Uber was proud to host Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (D-WA) and Congressman Derek Kilmer (D-WA) at driver-partners events in their home districts last week. At the roundtable discussion in Redmond with Rep. DelBene and at the event in Tacoma with Rep. Kilmer, driver-partners had the opportunity to share their personal stories, talk about why they choose to drive on the Uber platform, and ask questions about politics and news of the day.

Congresswoman DelBene, an innovator and former tech executive, was especially interested to learn about the flexibility and financial security that driving with Uber provides. She heard from a college student who drives to balance work with his class schedule, a recent college graduate who was juggling job interviews and thankful for how Uber helped fill the gaps, and an entrepreneur who needs a little extra cash as he pursues his dreams.

One especially inspiring story came from Richard Marshall, a member of the Lummi Nation, who started driving because he was deeply affected by the all-too-frequent impaired driver fatalities in Whatcom County. He wanted to be part of the solution and shared that through driving with Uber, he has brought a safe, reliable transportation option to his community and given himself a flexible form of income.

 
At the roundtable discussion with Congressman Kilmer, he had the opportunity to hear directly from some of our Washington UberMILITARY driver-partners about how using our platform provides an opportunity to meet people in their communities, ease the transition from active duty to civilian life, and earn extra income for veterans who are trying to make ends meet. We launched UberMILITARY in September 2014 with a promise of giving service members, veterans and military spouses an opportunity to earn a flexible income by driving with Uber. More than 50,000 members of the military community have already signed up to be driver-partners.

Linda Mester, an Army spouse for more than 30 years, shared that while her husband was deployed to Kuwait last winter she was surprised to find that driving with Uber helped her feel less lonely because she was able to meet and have conversations with so many interesting people. Read an article in the Tacoma Weekly about the meeting with Congressman Kilmer here.

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We’re so grateful to Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (D-WA) and Congressman Derek Kilmer (D-WA) for taking the time to hear from just a few of the many incredible people who drive with Uber here in Washington.