For the uninitiated, or those just joining us, this is the
timeline and the links to the blogposts that got my kicked out of the official
Lyft Facebook group for drivers in San Francisco, the Pacific Driver Lounge.
I started driving for Lyft in March of 2014. From the beginning,
since I fancy myself a writer and publish the occasional book and/or zine, I
planned to keep a “driver’s log” of my experiences as a Lyft driver. In July, I
published a zine called Behind the Wheel. Some of the material I’d written for
the zine didn’t make the cut. For whatever reason… perhaps it wasn’t good enough
or maybe it was too technical… who knows. (Just don’t ask the Wife about it…
she's a brutal critic.)
Anyway, for the hell of it, I posted several outtakes on my
Medium page, including a very ad hominem take on the fanaticism of Lyft drivers:
A few weeks later, in a late night, pot- and alcohol-induced flurry
of impulsivity, I posted a link to the piece on a Facebook group for rideshare
drivers called Uber, SideCar, Lyft Drivers Community. Not expecting much but a few
page views (who doesn’t love clicks), I woke up the next morning to a shit storm.
Somebody from the community forum had posted it on the Pacific Driver lounge. Other
drivers had reposted it on Lounges for their cities. I had over a thousand page views in a few hours and the clicks just kept on coming. Not only were Lyft drivers reposting the story, Uber drivers were
propagating it as well. The response was overwhelming. Some people laughed, most people
got upset, numerous people talked smack... people did all the things people do on the
internet. It was hilarious that folks would get so upset over a half-baked
rant written on my iPhone as I was passing out from a hard night of Lyfting in
the city (and a few stupefacients when I got home).
Some of the comments were pretty funny so I collected a bunch
and posted them on my blog:
Since it seemed germane to the group, I posted a link on the
Uber, SideCar, Lyft Drivers Community forum. I tweeted a link to it as well. Which
isn’t saying much. I only have 190 followers.
Shortly after that, Matt Jensen, a community outreach person for
Lyft, or something called a "Lounge mentor" (if anybody can clarify
his position, please leave a comment), tweeted at me asking for suggestions to
improve the Lyft experience. I posted this constructive and very earnest -- at
least in my mind -- response:
After posting links, I was no longer able to access the Pacific
Driver Lounge.
Not that I was surprised. After all, I collected all the
comments because I figured I'd be kicked out. I knew, from being a member
of the Lounge that people got expelled from the Lounge all the time. And not
just for getting in accidents, but for the silliest of offenses, like talking
bad about Lyft.
C’est la vie. No more Honey Boo Boo for me.
About two weeks later, I found a personal message from Matt
Jensen about being removed from the Lounge in my “other” inbox on Facebook. (Why
do we need an “other” inbox anyway?) It was rife with paranoia, suggesting I
shared “lounge details” with Uber. As if I had some connection to Uber, besides
taking $500 from them for that one ride deal they offered back in May.
Even though it was somewhat offensive that I never
received an official email letting me know that I was banned from the Lounge, sending
a Facebook message that he had to know would go to my “other” folder on
Facebook since we weren’t friends seemed a little… unfriendly. Still, it was nice
to get some communication about it. I took a screengrab and posted it on my
blog:
So
that about wraps it up.
Well,
not exactly.
Recently,
a lawyer contacted me about a case she was working on for another driver who
was kicked out of the Lounge. Something about unlawful retaliation in the
workplace or discrimination in the workplace… Wanted me to discuss my
experience with Lyft and the Lounge… I wrote this blogpost instead.
I
don’t know, man… lawsuits are a bit of a stretch. If you're able to sift
through all this social media/blogpost nonsense, it’s obvious I was toying with
Lyft. They made a play, I countered and they cried foul.
Wah.
The
Lyft folks are a bunch of big babies. Somebody needs to call them a wahbulance.
The
only downside to all this tomfoolery is that I got kicked out of the Lounge.
Which sucks. Not only is the Lounge a place for drivers to get information
about changes to Lyft policies and the driving experience in San Francisco, it’s
also extremely entertaining. Is there anything better than gawking at a
collective lack of self-awareness?
Lyft,
please let back into the Pacific Driver Lounge.
I
miss my Honey Boo Boo!
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