Passengers are finding happiness on the highway thanks to Uber drivers who consider reaching the destination only part of the job, offering fun, kindness, and hospitality along the way with everything from holiday-themed games to karaoke and beyond.
Sure, ordinary Uber rides still exist, but some drivers who go above and beyond for their passengers are achieving celebrity status. Who knows when they might be in your neighborhood?
One of these outstanding drivers, Frantz Laroche of St. Petersburg, Florida, is known on Instagram and throughout the ride-share community for his Holiday Rideshare Express. Even if it’s not holiday season, the ride still promises to be lively with themed games and music suited to the season at hand—like the Ghoul-ber Ride-Scare in October, and quizzes on classic movie soundtracks in the spring and summer. The ride’s climax is "traffic jam," Laroche's own compilation of funky tunes.
In a Tampa Bay Times article from 2022, Laroche told some Christmas fans, “Because of politics, because people hurt each other for no reason, somebody’s got to drive his butt all over Florida to spread the positivity to others. You are among 30,000 passengers I’ve entertained just to put a smile on their face. And I intend to entertain 30,000 more.”
A former New Yorker who drove a bus in Orlando prior to Uber and Lyft, he became a ride-share driver at the suggestion of his wife, Dana, whom he met at Disney World. Laroche's popularity is gaining him followers on Instagram.
Spreading happiness through entertainment is also big for Uber driver Marc Leclerc of Cleveland, Ohio, who keeps his rides lively with karaoke, trivia games, contests, giveaways and candid conversation. Leclerc even has a YouTube channel where you can see the Riding with Marc experience and many of his game challenges in action. His website—yes, this driver goes all out—describes him as a 5-star driver for more than 15,000 rides.
Karaoke similarly livens the ride when Lyft driver Cameron, from an undisclosed city, is in town, but passengers can also opt for silence, according to an August 2024 article on upworthy.com. A list of 10 options greets passengers, including "The Funny Ride" where Cameron tells jokes, "The Bubbles Ride" where “We blow bubbles the whole time” and of course, "The Karaoke Ride." Cameron and riders leave awkward silences in the dust.
Not every driver turns their vehicle into a party, but that doesn’t mean they try any less to show their passengers care. Last Christmas season, a 16-year-old passenger in Hoover, Alabama, didn’t lose out on getting a motorcycle for Christmas thanks to Uber driver Esbon Kamau. The ride-share driver discovered a bag with $8,000 that belonged to the teen and reported it to the company.
For this father of five, making sure the money got back to its owner was of utmost importance.
“When you do something good, OK, it comes back 10 times,” Kamau said in a Dec. 2023 interview with WVTM13. To reward this honesty, passenger Alex Tisdale gave Kamau a $10 tip, "because that was a very, very nice thing of him to do.”
In London, an Uber driver found the cure for homesickness for a rider. A passenger named Lena had a driver made an unexpected stop at home where his wife lifted her spirits with curry, according to goalcast.com. In a post on X expressing her gratitude, Lena recalled sharing how much she missed Bengali food in the Sudan with her family, when her driver stopped for the curry, making for a memorable ride.
“It’s the generosity of communion that holds us together,” Lena said on goalcast.com. The driver even packed up some Bengali chicken for Lena before they hit the road again.
Also emotionally upbuilding was an experience from Boston, Massachusetts, in which an Uber driver named Grant boosted the confidence of a Boston College student whose hairdryer broke just when she needed to put forth her best for a job-shadowing program. Despite her anxiety, Grant offered a calming presence and engaging conservation, which transformed her outlook.
The passenger, Natalie Maxam, who shared her experience for College Magazine in February 2019, reached her destination with time to spare and a new perspective. According to Maxam, “This one drive with Grant truly gave me an appreciation for not only him but also all past Uber drivers I have encountered.”
Sometimes even sharing information about Uber as a career can be a way to give back as one driver demonstrated with a March 2023 How-To Geek article.
“I’ve been driving Uber for nearly five years,” he writes. “It started as a side-gig and became my full-time job during the pandemic. People have many questions for their Uber drivers, especially if they want to become one.”
He then went on to address vehicle requirements, safety and payment, describing the overall work experience as profitable and enjoyable. From an undisclosed city, the driver said, “Plus, driving Uber makes you feel like you’re a critical part of your area’s service infrastructure."
As these drivers demonstrate, Uber is an opportunity to give back in many ways, with no boring days ahead.