Go Easy on Uber, It's the Future of Senior Care

Several years ago, my father was at Lenox Hill Hospital, scheduled to undergo urgent surgery.  I quickly arranged a flight to New York and grabbed a taxi from JFK Airport.  My taxi driver had never heard of Lenox Hill Hospital, but he called someone who knew where it was.  He was eating food native to his Pakistan.  He was eating and talking on the phone when he failed to see the car in front of him break.  We slammed into the car in front of us and were then promptly rear ended by the car behind us.  I felt liquid on the cabin floor by my shoes and quickly surmised that we had ruptured our gas tank and would soon explode.

As I waited for an opportunity to escape "death-cab," I put my finger in the liquid and smelt it.  It did not smell of gasoline.  My driver, Farooq, saw me smelling the fluid.  "Oh, it is my water that was spilled."  Sure enough, my cabbie had about a 2 gallon bottle of water in his front seat that had flipped over.  "Oh, my friend, when the police come, please tell them that the horrible man in front slammed on his brakes and there was nothing I could do."

Fortunately another taxi came for me before there were any required statements.  I left my name and number and was able to get to my father.  I think about this as I hear about Uber's issues.
It's funny.  I am a New Yorker.  If you want to know where the new immigrants are coming from this week, take a cab.  You will learn the new immigrants, where the eat, what radio stations they listen to, etc.  It's always been a great piece of the tapestry of New York.  But the notion that these individuals who come from a land before stop lights represent the safest approach to urban transportation is absurd.

I think about this as I watch another new attack on Uber on an almost daily basis.  Sure, Uber's management has been aggressive, rude and probably unethical, but they have created a transparent, efficient system that has exceeded customer expectations and created a superior experience.  Why are we seeing such pushback.  They say a picture is worth a thousand words so here's the picture.

It's pretty easy to see that this is BIG business and that Uber and Lyft have begun to have an impact on this.

I mention this because, despite the limitations of taxis, I never had a huge problem getting one.  Ya, at rush hour when it rained, or on broadway right when the theaters all got out, but, by and large, not much of a problem.  At Room2Care.com  we're using the sharing economy to provide something that the American Long Term Care industry, a $300 billion industry, has failed to provide safe, accountable, affordable senior care.  Think about it.  I had no idea when I got into that taxi who my driver was.  Now, when I enter an Uber vehicle, I have the advantage of reading reviews on my potential drivers.  Trust me, the people working in long term care are low wage individuals who have very high turnover.  You never know who will be taking care of your loved one.  Compare that to Room2Care.com where prescreened caregivers work as their own small business.  

So, go easy on Uber, they are leading the way and the end result will be better for our seniors.