It would be nice if I could do it as an only job.”
The faint ding-ding-ding of an open passenger side door hums as Noah Bekins greets his first riders of the night.
It’s a Thursday, which means Bekins, a Central Michigan University senior, studying integrative public relations, has been driving his pearl white Cadillac CTS since 7 p.m., and he’ll keeping going until he “clocks out” at around 2 or 3 in the morning.
For him, it’s all about the experience; the customer’s experience, that is.
Since October, Bekins has taken up a part-time gig driving Mount Pleasant riders around the town via the app Uber. Every Thursday, Friday and Saturday, he’s available for a ride.
Uber, which this month has hit its 10-month anniversary since arriving in Mount Pleasant, is a ride-share phone application that allows users to request a ride from drivers (called Uber ‘partners’) using their location.
They can share the ride with friends, strangers or if they’re feeling extravagant, just themselves. Users pay the fee, tallied by the minute and mile, via the app and leave a rating of their ride.
It’s a service many students have used to launch or return from a night out in Mount Pleasant. Yet, the service stumbles in the very cycle that keeps it thriving in busier cities: there is neither enough demand for riders or for drivers.
The service, though relatively new to the Mount Pleasant area, isn’t new to many college-aged students. Xavier Mendoza, a CMU junior from Detroit, says it’s something most have used.
“I think we were all excited for Uber to come [to Mount Pleasant]. I was excited to hear Uber was coming here because, even if it probably isn't used for city-wide transportation here, I was excited for a service ride to bars so I didn't or a friend didn't have to be sober,” Mendoza said.
Mendoza wasn’t alone in his enthusiasm for the ride-share service. On Twitter, students expressed their excitement.
Offering a credit-card-only approach until recently, Uber differs from other Mount Pleasant transportation services in its demand and versatility – students are able to grab a ride from just about anywhere, at anytime, as long as there are cars available. It offers a lower price for students in groups; an Uber price-estimator guesses the minimum charge lies somewhere around $5.95 to anywhere directly in the Mount Pleasant area.
Though a local competitor, like Chippewa Cabs, with $3 rides, may offer a more affordable ride for a lone-traveler, groups of friends with one destination might find the service more appealing. In Chicago, this has caused problems for local cab companies; in three years, the number of riders in Chicago cabbies has been reduced by over half. In 2016, a group of Chicago cab drivers took the company to court, and lost.
Valued at $70 billion, Uber makes money – but not for everyone involved. Josh Grosteffon, who lives and drives Uber in Mount Pleasant, says the service isn’t sustainable for him.
“Non-event nights seem to not be busy enough. I'm working a job where I work four ten-hour shifts right now, so I don't really feel like Uber-ing after work,” he said. “I don't think it’s quite there where it tops a minimum wage job, but it's decent for some extra income. It would be nice if I could do it as an only job.”
He says big-event nights, like homecoming, the first football game, and graduation, are where he sees the most money.
“Other than that, it’s pretty slow,” he said.
Grosteffon has yet to drive since homecoming weekend.
Back in Mount Pleasant, Bekins agrees that some nights can be slow.
“There are times of the night where I will drive for a short distance and the trip payout will only be between $2-$3 no matter the number of riders. What a lot of riders don’t understand is that even tipping their Uber driver a dollar helps/makes the rides so much more worth it,” he said.
On trips like this, Bekins said the riders are charged between $6 and $7, but only $2 to $3 of that go to the driver. On top of this, he said, drivers must be prepared to pay their own gas, upkeep and repair any damage.
In August, the company released it's confidential financial documents to the public. Though many of the trends show a decrease in the amount of money the company is making, an increase can be found in the amount of money the company is siphoning from rides. The documents show that in 2014, the company kept 16.9 percent of the revenue, giving the majority of the rest to their drivers. In 2015, that percentage hit 18.3.
Philip Summers, an Uber driver who strictly sticks in the Detroit area, finds his experience more profitable. The estimator places rides in Detroit from $6.90 for an Uberx (or, the least luxury experience) to $25 for an UberSUV. His complaint is not the service but the riders.
“I have enjoyed my experience but there were riders whom weren't as friendly or engaging in being sociable,” he said. It counters Bekins’ Mount Pleasant experience, where he says meeting new riders is the highlight of his driving time.
Now, 10 months after the Mount Pleasant expansion, students like Mendoza say they still enjoy Uber, but find it unreliable.
“I can usually find a ride in the area, but it can mean waiting for as long as forty minutes, sometimes,” he said.
Bekins says this is probably accurate. "In my time driving, I only know of about five drivers other than myself."
This, countered by fewer students requesting rides, means a less smooth experience for all involved. Without riders, there are fewer drivers, and without drivers, there are fewer students requesting rides.
Still, Bekins says Uber driving is enough extra cash (and experience) in his pocket that he’s willing to keep driving.
“I’m the self-proclaimed Uber king of Mount Pleasant,” he said. “I always set my sights on being the best I can be and I figured if I could become the most well-known driver this college town has ever seen then I shouldn’t let anything hold me back from that.”