RIDEGURU
I am the founder of SpotAngels which is a community-based parking app that helps drviers find parking and avoid tickets.
A few rideshare drivers told me they use the app to find free or cheap parking around them for a bathroom break.
I thought I'd share the tip here to get feedback from more rideshare drivers. Do you also usually struggle?
You can see a preview of the parking map here: http://download.spotangels.com/hQhY6k9eUO
Comments
I'm lucky to live in the land of Starbucks, whose CEO stated publicly that their restrooms are open to everyone. Alternately, you could do a few UberEats runs from a few specific fast food restaurants, get friendly with the staff, and go there.
No, I just carry a bottle. Don't judge me.
For #2, there are places where you only need to pay $10 up to 1/2 hour.
See what non-drivers know is that we usually have a good rapport with body shops or car washes, that they would let us run in for a quick potty. This is even true in Manhattan.
...and there's always the double parking option at the corner store. We usually find a nice discrete place behind delivery trucks or construction fences on the side streets.
For those of you who aren't from NYC. Here's an example of a parking rate:
I am curious to know how you manage then in NYC?
Not sure if rideshare drivers are aware of this but if you are taxi or a limo driver in Manhattan, you can use the "relief stations" all over the city. There are like 20 of them, they are all near taxi stands. So you park there and you go relieve yourself.
It's usually packed though. Definitley not enough for 13,000 taxicab drivers. LOL
You will regret asking. This is true. Here's the proof.
https://patch.com/new-york/new-york-city/nyc-uber-drivers-declare-jfk-bathroom-crisis
This is a real problem for drivers in Manhattan though, I will admit. We know where the secret public bathrooms are. Usually hotels, large retail stores like Best Buy, Starbucks, Crate & Barrel, etc. The problem of course is the parking. I sometimes do it while waiting in a taxi line. You make friends with another driver or just make sure they can get around you if you are not back in time.
Uber has a Greenlight hub location in NYC, but there is no parking (that I know of). Pretty much all gas stations have closed their bathrooms for public use. So what's left? Double park on the side roads, and risk it. Yep.
There are parking lots in the Bronx where I could park for $10. That works too.
This story is crazy! Has it gotten any better?
Hotels started locking their bathroom doors because rideshare drivers abuse them. I asked this concierge I knew, and he told me many guests complained. Apparently, drivers were brushing their teeth and washing their feet.
Jeez and I thought Boston was bad...
Yes, parking is tough in NY and San Francisco. As someone that has almost 10k rides and 40 years of driving in SF I need to say something I learned from my riders: The Spot Angels App is spot on...I use it all the time and it saves me time, money and tickets (which suck). So we can argue about just how tough and expensive parking is in these two cities, but make your life easy and get this app.
Is Spot Angels all about metered spots?
I see pretty much everything as "FREE", but I assume if I checked it during the day, I would actually see ones that are booked or busy?
How do they have this data even?
Thanks for the support! Glad it helps!