By Hannah Miller, Shareable
Dean Clark loved being a cabdriver in San Francisco. The tall, laconic ex-Marine would drive night shifts after teaching full time as a special ed teacher, and even kept it up while running for city supervisor.
But today, he swears by SideCar. Still active in the United Taxi Workers union and an advocate for cabdrivers, he has “switched over,” driving several hours a day for the rideshare service that has already shaken up transportation in this city and across the country.
Clark discovered the sharing economy after an on-the-job accident in 2010. The collison in downtown San Francisco threw his cab 30 feet, broke several of his bones and temporarily blinded him. The cab company had not installed airbags in his car, and he was uninsured. “The EMT driver thought I was done for,” remembers Clark.
Although Clark managed to finish his race for supervisor, he could no longer sit or stand for long enough to go back to driving, teaching or his prior tech jobs. He had $100,000 in medical bills and an uncertain future. He now supports himself through a combination of car- and house-sharing, sleeps and works when he wants.
Read the complete story at Shareable
