RIDEGURU
Robert Paulson (RPaulson)
Ride Apprentice
Driver in NYC. Uber and Juno, used to drive Yellow
560 DriverActivity
Posts by RPaulson
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Uber Posts Its Largest Quarterly Loss - Is this good or bad?
Can someone who knows this stuff help me decipher if this is good or not? 14% increase in revenue but … -
Can you deduct and write-off a lease payment if you drive for Uber? (as a business expense)
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Can I use a leased vehicle to drive for Uber?
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Can you book Uber two days in advance?
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Can I rent/lease my car out to other people so they can make money for me?
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Lyft Driver Referrals is Bullsh*t
You know those Uber and Lyft ads where they offer bonuses for referring other drivers? Of course, you have. They … -
Yes, Uber Sucks, And Let Me Explain Why (from Taxicab Depressions)
People ask me a couple of times per week about Uber, and if I think they will someday significantly impact … -
What is "Rider Fees"? How come no one can tell me what it is?
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Is Uber Profitable or Losing Money?
I don't understand anymore. This article says they are now profitable in the USA http://fortune.com/2016/02/18/uber-profitable-us/ This article says they are … -
Experts: Uber's Self-Driving is not ready for prime-time.
Well, here it is. It's the ONE thing everyone mentions when it comes to self-driving cars. SAFETY. If they can … -
Stop STEALING my iPhone charger cables!!
You think I wouldn't notice? It is totally messed up that you take my iphone cables. Sure, your phone's battery …
Featured Answers by RPaulson
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I actually want new drivers to take this as an advice. Don't pick up crappy riders. Cancel immediately.
This technically isn't cancelling a ride mid-ride, but I went to the mall to go pick up this woman on a Thursday night. There was some traffic and some confusion as to which exit she was waiting. When I pulled up, she started berating me for being late and started to nag. I knew this would be a $5.00 1-star ride. So you know what I did? I told her to get out of the car and cancelled it. Don't need this crap.
Why is this a good advice? Because if you don't start the ride, those crappy passengers cannot give you a 1-star rating.
Seatbelt laws are determined at the state level, so you are right that you should be paying attention to your own state's laws for sure.
Front seat passengers all must wear seatbelts in all states (including DC) except in New Hampshire. ("Live free or die!") My passengers 95% of the time sit in the back, but I suppose I should be worried about people who sit in the front. (Usually when there are more than 3 people in a group.)
However, the more important questions are a) whether the police can pull you over for that reason alone and b) who gets the tickets. That's different in every state too.
Do you insist or even just ask them to put seatbelts on? I've been driving for a long time, and I no longer bother. I don't know if this is a privilege thing or just people being rebellious, but so many don't, and they act like it's their absolute birthright. I would rather for safety (come on, it's stupid not to), but they aren't my kids and it isn't my responsibility.
There was a thread on this recently. Most seem to think we (drivers) aren't even liable.
here's the screenshot. I have to admit, I prefer the map better.
I mean, smetimes they even give you the price!
NO.
This makes absolutley no sense. Why would people tip more for having an LED? Just because of an overall smoothness of the experience? Given why people tip and how tipping works, it is completely silly to think that THIS is what makes the difference.
These companies are all liars.
I've tried to sell umbrellas with some success. NYC.
Then we might as well call for increasing the fare. Anyone got Uber's phone number. no? I didn't think so.
The bellboy, the doormen, and taxi driver. That's three tips in one short swoop. Amazing people don't see Uber drivers as providing services. Not sure where things went wrong.
You can always google local companies but if you are coming from farawya, perhaps using sites like Limos.com and Blacklane.com would work out well!
It's too late. If I hide it, they now ask. We all collectively set the expectation that we are a bunch of mobile phone charging stations.
Well, taxis allowed kids and I feel the app-equipped Uber and Lyft are safer in nature for minors. Parents can pay for them, keep track of their usage pattern, see the exact locations through GPS, etc. etc. I am all for kids taking rideshares around.
The economics make sense as well. Parents driving to a sport practice and waiting for 90 minutes and driving back. That is a lot of time. and time is money.
You could try one of those limo or airport transfer companies and order a van. Those vans can accommodate for 8 passengers plus luggage.
We drive because this is our livelihood. Just like any other job, we have made a choice to pick up this profession. This is what we do well, this is where our experience is, this is what fits best into our lifestyle, and this is what we enjoy.
Well, they are using investor money right now. heavily leveraged. Remembe the $70B valuation bit?
but I do see your point. I guess taht is our money if they are super underpaying us.
Uber rolls out rules and new fees in the most random way. They do a slow phased release, where they target and roll out features to specific cities, certain slice of drivers, demographics, etc. This is why they can't really communicate effectively.
Yep, this is why you find out about it on blog sites and randomly seeing something new on your statements. LOL.
Yes, thanks. but we all know that.
How much I make per hour depends on how I count the denominator of the equation, i.e. how many hours I am actually working. Do I count all the hours I am on the road or only coutn the hours I am driving passengers?
See, I don't feel like I am working when I am waiting on the side of the road. That's the fringe benefit of being an Uber driver. I can read, nap, play games on iPhone, knit, whatever.
Have you ever seen one of those pics that have a sea of cars? Have you ever wondered where they take those? It's usually at airport lots. It's quite a sight to see.
Here're two from LGA. Very sad.
The notion about not making money during a pickup isn't accurate. We do get paid for the 0~2 minutes we wait for additional pickups, as long as there is already a passenger.
UberPool drivers get paid from the time we pick up the first passenger until we drop our last passengers. So, it's in our best interest to make the trip as long as possible by picking up everyone Uber throws our way. (and I assume Lyft is the same.)
Also, in some cities, UberPool drivers get paid a pickup fee for each stop. In Los Angeles, it's $0.95 per pickup, which sweetens the pot.
We are your personal driver. What you are doing is exactly what we are hired to be doing. In my mind, it's definitely ok to stop at a place, you tell me to wait, and you pick up someone. and remember, we get paid for the time waiting as well.
Some drivers get grumpy? I don't think they are in the right profession then. Yes, we'd make more money while driving, but we make zero while not having a customer. We should be happy to be making money for the time spent.
Also, when we are waiting, we don't consume fuel/gas. So, the profit margin goes up.
The answer is not as interesting as it sounds. Certainly not as fun as the longest ride stories.
I regularly drive someone literally 1 city block to the destinations. It's usually people who don't check the addresses and mistakenly call an Uber despite the fact they are pretty much already at the location.
Some people knowingly do it. I drive in NYC and there are many tourists in mid-town. There are some people when they cannot find a location, they just call a taxi or an Uber. Is it smart? I am not sure. I guess?
Then there are people who knowingly do it. They just don't want to walk the streets. Sometimes they are VIPs or celebrities. Sometimes they are simply spoiled (and high-society). Sometimes they want to avoid the rain.
Just so you are aware, @LCarpenter, if you challenge these incidents (and the fee) to Uber, they will review it and potentially waive the fee.
Remember Uber monitors everything and they have GPS. If they noticed that you were at the pin, they may consider the driver being in the wrong, and they can reverse the fee. If they noticed that the driver was around the block and hiding out, they will also refund the fee and maybe fire the driver.