Uber fathers earn cash, time on the road

A FATHER’S role does not end with being the family provider. It goes beyond that.

A father would also want to spend time with his wife and children and to be present for his family especially on those days when they need him most.

With the shifting dynamics in families today, a father cannot simply be the provider and the mother is no longer relegated only to the role of homemaker. Times are harder and as mothers are also called upon to add to themselves adjusting to new demands as well.

One of the pressing demands among fathers today is time – being present for their wives and children even as they work to earn a living.

The need for a job that allows them to have control over their time and determine how much they earn has made Uber driving attractive to many fathers.

“For so many years, I was not able to celebrate Mothers’ Day with my wife but because I got into Uber, I was able to spend that special day with her. Not schooling of my four daughters,” said Noel Solayao.

Solayao, 44, has been an Uber driver for two months. In that time, he made 800 trips and earned good income.

Arwin Villadiego, 36, said, “The best thing about Uber driving is I can now spend time with my family. Before, I could not even attend my sons’ graduations.”

Villadiego, a father of two, worked as a bartender for seven years.

Now, he can spend time with his family at the malls. But it was not always like this for Villadiego.

“I felt that I hardly saw my family so I filed for a week’s leave from my previous job and I tried working as an Uber driver. For that one week of driving I earned the equivalent to my one month’s salary as a bartender,” he said.

That decided things for Villadiego. He resigned from his bartending work and pursued driving for Uber full time. He has been on the road for more than a year now.

Laurence Cua, general manager of Uber Philippines, said that Uber understands the need of commuters for a comfortable and safe transportation and at the same time reduce the number of private cars on the road.

Cua said that as a father himself, he understands the call for a good family life.

“Uber drivers not only get a decent pay, but also have time for their families as they only drive on their own time,” he said.

Uber has its headquarters in the US and was launched in the Philippines in 2014.