Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Independent UK
The Independent UK
World
Jon Sharman

Uber driver breaks record for longest journey with 397-mile trip across US

An Uber driver has recorded what is thought to be the longest journey in the service's seven-year history by taking a young woman just under 400 miles to see her boyfriend.

Janis Rogers, 64, picked up the woman in Virginia and drove non-stop for nearly eight hours to drop her off in Brooklyn - before turning straight back around and driving home again.

The 397-mile trip was considerably longer than the average American Uber ride of 5.4 miles, and cost $294.09, the New York Post reported. The Post said the woman could have flown to New York for less.

Ms Rogers, who did not even own a mobile phone before becoming an Uber driver in May, said: "She was pretty. She was sitting outside with a suitcase and a bag. I did not get her name. I think she had been Ubering up the coast."

The woman, aged about 20, asked how far Ms Rogers could take her and received the reply: "I’m not doing too much today, so I’ll take you all the way."

Ms Rogers, from Newport News city in Virginia, said that while the woman slept the whole way to New York, she herself did not arrive back home until 3.45am. But she added: "I did it because it was an adventure."

Making the trip by plane would have cost $188, by train $95, and by bus a mere $45, the Post said.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.