Maricopa drivers heading home from the Valley were stuck in traffic for more than two hours Wednesday afternoon after their semi-trucks broke down near the city limits. On a 48-mile stretch of highway that sees an average of one crash a day, a state trooper gets pinned, his Porsche pancakes, and his car rolls over and bursts into flames.

Needless to say, the commute is frustrating. So why not take a drive along State Route 347?

Social media influencer Cody Garrett, aka “The Donut Operator” asked our 723,000 followers. On August 1st, I shared my best and worst Uber experiences on X (formerly Twitter). To the no doubt surprise of many, user @SalvoGhost immediately responded that the best ride of his Uber career was a trip from Phoenix to Maricopa.

SR 347 seems to only get some nasty headlines, especially when the hotly contested highway is the talk of the town on social media between our neighbors to the north. But @SalvoGhost, real name Michael O., has only fond memories of his time as a full-time Uber driver.

memorable drive

Michael, a Phoenix native who was making $1,400 a week driving for a rideshare app out of East Mesa, remembers the $100 tip he got after dropping off a passenger in Maricopa.

“I had to take someone from Phoenix to Maricopa City and they hated metal,” said the hard rock enthusiast. “By the end of the trip, they had a new appreciation for travel.”

michael said Inmaricopa He takes his job as an Uber driver seriously, and the soundtrack he chose was business-appropriate.

“It’s not a secret get-rich-quick scheme or a get-rich-quick scheme. It takes hard work, perseverance, and a dedication to exceptional service,” he said. “And it’s the right playlist.”

This job is not for everyone

Being a successful rideshare business in Maricopa is hard work. Many people have tried and failed. Fed up, some tried to start their own small businesses to compete with giants Uber and Lyft.

But for Michael, who worked the graveyard shift chauffeuring everyone from West Valley truck drivers to overnight medical and security staff to drunken college students and corporate executives, Maricopa has always been a daily routine. was an important part of

“I used to pick up people from Harrah’s Casino and some of the community and take them to work in Phoenix,” he recalled. “Driving-wise, I haven’t had any problems because most highways are empty at night.The worst thing I’ve had to deal with is the lack of QuikTrips. I think so.”

The longest trip he ever drove started here in Pinal County, about 324 miles from Apache Junction to Yuma.

worst trip ever

michael said Inmaricopa “My worst trips were always with businessmen going from resorts to strip clubs. I don’t know if money changes people, but when you hear married men talking about cheating, you don’t want to go anywhere like this, let alone go to a place like this.” That’s depressing.”

In an interview with Donut Operator, Michael spoke about his worst, worst experience far from home, leaving him penniless on a heart-breaking mission from Phoenix to Tucson. However, this story has a very interesting ending.

“So I worked all night (10pm to 7am), which included a ride to a strip club. Uber has a feature where you can book a ride several days in advance. accepted one of the Phoenix to Tucson trips scheduled for 2am (worth over $100, easy money).

Last trip before heading to destination for pick. Picked up a few guys from a strip club. They enter the house and privately debate whether or not they want food. I tell them no problem if they want to stop right away, but they eventually say no.

5 minutes later… “Trip updated.” I canceled my next big trip… I said “shit” under my breath… They asked what was wrong and I told them not to worry. I said…they kept pushing, I said don’t worry about it. I told them, “I updated my trip and my next trip is cancelled.”

They said, “Oh, okay, we can cancel and you can do it.” I told them, “Don’t do that. Not only will it not work, but I won’t be able to take you home again.” They kept saying, “It’s okay.” And I canceled it (meaning I didn’t get paid for it either).

“I’m sorry, but we have no choice but to drop you off at the nearest safe place.” He then pulled into a gas station to let them out. They asked me to take them home and I said I couldn’t do that.

They said, “We only did this because we’re gay!” ……

My response was, “I picked your asshole out of a strip club…what do you do once a month to make sure you’re still gay?!” and ran off. ”