Residents with a smart phone and a debit card can take advantage of ride sharing in Butler County. While many think Uber or Lyft drivers are only available in Pittsburgh, several drivers in the county are gassed up and waiting for riders.

Jamie Kline is one such driver. Like many Uber or Lyft drivers, the Butler Township man supplements income from his state job by driving for both companies.

“Your time is where you make more money,” Kline said.

Kline recently explained how riders download the app for ridesharing companies on their smart phone and order rides right from their mobile device. Riders also pay via the app using their debit card.

On Kline's end, he said he signs into Uber and his phone “dings” when a rider requests transportation. He accepts the rider and uses the address on the Uber app to GPS his way to his fare. Meanwhile, the app alerts the rider Kline is on the way and how long it will take him to arrive. The app also shows the rider where Kline's vehicle is on a map so they can follow his progress toward their location.

As an added safety precaution, the rider also has Kline's name, photo, vehicle make and model and license plate number so they can be sure to get in the right car.

While Kline often rides folks around Butler — a trip from downtown to the Clearview Mall will cost about $4.60 — he frequently finds himself transporting people from the courthouse in Butler County to their home in Pittsburgh. Those trips costs between $40 and $50 plus potential tips via the app. Riders can even provide him a good review if they so choose.

All Uber and Lyft riders can be sure their drivers are safe, as all must pass a criminal-background check and have a satisfactory driver's history. Kline said he drives two or three times a week.

His customers include riders who lost their driver's license, people getting groceries or even pet owners picking up their dogs from the groomer. Kline said he has the option to refuse a rider he doesn't trust or leave a comment on a rude or inappropriate rider with Uber.

“If they get enough comments, they'll be banned from using Uber,” he said.

Kline's worst passengers so far have been those who pay little attention to personal hygiene.

“I always carry a bottle of Febreeze with me because you never know when you're going to get a stinky rider,” he said.

Kline said he pays an extra $20 a month or so for insurance, which covers his “extra rider policy.”

Another local resident driving for Uber is Heather Kammerdiener. The Butler woman said she never planned on working as a driver.

“I got hurt at work and can't perform my job anymore,” she said. “This is about all I can do.”

Kammerdiener drives during the day from Monday to Thursday, then all night Friday and Saturday.

“There are too many other drivers in Butler, so mainly I go to Pittsburgh,” she said.

Kammerdiener explained how a passenger in Butler who needs a ride to Cranberry Township typically results in a new fare in Cranberry. From there, she ends up with another rider who wants to go somewhere south on Interstate 79, which then leads to yet another rider wanting to head into Pittsburgh.

“You can start in the morning in Butler and end up at the (Pittsburgh International Airport), which happens a lot,” Kammerdiener said.

She bought her 2018 Jeep Renegade with settlement money from her work accident and can carry a maximum of four passengers.

Kammerdiener offers prospective Uber riders one important piece of advice. She urges passengers to bring their own car seats if they have a baby or young child with them, pointing out how her vehicle isn't equipped to carry four different sizes of car seats.

Kammerdiener said she has already put 30,000 miles on her Jeep since purchasing it in September. Of that amount, she said 25,000 miles came from driving for Uber.

According to Kammerdiener, driving for Uber is a good income cushion between leaving her old job and starting one in insurance sales. She is now waiting to see if she passed testing required to sell life and health insurance. At that point, she said she will likely stop driving for Uber on the weekends.

“I'll get to spend more time with my step-kids, because I don't feel like I get to spend enough time with them,” she said.

Kline, on the other hand, likes the variety of driving for rideshare apps.

Humans and the occasional pet aren't the only things Kline hauls around town. He also works for Uber Eats, another app where customers can order food from local restaurants and have it delivered. He has schlepped to-go containers from just about everywhere, including McDonald's and Red Lobster.

“It's a pretty easy gig,” Kline said. “When the food is ready, you pick it up, look at the GPS and deliver the food.”

But Uber Eats doesn't provide the personal interaction Kline enjoys most while piloting passengers in his 2017 Dodge Grand Caravan, which he vacuums and wipes down before switching on his Uber app.

Kline strives to provide the best possible service for his riders, including putting luggage into the back for them or helping people out who need a ride to work at 5 or 6 a.m.

“There have been times when I've given my phone number to people and said 'If you need a ride, call me,'” Kline said.

According to Kline, problems occasionally occur if the GPS is inaccurate or a rider provides an address where they plan to meet him but are nowhere to be found when he arrives.

For example, Kline said that on one occasion, the GPS took him to a home on Eau Claire Street when the rider was waiting at a local bar a few blocks away.

“You deal with it,” Kline said. “It doesn't happen all that often.”

Kline said Uber tracks where its drivers are working, so he usually stays in Pittsburgh to work if he takes a rider there from Butler. He added how drivers make more money working in the larger city.

“If you want to make good money, you go to Pittsburgh,” Kline said.

He said sometimes the regular fare is bumped up to a “surge rate” if there is a high demand for Ubers, meaning he makes more money. Surge rates usually occur on holidays like New Year's Eve when riders want to go out and have a good time without worrying about driving. Another popular time is at the end of the workday in Pittsburgh when multiple employees need a ride home.

Kline said Uber pays its drivers at 4 a.m. Mondays by directly depositing money into drivers' bank accounts. The company keeps only a few dollars from each fare, Kline added.

“I like it. You get to meet a lot of interesting people,” Kline said. “When you get them in the vehicle and start talking to them, you start to learn what is going on in their lives.”