Will the ‘Walking Buddy’ help with the security of women? — The Euphoria 2
The viral meme of ‘Uber Walking Buddy’ left me with an idea considerably legitimate. So, to those who don’t know what this image actually exhibits — from the last few days this viral meme that says you can book a cab from the well-known taxi booking website Uber with options as UberX (personal), Pool (sharing) and Walking Buddy. This photoshopped screenshot image was not only being shared vigorously on Twitter but on Instagram, Facebook, Reddit, and WhatsApp as well. Apart from funny, this feature if really was a thing could have some advantageous outcomes as well. Talking in the context of security and safety of people, lets talk numbers :
A survey conducted, 3 billion people of the world population is considered the workforce, refer here.
Out of that 3 billion this survey corresponding 14% of the world workforce prefers night shift.
14% of 3 billion is 420 million.
A United Nations statistical report compiled from government sources of 65 countries which says that 2,500 rape cases and 4,000 theft cases out of every 100,000 people exhibits annually (which gets reported).
This means, on an average 6.5% of the workforce are victimized in criminal activities on their way to work our way home. If we talk about the workers who prefer night shifts then nearly 27 million people out of the 420 million encounter atrocity every year.
Now suppose…
If something like ‘the walking buddy’ is actually adapted in real life, would it ever make a difference? Well, it would but it will have it’s both favorable and unfavorable consequences.
What will be a ‘Walking Buddy’ actually?
Some young and old people who can afford to travel to their way to work through personal vehicles but may prefer walking since they care for their health would face problems doing so because of many reasons. We may be able to afford public transport, but it is not available at all times and every route. And thus we somehow or in some way have to choose walking to reach destinations, reluctantly. Not everyone one of us can afford the maintenance of a vehicle and can pay insurance, tax, gas and other such expenses on a daily basis since some of us hardly earn to fulfill basic expenses. Thus, we prefer walking just to save that penny which we may spend on other essentials by walking our ways and caring for our health at the same time because walking every day some miles is healthful. Targeting those who face difficulties because of this inability to afford a vehicle but public transport and since buses and trains are not available at midnight in a narrow street. So instead of paying huge loads of money annually on cars, trains, and buses why not prefer walking. So, walking a mile with this Uber ‘Walking Buddy’ would take away your 2 dollars but giving you in return a good friend, a memory and a blissful smile. Or maybe if you two carry similar thoughts, a best friend forever? Who knows.
~For some, the ‘Walking Buddy’ will be just a friend to pass time on their way home.
~For others, she will be a helping hand on a really burdensome morning.
~And to some, he will be blessing in disguise to assist on a painful day.
Therefore, ‘Walking Buddy’ carries different meanings to different people.
I mean, it will be a helping hand and any day better than walking alone. But with good, comes the bad. So with many favorable features, my walking buddy carries some unfavorable aspects as well.
The good points...
- You can earn money in your free time— the people with no vehicle can also get hired on Uber, I mean you can just earn some bucks by just walking in your neighborhood and you are paid to make friends. This is beneficial for every party; the ‘walking buddy’ as he gets paid the desired whenever he desires to work in his free time, the customer to user who needs help on carrying huge bags her home after good session of shopping and the Uber app is the source so it earns the commission as the tradition.
- Someone needs help in carrying loads — you call a helping hand, someone needs a personal bodyguard — you get a guy with a gun or maybe a hockey stick, someone out there needs a company as they are lonely or feeling bored on their ways — you get a Chatterbox Buddy. So each of these carries different charges, okay?
- You are a girl, you got broken up because of your last relationship and cannot tolerate lonely paths. There! You get a handsome good looking and fun guy full of energy just for $5 for 2 miles, vice versa for males. Would you deny to that in this situation?
Some bad news it carries..
- The most decisive characteristic of this feature of Uber would be, will you be able to trust your ‘Walking Buddy’ to the fullest? I mean, we can hardly trust our taxi drivers nowadays and for which reason, we had opted for him what’s the collateral he will not be it. For instance, I called a ‘Walking Buddy’ to help me to walk on my way home at an atrocious night because I was scared of getting robbed but this guy whom I booked for this purpose turns out to be one. How traumatizing will be that, no forecasting? This problem may get solved if Uber did its job correctly and a check on recruiting these people was done satisfactorily including interviews of such people willing to get hired as the buddies.
- We call them buddies because they came ahead to help us, but I will call it partial buddy because of two reasons — 1) it is only meant to exist till my journey ends 2) we are paying them.
- The other guess is it's not really and totally safe to be with them, think of it as only a company along your way but not actually as your protection or bodyguard until Uber adds further categories to it as ‘Chatterbox Friend, Luggage Carrier, Helper, Personal Bodyguard or a Comedian till your way home’. Assume you are with a Chatterbox kind and there appears a thug with a gun taking you both on a fun ride ( a thrilling one).
So all of this was just a mere fantasy or an imagination. Please don’t take this any seriously and just as a joke. I got an idea as I saw the meme and thought of amplifying this delusion. All of this was my own perception, not a suggestion, not an opinion and completely not a proposal to Uber for doing any such deed. I mean if you did like the idea of ‘Walking Buddy’ do message me up on my Instagram (@articledaily ) and use the same for any other such suggestion. I could write and stretch this topic till infinity but I think I had reached the boiling point, okay.
Stay safe, let us meet on my next Euphoria!