Yes, that was a U.S. Senator driving an Uber

One rider got a surprise in his Nebraska Uber.
 By 
Marcus Gilmer
 on 
Original image replaced with Mashable logo
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

One Uber rider in Lincoln, Nebraska got a surprise when he hopped into an Uber over the weekend: his driver was also his U.S. Senator, Benjamin Sasse.

A student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln noticed something familiar about his Uber driver when he got a ride on Saturday.

Once the claim started making the rounds, Sasse confirmed on Twitter that he, indeed, was driving the Uber.


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His service was part of a "work tour," not an attempt to make side cash as there are strict limits to outside income for congressmen and senators.

Mashable has reached out to both the passenger and Sen. Sasse for further comment.

A spokesperson for Sen. Sasse, speaking to The Guardian, elaborated on Sasse's choice:

“Senator Sasse does tons of Nebraska work events, from changing tires on semi trucks to feeding cattle at 5am. This work tour was built around the changing and dis-intermediated economy, a subject he talks about frequently.”

Sasse has also made waves as a conservative senator, elected to the U.S. Senate in 2014, riding the support of the Tea Party, who has vocally opposed Donald Trump's candidacy for the president. Though, in the wake of the election, he has called on Americans to rally behind the president-elect.

Regardless of whether or not driving an Uber is a future career for him, Sen. Sasse came away with a handy-dandy Uber tip.

Topics Uber

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Marcus Gilmer

Marcus Gilmer is Mashable's Assistant Real-Times News Editor on the West Coast, reporting on breaking news from his location in San Francisco. An Alabama native, Marcus earned his BA from Birmingham-Southern College and his MFA in Communications from the University of New Orleans. Marcus has previously worked for Chicagoist, The A.V. Club, the Chicago Sun-Times and the San Francisco Chronicle.

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