ErasDrivingCo

Ride Apprentice

140 Driver

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Posts by ErasDrivingCo

Comments by ErasDrivingCo

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     2 years ago in  No, I will NOT tie the mattress to the top of my Toyota

    What about a U-haul?


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     2 years ago in  What to do with a crying passenger?

    I think you did the right thing. Give her space. Maybe she needs time to process, and she is just trying to get somewhere where she will have her ways of coping with it, whether it's a friend or family. 

    You reaching out to her, despite good intentions, may produce unnecessary stress. What if she doesn't want to talk? If you are a make, and her issue is boy related, it may also stir up something. You did the right thing by showing empathy (just asking if she's okay), and you giving her space is what she probably needed.


  • Maybe longer wait time for those special vehicles. It doesn't quite make sense, but maybe the logic of "longer wait time = cheaper prices" kicked in (inadvertently for Uber).


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     2 years ago in  $45 for 2 mile ride to airport??

    Looking carefully at the route (on your map), it looks like it's taking a roundabout way. It looks like it's going through the Zoo and everything. 

    The route probably took Hwy 5, across on I-8, and back down on 163. Am I right?

    You might as well walk the coast. 


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     2 years ago in  Uber

    The drivers are in demand these days, so I'd like to think they will get back to you soon, assuming everything is okay with your account. Stay patience and good luck!


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     2 years ago in  Uber Wait Time is now 7 minutes from the previous 5

    I think most people start getting ready when the car arrives. 

    ...or start gathering people when the car arrives. I can just see this playing out at a party where one girl calls the car, and the moment it arrives, she calls the rest. It's always with larger groups that this happens.(which makes sense)


  • With the payout being unclear as ever, I wouldn't put it past them. 

    They are proud of their pricing, and publicly admitted that the price fluctuates on true demands. I think that applies to the drivers as well. If there is a "demand" to drive in a certain direction, they will pay you less.

    After all, you are paid differently depending on where you are driving. Sometimes we go to places we prefer not to be (like busier areas, cities, etc.) because we want to get paid. This is the same thing.


  • First of all, I am not a insurance expert, so my advice should be taken with a grain of salt. I am not sure if it's required by your insurance carrier, but some of them will ask and you may be obligated to tell them. Mine for example asks if the vehicle is ever used for business purposes. Driving for Uber is indeed for business, and this may affect the level of coverage. In case of an accident, you do not want something like this to limit the payout.

    Some companies even offer rideshare insurance. The price is usually reasonable so it's worth asking about it.  You could also use additional liability coverage to supplement the policy Uber provides.

    You should also do research on whether you are actually covered at all times while you are driving. For example, Uber only provides coverage for while you are actually "working" for Uber and providing rideshare service.  So when your app is off, you aren't covered by their policy and you'd have to rely on your personal policy.  Then the complexity arises when you are in the middle, let's say when you are on your way to picking up a passenger. Uber provides some liability insurance but may be at a reduced rate. (from what I remember)

    Here's a great article:

    https://ride.guru/content/newsroom/rideshare-auto-insurance-information-2019



  • You can be operating as a small business and have an LLC and driver for Uber. It's up to them whether to accept that or not, but from my experience (and from what I hear), they are not that selective about it. They basically want that for payment (EIN) and they don't inquire too much about what your LLC is about and what the business is about. I don't think you will have an issue.

    Technically though, you should probably check with a) your accountant, b) insurance agent, and c) the state as well.  Usually when you register your business with the state, you have to declare what your business is about and what it offers.  If it's significantly different than "driving people around," I think they might have an issue about it.

    The accountant will give you a financial advice. I don't think they care too much about the type of business.  However, the state and definitely the insurance company will care. (e.g. insurance company needs to know what you are doing in order to assess the risk and provide coverage.)


  • I’d say yes.  If you get a larger full size sedan, like a Toyota Camry, three large suitcases can fit in the trunk.
    Even with a smaller sedan (or larger suitcases that don’t all fit in the trunk), technically one of the suitcases can go up front and take up one of the passenger spaces. Let one person sit in the front passenger seat (next to the driver), and have that suitcase be placed between the two people in the back.

    I don’t think it’s necessary to call an SUV for that. 


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     3 years ago in  Looking for Feedback

    Does the vending machine get installed on the car? Bolted on?  I prefer to not have anything prominent installed on my car. 

    Not so much for me, but for those who use the car for both Uber and personal matters, it needs to be removable.  Prefer that they not be bolted on.



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     3 years ago in  Do UberEats drivers have to wear masks?

  • Safety is definitely the biggest thing. You may think there may be discrimination but ironically, not so much. I think we get the same number of requests. (though it'd be interesting to see if there is actually a difference.)

    Speaking of discrimination, here's a small piece of Uber history. Uber used to display full names of the drivers when people were looking for rides. It was for transparency, accountability, etc. It wasn't a big deal back then because this was during the time all drivers were professional livery drivers. Of course, as normal people started driving through UberX, that's when the privacy became more important.  That's when they allowed (or at least provided the option) to display only your first name and last initial. This provided a layer of privacy. 

    The problem arose though, when they heard a claim that riders were using the first names to identify certain drivers. For example, racist people would decline drivers with foreign names or predators would target women.  Yes, all by first name.  And also the photo too.

    That's when Uber lifted the requirement for drivers to use real names, initials, or photos. There are still some mandates (like you can't make up an initial or make it a weird name), but I know if you contact them, they will make exceptions.

    Sorry for the longwinded response, but I thought it was an interesting topic.


  • For female drivers, they watch the hours and locations. Those are two great ways to stay safe. 

    Stay away from weekend nights when there are drunk people.  Certain neighborhoods are no good, especially at nights. 


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     3 years ago in  Flagged as a Covid rider?

    I wonder how many degrees of exposure they will apply this to 


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     3 years ago in  Pets in crates

    You totally can. Just book a ride as you usually do, immediately text the driver and warn him or her.  They’ll decline if they don’t want to give you a ride.
    Just give them a chance to decline. As long as all parties are happy.
    In some markets, they have special Uber service for pets, and some allow you to specify upon requesting a ride, but the even without the feature, just get approval from the driver and you are fine. Allow yourself more time in case you do get a cancellation. 


  • Yes, you can modify the passenger ratings after the fact.  You may want to do this if you made a mistake or something else has happened since the trip that made you want to change it.

    Here’s how you do it in the Uber Driver app.  

    • Uber App → 
    • Earnings →
    • Select a trip (or a passenger) you have issues with
    • Tap Help → 
    • Issue with a Rider → 
    • I want to Change my Rating for a Rider


    Then you can modify the ratings and leave a reason why you wanted to change it.






  • Well, in some markets, they have. Especially in the smaller markets, taxi companies went belly up, and they've all been replaced by Uber drivers. 

    What happens is that the "dispatchers", which are sometimes independent from taxi companies are the ones that are struggling.  This is because Uber's innovative app replaces the dispatchers' job function and not drivers.

    So the dispatchers went belly up and drivers are now taking calls from Uber.  


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     3 years ago in  What's a typical passenger rating for Uber? Is 4.50 good?

    I wonder if this isn’t a common trick. You can actually change your passenger ratings after the fact. You can always go to your driving (earnings history) and click on Help.

    There are dark drivers who are out there who review the past trips and change each one.  

    I don’t suggest this, but here’s how you do it in the Uber Driver app.  

    Uber App → 

    Earnings →

    Select a trip (or a passenger) you have issues with

    Tap Help → 

    Issue with a Rider → 

    I want to Change my Rating for a Rider


    Then you can modify the ratings and leave a reason why you wanted to change it. Not sure if “didn’t tip” is a good justification but...


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     3 years ago in  What's a typical passenger rating for Uber? Is 4.50 good?

    Yeah, this has been a problem with many salty drivers. They take the time to look up passengers who didn’t tip and down vote them.  Some do this in anger, and some do this to change the overall culture of the Uber tipping. (So they say)

    Drivers didn’t used to be able to do this. 


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