Lyft Me Up: The Culture of San Francisco | Zia Ahmed | Talks at Google

TL;DR

“Lyft Me Up San Francisco” is Zia Ahmed’s collection of messages that Lyft passengers wrote anonymously for the next person riding in his car. The entries range from humorous advice and drawings to reflections on surviving an apartment fire in May 2012. Ahmed’s stories show how brief exchanges among strangers can create empathy, comfort, and joy. Read on for memorable examples and his plans to expand the project.

Transcript

WILLIAM: It's my honor to welcome Zia Ahmed. Zia is a Lyft driver and the compiler of "Lyft Me Up San Francisco." So Zia, in your own words, what is "Lyft Me Up San Francisco"? ZIA AHMED: Well, to start with, thank you very much for having me. A big shout out to William, who not only set this entire thing up, invited all of you and everything, I th... Read More

Key Insights

• 👰‍♀️ The "Lyft Me Up San Francisco" book features a collection of touching, funny, and insightful messages left by passengers during their Lyft rides.
• 😑 The book includes drawings, revealing the creative expression of passengers.
• 😀 Zia Ahmed plans to expand the project by creating a web series, developing a mobile app, and potentially working with other ride-sharing companies.
• 🏛️ Zia encourages others to join the project and share their passengers' messages to build a sense of community and empathy.
• 😃 Zia believes that capturing these stories and messages can offer therapeutic effects and bring a sense of joy to both drivers and passengers.
• 🎅 The book showcases the diversity of San Francisco and reflects the changing nature of the city.
• 🤞 Zia plans to continue expanding the project and hopes to create volumes beyond the first one.

Questions & Answers

Q: What is “Lyft Me Up San Francisco” by Zia Ahmed?

It is a book compiled and published by Lyft driver Zia Ahmed. While driving around San Francisco, he asked each current passenger to leave a message for his next passenger and collected those messages in the book.

Q: How did Zia Ahmed collect the messages for the book?

Ahmed invited passengers in his Lyft car to write an anonymous message for whoever rode after them. He compiled the resulting notes and then published them as “Lyft Me Up San Francisco.”

Q: What kinds of passenger contributions appear in “Lyft Me Up San Francisco”?

The book contains funny, touching, and insightful messages, along with drawings. Contributions include personal experiences, relationship milestones, humorous anecdotes, and observations connected to San Francisco.

Q: What message did a passenger share about surviving an apartment fire?

The passenger wrote that their apartment and everything they owned had burned down in May 2012. Everyone survived, the passenger moved back in with the same roommates, and they had made every day count since.

Q: Why did one passenger cry after reading a message from the book?

The message compared personal hardship to seeds that require fire to reproduce, encouraging readers to embrace a recent fire in their lives because seedlings would come. It affected a visitor from Tahoe so deeply that he cried, bought two books, and paid Ahmed $60.

Q: What humorous message did a couple leave during their Lyft ride?

A couple traveling from the Mission to the Fillmore wrote about leaving one’s comfort zone and remembering that some things are won and others lost. They then forgot a bag in Ahmed’s car, which the next passenger discovered.

Q: How does Zia Ahmed decide which passenger messages to feature?

Ahmed focuses on messages that speak to him, reveal something about their writers, or offer insight into the city. He avoids clichés, quotations, and lyrics in favor of distinctive, genuine contributions.

Q: How does Zia Ahmed hope to expand the project?

Ahmed plans to develop the concept through a web series and a mobile app, and he may collaborate with other ride-sharing companies. He also encourages other drivers to share passenger messages and hopes to publish volumes beyond the first book.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Zia Ahmed is a Lyft driver who compiled a book called "Lyft Me Up San Francisco" that features messages left by his passengers.

• Passengers are asked to leave a message for the next passenger, resulting in a collection of funny, touching, and insightful stories.

• The book includes messages about personal experiences like surviving a fire, relationship milestones, and humorous anecdotes.