The Nerve rides along with a ridesharing Uber outlaw

By Rick Brundrett | The Nerve

Editor’s Note: A Nerve reporter on Friday rode with a driver for UberX, a recently launched ridesharing service that state regulators contend is operating illegally in South Carolina. The name of the driver was changed in this story to protect his identity.

It was well past 5 p.m. when most state bureaucrats have gone home for the day. But Joe was still apprehensive.

“I have to be even more careful now because they can see me,” he said while cruising around the Columbia area, waiting for a rider to notify him of a pickup request.

The young man doesn’t consider himself an outlaw. He’s a recent college graduate who, besides driving for Uber, holds down two other low-paying jobs while looking for a more stable full-time position.

“I wish I didn’t have to do this,’ he said about juggling three jobs, though he pointed out that if state regulators and local police would allow him to grow his Uber clientele, “I can actually make a living doing this.”

at The Nerve.