RIDEGURU
Has that happened to you? I am deathly afraid of falling asleep on any transportation such as trains, buses, and cabs.
What do drivers do if the passenger falls asleep in the backseat or passes out from being drunk? While driving must be okay, but what about once you get to the destination?
Posted 5 years, 8 months ago
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Posted By
ClayClaymore
122
Rider
Ride Apprentice
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Comments
It happens pretty often. I just turn on the lights, turn OFF the radio so it gets really quite and wait a second - surprisingly this often awakens them. If not, then I talk to them loudly. I did have a lady that had been literally passed out the entire trip (30 minutes) and I went to the door of the home and asked the lady that answered to help me - which after explaining she did. And she was SO mad that her friend was in "this condition" and was angry with me - and I told her "please don't shoot the messenger - I'm just an Uber driver that her friends called to get her a ride home so she wouldn't drive".... she was okay after that.
I assume she was inebriated?
That trick you do reminds me of the scene from Louis CK episode (It's a Tv show) where the teacaher does the experiment on him. Louis is sleeping in class, and the teacher quietly plays music on the radio. Then he slowly brings it up to the student's ear and then shuts it off abruptly where silence ensues. Louis wakes up and the teacher explains that the change in atmosphere can wake up a person. The ears are always listening.
Sorry, this is a pretty random comment.
I have had drunks pass out in my car many a times. The concept is easy. You just wake them up once at the destination, and hope they won't swing their arm in surprise.
The game was a lot tougher when I used to drive cabs around.
Why? With cabs, we needed to collect the fare (cash!) at the end of a trip. This is a very slippery slope when the person is drunk. Do I take it upon myself, as a caring driver, to take money from the wallet? I am sure the customer doesn't mind. I am sure they'd prefer that over the real world consequences. However, you see the problem. Is this a crime for me to be digging around? Probably is!
So what do I do? You may be wondering what I did. There really are only two options:
1) Drop off the rider at the police station. This is a crappy situation for everyone. I have to drive way over, on my own dime, to the police station. Then I have to fill out forms an…
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I have had drunks pass out in my car many a times. The concept is easy. You just wake them up once at the destination, and hope they won't swing their arm in surprise.
The game was a lot tougher when I used to drive cabs around.
Why? With cabs, we needed to collect the fare (cash!) at the end of a trip. This is a very slippery slope when the person is drunk. Do I take it upon myself, as a caring driver, to take money from the wallet? I am sure the customer doesn't mind. I am sure they'd prefer that over the real world consequences. However, you see the problem. Is this a crime for me to be digging around? Probably is!
So what do I do? You may be wondering what I did. There really are only two options:
1) Drop off the rider at the police station. This is a crappy situation for everyone. I have to drive way over, on my own dime, to the police station. Then I have to fill out forms and 99% of the time I don't get paid. (Once time, a woman did send me a check later. That's once in 25 years of driving. There were a few other times where the money trickled back to me, but those are exceptions.)
2) Literally knock on the door of the house at the destination, in hopes that a spouse, family, or roommate would open the door. This is a better outcome than #1. I get to collect my fare (usually) and I get to hand over the responsibility to someone else.
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"literally knock on the door." Oh, man. I can't ever do that. How awkward would that be.
an in some cases, I bet someone answered and said, "I don't know who that is."
Usually you can use the brakes to give the car a few good jerks which will wake them up.
Other things I've tried are yelling in their ear, cranking up the radio, flicking the lights on and off.
Failing all that, a trip to the police station.
LOL. Yelling is my favorite.
I noticed “shaking them” wasn’t an option. Is that a formal line you decided not to cross? No physical contact?
Problem, Really happened to me, I am a male & passenger female, drunk & passed out, couldn’t nudge her or she could complain about abuse, when we got to the destination she wobbled around the back of the apartment complex. After drop off thought I should call cops, cause maybe she fell asleep outdoor.
...and?!!
I supposed your liability would be limited as you successfully completed the ride and safely took the passenger to the designated destination.
Maybe a courtesy call to the police, and leave an FYI?
I hate to sound like this, but by you calling the police, you admitted that you knew there was a risk to her safety.
By you leaving the scene, you abandoned this girl and if something happened to her, you’d be on the hook.
The liability isn’t absolved until the police gets there. It doesn’t end when you call the cops.
...so I guess I’m saying you shouldn’t call. Yeah, I suck.
I am an avid Uber customer and I fall asleep on 75% of the trips that I take alone. That isn't even an exageration. I just love riding int he backseat, being taken comfortably to my destination. Some white noise created by the rubber on the road, muffled city sounds in the distance, gently being rocked by the bumpy pothol-infested roads of Boston. How can I resist?!
First weekend of driving I pick up 2 drunk women. Get to destination end trip. Then I was informed that one didnt want to go to friends she wanted to go home. First few months of driving I didnt know anything, never looked at rider app, never seen Uber video's, never read anything etc. I learned all my lessons the hard way. She tells me its a few blocks away. So I say ok Ill just drop her off. She tells me to go to corner make a right 2 blocks make a left Little did I know she was too drunk to give me directions or her address to put in GPS. Drove around Jersey for additional 30 min until she sobered up enough to say "you are going the wrong way" really? No shit. Also turned out it wasnt few blocks away. lost out on a long trip that night that I had accepted thinking I was a few blocks away from getting rid of drunk lady Yes it was stupid. Yes I couldve looked up friends address and drove her back there but wasnt thinking. I had drunk lady in back, NJ dark as hell, and oth…
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First weekend of driving I pick up 2 drunk women. Get to destination end trip. Then I was informed that one didnt want to go to friends she wanted to go home. First few months of driving I didnt know anything, never looked at rider app, never seen Uber video's, never read anything etc. I learned all my lessons the hard way. She tells me its a few blocks away. So I say ok Ill just drop her off. She tells me to go to corner make a right 2 blocks make a left Little did I know she was too drunk to give me directions or her address to put in GPS. Drove around Jersey for additional 30 min until she sobered up enough to say "you are going the wrong way" really? No shit. Also turned out it wasnt few blocks away. lost out on a long trip that night that I had accepted thinking I was a few blocks away from getting rid of drunk lady Yes it was stupid. Yes I couldve looked up friends address and drove her back there but wasnt thinking. I had drunk lady in back, NJ dark as hell, and other rider calling me begging me not cancel and then calling asking why I was driving the wrong way. At least she gave me 20.00 although wasnt worth it. Didnt make that mistake again until until another drunk rider put destination around the corner from the bar. This time I used my head lol. Recognized rider from a week before same bar and found his address in my GPS. Woke him up when I got him home. He stumbled out of car then up his neighbors steps, I ended trip and got the hell out of there. I've learned most of my lessons from my mistakes, a few from reading other drivers stories, but most from a few not too many passengers who were trying to rip a driver off or save 1.00 or 2.00. What people will do to save a buck or 2.00.
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I had one pass out but her friend was with her she got her up. Unfortunately as she gets her out of car the drunk one falls in middle of street. Its pouring out and friend cant get her up. So reluctantly ( knew i was going to get soaked and had 3 hrs until I finished shift)I get out of my car help her get friend up walk her up steps to front door when I hear a dog barking. That was my cue to get out of there. Dog bite not included in fare although neither was picking drunk friend up out of street in pouring rain. I thought that ride was definately tip worthy. Apparently neither rider thought so. I guess not only do you drive passenger to destination safely you pick fallen down drunk rider out of the middle of the street in the pouring down rain and get them safely to front door dripping wet all for the low price of 14.49 and no thank you from either passenger. Dog bite almost included.
Hahaha, it happens all the time,my friend. Like ALL the time. It's perfectly normal. In fact, as a driver, I appreciate that you trust our driving and believing in us getting you home safe. That's actually a great satisfying part of our jobs.
You don't have to be afraid of falling asleep. Falling asleep on a train is one thing. You can miss your stop. With an Uber, we will gently wake you once we are at the destination.
This is a common occurrence, and is a normal part of the weekend for an Uber driver. If you work Friday nights or Saturday nights, you are pretty much guaranteed to hit a few of these.
More people fall asleep in cabs than you think. On long rides at the end of the day, I feel like I have people nodding off half the time. (and I get it. People are tired from the day, and it's one place they can relax.) Most people would wake up when getting to the destination.
The rule of thumb for those who do not wake up, is to take them to the nearest police station. This has only happened to me twice. Once the dude woke up on the way to the police station, so I had to turn around again. The other, the police officer came out, made sure the passenger didn't need medical attention, and told me I could leave. (which was nice because I was afraid he'd make me drive the dude back to his house.)
Is the rule of thumb to take the person to the hospital, maybe?
Don't they say that if you can't wake up the person, you should get him medical attention?
Wait, why is this even a question. We wake them up, of course!
If they don't wake up, I just push and roll them out on the curb...kidding!! I actually have taken people to the hospital before. No, not the police station, because if the person can't wake up, the police won't be able to do much either. It's time the person saw a doctor.
Why? Because riders have no idea what us drivers do! :)
Pull to the side ,open door and yank him her out onto sidewalk , end ride and leave
I turn on the cabin lights upon arrival. If they don't respond, I'll call out their name. If that doesn't help, I keep an air horn in my glove box and blow that bitch in the car. If that doesn't work, call 911 because they're probably dead.
I will turn the lights on in the car and say loudly "excuse me, we are here". Only once has the person not woken up when I have done this, in that case I tried to wake them by yelling "excuse me" once more and finally I reached back and prodded him a little bit. He was so drunk though, this doesn't really happen often.