Lyft CEO David Risher is still a driver for the company: It made him realize being even one minute late could cost the customer their job

Lyft CEO David Risher oversees a rideshare operation with more than 1 million drivers, but about every six weeks, or whenever he can find time, Risher gets behind the wheel of his own car to do the same thing as the company’s contractors. Along the way, he said, he’s been astonished by the make-or-break nature of a Lyft ride.

“The most surprising thing is we are a really important part of a lot of people’s lives.” Risher told Fortune earlier this year. “I think it’s sometimes easy to overlook that.”

Risher recalled picking up a customer at 9:30 a.m. in “a not very beautiful part of town in San Francisco” and asked him why he takes Lyft. The passenger said arriving at work on time was crucial to keeping his job.

“He said: ‘Look, if I get there at 10:01, I’m fired. I got to get there by 10 o’clock. And public transportation—as much as I’d like to use it because it’s less expensive—it’s not reliable enough,’” Risher said.

Risher took the helm of the rideshare........

© Fortune