Uber has revolutionised the way people travel, with a taxi now never more than a few taps away.
From safety concerns to pay disputes, taxi apps such as Uber - which have come to dominate the market in cities such as Bristol - are rarely far from the headlines.
But what about the drivers who spend hours each day on the city's roads, delivering passengers from all over the city to their destinations? What are their experiences of actually being out and about in Bristol?
To find out, we spoke to drivers as we made our own journeys. This is what they had to say.
All of the drivers we spoke to are current employees, and asked not to be named in order to protect their identity.
The hours
Chatting with some of the city's Uber drivers, it seems as though one of the key draws of the job is its flexibility - workers are able to set their own schedule and get out on the road whenever it suits them best.
"I usually get out at around 4am - there aren't so many drivers waiting around then and you are almost never just sitting and waiting for a ride." said one driver.
"Most of the rides around that time are people going to the airport, which is good route at that time of the morning because the roads aren't busy and you can do quite a few jobs in a short period of time.
"I finish at around 8am, and then spend some time having breakfast, relaxing at home, going to the gym, doing my good shop - whatever needs doing I can fit into that time.
"At 12pm-ish I go out for another shift, again about four hours. There are a lot more drivers out at that time, but it's still fairly busy.
"It's nice to split the day up that way because it doesn't get too tiring, and it's pretty flexible. I've had other jobs where I've worked long shifts and wouldn't know when I would finish, but with Uber I can just say 'okay, I've done enough today'."
Taxi apps such as Uber have been widely criticised for saturating the market with cheap rides, meaning that traditional taxi firms as we have known them are gradually being pushed out of business.
Another driver we spoke to explained how he had run a taxi business for a number of years with his father and brother, however had sold the firm after struggling with the hours - instead opting to drive for Uber.
"When you run a small taxi firm you are on call 24 hours a day, even if you're not driving. If your drivers call in sick, or are on holiday, then someone has to fill that space which means I was often cancelling plans to do trips and make sure all the bookings were fulfilled," he explained.
"It became very stressful, and so after a few years we made the decision to sell up. I think Uber is really well organised now, and working whatever hours you want does make things easier.
"You have to do more trips to make it worth your while, but for me personally it's worth it because there's less responsibility. I really like driving and having conversations with lots of different people, and now I can do that and have a break too."
Despite the option of flexible working, another driver said he worked around 80 hours a week to earn enough money to make the job sustainable.
He said: "It's a difficult job. I work long hours, maybe about 80 a week.
"Uber take a lot, they take 25 per cent - so it's hard.
"I've been a taxi driver for 10 years. I used to work for a taxi firm, but since Uber a lot of these firms are disappearing."
Bristol Live was told by Uber that drivers have full transparency into the amount their passengers have paid for their trip, what percentage Uber take, and what they will earn on every trip.
The driving app also provides a record of cumulative earnings in real time.
Drivers are also not charged to use the Uber app (unlike many similar operators, who charge a weekly radio fee), and a spokesperson for the company told us drivers can log on and off as they please - they are also free to drive for other operators if they please.
The traffic
When it comes to the city's congestion problems, Bristol's professional drivers have more of an expertise than most.
Lengthy queues are a source of endless frustration even for commuters who are making their way in and out of the city just once a day, and the thought of voluntarily spending their day weaving in and out of traffic would seem unimaginable.
For Bristol's Uber workers however, hours spent crawling along major routes is just a part of the job.
"It can be really frustrating," one driver said. "Every so often you do a job through loads of traffic, and then the next job will take you through exactly the same problems over again.
"You kind of get used to the pace - I've worked as a taxi driver in a few different cities but I do think Bristol is not very good for drivers because lots of the roads are so narrow. It's old and so wasn't really built for cars, but everyone seems to drive nowadays which makes things very busy.
"When you're on the roads all day you do start to find different routes that speed things up - it's good for everybody if you can find some way of getting the passengers to where they need to be as quickly as possible.
"Even new drivers find these routes quickly, you have to really. If someone is running late, especially to the airport or somewhere like that, there can be a lot of pressure.
"You don't want to let people down because it can affect your rating."
The customers
It's no secret working as a taxi driver can be a hazardous occupation - with dozens of strangers piling into your car week in, week out, it's near-impossible to know what kind of passenger you'll be picking up.
Uber does operate a ratings system for both passengers and drivers, however with influences such as alcohol put into the mix, workers can be put at risk of abusive customers.
"I try to avoid working nights, especially on the weekend," one driver explained. "You can never be sure who you are going to pick up and I've had some bad experiences in the past.
"Nothing too serious has happened but you do hear bad stories from other drivers. When people have had a few drinks it's like they lose their idea of how they should treat other people.
"Because apps like Uber are so convenient I think people can forget that there are actual people driving them around."
Another worker said: "I have had people shout at me in the past because they thought I was going the wrong way when I was just trying to find them a faster route.
"I've been a taxi driver for about 18 years and I would say attitudes towards drivers seem to be getting worse - a big part of the job when I started was having a chat with customers but people just don't want to know now.
"I have done whole trips where people haven't even taken out their headphones, haven't even acknowledged you.
"I wouldn't say that's worse than getting abuse or having someone damage your vehicle, but it is hard in a different way."
What Uber had to say
An Uber spokesperson said: "Drivers are at the heart of our service - we can’t succeed without them - and thousands of people come into work at Uber every day focused on how to make their experience better, on and off the road.
"Whether it’s being able to track your earnings or stronger insurance protections, we’ll continue working to improve the experience for and with drivers. Our community guidelines clearly state that any inappropriate or abusive language towards a driver can lead to a rider losing access to the Uber app.”
Today's top stories
For the latest news in and around Bristol, check back on Bristol Live's homepage.
