Drive

Scraping by in Uber's America, One Ride at a Time

By: Jonathan Rigsby

Narrated by: Ryan Self

Length: 4 hrs and 42 mins

Publisher's summary

One father, three years, and thousands of rides

Poverty, By America meets Maid in this dad’s darkly humorous yet humanizing story of working long hours and late nights behind the wheel as a rideshare driver

Jonathan Rigsby spends his days as a crime intelligence analyst and his nights as an Uber driver. Reeling from his divorce and struggling to pay rent while caring for his autistic son, Rigsby became a rideshare driver, joining the millions of people with a side hustle just to make ends meet.

With a compelling blend of honesty and sardonic wit, Rigsby invites listeners into his car to reveal the harsh reality of gig work for so many: grueling hours, living paycheck to paycheck, and hoping to avoid disaster long enough to prepare for the next bill. Along the way, he showcases the humor and humanity in the private moments of vulnerability that happen when people are left alone with a stranger—from the amusing tales of drunk college students to a passenger getting sick on the dashboard, a mother expressing distress about her son’s addiction, and a violent encounter on the job.

Unflinching and raw, Drive exposes an ugly truth that hides in the gaudy background of the American dream: you can do everything right and still fail. Buckle up.

©2024 Jonathan Rigsby (P)2024 Beacon Press

Critic reviews

“Provocative, eye-opening—and sometimes frankly terrifying—reading.”—Kirkus Reviews

“[A] grimly frank account of his experiences as a rideshare driver, an indictment of the country’s rapidly expanding gig economy, and a frightening portrait of the ease with which one can slip from middle-class comfort to life on the edge of poverty.”—Shelf Awareness

“Poverty is a relentless attack on a person’s energy and dignity. Jonathan Rigsby’s memoir gives readers a front seat on that punishing journey. He shows how the gig economy depends on trapping workers on a hamster wheel where they can neither stop nor gain ground. Drive is an engaging personal story, as well as a social chronicle that compels us to work for change.”—Colleen Shaddox, coauthor of Broke in America: Seeing, Understanding, and Ending US Poverty

Thought provoking look under the hood of platform economies

As a startup founder of a platform business in professional services I’m eager to provide value on both sides. Although I’ve been following Uber for years and the author on Twitter I’ve learned new insights particularly on the brutal reality of the US economy for many workers. Highly recommended.

Important story

This was an eye-opening story of what it’s like to have to rely on the gig economy. Many of use Uber or DoorDash without taking the time to think of the human on the other side of the app. This book will change that.