Uber, Lyft and even good old fashioned taxi cabs work by getting passengers to where they need to go, but those journeys can sometimes be dangerous and not just for the passengers...
There've been a lot of stories about the safety of riders on ridesharing apps like Uber and Lyft, and more traditional services like taxi companies, but it's not just those riders that need to worry.
Every time you pull up your phone and order an Uber, that also comes and lets a complete stranger into their car.
And that comes with some risks. A 2010 OSHA report says that ‘taxi drivers are more than 20 times more likely to be murdered on the job than other workers.’
Right here in Macon, a yellow taxi cab driver was shot while waiting for a passenger at the Colonial Terrace Apartments on Wednesday evening.
“When I learned about the cab driver, my heart sank,” said Stephanie Brooks.
Brooks is an Uber driver and she says that threat is something constant for her.
“I know that bad things can happen. It happens every day and any minute it could happen to me,” said Brooks.
Spotting trouble while picking up passengers can be tough.
“You know anybody could have a knife hidden away in their sock,” said Brooks.
She says faith keeps her from being afraid.
“I just keep going back to my faith in my Father in Heaven and I know that without him, something’s going to happen,” said Brooks.
In 15 months of driving for Uber, she has been good. She says she’s never had a bad incident with a customer.
In fact, she says it’s that relationship with passengers that keeps her behind the wheel.
“I got out of the car and hugged him [a passenger], and I told him, ‘I’m on your side, I’m proud of you, keep going and doing what you’re doing,’” said Brooks.
Uber has been available in Macon for about a year and half.