Apps are amazing — they deliver Thai food to your doorstep, help you reimburse a friend for dinner, and get you from Point A to Point B. Apps can help you connect with people, and sometimes in unexpected ways. Recently, a girlfriend met me for drinks with the exciting news that she had just met a really hot guy in her UberPOOL. Sadly, she didn't really flirt with him because she had no idea how to talk to someone in an UberPool, and with one stop on her way to meet me, he was gone.
While we poured one out for the loss of "UberPool Dreamboat 2018," we brainstormed how to talk to someone who you randomly end up ride-sharing with. You might be getting where you're going on the cheap, but that's no reason to shortchange your game. I started to think of UberPOOL-ing as vehicular speed dating, and decided to look into this.
In 2016, Uber banned flirting and sexual acts between rides and drivers, but you're still welcome to make conversation with your fellow UberPOOL-ers. Uber elaborates in their community guidelines, "It’s OK to chat with other people in the car. But please don’t comment on someone’s appearance or ask whether they are single." With these guidelines in mind, here are a few ways to strike up a conversation in your UberPOOL if the mood strikes.
Whether you're already mid-ride or hopping into an already occupied UberPOOL, here a few suggestions to jump start a conversation.
- "What's your rating? Credit rating, of course."
- "You're late!"
- "Did you bring snacks?"
You and your fellow rider are a few blocks into your trip, you've exchanged some pleasantries, names, and Zodiac signs, so now what? Let's keep the wheels turning with some of these prompts!
- "I dare you to connect your phone and put your entire music library on shuffle."
- "Airdrop me the last photo you took on your phone."
- "How many stars would you rate me as a co-rider so far?"
As the end of the road approaches for either you or your attractive backseat buddy, if you feel your interest is being reciprocated then go ahead and be bold! Keeping Uber's guidelines in mind, here are a few ways to be clear that you'd like to keep this conversation going somehow, without getting booted off the app.
- "We should go on another road trip some time."
- "You know it's not too late to edit your destination."
- "I do have an unused plus one for this party."
Let's hope your UberPOOL cutie experience ends differently than my friend's did — RIP UberPOOL Dreamboat 2018! — but if your flirtation ends with a drop off, at least you know you tried. The hardest things about dating can be putting yourself out there, braving the potential of rejection, and gathering the courage to do it all over again. With all of the tricky challenges that dating can present, at least we have apps to make some things about life really, really simple.
Check out the entire Gen Why series and other videos on Facebook and the Bustle app across Apple TV, Roku, and Amazon Fire TV.
Check out the “Best of Elite Daily” stream in the Bustle App for more stories just like this!
