People on HN aren't the ones driving Ubers, so I'm not sure what experiences you are expecting to hear about. Go talk to actual drivers and you'll find that things aren't exactly rosy.
There were plenty of people on HN who signed up for the app to drive people back home before and after work.
Being able to see your car move in real time on the uber database with >2s lag between your car GPS and customers phone was magical in a way that's hard to describe today.
Lots of things were amazing when there was unlimited VC money flowing in and no expectation of profit. No point bringing it up 15 years later in a new reality.
There were plenty of people on HN who signed up for the app to drive people back home before and after work.
Being able to see your car move in real time on the uber database with >2s lag between your car GPS and customers phone was magical in a way that's hard to describe today.