Houston Reporter makes false claim against Uber driver

Houston, TX – After ordering a “UberVIP” ride, local news reporter, Isiah Carey from Fox 26 Houston, a local news network, took to Facebook to express his dismay.

I get it. As a “VIP” rider, you expect to get something a little nicer. But we have to remember, the only way to unlock VIP status, is if you take x amount of rides every month. VIP riders typically tend to be commutes who take Uber instead of commuting. There is really nothing special about it, other than you are a loyal customer. Remember, back in October 2018, Carey was arrested and charged with a DWI. With him unlocking VIP status, it shows he is being responsible now, so that is a plus.

Here’s the kicker. That vehicle is NOT a 1990’s model. After he was accused of lying, he posted a screenshot of his ride:

A quick DMV search reveals this Grand Marquis he posted is NOT a 1990s model. This particular Grand Marquis is a 2009!

Not everyone has access to DMV records, but it is also public information and very easy to obtain. Isiah Carey is a Emmy Award Winning Journalist that works for a major network, in a major city. He has the resources. So why did he not do a simple search of the vehicle posting it? It honestly took me less than a minute to log in, and search the license plate that revealed it was a 2009. As a professional journalist, he owes it to the general public to be truthful.

The entitlement does not surprise me one bit though. VIP riders are known to be the entitled A*****es of Uber. Many drivers including myself do not pick them up unless we are working on a bonus of some sort and we just need a short ride. Remember, VIP riders are cheap, (they use Uber to save money, so they will not tip, even though you have good “air condition” and give you a 5 star rating. They expect you to show up in a luxurious vehicle, open their doors, kiss their feet, and give them bottles of water for their short trip. While riders may pay a minimum of $6, this is usually cut in half. The driver on this ride probably netted somewhere around $3.50 and now their vehicle is posted on social media, by a reporter with 34,000 followers, in a lame attempt to roast them. Truly disrespectful.

Some say it was a joke. Maybe it was, but he should have disclosed that from the beginning, say at the end of the post. This leads me to believe it was not a joke. He was serious. Really, sad considering his position. Believe it or not, how you show up truly matters to this day. There are people out there that would rather drive their “fancy” car to the club then show up in a 25 year old Uber vehicle. This puts the public at risk. There are still a number of drunk drivers out there, and they are often in “nicer” vehicles.

Don’t get me wrong, Uber and Lyft both have some old vehicles out there. Currently, Uber allows vehicles that are 15 years old, and Lyft allows vehicles that are 14 years old. Lyft is limiting new vehicles added to the platform to 4 years old, but there are still plenty of 14 year old vehicles on the platform, but not any vehicles from the “90’s.”