Those who know me know that I’ve owned a small red Ford Ranger XLT pickup truck for the past eight years. This little truck has helped me move several times – as well as help those friends in need as well. It was a 4.0L V6 engine that didn’t get very great gas mileage. It has a bed liner, a tool box mounted in the bed, a premium stereo system (Alpine deck) with two 10″ sub and a Kenwood amp. It was a great little truck…

However, as I began my new career with RA Sushi Bar and Restaurant, I also began my daily commute. Prior to starting my new job, I hadn’t had to commute more than five miles to work in the past three to four years. That was such a nice aspect of working locally. But in order for me to earn more money, I needed to secure a position elsewhere.

The first month of my training, I was commuting to Tustin, California everyday, five days per week, for four weeks. Tustin is about sixty (60) miles away from my home. So I was commuting around one hundred twenty (120) miles everyday.  With traffic, it would take me between an hour to ninety minutes to get to work or to get home.  My truck would on average get about 260 miles for every full tank of fuel (sixteen gallons). Definitely not the best fuel economy. With gas prices in SoCal at about $3.50/gal, it would cost me about $55/$60 – or more! – to fill my tank.

Last week, I decided to look into getting a newer more fuel efficient vehicle. I also wanted to drive for UberX/Lyft/SideCar on my days off – but needed a newer vehicle.  So I was hoping to “kill two birds with one stone”.  I ended up buying a 2013 Chevy Spark from Paradise Chevrolet. (I’ll need to post about THAT experience at another time!) This car is amazing! The fuel economy is far better than my truck: 290 miles on eight gallons of fuel!

So fast forward and now a week later, I find out from both Lyft and UberX that because my Spark doesn’t have five seats with seatbelts, they cannot approve my vehicle to become a registered vehicle with their respective companies. I find this to be ridiculous! I’ve been through the background check and my car is practically brand new. Yet because my back seat only seats two – they won’t approve me. I’m still waiting to hear back from SideCar…

Does anyone else have any experiences with this? Do any of my readers currently drive for UberX or Lyft? I’d like to hear from you!

Until next time…#FORKTHISPLATE