WHY I DRIVE FOR UBER

The Star’s Geoffrey Vendeville and Verity Stevenson spoke to three women who drive for Uber to get their stories.

Siobhan Cabanas Time with Uber: Five months

Siobhan Cabanas has worked in traditionally masculine industries all her life — the military, a railway yard and now Uber. “I don’t like sitting behind a desk. It’s not my style,” she said in an interview in the financial district, where she does most of her Uber driving. A recent U of T grad, she is working for Uber while applying for other jobs. Cabanas became an Uber driver because it offered her a flexible schedule, she said. For her safety, she keeps to the downtown core and turns the app off at sunset. She doesn’t pick up a male passenger if his rating is low.

Dianne Flemington, 46 Time with Uber: One year

Dianne Flemington had few apprehensions before signing up with the ride-booking service. “I love disruptive technology,” she said. The owner of a small communications business, Flemington says she loves to chit-chat with passengers. “I spent so much time on my business that it actually became a social life for me,” she said. Most of her fares are tech-savvy and have an “innovative mindset,” she says. Flemington, who typically works between 7 and 11 p.m., said Uber provided safety training, but could develop an emergency button for drivers as an added precaution.

Elisa De La Torre, 37 Time with Uber: Two months

Elisa De La Torre was going through a divorce while trying to grow a business and raise two kids. Driving for Uber meant she could work while her kids were in school. It would also help her save money to invest in her online bakery and event-planning company, Partylicious Mama. She made about $2,000 a month. “I thought it was really great to be able to see the power you have behind the wheel when you take people around.” She avoids the night shift, preferring the morning business rush hour. De La Torre says she enjoys the surprise on female riders’ faces when they see a woman at the wheel.