Clarke Bowman Uber Clarke Bowman

I’ve been driving for Uber and Lyft for almost a year.

The majority of my passengers have been kind and considerate, but some are downright terrible. And I usually know who the bad passengers are right away.

Here’s how I can tell in five seconds whether someone’s a bad Uber or Lyft passenger.

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My name is Clarke, and I have been a part-time Uber and Lyft driver for the better part of a year now.

I have given hundreds of rides to passengers from all over the world on the busy streets of southeastern Florida. People seem to like me, and I have maintained a 4.99 rating on both platforms.

I have learned a lot since I’ve started driving, including some things I wish I knew before I started the job. This gig has given me some funny stories, some heartwarming stories, and some horrible ones, but they all come with the job, and they all help to keep things interesting. I also have met some truly wonderful and inspirational people, along with some I hope I never have to see again.

People always love to ask me, „Who’s the worst person you’ve ever had in your car?“ And when I start telling the stories, they all start the same way: I knew almost immediately that the person was going to be a bad passenger.

Now, these stories I tell are the most extreme examples. And before I continue, I just want to put it out there that 99% of my passengers are nice, normal people. It’s the 1% that make me want to pull my hair out. And with this 1% of people, I never find out they’re a bad passenger 15 minutes into the ride — I almost always know right away.

In my experience, bad passengers almost always immediately let you know that they’re going to be bad passengers, through some sort of verbal or nonverbal communication, and I’m sure they don’t even realize it. After so many rides, you get a feel of what is normal and when something is off.

It’s honestly pretty fascinating how terrible some people can be in such a short amount of time.

Here are eight ways I can tell in five seconds whether someone is going to be a bad Uber or Lyft passenger.

I’m a driver for Uber and Lyft — here are 8 ways I can tell someone is going to be a bad passenger within 5 seconds

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