#111 Jonathan Rigsby: Behind The Wheel In Uber’s America

Everyone at some point has ridden in the back of an Uber, but how often do we think about the people behind the wheel, or how they got there? Jonathan Rigsby had a master’s degree and a full-time job when he gave his first Uber ride, reeling from a painful divorce and seeking a way to help support his young son. But Uber’s promises of big bucks and a flexible schedule were soon replaced by long nights filled with despair as Rigsby realized he, like millions of other Americans, had been trapped in the cycle of the gig economy.

On this episode of Paternal, Rigsby recounts how his divorce led him to the brink of poverty and why he picked up a second job driving all over town, but also what it’s really like to work for Uber, where wages are never quite what they seem and you can still feel lonely when the backseat is full.

Rigsby is the author of Drive: Scraping by in Uber’s America, which is available wherever you buy books.

Episode Timestamps:

00:00 - 05:25 - Intro
05:25 - 11:03 - Financial troubles and finding Uber
11:03 - 13:30 - Uber’s marketing strategy
13:30 - 16:30 - When people throw up in the car
16:30 - 18:05 - The myth of doing things the right way
18:05 - 20:00 - Doing it all for his son
20:00 - 22:25 - Midway break
22:25 - 26:32 - The caffeine cycle
26:32 - 28:36 - “Are you guys still together?”
28:36 - 29:50 - The shame of divorce
29:50 - 32:00 - Keeping his life a secret
32:00 - 37:00 - The breaking point
37:00 - 41:25 - Lessons learned for father and son