Myrtle Beach Uber driver celebrates 12,000 rides by publishing a book dedicated to passengers

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WBTW) — Uber drivers see and hear a lot, and one Myrtle Beach man has turned those stories into a book dedicated to the more than 12,000 passengers that he has driven across South Carolina.

Jeff Hoenig started driving for Uber and Lyft several months after he and his wife moved from New Jersey to Myrtle Beach more than five years ago.

“When I started driving, I realized right away I had to start writing a blog at the end of the month about the people I met because they were so interesting,” Hoenig said. “Some were hilarious, some were very successful. 

That led to his newly published book “Driving on the Sunny Side with 10,000 Strangers,” which is available on Amazon. Hoenig also has copies for sale in his car.

“I currently have 38 countries represented in my car, all coming from my passengers,” Hoenig said. “I have never asked for one single bill and people have given [them] to me. To top it off, No. 38 that I got a week ago is actually from South Africa.” 

Passengers have plenty to see when they get into Hoenig’s car.

“When someone gets in the car, all of a sudden they’re looking at history, they’re looking at geography, they’re looking at a mannequin that a woman from Kansas who owns a salon coffee shop gave me.” 

Hoenig said Uber drivers are lucky because they get to experience people going through their daily lives.

“I can’t say [it] really better than that because that’s what I’ve been able to experience is people going through their lives,” Hoenig said. “And some of the lives are unbelievable.”

Out of all the comments that Hoenig has received from his customers, he said one stands out.

“One of the best compliments I ever got was someone who said, ‘I forgot I was in an Uber, it was like riding with a friend,'” he said.