A

few weeks ago, Sam Lim, the cofounder of Hipdot, a

vegan makeup line, ordered an Uber Pool to get from

her home in West Hollywood to a meeting in Venice.

She found herself sharing the ride with not one but

two companions. “It was crazy,” she recalled. “I was in

the car with two other women plus the driver. We

slowly started talking to each other, then as we

started to open up, we realized each of us had a re-

cent breakup story.”

“Front-seat girl,” as Lim, 34, called her, had bro-

ken up with her boyfriend, who had planned a busi-

ness trip on their anniversary. “Back-seat girl” had caught her boyfriend cheating

via a mutual friend’s Instagram.

“Then the driver chimed in,” said Lim. “Her ‘baby daddy’ was having a child

with someone else, and she had just had his baby in January. And he was in jail

when he found out about the second baby!”

Just moments before that ride, these four women were total strangers hailing

from different parts of the city and different spheres of existence and unlikely to

meet under other circumstances. Somewhere between West Hollywood and

Venice, they experienced a moment of surprising intimacy, sharing stories they

might not have told otherwise — stories they might not have even shared with

relatives, colleagues or other members of their everyday lives. Had any one of the

three passengers requested her ride just a few minutes later or chosen to go to the

Valley instead of Venice, this experience may not have transpired.

Los Angeles is a city known not only for its car culture but also for not having an

easily navigable or efficient mass transit system. So the arrival of ride-hailing apps

like UberPool and Lyft’s shared rides (which until recently were known as “Lyft

Line”) has proven to be a radical proposition for city residents. About 20% of

Uber’s active riders in L.A. used UberPool at least once this summer, said a com-

pany spokesperson. (Pool rides can be less than half the cost of a solo ride; Lim’s

ride cost $4.37)

“It’s a fun, unique experience to share a ride with a stranger because you’re not

expecting anything lasting,” said Michael Gobo, a 28-year-old advertising ac-

count manager who lives in Mar Vista. “You sort of go into it

Kagan McLeodFor The Times

SHARING MORE

THAN A RIDE

Some find friendship, others romance in a communal Uber or Lyft.

By Todd Plummer

[SeeRide,F6]

NOVEMBER 9, 2019

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