Daily English 1253 Using a Ridesharing Service

Dialogue/Story

Slow Speed begins at: 1:25
Explanation begins at: 4:04
Normal Speed begins at: 19:58

Complete Transcript

Welcome to English as a Second Language Podcast number 1,253 – Using a Ridesharing Service.

This is English as a Second Language Podcast episode 1,253. I’m your host, Dr. Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development in beautiful Los Angeles, California.

This episode is a dialogue between Carl and Doris about ridesharing services – businesses that allow you to take a taxi without taking a taxi. I’ll explain when we get to the explanation. For now, let’s get started.

[start of dialogue]

Carl: Let’s get a taxi.

Doris: There’s no need. I’ve already ordered a car.

Carl: A limo? That’s too expensive.

Doris: No, I’m using a ridesharing service. It’s cheaper than a taxi. There’s no meter and we pay a set price.

Carl: But how do we know it’s safe? How do we know the driver isn’t a criminal or an unsafe driver? Is he going to have car insurance? Do they do background checks?

Doris: Even though it’s a peer-to-peer service, the drivers are carefully screened and the cars are tracked. Trust me. This ride will be safe.

Carl: We don’t have much cash on us.

Doris: I have a credit card on file. No cash will change hands. Look, here’s our driver. Hello, Michael.

Carl: You know our driver?

Doris: He’s my son.

Carl: But why are you paying for a ride if your son is available to pick us up?

Doris: He has his pride. He won’t take any money from me so we came up with a compromise: I hire his car whenever I need a ride to or from the airport. It works for us and there’s a bonus.

Carl: What’s that?

Doris: I get to see my son every time I travel.

Carl: That seems like a strange arrangement.

Doris: That may be so, but if you can’t get your son to visit more often, what’s a mother to do?

[end of dialogue]

Our dialogue begins with Carl saying to Doris, “Let’s get a taxi.” A “taxi” (taxi) is a “taxicab” – a car that you can ride in and pay money to take you from one place to another. Doris says, “There’s no need,” meaning we don’t have to get a taxi. She says, “I’ve already ordered a car.” She has already arranged for them to be taken from where they are now to where they want to go, but not in a taxi.

A “taxi” is a car that, in many cities, you can simply wave your hand at and it will stop and allow you to get in and take you to where you want to go. In some cities, like Los Angeles, you actually have to call to get a taxi or to go to a place where there are already taxis waiting for you, called a “taxi stand” (stand). Taxi stands in Los Angeles can be found at the airport as well as in front of some big hotels.

However, one way of getting from where you want to go is, instead of calling a taxi, to call for a limo. A “limo” (limo) is a “limousine,” which is a very nice car, often a very long car, that is more comfortable than a taxi. In Los Angeles, you can call for a taxi or you can call and get a limo to come and pick you up from your house. “Limos,” or “limousines,” are more expensive. That’s why Carl says, “A limo? That’s too expensive.”

Doris didn’t say she ordered a limo. She said she ordered a car. Until recently, if someone said they “ordered a car,” you would think that they had ordered a limo. But nowadays you can order a car that’s not a limo. Doris explains – she says, “I’m using a ridesharing service.” “Ridesharing” (ridesharing) is a service where people who don’t have a taxi license, who are just regular people who own cars, will give you a ride and you pay them for that ride.

“It’s cheaper than a taxi,” Doris explains, which it is. If you use one of these ridesharing services, you call them up or go on your phone with an app and order a car to come and pick you up. Someone drives his own car, picks you up, and takes you to where you want to go. Doris says, “There’s no meter and we pay a set price.” A “meter” (meter) here refers to a machine, a device, that calculates or figures out how much you have to pay your taxi driver.

Taxi drivers in most cities use meters. So, they turn the meter on when you get into the taxi and turn it off when you arrive at your destination, or the place you are going to. Then that machine tells both of you how much money you need to give to the taxi driver. But in a ridesharing service, there is no meter. Instead, you pay a “set (set) price.” A “set price” is an amount of money that doesn’t change depending on how far you go.

Actually, ridesharing services do charge you depending on the distance between where you are now and where you want to go, but it isn’t exactly based on the number of miles or minutes it takes. So, it’s sort of a “set price.” It’s a set price before you start taking the trip. In a taxi, you often get charged for time that the taxi has to “sit in traffic,” we would say. So, if there are a lot of cars on the road and it takes the taxi a long time to get there, you might have to pay more. That’s probably the biggest difference in terms of a taxi and a ridesharing service, for price.

Carl asks Doris, “How do we know it’s safe?” meaning “How do we know this ridesharing service is safe?” “How do we know,” he continues, “the driver isn’t a criminal or an unsafe driver?” A “criminal” (criminal) is a person who has broken the law, who has done something against the law. An “unsafe driver” would be a driver who is not safe – who is dangerous, perhaps. “Is he going to have car insurance?” Carl asks. “Car insurance” (insurance) is an agreement you have with an insurance company that says that if you get into an accident, the insurance company will pay for all or some of the damage caused.

Carl also asks, “Do they,” meaning the ridesharing services, “do background checks?” A “background check” (check) is when a company looks at your government records or other information to make sure that you have not committed a crime in the past. Background checks are quite common now when people are hired by companies or by the government. You can check to make sure the person hasn’t committed a crime before you hire him. Carl is worried that the driver might be a criminal – the driver of the car they get from the ridesharing service, that is.

Doris says, “Even though it’s a peer-to-peer service, the drivers are carefully screened and the cars are tracked. Trust me. This ride will be safe.” “Peer” (peer) refers to someone who is at the same level or who is in the same category as you are. We often use the word “peers” to refer to those people who have the same kind of job as we have. I might refer to my “peers at the university” – people who work in jobs similar to my job, although I no longer work at the university anymore.

“Peer-to-peer,” however, refers to a new kind of, we would say, “business model” in which people sell their services to other people even when they aren’t professionals. So, in a ridesharing service, I may own a car and give you a ride even though I’m not a professional driver, and charge you money to give you that ride. That’s an example of a “peer-to-peer transaction” or a “peer-to-peer exchange” of money and service.

The drivers, according to Doris, “are carefully screened.” “To screen” (screen) here means to review or check someone to make sure that he is qualified, that he meets your requirements. If cars are “tracked” (tracked), they are being monitored or followed so that someone knows the location of that car, someone knows where that car is.

Carl says, “We don’t have much cash on us,” meaning we don’t have a lot of dollar bills or coins with us. Doris says, “I have a credit card on file. No cash will change hands.” A “credit card on file” (file) means that you have your credit card information in a computer database or in the system of the company that runs the ridesharing service. If you order things from a website like Amazon.com, you may have your credit card “on file,” meaning when you buy something you don’t have to put your credit card information into the system again. It already has that information. It is already on file.

Doris says, “No cash will change hands.” “To change hands” here simply means that one person gives something to another person in exchange for money or some other object. So, if we say “money changed hands,” we mean I gave money to someone who gave me something back. It’s just another way of saying “to pay for something” – in this case, with cash. That’s why Doris says, “No cash will change hands,” meaning we don’t have to give him dollar bills – we can simply use our credit card.

Then she says, “Look, here’s our driver. Hello, Michael.” Carl says, “You know our driver?” He’s surprised that Doris knows who Michael is. Doris says, “He’s my son.” Carl says, “But why are you paying for a ride if your son is available to pick us up?” I think this is a good question. Doris doesn’t really have a good answer. She says, “He has his pride” (pride). “Pride” here refers to one’s feeling of self-respect or self-worth – that what you do is worth something.

“He won’t take any money from me so we came up with a compromise: I hire his car whenever I need a ride to or from the airport.” So Doris and her son have an arrangement. He doesn’t like taking money directly from Doris, from his mother – I mean, what son would ask his mother to give him money to give him a ride? So instead, Doris says that they “came up with,” or they found, “a compromise” (compromise).

A “compromise” is an agreement between two people or two groups of people in which each person or group gives something to the other. They reach an agreement to exchange something. In this case, Doris and her son have a compromise. She won’t give him money directly. She will give the money to the ridesharing service who will then give that money – or part of that money, really – to her son, Michael. It sounds like a pretty dumb arrangement to me, but that’s what Doris and her son have come up with.

She says, “I hire (hire) his car.” “To hire” here means to arrange to use or to be transported in his car. She says, “It works for us and there’s a bonus.” A “bonus” (bonus) is some additional benefit, some additional thing you get in addition to the main benefit. Carl says, “What’s that?” Doris says, “I get to see my son every time I travel.”

Carl says, rightly, “That seems like a strange arrangement,” meaning a strange agreement that you two have, or a strange, unusual situation to be in. Doris says, “That may be so,” meaning maybe you’re right, “but if you can’t get your son to visit more often, what’s a mother to do?” Doris is saying that because her son won’t come and visit her, she has this arrangement. She doesn’t know what else she can do.

That’s what she means by that final expression, “What’s a mother to do?” You could say, “What’s a father to do?” or “What’s a brother to do?” or “What’s a boss to do?” The form of the expression – “What’s a (someone) to do?” – means you don’t have any other options or any other choices. This is the only thing you can do. Doris thinks the only way she can see her son is to pay to have him take her to the airport.

Now let’s listen to the dialogue, this time at a normal speed.

[start of dialogue]

Carl: Let’s get a taxi.

Doris: There’s no need. I’ve already ordered a car.

Carl: A limo? That’s too expensive.

Doris: No, I’m using a ridesharing service. It’s cheaper than a taxi. There’s no meter and we pay a set price.

Carl: But how do we know it’s safe? How do we know the driver isn’t a criminal or an unsafe driver? Is he going to have car insurance? Do they do background checks?

Doris: Even though it’s a peer-to-peer service, the drivers are carefully screened and the cars are tracked. Trust me. This ride will be safe.

Carl: We don’t have much cash on us.

Doris: I have a credit card on file. No cash will change hands. Look, here’s our driver. Hello, Michael.

Carl: You know our driver?

Doris: He’s my son.

Carl: But why are you paying for a ride if your son is available to pick us up?

Doris: He has his pride. He won’t take any money from me so we came up with a compromise: I hire his car whenever I need a ride to or from the airport. It works for us and there’s a bonus.

Carl: What’s that?

Doris: I get to see my son every time I travel.

Carl: That seems like a strange arrangement.

Doris: That may be so, but if you can’t get your son to visit more often, what’s a mother to do?

[end of dialogue]

The bonus in listening to the wonderful scripts by our wonderful scriptwriter, Dr. Lucy Tse, is that not only do you enjoy yourself, but you improve your English as well.

From Los Angeles, California, I’m Jeff McQuillan. Thanks for listening. Come back and listen to us again right here on ESL Podcast.

Glossary

limo – limousine; a very luxurious, expensive car that is very long, used by celebrities and for special events

* The bride and groom arrived at the wedding in a white limo.

ridesharing – a service that matches people who own cars with people who need rides, usually through the use of a smartphone app

* The taxi companies in this city are arguing that ridesharing services have an unfair advantage because they don’t have to pay taxi licensing fees.

meter – a device that calculates how much a passenger should pay to a taxi driver based on the distance traveled and the amount of time that has passed

* When you get in a taxi, make sure the meter is reset to zero before your trip begins, or you might end up paying more than you’re supposed to.

set price – a flat fee; an amount of money charged per service or unit, which does not vary based on other factors

* Does your hairstylist charge a set price for all types of haircuts?

criminal – a person who breaks the law; a person who commits a crime

* Would you consider hiring a criminal who has served time in prison?

unsafe – dangerous; not safe or secure; with a high likelihood of causing damage, injury, or death

* The factory workers are complaining about unsafe working conditions that expose them to toxic chemicals.

car insurance – a financial policy that covers the costs of being involved in a car accident or damage to one’s car

* After Keith got a few speeding tickets, he had to start paying more for car insurance because he was considered a high-risk driver.

background check – a review of someone’s criminal history, used to determine whether he or she is reliable and safe

* All the volunteers at the school have to pass a background check before they’re allowed to be in a classroom with children.

peer-to-peer – connecting individuals to each other in some type of transaction, but not with a business, in order to share resources

* The town opened a peer-to-peer tool library where neighbors could rent tools from each other.

screened – reviewed and checked against a list of criteria or requirements

* During outbreaks of dangerous viruses, all airline passengers are screened for fever or other signs of illness.

tracked – monitored and/or followed so that the location of a moving object or person is known at all times

* The biologists put a tag on the wolf’s ear so that it could be tracked from year to year.

on file – on record; in a database or a computer system; with the information already saved

* Once your employer has your bank account information on file, they can deposit your paychecks electronically rather than printing a paper check.

to change hands – to be exchanged; to be given from one person to another; to change the ownership of something

* How many times does a typical house change hands over a 20-year period?

pride – feelings of self-worth and value, especially related to one’s accomplishments or abilities

* They felt a tremendous sense of pride as their daughter walked across the graduation stage to accept her diploma.

compromise – an agreement between two people where each gets some (but not all) of what they wanted

* Meghan wanted to live close to work, but her husband wanted to live near the golf course, so they made a compromise and rented an apartment halfway between the two locations.

to hire – to arrange to have the use of or access to something in exchange for a payment

* Was it difficult to hire a hot air balloon on such short notice?

bonus – some additional thing that adds value to the main part of something

* The phone company is offering a $50 bonus to any new customers who sign a two-year contract.

What’s (someone) to do? – a phrase meaning that one has no other options and has no other choice

* All these positions require three to five years of experience. What’s a recent college graduate to do?

Comprehension Questions

1. When would a ridesharing service use background checks?
a) When screening drivers
b) When tracking cars
c) When putting a credit card on file
2. What is Carl’s main concern about using a ridesharing service?
a) He thinks it will be too expensive.
b) He thinks the driver might get lost.
c) He thinks the driver might hurt them.

Answers at bottom.

What Else Does It Mean?

meter

The word “meter,” in this podcast, means a device that calculates how much a passenger should pay to a taxi driver based on the distance traveled and the amount of time that has passed: “Driver, please stop so I can run into the store for a minute. You can leave the meter running.” A “meter” is also a device that measures usage of electricity, water, or another service: “The electric company sends someone to the house to read the meter during the first week of each month.” Finally, a “parking meter” is a device on the side of the street that people put coins into in order to park a car next to it for a period of time: “This is taking longer than I thought, so I need to put a few more coins in the parking meter.”

to change hands

In this podcast, the phrase “to change hands” means to be exchanged, or to be given from one person to another: “The police are trying to determine how the gun changed hands before the shooting.” The rude phrase “hands off” is used to tell someone to not touch or take something: “Hey, that’s my cell phone. Hands off!” The phrase “hands up” is used to tell people to put their hands in the air so that they cannot us their hands to attack: “The police told the driver to step out of the car and put his hands up.” Finally, the phrase “in good hands” means safe while being dealt with or handled by someone: “Don’t worry, your cats will be in good hands while you’re traveling.”

Culture Note

The Most Popular Types of Peer-to-Peer/Sharing Services

The “shared economy” refers to all businesses in which people share items by renting them from each other “rather than” (instead of) buying them “on their own” (by themselves, without help from others). These “peer-to-peer” or “sharing” services “run the gamut” (cover a full range; are available in many different types), especially among younger consumers who are “more inclined” (more likely to do something) to consider renting rather than owning.

The most popular peer-to-peer service is ridesharing, which allows car owners to use their car to give other people rides, much like a taxicab. Many of the car owners have “9-to-5 jobs” (regular, full-time jobs) and drive for ridesharing companies in the evenings and on weekends. Customers who use a ridesharing service request a ride on a smartphone app and usually pay less than the normal “taxi fare” (the amount of money paid for taxi service).

Another popular peer-to-peer service is home-sharing, which allows homeowners to share part or all of their home with people who need a place to stay for a short period of time. Some people rent out a single room, while others rent out an entire apartment or house. Customers go a home-sharing website to see what is available in the location and time period when they want to travel. It can be similar to a “B&B” or “bread and breakfast,” n 1a small hotel operated out of one large home or building, but usually less expensive for the traveler.

Another example of the peer-to-peer economy is the “coworking” sites that are “popping up” (appearing quickly and suddenly) in large cities. These are shared office spaces where people who work “remotely” (away from the main office) or “independently” (for oneself, without working for a business) can rent office space for a short period of time.

Comprehension Answers

1 - a

2 - c