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Sacramento, CA (KCRA) — Rideshare services like Lyft or Uber have changed how people get around. But with so many drivers out there, it takes a big step to stand out.
For Dax Castro, that meant turning his car into a mobile karaoke bar. For no additional cost, riders can pull up their favorite songs and sing away while he drives them to their next destination. He’s even posted hundreds of videos to his Instagram page.
KCRA 3’s Ron Edens spoke with Dax about “Uber Karaoke.”
Castro: I have a 2016 Ford Escape, and it doesn’t have an aux cord, and so people kept requesting to play their own songs, and I couldn’t so, I tried a few different things, and then ended up getting a tablet and let them pick their own songs, got Bluetooth for the car, and it just kind of evolved from there.
Q: What’s the response been like?
Castro: Pretty great! The first comment I usually get is, ‘Oh, if you catch me when I’m coming back from the bar, maybe I’ll do it, but I’m not drunk enough yet.’ But a lot of people do actually do it sober.
Q: How does it work?
Castro: I have two wireless mics on a karaoke system paired to a 500-watt speaker in the back, then the tablet is paired to the car, so basically it’s two systems running kind of simultaneously. The voice and the speaker and then the tablet and the car audio. Then basically I use my phone on a magnetic mount to record the stuff and post it on my Instagram.
Q: Can people call you for a pick-up?
Castro: Uber’s policy is that we’re not supposed to share private or personal information, so people can’t connect with me by phone, and I always use the app to drive. But what I do is people can send me a direct message through Instagram and say, ‘Hey are you available on such and such date.’ Then I show up to that place and they request an Uber, and because I’m the closest one, you know, we get paired typically. And then off we go.
Q: Why all the extra effort?
Castro: I’ve always been an overachiever, and I do marketing for a living, so it just seemed like a fun way to kind of pass the night … I wanted it to be more of an experience, I think that even if it wasn’t hugely profitable, and it’s not hugely profitable, but even if I didn’t make a ton of extra money, it’s still fun to do.
On some nights I wonder, I think, if I’m contributing to the amount of alcohol people drink, because they know they can get a ride and you know, they don’t have to drive. Other nights I think ‘Wow boy, I’m sure glad that I’m here to get these people home.’
Q: Is it worth it?
Castro: When they say, ‘You’re the best Uber driver ever,’ or ‘This is the best ride ever,’ or ‘Oh my gosh, this really made my night.’ I mean, those are the times where I forget about the times where I, you know, when you have frustrating customers or you can’t find somebody or you’re sitting out in front of somebody’s house for 15 minutes, you know, all those times make up for it. Even when one person says ‘Boy, this was the best ride ever.’
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