Unlikely Co-Pilots
I will admit to being 'directionally-challenged'. So much so, I used to 'get lost' the first time I was bound for pretty much anywhere. It has been a lifelong battle. I have gone from spoken directions... "Go five miles and turn left the first road after the bridge" ... to reading road maps, to printing pages off Mapquest, to the miracle of GPS. The road maps and Mapquest worked best with a co-pilot - but the wonderful GPS verbally directs me to my destination without any other human intervention. As I said... a miracle.
Ride Sharing simplifies navigation, in that both graphic and verbal directions are provided for picking up a passenger and delivering them to their destination. Sometimes, however... things can go wrong. Those blasted satellites screw up and the 'destination' is not where the passenger is waiting. The "Call Rider" feature on the driver's app not only allows me to connect with my passenger but also allows them to redirect me, should the GPS fail (or human error has occurred and the wrong address was entered when the ride was ordered)
Once on-board, I'm more than happy to let a rider guide me to their destination... unless of course, they are inebriated - in which case, I'm gonna drop them off exactly where they asked. I don't care if it's the middle of the Third Avenue Bridge. Google Maps can be wonky at times and a conscientious passenger may take note and "reroute" me onto a better or quicker path. I will always listen.
One morning a few weeks ago - I responded to a ping. Arriving at the address, a blind woman exits her house and joins me in my vehicle. She was very chatty as we drove along the GPS route, announcing she'd like me to stop and pick up her friend ... "It's not very far out of the way", she says. I'd normally ask the rider to add the stop to their trip (on their phone) but I simply said, "Sure, we can do that."
Within a minute, my passenger begins giving me alternate directions ... detailed directions... as in 'turn here... now right at this next light... this road curves around to the back ....' I'm amazed and my GPS is confused. 😳 Once at the friend's house, we wait a few minutes for her to come out (Rider One laughs and says "She's never ready...") The front door soon opens and another blind woman comes out - walks straight to my car, taps the roof a couple times with her hand, opens the back door and gets in. The ladies greet one another and begin conversing about the wonderful breakfast they will soon enjoy. This restaurant, they assure me, has the "very best buttery toast" you are ever apt to find! "It is so good!" Between their chatter, I'm given further directions. I had long-since muted the confused GPS, but it was as though it was still on, as I was hearing perfect directions from 'my ladies.'
In another few minutes, Rider One informs me the restaurant is in a strip mall "...Up there on the left... there should be a sign" (for those of us who depend on signs). I pull into the parking lot and drop off the passengers at the front door, thanking them for riding and asking they have an extra piece of buttery toast for me.
I drove away with a smile. Would anyone believe two blind women had just given me flawless directions, along a several mile route to their destination? Or that NanaMama, with 20/20 vision, would follow them without question? It was absolutely a ride to remember, with very unlikely co-pilots!
Ride Sharing simplifies navigation, in that both graphic and verbal directions are provided for picking up a passenger and delivering them to their destination. Sometimes, however... things can go wrong. Those blasted satellites screw up and the 'destination' is not where the passenger is waiting. The "Call Rider" feature on the driver's app not only allows me to connect with my passenger but also allows them to redirect me, should the GPS fail (or human error has occurred and the wrong address was entered when the ride was ordered)
Once on-board, I'm more than happy to let a rider guide me to their destination... unless of course, they are inebriated - in which case, I'm gonna drop them off exactly where they asked. I don't care if it's the middle of the Third Avenue Bridge. Google Maps can be wonky at times and a conscientious passenger may take note and "reroute" me onto a better or quicker path. I will always listen.
One morning a few weeks ago - I responded to a ping. Arriving at the address, a blind woman exits her house and joins me in my vehicle. She was very chatty as we drove along the GPS route, announcing she'd like me to stop and pick up her friend ... "It's not very far out of the way", she says. I'd normally ask the rider to add the stop to their trip (on their phone) but I simply said, "Sure, we can do that."
Within a minute, my passenger begins giving me alternate directions ... detailed directions... as in 'turn here... now right at this next light... this road curves around to the back ....' I'm amazed and my GPS is confused. 😳 Once at the friend's house, we wait a few minutes for her to come out (Rider One laughs and says "She's never ready...") The front door soon opens and another blind woman comes out - walks straight to my car, taps the roof a couple times with her hand, opens the back door and gets in. The ladies greet one another and begin conversing about the wonderful breakfast they will soon enjoy. This restaurant, they assure me, has the "very best buttery toast" you are ever apt to find! "It is so good!" Between their chatter, I'm given further directions. I had long-since muted the confused GPS, but it was as though it was still on, as I was hearing perfect directions from 'my ladies.'
In another few minutes, Rider One informs me the restaurant is in a strip mall "...Up there on the left... there should be a sign" (for those of us who depend on signs). I pull into the parking lot and drop off the passengers at the front door, thanking them for riding and asking they have an extra piece of buttery toast for me.
I drove away with a smile. Would anyone believe two blind women had just given me flawless directions, along a several mile route to their destination? Or that NanaMama, with 20/20 vision, would follow them without question? It was absolutely a ride to remember, with very unlikely co-pilots!
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