Uber-Like Pokemon Go Chauffeurs Are a Real Thing Now
Game players can pay $30 per hour to be driven around hunting nonexistent monsters.
Unless you're living under a rock where the cell reception weirdly allows you to only view The Drive, odds are good you've heard about the video game Pokemon Go. That monster-collecting card game all those weird kids in your school were into isn't just bound to tabletops anymore; the latest version is an augmented-reality game that encourages people to wander around the outside world, using their smartphones as lenses to find Pokemon hiding in the world around us.
Or something. I wouldn't know. I spent the weekend driving a Challenger Hellcat.
But apparently, all that walking around hunting nonexistent monsters is tiring people out—because enterprising drivers have begun offering Uber-like driving services for Pokemon Go players who want to seek out these
As Gizmodo pointed out, ads on Craigslist and other services have been popping up around the country in recent days, with drivers offering to ferry people about specifically on Pokemon Go-related drives. A cursory scan of Craigslist (big thanks to Search All of Craigslist for its help on this) reveals these interpreted Poke-preneurs with cars are spring up all across America, usually offering their services for around $20–$30 per hour.
"Greetings fellow Pokemon Master's [sic]," leads a Baltimore-area listing entitled "Pokemon Go Chauffeur - $25." "Have you ever wanted to have your very own chauffeur personally drive you around to Baltimore's Poke-Stops and Gyms? Looks like your wish has been granted! For one hour I will personally drive you around to Baltimore's Poke-Stops & Gyms helping you catch them all."
Here in the New York City area, convenience is king. Someone purporting to be a license taxi and limousine driver with a 2016 Toyota Camry is offering to drive NYC-area Pokemon Go players around any neighborhood day or night for $20 per hour per person. A little steep, sure, but the car comes with wireless internet and a variety of cell phone chargers—oh, and the driver takes Venmo, too.
Someone in Houston takes a more safety-conscious bent to his pitch. "Please don't play pokemon go while driving, you can hire me to do the driving while you play Pokemon go!" reads the listing. For $30/hour, the driver offers to drive a group of Pokemon Go players around in his wi-fi-equipped vehicle. "Lure and essence will also be active for your maximum grind satisfaction," the listing reads, which we're sure means something to Pokemon players but sounds to us like a sentence designed to attract the attention of Houston SVU.
Columbus, Ohio, in contrast, is a relative steal. For only $12 per hour per person, one driver is offering to ferry folks around and help them "catch all the pikachu's and digimon while I drive." A couple caveats, though: the rides are only available between 11pm–3am, and the car lacks seat belts in back. But hey, if you guys hit it off, "we could even get some food afterwards and exchange social security numbers." (God, we hope he's trolling.)
But hey, while these Pokemon Go players may be risking serial killer-related death and dismemberment by climbing into the cars of strangers to hunt down virtual monsters...at least they're not trying to play Pokemon Go and drive.
