I have driven for Uber and Lyft for 12 years, first around Boston and now in Maine. These are stories from the road: the riders, the streets, the food, the history, and what a driver thinks about between rides.
There are 35 stories here so far. My notes and the journals riders wrote in hold enough for 500 to 1,000 more.
Showing all 35 stories
The Story of the Founding of the Boston Auto Tour
Click to read how the Boston Auto Tour was founded.
Read the story →The Uber & Lyft Rider Restaurant Picks of Boston
Read about the rider restaurant picks book we will be seeking funding to publish on Kickstarter.
Read the story →Boston Auto Tour - Kickstarter Campaign (Coming Soon!)
The New Kickstarter Video The Boston Auto Tour is preparing a Kickstarter Campaign to raise funds to publish two books: a) The In-Car Rider Journal b ) The Uber/Lyft Rider Restaurant Picks…
Read the story →History of Turnpikes of New England: Brookline, Pt. 3
1. From: Turnpikes of New England (Frederick J. Wood, 1907. Reprint by Branch Line Press, 1997). P. 144-145. “In 1810, a turnpike charter was granted to the Boston Neck Turnpike Corporation, which…
Read the story →A Nostalgic Drive through Brookline, Pt. 2
“Drives About Boston: Brookline and Chestnut Hill” From “Boston and Its Suburbs: A Guide Book.” (Boston: Press of Stanley & Usher, 171 Devonshire Street, 1888), p. 103-104. “Famous is Boston, in a…
Read the story →Town of Brookline, Pt. 1
Brookline was just another one of those leafy low-profile towns surrounding greater Boston. Until 1960. That year, JFK was elected president. It soon became common knowledge that he and two of his…
Read the story →Rider Stories: In-Car Journal
Written by Edward Moran and James Lantos Paul Revere was one heck of a driver, but it must have been lonely for him—he had no one riding sidesaddle with him on…
Read the story →Lobster and Lobster Rolls, Pt. 2 - Articles, Books, Recipes
On this page 16 Press Articles About Lobster & Lobster Rolls 7 Lobster and Lobster Roll Books YouTube Links Recipes 16 Press Articles About Lobster & Lobster Rolls “ 2019 Best Lobster…
Read the story →Bumper Clusters - Bostonians Who Went Overboard With Their Stickers, Pt. 1
The most clustered of bumper stickers seen on the road
Read the story →Signup to Drive For Uber or Lyft
Signup to drive and you can start making your road observations too. Secret panoramas, secret neighborhoods, interesting stories with riders. Take notes! Submit your material to us and we can consider publishing…
Read the story →The Car and the Bicycle, Pt. 2 - Rise of the Bike Lanes
Written by Edward Moran and James Lantos As an Uber and Lyft driver who has navigated the mean streets of Boston more than most, I have witnessed the mayhem of the open…
Read the story →Famous Bostonians: John F. Kennedy
On this page 1. Birthplace: 83 Beals Street, Brookline, MA 2. Second Childhood Home: 51 Abbottsford Road, Brookline, MA 3. Baptism: St. Aidans Church, 201 Freeman Street, Brookline, MA Schools in Brookline…
Read the story →Other Animal Species That Roam Among Us, Pt. 1
Dogs and turkeys aren’t the only species who have to contend with the traffic problem. There are geese, pigeons, seagulls, and pigs. Yes, pigs.
Read the story →Scenes From The Airport, Pt. 1
An Uber / Lyft driver spends a third or more of his/her life at the airport.
Read the story →The Car and the Bicycle, Pt. 1 - Boston and the Invention of the Bicycle
Source: Library of Congress A Brief History of the Humble Two-Wheeler and the Boston Connection By Edward Moran Before the car dominated the Boston transportation scene, there was the humble bicycle. The…
Read the story →The Worst Intersections in Boston, Pt. 1
Boston has some terrible intersections. Having driven as much as I have, I’ve tried to document the worst of the worst. This is the first of a number of postings that will…
Read the story →Uber / Lyft: How Does It Work?
Uber and Lyft have been in the news in the past few years given the rise of rideshare use across the country and due to their recent IPO’s. You can read about…
Read the story →Why No Auto Tour? A Brief History of Boston Tourism, Pt. 1
My idea for the Boston Auto Tour had its roots in an ancient desert landscape some forty years ago when in 1980 I toured Israel with some family members. The cost was…
Read the story →Existing Guidebooks and Tours: Not Focused On Tourism From a Car
There is another purpose to this blog other than chatting about my Uber/Lyft career. The hope is that the info posted here over time will become a unique guidebook that can be…
Read the story →Figuring Out How the App Works, Giving the First Ride
Very soon after turning on the Uber app on for the first time, it began beeping. This indicated there was a ride hailing me. I learned quickly you have fifteen seconds to…
Read the story →A Ride In Arlington & The Secret Panoramas Of Boston
Symmes Hill, Arlington, MA By April 2017, having not Ubered for over a year—or is that called Untering?--I decided to hit the high road again. Having just finished a semester in an…
Read the story →Lobster and Lobster Rolls, Pt. 1
Harraseeket Lunch and Lobster Co., , Freeport, ME Chauncey Creek Lobster Pier , Kittery, ME I began collecting restaurant recommendations from riders at some point early in my Uber tenure. If someone…
Read the story →Anger Expression, Bumper Therapy, Pt. 1
Bumper stickers can be a passive way to release frustration.
Read the story →Funniest Bumper Stickers on Boston Roads, Pt. 1
This series will contain some of the more humorous bumper stickers seen. Someone once told me there is a good supply of bumper stickers to be found at Newbury Comics. I haven’t…
Read the story →Dogs Are a Common Sight, Pt. 1
I read that the Boston Terrier was the first hybrid breed in the United States. Now, you can see many breeds roaming the streets.
Read the story →Turkeys Are Taking Over Boston, Pt. 1
Turkey in Harvard Square When you drive over 200,000 miles in the span of three years, the odds are you’ll sometimes find yourself in just the right place, at just the right…
Read the story →Hilarious Waze Map Chats - Pt. 1
I use the GPS program Waze extensively. It is one of the secret ways (so to speak) I am able to defeat traffic problems. Waze tends to favor the side roads whereas…
Read the story →Uber Comes to Boston, Getting Started As a Driver
Uber App Showing Surge Priced Area Uber arrived in Boston around 2011. This was two years after the company originally began as “UberCab” back in 2009. The company got started because one…
Read the story →The History of Boston Roads and Highways, Part 1
Photo Credits 1937 Boston Road Map "Building Route 128" (2003, Arcadia) "Boston's Central Artery" (2001, Arcadia) "Building the Mass Pike" (2002, Arcadia) I90, Photo by James Lantos 128 Road Signs “Big Dig”…
Read the story →My First Uber Ride (As A Driver)
This is a screenshot of the very first Uber ride I gave back on February 5, 2014. There was snow outside. I was as nervous as a Pilgrim on the Mayflower. I…
Read the story →Boston Auto Tour: First Post
Hello World! You’ve heard about the Boston Post Road, that colonial-era highway that forever changed the American landscape? This is the first post for the Boston Auto Tour a new blog about…
Read the story →Students, Millennials and 'The Curse' of the Bambino
Former Gov. Mitt Romney Helping To Remove "Reverse The Curse" Sign Over Storrow Drive, ca. 2004 I read an eye-opening article this year in the Globe . It said that one third…
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