> And the next time you hop into a ride-share car, talk to your driver – learn about their experience and find out how the service is working for them.<p>I've actually done this for nearly every cab I've ever taken (starting long before Uber came out), so I have a point of reference and comparison[0]. It's anecdotal, but it's been interesting to observe the changes as a rider.<p>In NYC, the demographics of Uber drivers and yellow medallion cab drivers are generally the same, and most Uber drivers previously drove either yellow medallion cabs or private cab services. Uber drivers seemed generally happier about their jobs, making far more money doing basically the same service.<p>For a while, nothing seemed to change about their experiences, as far as I could tell. Only about a year or so ago did I start to notice a change, and it wasn't the one I'd expect.<p>Nowadays, <i>both</i> yellow medallion cab drivers and Uber drivers in NYC seem to have the same level of satisfaction with their job, and are generally unhappier with their line of work overall compared to a few years ago. Uber drivers who have driven for more than a year or two say they are making dramatically less money than they used to, and they complain that their costs are higher and revenues more unpredictable (such as Uber changing the requirements for what counted as Uber vs. Uber X, dramatically reducing revenue permanently).<p>One Uber driver told me that he was an early driver and used to rate passengers fairly, and now just gives everyone a 5-star, because "it doesn't really matter" (ie, he just doesn't care).<p>On the other hand, Uber drivers used to tell me that they experienced a different sort of clientele. Taking Uber (instead of taking a cab) was a status symbol. One told me that he drove a guy literally a block and a half to a party, just so he could be seen stepping out of a black car. From what I've seen, as the service has grown, the clientele has regressed more to the mean, and is now more similar to the typical cab user (except a bit younger and more tech-savvy).<p>Uber (and the like) have been revolutionary services from the point of view of the rider, but from the perspective of the driver, it seems that the initial differences in experiences were only temporary.<p>[0] I started doing this simply because I have family members who used to drive cars in NYC professionally and still tell stories of their days. So I could relate to the riders, and they'd tell me their thoughts very candidly. Only much later did Uber come out and this turn into an opportunity for comparison.