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doctor appointments. I think that one day those tasks will be easier to achieve with better roads and the customers will have more income.” Until then, local entrepreneurs like Dick, Harris and Valencia are taking those lemons and making some fine lemonade.
county’s infrastructure improve. “I think there’s always going to be a demand for those services,” Rounds said. “There are always going to be people working 50 to 60 hours a week who need a hand with running errands or other people who need to go to
Rounds pointed out a high percentage of existing jobs in Maricopa are focused on retail and as those dynamics change, so will other things. “A lot of the problems described are going to improve as more high-wage jobs come to the area,” Rounds said. “That will give people more disposable income and it will also increase the number of freelance jobs available in Maricopa to extend beyond rideshare and food delivery services.” While the city waits for infrastructure and the jobs market to improve, Dick said she has found a niche that works for her situation. “I enjoy driving,” she said. “I get the Arizona Department of Transportation bulletins each week about road construction, and I keep up with the changes almost in real time. [SR] 347 is awful to drive on and a lot of people would rather just stay in Maricopa, and that’s where I come in to help.” While the embattled road leading into Maricopa might have opened some doors for local entrepreneurs, Rounds doesn’t see those services going away, even after SR 347 and the
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A STORY TO TELL
Valencia said his riders
He’s posted 300 iterations of his blog, Travels of an Uber Driver, in the last six years. Some of his posts
make life interesting both in their actions and their stories. As a result, he took inspiration from the HBO television show Taxicab Confessions and started sharing his stories on a Maricopa Facebook page. “I started to notice with the people I picked up, I was living that same life as those drivers on TV,” he said.
Arthur Valencia, a native of San Francisco, spends a lot of time on the road chauffeuring people in and around Maricopa. To some degree, he’s become a part-time therapist for his clients. “As I’ve gotten older, I’ve learned to listen more,” Valencia said. “Everyone has a story they want to tell. I’m there to listen.”
garner hundreds of likes and comments. Valencia’s stories vary from wild to what
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InMaricopa.com | March 2024
March 2024 | InMaricopa.com
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