Some Uber and Lyft pilots with Teslas do not want to speak with Elon Musk riders – but they will play because it’s good for business.
Wesley Johnson said that his passengers regularly mentioned Musk and that the comments had alleged more negatively in recent months. Johnson said he did not agree with all Musk’s political opinions, but is a big fan of Tesla cars – and he keeps these opinions for him.
“When they talk about Elon, I drive with the rider,” said Johnson, who is in sixty and led to the San Francisco region. “I just want to keep them happy.”
Three carpooling drivers have told Business Insider that in recent months, Musk has become a hot topic of conversation during their travels because of their car. Musk, the co -founder and CEO of Tesla, Was under the spotlight in recent times when he has been working alongside President Donald Trump as a de facto chief of the government’s Ministry of Efficiency.
The drivers said their passengers – Who directs the whole range of hate musk to superfans – regularly ask them what they think of musk and share their opinions. The drivers said that they had carefully sailed these conversations because they do not want to compromise the advice and notes they receive customers – which makes a profit environment even more difficult.
Carpooling pilots get less advice than drivers for platforms like Doordash and Grubhub, and several drivers have previously declared BI than the bottom of customers in recent years has made much more difficult to develop their income.
In addition, a weak pilot rating could make more difficult for a driver to obtain passengers And become eligible for reward programs. This could also lead to the deactivation of their account.
Uber, Lyft and Tesla did not respond to a request for BI comments.
Jay Keleher said his passengers Uber regularly asked him what he thinks of Elon Musk. Jay Keleher
Uber and Lyft drivers are not the only ones to hesitate to talk about politics during their working hours. Fifty-seven percent of American adults said that they had sometimes avoided expressing their political opinions due to the fear of ill-treatment or harassment, according to a Gallup survey of 9,894 Americans conducted in May. In addition, some employers have asked the staff to refrain from discussing work policy or preventing them from doing so.
Trent T, which is based in southern Florida, said that the feelings of his riders about Musk tended to be more positive in recent months. When someone evokes musk, Trent said he replied with a neutral comment, like: “He is really intelligent even if I do not always agree with things he does.” He then waits for the rider to reveal his opinion and adapts accordingly.
“If they tell me that they cannot bear it, then I cannot bear it, and we both concentrate it,” said Trent, who is around fifty, and asked not to use his family name because of the fear of professional repercussions. “So no matter what they believe, they will leave me a better note.”
Jay Keleher was not as lucky. Although customer advice can vary depending on several factors, Keleher said that some runners were not fans of musk – and, by proxy, his Tesla. He added that his advice as part of his total profit had increased to 12% this year, against around 17% in the last four months of 2024, according to his calculations.
He said that at least a week a week, a rider asks him what he thinks of Musk and then shares their thoughts.
“I usually let them say what they want from Elon,” said Keleher, who is 42 years old and lives near Albany, New York. “My answer is that I have no opinion on him.”
Johnson said he was more likely to get passenger advice since he went from the conduct of a Mercedes to a Tesla two years ago. He thinks that it is partly because some runners have not been in a Tesla before and find the experience interesting, but he knows that several other factors could also affect his advice.
“Some people like the car, but they don’t like it,” he said about Musk.
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