Fairview Heights driver puts the “U” in Uber

Rozmond Dorsey never knows where he’s going to land or whom he’s going to meet when he climbs into his blue Chevy Malibu.

The Fairview Heights man has been an Uber driver for four months. He ferries people around St. Louis and the metro-east who request rides through a mobile app.

“It could be a one-minute ride for six blocks or a 45-minute ride to the airport,” said Roz, 49, a former TV cameraman and radio ad salesman.

Many people use Uber’s ride-hailing service to avoid driving under the influence. Others don’t own vehicles, or their cars are in the shop. Some are visiting from out of town.

Roz’s most memorable riders were two young newlyweds, who sneaked out of their wedding reception on The Hill to begin their honeymoon at the Chase Park Plaza.

“This woman was beautiful,” Roz said. “She was in her wedding gown, and the groom was so happy and handsome in his tuxedo. He said, ‘I’m so lucky. I’m the luckiest man in the world.’ And I said, ‘Good for you.’”

The Uber app is managed by Uber Technologies, a 6-year-old transportation company based in San Francisco. It’s available at app stores for any smartphone with GPS.

The company sends ride requests to on-duty Uber drivers, who use their own cars and decide when and how often to work. It’s a cashless system. Riders have credit cards on file and pay through the app.

Drivers earn 80 percent of fares, which vary from city to city and fluctuate with supply and demand (higher during peak times). In the St. Louis area, standard UberX base prices are $1.50 plus 20 cents a minute and $1.20 a mile.

Roz’s first rider on a recent Friday morning was Jeremy Taylor, 22, of Belleville, a pianist and church music minister. He is between vehicles.

“I’m a musician, so I’m always on the go,” he said. “I used to call taxicabs, but there aren’t that many in Belleville, and they’re in high demand.”

Jeremy has found Uber to be faster and less expensive than traditional taxicab services. He likes the app feature that allows him to track drivers on their way to pick him up.

On this day, Jeremy needed a lift from his home on Main Street in Belleville to his girlfriend’s house in Madison. It cost $21.79.

“The great thing about Uber is, I know who’s picking me up before they get here,” Jeremy said. “I know what they look like, what kind of car they drive and their license plate.

“There’s a small relationship already built, so I can say, ‘Hey, Roz, I want to go to Subway, and then I want to go to the mall, and then I want to go somewhere else.’ Literally, it’s like having your own personal driver for cheap.”

Uber comes to town

Uber began offering its standard UberX service in the metro-east in March with no apparent opposition (UberBLACK is for limos). Illinois Sen. Bill Haine, of Alton, and Edwardsville Mayor Hal Patton were among its first riders.

Circumstances were different in St. Louis. Uber started operating in September after a year of haggling with the St. Louis Metropolitan Taxi Commission, which wants drivers to be fingerprinted and get commercial licenses. Each has filed a lawsuit against the other.

Uber maintains that its background checks, vehicle requirements and insurance coverage are adequate. Drivers and riders also rate each other to promote good behavior and quality service.

“I think it’s brilliant,” Roz said. “It makes me so angry. I went to college. I have a degree. I worked in business. Why didn’t I think of it?”

Roz is a Chicago native with a communications degree from Southern Illinois University Carbondale. His wife, Daphne, is a PR specialist and former reporter.

Roz quit his job in radio sales in August to escape the “corporate grind” and enrolled in a truck-driving program through Kaskaskia College. He would like to do some traveling.

“My son (17-year-old Alexander) wants to visit colleges, and this will be a great way for him to do it,” Roz said. “As an over-the-road truck driver, depending on the company, you’re allowed to bring family members on long-haul trips.”

Meanwhile, Roz enjoys being an Uber driver. He works roughly 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays and continues into the wee hours on Fridays and Saturdays. His favorite part is meeting people.

Some riders are quiet and keep to themselves while others like to chat. Roz gives restaurant recommendations to tourists and talks sports with fans on their way to games.

Roz keeps his car clean and smelling fresh with Febreze. He’ll change radio stations or adjust temperatures, whatever it takes to make people comfortable. His rating is 4.88 out of 5 stars.

“Until I start driving a truck, this is my full-time job,” he said. “There are bills that need to be paid. My son needs clothes. My wife’s car needs repairs.”

Roz’s busiest times coincide with major sporting events. He landed about 60 rides the weekend in November when the Chicago Bears and Chicago Blackhawks were in St. Louis.

Roz hasn’t had any bad experiences as an Uber driver, although a few people have gotten into his car pretty intoxicated and even have fallen asleep in his backseat.

Roz had to put his foot down only once with a young black man and three white friends. The black rider kept using the N-word.

“I had to tell him, ‘Hey, man, we don’t use that word in this car. That’s not acceptable. If you don’t stop, I’m going to have to end this ride,’” said Roz, who is black. “And he stopped.”

On the road again

After Roz dropped off Jeremy in Madison, he drove over the bridge to St. Louis, where he knew he could stay busier on a Friday afternoon.

It took only 10 minutes for his cellphone to beep, signaling a ride request. He picked up Steve Turley and Adam Burrus, who were standing outside The Hilton downtown.

“We’re coming from Wichita, Kansas,” said Steve, 31, an attorney. “We went to SLU. We’re here to watch the Shockers play the Billikins. But right now, we’re going to eat pizza at Vito’s near campus. And drink. This probably won’t be our last Uber ride.”

Steve and Adam are big fans of Uber, which has been in Wichita for more than a year. Before that, they sometimes waited two hours for taxicab pickups. Their ride to Vito’s cost $6.94.

Roz’s next request came from Darion Robinson, 23, of St. Louis, who had just finished lunch at the Field House Pub and Grill in Midtown. He was headed to a barbershop in Fox Park.

Darion is a family community specialist at an elementary school. He has a Metro pass, but he didn’t have time that day to take a bus or MetroLink train. He likes Uber better than taxicabs.

“I feel like the people are friendlier,” Darion said. “The cars are cleaner, and it’s a little more comfortable, I think. I also feel like it’s cheaper. I don’t know if it is, but it seems that way. The drivers also are more patient.”

Darion’s fare to Fox Park was $7.33. Nine minutes later, Roz’s cellphone beeped again, and he accepted a pickup request from an office on Gravois.

Turns out, Lindsay Pattan, 29, of St. Louis, was a repeat customer with Roz. On this day, she needed to get to Thaxton Speakeasy downtown for a business meeting.

“I’m not a very good driver, and I don’t like to drive,” said Lindsay, director of innovation and community impact with ALIVE Media Group. “I eventually sold my car, and I was sharing a car with my fiance. But I rarely drive. I don’t have to deal with parking.”

Lindsay has caught more than 100 rides with Uber in the past three months. She doesn’t consider that too extravagant since she’s saving money on car payments, gas and insurance.

Lindsay’s fare for the ride with Roz was $6.48. She considers Uber far superior to taxicabs, which, she said, used to cause her to be late for meetings.

“They take around 20 minutes to get to you, and they’re not always reliable,” she said. “I had no way to contact my drivers, so I wouldn’t know if they were going to be late. I couldn’t help them get to me, and sometimes they wouldn’t show up at all. Uber is much better.”

This story was originally published December 11, 2015 at 3:13 PM with the headline "Fairview Heights driver puts the “U” in Uber."