On Driving

It's been a week since I got back from holidays. Sorry to those people who were anticipating another holiday post.My holiday was not one of those that was filled with action and excitement and really wild things. I did some stuff - I got back. That's about it, really.

One thing that I will mention - I do rather like driving long distances. I think it's fun. And since I'm always listening to either music or podcasts, I don't get bored. So I've decided to look into becoming an Uber driver.

Except... I have a bit of a problem with that. To drive for Uber, you need to own a car that is less than 9 years old. I don't. I signed up by providing my email address and mobile phone number, and then I was asked to choose - from a list - the make and model of my car. The list did not include any models older than 9 years. So there was no way I could proceed from there. Now I'm getting emails from Uber reminding me to complete my background check so I can start driving as soon as possible.

I had heard that Uber provides finance for those who need a new car. I even found a page, thanks to a friend in a chatroom, which details the terms of the finance available. The instruction to apply said "just sign up, and tell us you need a new car!" There was no such option on the signup page. I looked at the finance page very carefully, and the very last sentence of the fine print at the very bottom of the page said "Finance not available in all locations".

I emailed them, asking whether finance was available. They replied within 24 hours, which was nice, telling me that no finance is available, but if I had a car that was less than 9 years old, I could start driving immediately!

So I think my plan to become an Uber driver has pretty much been scuppered. I would have to self-finance a new car, which at this point is probably not possible. I'd have to apply for a loan, and when they asked me how much I earn, I'd have to say "I don't know yet, but as soon as I get this loan I'll be able to tell you." And that's not really how it works.

Meanwhile, I guess I keep studying and keep applying for jobs. There aren't that many places looking for new hires over the Christmas period, but I'm sure there are some.