RIDEGURU
Wes Kretzer (Wes)
Ride Apprentice from Aurora, OH
Weekend Uber Warrior
1602 Rider DriverWeekend Uber Warrior, experience with lighting and lighting fixtures/applications, Southern Gospel Music.
Activity
Posts by Wes
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Corona Precautions
Just wondering, if you're a driver that's willing to take the chance during these difficult times and continuing to driver, … -
Are you taking any safety precautions during this Pandemic while driving?
Personaly i haven't driven since the Pandemic started as Uber/Lyfting is a sideline occupation for me. And from looking at … -
With the impending changes, will YOU continue to driver for Uber/Lyft?
Yes, you can be SURE rates will increase to the customer, but you can also be equally assured that the … -
Did you continue to drive in spite of the protests in your city?
Several major cities experienced work stoppage this week in protest to low wages and working conditions with Uber. And yet, … -
Why do YOU think Uber is dropping the destination filter in some cities and changing the pay rates on destination rides in other cities?
Uber has announced it is withdrawing the destination filter in some areas (New York for example) and in other areas … -
Uber Sues New York - yet again!
So what do you think Drivers - Uber goes at it again in New York. Uber is suing New York … -
New Surge System Revolt Cleveland, OH
Did you catch the national news story out of Cleveland, OH? The new surge system just rolled into town and … -
Upcoming Rate Increase
Hey Drivers: We all KNOW that Uber/Lyft have been sneaking in a much larger share of the fares as compared … -
The Perfect Prius?
I've been considering picking up a used Prius to use exclusively for Uber/Lyft. But it seems that almost every used … -
New York Rates
If I'm not mistaking, Feb 1 was "D" day for New York when the new rates were going to be … -
Electric vehicles
I regular consider driving an all electric vehicle, but with severe range anxiety as well as the need to occasionally … -
Auto Off feature in newer cars when stopped.
Many of not most newer cars feature an engine cut off feature when stopped at a red light etc... where … -
Should we drive during the government shutdown?
I've seen numerous posts about how dead it is out there - which based on 3 plus years experience is … -
The "new" surge
So for those of you that now have the "new surge" system - where you are guaranteed a surge rate … -
As a Driver, will you buy Uber or Lyft stock when it becomes available?
It appears both Lyft (which has already initiated the paperwork to go Public) and now Uber is rushing to follow, … -
As a Driver, what were some of your moments when you had to say "I'm just the driver"...
If you've driven your share of rides, I'm sure that you, like myself, have had at least a few occasions … -
Cargo and other snack services for Rideshare
Are any of you selling snacks in your cars to passengers whether individually or as part of Cargo or one … -
Lyft Subscription Service
Today Lyft announces that their "trial" subscription service it going mainstream and for $299.00 a month you can receive up … -
The revised Uber Surge System
Just wondering, now that Uber has rolled out the "new way of surging" in many major markets, I'd like to … -
The "NEW" Uber Surge Format
Have any of your markets changed to the new method of surge? Where you no longer get "surge" rates for …
Featured Answers by Wes
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You need to call your agent to see if you can add "rideshare" coverage to your policy. In most states this is now available. I'm with State Farm in Ohio and it cost me less than $10 a month to cover two cars. You NEED this coverage as Uber/Lyft ONLY cover you when you're on your way to pick up and when you have a passenger. You do NOT have coverage when you're waiting for a ping, and if you got in an accident you would technically NOT be covered. Furthermore when adding Rideshare, particularly to State Farm, they then offer you full coverage and THEY deal with the insurance companies used by Uber/Lyft.
If your insurance company does not offer Ridehshare, I would STRONGLY encourage you to change to a company that does. It simply isn't worth the risk. Insurance companies don't want to pay claims!!! Don't give them a reason to deny you, becuase THEY WILL. I don't care how long you've been with them or who you know, the job of the insurance company is to MAKE A PROFIT, and the best possible way to do that is to avoid paying claims!!! Think about it and choose wisely!!!
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Why not use this very site where you are posting the question (www.rideguru.com) and let it calculate the fare for you???
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At least in our market that option no longer seems to be available with Uber. It is available with Lyft, but please understand, all it really does is send out a request in advance of your pick up time to the nearest driver. With Lyft, a driver can accept it well in advance, but if they're on a ride or not near the location, it will still default to the closest driver. It also does not protect you against surge pricing fyi.
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4.5 is not good at all. Keep in mind that, as a driver, we would already be kicked off the system for a rating that low. Honestly I've done a few thousand trips, I've never given a passenger a 1-2 rating, and I've only given a 3 or 4 on rare occasion when they truly deserved much less. There are drivers that are much less lenient, and I would offer a few suggestions to bring your ratings up.
1. Give a cash tip. This will almost ALWAYS result in a 5 star rating, even if you were a little late or generally obnoxious. Once your rating returns to more acceptable levels you could resume tipping on the APP, but a cash tip will be known BEFORE we rate you. Otherwise it can be a couple of days before we would even know that you tipped as they are not always instantaneous on our end.
2. NEVER make the driver wait more than 2 minutes, and most definitely not beyond 5 minutes. (Most drivers will leave at the 5 minute mark anyhow)
3. NEVER turn the sound system up to max!!! Drivers' need to hear things like sirens and horns etc... Consider your driver and also consider that it is their personal car, so they DO care about their sound system in general.
4. If you ask to make a stop, please be quick. Remember we make almost nothing when we're sitting still. We're doing it as a favor, NOT as an obligation. We don't HAVE to wait, so if your driver is gracious enough to do so, hustle yourself in and out of the store!
5. Don't put your feet in our seats. Don't get crumbs all over our seats. Don't get into our car wet or soiled without offering a seat covering (plastic bag would suffice).
6. Please tell us if you're sick. We'll gladly assist you, most of us have barf bags, and we will gladly pull over when it's safe to do so. PLEASE don't puke in our cars!!!
7. Please NEVER yell out the windows at friends or foes, and NEVER discard anything out the window.
8. Please don't bring opened alcohol into the car. It's against the law. We are NOT a limo, so it is NOT allowed. I don't care how special your occassion is, don't break the law!!!
9. Please bring car seats for the kids and babies. We don't have them, and you, as a parent, are responsbile to provide them.
10. Please make sure the address that the app found as your location is correct. YOU, not Uber, not me, but YOU are responsible for entering a correct pick up location. Consider walking outside to request the ride so the GPS in YOUR phone can correctly identify your location. Remember, it's YOUR phone that pinpoints your location and communicates that information to the Uber system, so don't blame Uber when it's not correct!
11. I know nobody wants to "wait"... that's the nature of American culture. But please, wait until you're really READY to depart before requesting a driver and have your shoes on and be ready to go when we arrive. Remember, WE MAKE NOTHING waiting for you, or driving to pick you up. NOTHING!!! So please be considerate!!!
12. Lastly, please don't eat Taco's and messy foods in the car. I know you think you're starving and that drive through Taco Bell stop smells SO good. But please - it is totally wrong to expect us to stop and clean our car in preparation for the next passenger (who is probably already waiting for us to arrive) to clean up YOUR mess. That will ALWAYS result in a lower rating.
13. Lastly, be considerate. Leave the car in better shape than when you arrived. We are NOT responsbile for your trash, your chewing gum wrappers, your candy papers, and I can ASSURE you the next passenger doesn't want to see them.
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Actually they aren't that prevalent in our area and unless it's a Tesla charging station, they aren't free (nor are they free any longer for the more recent Tesla customers)...
But I do feel the day will come when they'll be everywhere - in fact I suspect gas stations will soon add areas for charging (if they have room) and use superchargers that can do the job rather quickly) at 30 mins or less.
But for now - it's still an issue for sure.
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The threshold varies by market. It is a well established fact that certain geographies rate more liberally or more conservatively and thus there is no single number for the entire US. However the long standing number for reference and concern is 4.65 and we can assume once you see any version of 4.xx you should be mildly concerned.
You've inspired me to try it. I just ordered some from Amazon to give it a try!
The question being "why would you" and the truth is, I probably wouldn't as I"m sympathetic being a driver myself. However with that said, there's a few things that I've encountered as a passenger that I do feel are unprofessional. First is extremely foul language. If the passenger uses the langauge first, then I suppose all is fair game, but don't throw out the F-Bomb until you are sure that's acceptable with the passenger. Secondly is dressing like a punk. Just DON'T or somebody will nail you for that. And most important, clean your dang car folks! I'm shocked at the dirty cars I've ridden in. So dirty that I worried about them soiling my clean clothes!!! The car should be vacuumed daily (if needed) and please folks, clean the INSIDE of the windows occasionally. I was in a car in Dallas TX where the windows inside were so dirty they distorted the view.
I make it a point to have my car clean (spotlessly) and smelling fresh EVERY time I go to do rideshare. And several thousand rides later, i'm still at a 4.93 and thankfully have never had a "1 or 2 star" rating. Being clean and professional really DOES make a difference IMO.
Yes, there should always be room for a "reasonable" quantity of luggage in any UberX. However keep in mind if you have four passengers and you each have a suitcase, don't expect that to fit into an Uber X. You should order an XL so there's adequate room.
VERY unlikely. I would suggest ordering two UberX and put 3 people with luggage in each of those. Keep in mind that 2 uberx will only cost marginally more than one uberzxl.
But, you'll need to have two different people order the uberx as uber will not allow you to order more than one car at a time.
and/or invest in a car charger cord that stays in the car????
Seriously did you tell Uber that you delivered the passenger to their destination address? My guess is that the initial payment was for the total miles before you were able to end the ride, and the deduction took the trip backwards to the actual drop off site?
Did you check to see how many miles they're paying you for after the adjustment?
Both Uber and Lyft were test marketing this option to see how their customers would respond. To date there has been no roll out (that I'm aware of, and definitely not in my market area) of a bona-fide program of this sort.
It did offer savings to the passenger, paid the drivers exactly the same as always, and the caveat was that the passenger had to purchase and pay up front for a specified time period.
Uber/Lyft are both "supposed" to automatically reimburse you and charge the customer for tolls, HOWEVER, in my experience of 3 years, that almost never happens. However if you use your help screens and provide a receipt (either from your electronic toll device or an actual receipt) they will reimburse you without question.
I totally agree with you, but I don't think the "issue" is on the banks end, do you? It's about the Uber processing etc... Perhaps I didn't fully understand your comments and for that my apologies. I don't know about you, but I'm finding that every app I use, every webpage I shop, every financial site I access during the day tends to have more security (and more inconvenience) than ever before. I think Uber is yet another prime example in that they've been robbed a few times and had to pay back some drivers, and you can BET they put security in place to insure that doesn't happen again.
I was a closet smoker for 45 years! And nobody ever smelled smoke in my car. It's not difficult folks, but it seems most smokers think becuase they can't smell it, the odor is gone. NOT TRUE.
However ridding your car of the smell from a recent smoke is not difficult if you consistently and ALWAYS follow a few rules.
1. NEVER smoke without your window cracked - not even a puff. Always have FRESH air coming into your car, so make sure your AC system isn't set to recirculate or it will KEEP the smoke in your car.
2. NEVER smoke in your car when you're parked or the smoke will collect on the fabric and plastics in the car. ONLY smoke when there's plenty of ventilation.
3. ALWAYS roll down both the driver and passenger window AFTER you've finished smoking and leave them down for at least a minute (while you're driving) and this really WILL eliminate the odor completely. This is the single most important step. Rolling down the drivers window isn't enough!!! You have to have LOTS of air coming into the car and venting out. You don't want to have the windows down while you're smoking or ashes will be all over the car, but ALWAYS after you smoke!!!
4. Rainy days are the worst - it's really hard to eliminate tabacco smoke on a damp day - leave the windows open even longer if it isn't pouring!!! (or don't smoke when it's raining which was always my rule of thumb)
5. Lastly, consider vaping. Many vapes are virtually odor free, IMO much healthier and I've used those for many years. Perfect on a rainy day as you can barely crack your window and there is zero residual odor. Not a mega vaper, just the Juul or disposables are virtually odor free.
First let me say I totally understand your frustration and having dealt with Customer Support once or twice, I definitely respect your comments and know how incredibly frustrating it can be when the person you're speaking to can barely understand English!
However with that said, we also have to recognize that Uber Technology is under attack every day - much more so than Lyft. They're the big gun, and therefore the obvious target. As a result, Uber is forced to error on the side of caution and it's actually an effort to protect themselves as well as our accounts.
Yes, there's got to be a better way, but at the same time, when you've encountered the unscrupulous tactics of the hackers from foreign countries, you have no choice but to build in security features that frustrate everyone involved. That's simply the sad state of internet commerce in this present world.
Fersur!
As a driver, I've had quite a few passengers ask me "what was your craziest Uber story" and I'm very happy to say, I've only had one "bad" experience and I sometimes share that tale of woe but I'm confident there are some GREAT stories amongst the drivers, especially those that work the 2AM bar crowd in the cities.
When I'm a passenger, I often will say (without them knowing that I'm a driver too), "well, I know you aren't doing this because it's making you independently wealthy, so why do you feel you're doing this"?
That quesiton has garnered some interesting responses.
One of the things I try to do after every passenger is roll down both front windows even if only for a minute or two and air out the car. It's surprising how many odors arrive with passengers - everything from the food they just cooked or the booze they just drank, along with the strong smell of pot, espeically if they're carrying a bag and it's (apparentlyl) not sealed well. And there's the late night Taco Bell customers on their way home from the bars... oh that smells SO good, until it DOESN'T!!! LOL
And many drivers also do UberEats, so that adds to the overall mix.
Nothing fixes it like fresh air and plenty of it, so unless it's raining I routinely air out the car after every customer and I'd guess at least 50% of my passengers comment on "how good" the car smells.
My trick is to keep a big ziplock bag with a cloth that is soaked in Fabulouso cleaner under the passenger seat. IT'S Magic!!! Smells SO clean and gets lots of comments. Most folks think its the little air freshners in the vents, but those are actually not opened! LOL
I would doubt that actually. I think female drivers tend to receive much larger and more frequent tips than men which could easily offset the ladies (assumed) preference for avoiding late night crowds and drinking customers (which I totally understand).
So if it's true that male drivers make more, I think we can substantiate it's a result of "time of day or geographic location) than gender of the driver.
There's no question that Uber/Lyft has reduced DUI's... I've searched but never found any solid statistics to support that other than comments such as "DUI's down since Uber arrived"... I can see from being a driver that the college age crowd "get's it" and those with an education seem to understand that you simply can't risk drinking and driving. However, there will always be the uneducated, the foolish or those with stubborn determination that just keep doing it until they get caught.
With technology being as available as it is today, I feel confident it's only a matter of time until bars will have breath analyzers available for patrons to test themselves before getting in their car and attempting to drive. If this could be linked to a driving service (Uber//Lyft) it could be an instant HIT - a real win-win for everyone.
I'm thankful I haven't been faced with a soaking wet/muddy dog. Mostly just some wet feet from walking through the grass. I keep a towel under my seat which facilitates easy wipe down after they depart. However, to answer your question, if a dog was soaked and/or filthy, I would ask the passenger secure a blanket or large towel explaning that I have to consider future passengers and that as much as I love dogs, I have no choice but to ask them to help me. If they refused, I suppose I would say "well sorry, I guess this Uber isn't for you. Please request a different Uber"...
I'm glad I haven't had to deal with that!!!
Whatever price the APP shows you for your trip destination is YOUR total cost. From that price the driver will be paid his portion of the fare which will typically be around 50% on short rides and approx 70% on longer rides.
With Lyft, a regular Lyft car will accomodate up to four passengers and the price is the same whether it's a single person or group of four. With Lyft XL you can have up to six passengers. Just as an FYI, none of the Rideshare services charge additional fee's for more than one passenger - it seems only the cab companies do that.
With Uber, an UberX car will typially be a passenger car that can hold up to 4 passengers plus the driver. An Uber XL will typically be a mini-van or SUV that can hold up to six passengers plus the driver. You cannot specifically request a mini-van, however odds are that whatever vehicle arrives when you request an XL will be able to accomodate. Same is true for a Lyft XL.
You need to call your agent to see if you can add "rideshare" coverage to your policy. In most states this is now available. I'm with State Farm in Ohio and it cost me less than $10 a month to cover two cars. You NEED this coverage as Uber/Lyft ONLY cover you when you're on your way to pick up and when you have a passenger. You do NOT have coverage when you're waiting for a ping, and if you got in an accident you would technically NOT be covered. Furthermore when adding Rideshare, particularly to State Farm, they then offer you full coverage and THEY deal with the insurance companies used by Uber/Lyft.
If your insurance company does not offer Ridehshare, I would STRONGLY encourage you to change to a company that does. It simply isn't worth the risk. Insurance companies don't want to pay claims!!! Don't give them a reason to deny you, becuase THEY WILL. I don't care how long you've been with them or who you know, the job of the insurance company is to MAKE A PROFIT, and the best possible way to do that is to avoid paying claims!!! Think about it and choose wisely!!!