Matthew has driven a large number of people in his 30,000 trips but rushing a woman to hospital and driving a new family home safely have been some of his highlights.
As Uber celebrates five historic years in South Africa, its taken Matthew over three years to take riders on over 30 000 trips and counting. In these short few years, Matthew has seen it all and still wants more!
Matthew, who hails from Nigeria, moved to South Africa in 2006 and instantly fell in love.
“I always knew I wanted more in life, I wanted to travel and explore, discover and learn. I knew that an office job was not for me.”
For a few years, Matthew struggled to find a fit for him, even moving back home for a few years. In 2013, Matthew made his way back to South Africa and had a passion to make this time a different homecoming.
He joined Uber, driving for someone else and soon realised that the road was his calling.
“It spoke to my need to travel, and that I was able to meet people from all over the world,” says Matthew.
In Matthew’s time with Uber, he has successfully bought and fully paid for three vehicles, now employs two other driver-partners and earns a steady-enough income to pay for rent, school fees and live the life he has always wanted.
Now, with so many trips, one would think quite a bit can be seen, and what a lot has Matthew witnessed. From speeding it up to take a heavily pregnant rider to the hospital to give birth, to slowing it down, taking parents and their newborns home.
“I’ve given rides to all ages, colours, religions, and genders. South Africa is truly the definition of a rainbow nation,” explains Matthew on all of the wonderful people he has been able to meet through Uber.
Matthew has learnt quite a bit in his time as a driver-partner, saying he can now say hello in multiple languages including Spanish, Arabic, Mandarin, Zulu, and Portuguese, proving that he is able to travel the world without leaving his car. He enjoys it so much that he has even learnt things about himself from his riders. He would never listen to rock ‘n roll before a rider insisted on listening to this “insane mix” and before he knew it, Matthew found a new genre to explore.
“From my riders, I’ve felt like I’ve explored the world. The stories they have shared, are almost like we’ve shared the experiences together. For me, the riders are my tickets into new countries,” explains Matthew, who feels that through his trips has effectively been around the world.
But there is no place like home, and for him, that is spending time with his family. Being an Uber driver-partner has allowed Matthew the flexibility to become his own boss, change his office scenery on a daily basis and effectively live the life he has wanted to. Proving the age-old saying, it isn’t about the destination, it’s about the trip, and after 30 000, Matthew still wants more!
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