Owensboro teacher balances several jobs

February 2, 2020 | 12:06 am

Updated February 1, 2020 | 10:14 pm

Matt Arnold has had many jobs over the years — father of four, social studies teacher, basketball coach, football coach, volleyball coach, and more recently, Lyft driver.

“I took a Lyft about a year ago and thought it would be nice to make a little extra money on the side,” Arnold said. “Having certain times off during the year opened the chance to do something different.”

Arnold, who describes himself as a people person, enjoys the opportunity to meet new people and get to know members of the community and those just passing through. During his first few months as a driver, he has already met some unique passengers.

“I’ve picked up a group from West Virginia who was in town for four or five days to scuba dive the Ohio River,” he said. “They came to collect fresh muscles to relocate them.”

Another interesting pickup was a man who used to work for Lyft as a developer and helped create the algorithm system for the company.

“He came out and told me and I didn’t believe him at first. He called Lyft right in front of me to prove it and then he left me a really nice tip,” Arnold said.

What started as a side gig through Lyft, expanded to include Uber. Arnold said the companies have similar setups and he likes the flexibility of being able to set his availability and decide whether or not to accept assigned ride requests. Arnold said he does attract regulars, and some out of town guests who need a driver for consecutive days.

“I get self-satisfaction from offering rides,” he said. “I feel like I’m helping the community because I’m helping make the roads safer and getting people who are under the influence off the road. While I was doing Lyft I thought ‘why limit myself? Why not open it up to some other opportunities?”

While Lyft has been a more popular company locally, Uber is well known in larger cities and tends to attract the out of town visitors. Arnold has both stickers on the windshield of his truck, advertising himself as a driver.

“Nine out of 10 in Owensboro don’t realize Uber is here. They never really promote it much.
Uber broke the ground in a lot of the bigger cities- people already got established with Uber and felt comfortable with it,” Arnold said. “When I have an Uber request, it’s usually from someone visiting Owensboro from out of town.”

After a few successful months as a driver, Arnold decided to pick up assignments for DoorDash, delivering food from the restaurant to the doorstep of customers who place orders online.

One of the biggest surprises Arnold had a driver is discovering how many people work in Owensboro from out of town.

I always wondered why there were so many hotels in Owensboro but now I know that many people come in for business,” he said. “Whenever I meet someone from out of town and they say ‘I want you for the next two weeks,’ it’s pretty neat.”

Arnold, who teaches and coaches, said he has been able to pick up more side jobs lately now that his coaching season is over. Arnold says it’s not about the money, but about doing something he enjoys while helping to positively contribute to his community.

February 2, 2020 | 12:06 am

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