassion at all to the Uber driver.
Meanwhile, the Uber driver looks so sad after he's just gotten reamed out twice by your fellow passenger. You feel very caught between the two of them.
[anad]
You want to be kind to the Uber driver, find some super secret way of letting him know that both of his passengers don't hate him, that it's okay that he made a mistake, but you can't figure out a way to do it without making the girl even madder.
So, you continue to ride in awkward silence.
8. Regret
tonkatakesnyc When you ask your #uber driver to stop in at #Starbucks and he drives right past it⁉️ #whereyougoingbro #needcoffee #zerostarrating
Now, the Uber driver is clearly trying to make it up to this girl. He's probably doing it for his rating, but maybe he actually cares.
He says, "I'll make it up to you, I'll drop you off first," and you feel a flash of anger. You regret ever wanting to be on his side. He asks her where she's going and she says "36th and 5th."
So, he turns onto 5th Avenue. Then she says, "No, no, no, I'm sorry. 6th Avenue. My mistake."
Someone should have taught this girl that if she's going to be mean, she should be always right. In this moment, the subway doesn't seem like it would've been that terrible of an option.
9. Resolution
brigaofficial Tre fiammiferi uno dopo l’altro accesi nella notte Il primo per vedere tutto intero il tuo volto Il secondo per vedere i tuoi occhi L’ultimo per vedere la tua bocca E l’oscurità intera per ricordarmi tutto questo Mentre ti stringo fra le mie braccia [Jacques Prévert] 🇫🇷🕯 #PrayForParis 🙏 #Briga #NeverAgain #NeverAgainLiveTour #JacquesPrévert #Prévert #Paris #NePasOublier #Honiro #Talento Pic. by: @carloroscioli
You're never taking UberPool again. Never, before this moment, has it ever occurred to you how luxurious it is to have your very own Uber.
You resolve in this moment that you'll either just buck up and pay for Uber X, or you'll take the subway. Never again are you going to subject yourself to the mercy of riding in a car beside a complete stranger.
10. Calm
fuckjerry If your dog has a plastic neck cone and you don't make him a Martini you're fucking up. (Credit @k9leather)
The girl gets dropped off. Suddenly, it's just you and the driver in the car.
You breathe a sigh of relief. This is so nice. This is lovely. This is exactly how Uber rides should be. Stressless and relaxing. Not riddled with awkward pauses, stilted conversations, and learning way too much about a stranger's life.
[anad2]
You lean back and watch the city whiz by your window, for the first time understanding just how pleasant a solo taxi ride is.
11. Denial
You arrive at your destination, thank the driver, and get out of the car.
You check your email and the ride was only $10. You just travelled 70 blocks for $10.
You do some quick math. The subway would have been incalculably more strenuous. A yellow cab would have been at least $25. A regular Uber would have been at least $20, and who knows how much if there was a surge.
You think back on that experience and wonder, was that really so bad? Am I really never going to take UberPool again?
So of course, you do take an UberPool again. You repeat this cycle with varying levels of success many times. At least you get some good stories, right?
Guess Where Uber Is Getting Real Busy? Good Ol' Gentrified Brooklyn and Queens!
[Feature Image Courtesy Entrepreneur]