Erika is my friend and neighbor who has fallen on hard times. She is about to lose her home because she can no longer make even a scant living driving for Uber. She is in her early seventies, has two cats and will have to live in her van if she can’t pay the rent for March. If she can stay another month, she would be able to find a paying roommate which would allow her to stay. Here is her story in her own words:

“I’m sitting at home a lot these days without rides. I’m a female with a perfect driving record, no accidents or tickets in over 11,000 trips. But I’m not making enough to pay rent anymore and am about to lose my apartment.

Yesterday, Feb. 21, I made $13 in three hours and gave up until later in the afternoon, when I finally got some rides. For years I’ve grown a beautiful herb garden in my van and received many thousands of compliments. Although Uber shows my satisfaction rating as 72 percent, they fail to note that the rating came from a few food deliveries I tried years ago, when standstill traffic slowed delivery. Uber will not remove that rating.

My driver rating is 4.99 out of 5.

So what’s the problem? My van runs on gas. Uber encourages riders to go with the electric and hybrid vehicles. A rider pointed this out to me.

When you’re looking for a ride, don’t rule me out because my van is gas powered. Safety is even more important.

If things don’t change very quickly, my two cats and I will be living in this van at the end of the month, instead of driving for Uber.“

Please help Erika stay another month in her apartment allowing her to find a paying roommate and stay.

Thank you.