RIDEGURU
Kevin York (RadarRider)
Ride Apprentice
81 DriverActivity
Posts by RadarRider
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Uber's latest squeeze (as in blood from a stone.)
Uber is now lowering the wages to 7.95 an hour (gross) at times. Can this be legal.What they do … -
Uber is using Surges to pay the drivers less!
The latest trend in Uber squeezing blood from a stone is dispicable. They are offering surges, but when they do- … -
Coffee mug icon rest between trips
HI,I was wondering if this would break a CRB? Or allow you to rest and keep the continuous run … -
Do riders not like the newer prius???
HI,Do riders have an eversion to the newer (gen 4) Toyota Prius?I am about to replace my 2010 … -
Newer Prius... aversions?
HI,Do riders have an eversion to the newer (gen 4) Toyota Prius?I am about to replace my 2010 … -
Getting into a newer Prius 2016+ vs older Prius...
My mint 2010 Prius is no more. Another driver took it out. was hoping to get newer one with the … -
Pick up's: Passengers do not give a signal they are the ones being picked up
More often than not, passengers will stand on the curb listless and give no indication they are waiting for you. … -
DM - at Tax Time - reconsideration...
HI All, Upon doing my taxes, something important came to mind that I had not considered at a potentially huge … -
In the event of a disgusting - and special - rider? Serious answers only please.
Handicapped people deserve a bit of tolerance and consideration. They should always be respected or never treated horribly due to …
With Uber, a driver can go in and select an option to NOT charge the customer for the cancel fee. But the passenger would have to trust the driver to do that.
Ha,
Not sure what lyft charges, but usually you are looking at $500 + a WEEK to rent an EV. Charge times are 1hr to 2 hrs. this means you have to earn $500 a week before you earn in your pocket. The pay is so low now that you will most likely have to work 36 hours minimum before you start putting money in your pocket. In some markets more than 40 hours... in which case you are still only making a low wage instead of overtime. You are also having to stop and charge for hours instead of 5 or 10 gallons of gas in a few minutes for every 300-600 miles. That is a cost of $26,000 a year, plus charge expenses... with no equity earned. Pease be sure to tip your drivers, they are being taken advantage of.
There is one VERY wrong and dangerous piece of advice in this article:
"3) Lyftjacking Or Uberjacking (Stealing other people's rides)...
How to Avoid: I always ask the passenger to confirm their name instead of saying, “Hey are you Steve?” ..."
No No NO no NO! This is not how the security handshake works.
To the PASSENGER: NEVER EVER get into a rideshare if the DRIVER does not know your name. This is to prevent you from getting into the wrong car or a preditor's car. If the driver does not know your name from the app, then they are NOT your driver.
To the DRIVER: Ask passengers to tell you YOUR name before they get in the car. If passenger does not know your name or cannot produce it from the app, then they are not your passenger and do not let them in your car.
This is the way it has always been, but people forget. It is quite simple. Name your rider, and name your driver... Do not give up your name. The only way you will know this is through the app, or through previous encounters.
Take this advice very seriously, remember it, pass it along. This is the way it should be, it could save your life and prevent unwanted anxiety... Period.
Now I see this is an old post. Wraiththe had the same advice. But I am posting this anyway.
Let me give you some food for thought here. Uber policy is no one under 18 without an adult.
Insurance companies do not like to pay out and some will do anything to get out of it including LIE! So you get Tboned while driving a 15 year old to school and he/she breaks their collar bone or needs surgery. I would think the insurance company could say "Well... You violated Uber policy and therefore we do not have to pay anything towards the medical bills of your passenger."
... . . . . . . . . Frightening thought, isn't it???
Not cool, but most likely because they expect the rider to get there early and sit and wait for free. Especially if the college is not nearby... and especially if this is a promo time and they did not offer the driver the promo. It may have been an issue of a lot more money to be made by doing regular pickups. A lot. If they have to wait there for over 20 minutes... that is lost income... during a peak time that would be a serious ammount of income. Drivers are not being paid sustainable wages and the only way to make up for it is to work the peak times with more incentives. To take a reservation during those times is insane. Or maybe there was a family emergency... or maybe they just took another ride out of town that would not allow them to get there in time.
Revisiting this thread. After working a while I would say you have a right to ask. These cameras loop and if not saved they files write over themselves after a few hours. After the year I have had, I might just cancel the ride. I have been assaulted multiple times, including sexually... I have been accused of things and videoed by malicious customers trying to get a tick tock.. . unsuccessfully I might add. Only due to my dashcam showing what really happened. My LIFE and livelihood and ability to pay rent and buy food are on the line. More and more drivers are using dashcams and for good reason. I would have to size you up first before offering to turn the camera off. My line in the sand is firmer than it was a few years ago... and the answer would be not very likely. Ask, but be prepared to have the driver drive off without you. There is no point in doing the ride because you are going to rate me a one if I take you and do not turn it off... And I am not going to take the chance that I will not get into an accident or you will not be abusive if I turn it off.
Yes, it was horrible... the rider was abusing me and filming it. I finally told him to get out and he would not, he told me to shut up and drive he did not want to talk to me... I took him to the police to get him out. He said told the police and Uber I was racist, but we were both white. He rated me a 1 and I was almost deactivated... luckily I have a dashcam... This is one of the only people to push my buttons in 37 years.
I have learned not to start the trip until I am ready to drive off and to size up the riders before it starts.
My car is a safe place for all, regardless of gender identification, sexuality, color, and political views.... etc. Not for violence.
In the last year I have been assaulted, shot at and chased, had people picking fights with cops and people on the street. Cops bringing someone to the car to get rid of them (I drove away) People carrying limp unconscious drunks to car (said no) Bartenders calling Uber for super drunks (wish I had drove away and will from now on)... Toxic couples fighting in back to the point of hitting... (almost)... People refusing to get out at the end of the ride and asking for a free ride someplace else... one dude was arguing with a friend who slammed my door so hard I thought it was broken.... A dude dealing drugs through the window and then his buddy stealing my stuff from in back. Had a customer in a really bad area... after waiting I called and he said they would be out in a minute... then I heard him order a round of shots... (cancelled ride and left.) Also had three customers that left a stench on my seat that was horrific. Having to clean the seats after cig or weed smokers is bad enough... Glad I have softex seats as cloth would be ruined and leather would need professional cleaning. But I only cancelled the one ride .5 miles in.
Yeah it sucks that once a rider rates you, that is it... and uber claims it cannot do anything about it. Honestly, It does not seem like they care much about that. I would never do this without a dash cam as proof of behavior. I am glad that I was not deactivated, but it was a pain and the black mark is still there.
I have learned to now say that "I feel uncomfortable with this ride and I do not want to do it." Sorry. Or to drive off if it is too dangerous or I feel unsafe. (which includes people about to puke!) I am not proud of that... but it is called survival and protecting oneself and one's car.
over 6500 rides on my belt... I have had some really rotten rides including being sexually assaulted... guns in the car... disrespected to the max... But most of it is good. But lately... more people are getting really douchey and a little racist... Not sure why that it is, but I do not like it. My car is a safe place. I was raised to welcome all, and to respect people's choices for their lives. Racism has no place in this world. I understand how it feels to be on the receiving end... and feel threatened. And it hurts after standing up, supporting, and defending others.
So knowing this, as a rider, what do you think? Venting is fine, but do not be rude or treat them bad? Many of us are well educated and good people... that will become evident as your ride begins... I hope to make everyone who rides feel relaxed and hopefully calmer or happier than when they got in and arrive safe and sound. Uber keeps lowering the driver pay... so if you want to have a decent drivers...
One last thing. It takes an hour to get a hot dog, cheeseburger, or taco at night in my town. I immediately say no, I will not wait and why. Late night was my bread and butter and I make almost nothing when not moving. This is explained. I have even offered free granola bars or ramen noodles if they are pissy moany about it. If they want, sometimes I will go to a gas station, but only if they add it as a stop and dare quick or I will tell them restaurants that are open if they want to go.
Why did this 4 year old thread show up in my email?
I am not sure how Uber Pool works... but I would expect it is less expensive than Uber X. If that is the case, it just shows that you are selfish and cheap to the point you really do not care who you hurt and expect people to move mountains for you because you are you and that people should do it because you are you and not get a fair wage. If you continued down this line of questioning... I would want to block you out of spite. Imagine if everyone was like that... many Uber drivers are struggling... yet you want to shave a few dollars off your ride... and think that is OK? Well, how about we ask you to do your job, but take a 50% pay cut, but expect the same performance... and we could care less how you fare... never even a consideration. I mean, why would we pay you more?.. it is inconvenient.
I see some not so nice comments here. In our market, without promotions we are not really making enough money to drive. If you are paying $10 for a 25 minute ride, that means the uber driver is getting $5. which if you include pickup time... and waiting 3 minutes for you to come out, that is more like $10 an hour. Subtract gas, car payments, insurance, cleaning daily, maintenance... tires, oil... They are not making much. If they do a good job, even a dollar helps. If you are paying less than ever for a ride... I guarantee you it is coming out of the driver's pocket... not Ubers. If you want to keep seeing nice cars and good service... tip a little.
Lets be real here.... to get puke out of a carpet for real would cost hundreds of $$$. It is a bio hazzard and it soaks into the carpet and beneath it. Getting it in the door requires door disassembly. $300 would not cover it at the dealer. $500 would not cover really cleaning up puke if it is bad. I had an a$$hole the other day try to bring a can of gas... I said no way and they acted like I should help because they are desperate. Not in my $40K car???? I went to pick up the gas can and it had holes in it!!! My hand was covered in gas. I told him NO F'ing way!!! but compromised. it was 4 miles, I drove slow, he put the can in a heavy garbage can and held it out the window very carefully, I drove at 30mph. Many Pax do not care about our cars... including putting feet on the plastic part of the dashboard scratching it... not repairable. Use discretion.
Um no. Had a guy stop the other night at CVS. I will be out in a minute. He wound up taking 30. The only reason I did not leave his ass was because he kept saying just another minute... and I think he was mentally ill and down on his luck. (like one of my relatives and maybe me too some day) We do not earn when waiting. 10¢ a minute is less than minimum wage.. even here in NC... which is more than our expenses/hour.
In Charlotte, we get 10 cents a minute for uber xl. (Your read that right $.10) HELL YEAH we get upset. Unless you tip extra.
Not to mention that many of these people feign not knowing how to add a stop so mileage is not included. Please just be ready. And no, I will not wait while you shop either. I need to be blunt with no wiggle room because these type of questions are rampant.
If we have to wait a collective total of 30 minutes that pays out a whopping $3 - where we could be missing out on 1 - 3 rides at premium rates. (30 x 10¢ =$3) or the equivalent of $6 an hour. GROSS.
Furthermore, I have to get a certain # of rides within a certain amount of time to get bonus... which is hard as one has to deal with drunker people late night. If I do not make that bonus, I cannot afford to do uber... and I have to take advantage of busier hours.
At the same time, don't bother asking for a stop at Wendy's as it can take an hour to get food around here.
I would like to take a moment to remind you that we pay for everything: the car, gas, insurance, maintenance, cleaning... so if you think we are doing good to gross $10-20 an hour... NO... that is gross, not net. Then there is also depreciation of vehicle... and damages by passengers.
(Did you know that renting a Tesla through Uber starts at $340 a week? Not viable in my market.)
When Uber says drivers are making $30 an hour at night: That is GROSS, not NET. In charlotte, we get 54 ¢ a mile and 10¢ a minute and any bonus/surge... plus a dollar or two per ride. The rides are cheaper than ever...
So yes, if it is cutting my ability to get another ride faster... I do not like it. The cost to me is not only the next ride... But the next surge that comes with it... or boost hour before it disappears. (surges are becoming rare.)
So yes, I will smile... and say if it is not too long. Please reimburse me as I make nothing while waiting... and be nice about it. Most people are nice about it. Most all.
I always try to take ownership of my comments... and be sure I am alarmist when it comes to threatening my income. People depend on me. My earnings have been going down hill. I would rather not show the exact $ for gross, but July and the weeks before... average.... went down to 86% in the last week of July and as of the last week: 66%. (for mainly the same or more amount of time) You can see why I am freaking out a bit. But perhaps it is in part due to a lack of promotions and being manipulated into taking long pickups... and long rides out of my area constantly. (which I no longer have control over.) Many are 17 minutes to pick up and I almost never see any compensation. When you get 10 rides that are 10-17 min away... 1 hr 40 mins - 2hrs 50 mins for ZERO $ Add in people who constantly are not ready you can add another 50 mins. (if you get three short rides an hour that could be 30 minutes of free work.) My acceptance rate is lower than it has ever been and it has knocked me off of diamond privileges.
Anyway... I managed to capture one offer card and the breakdown... so this may not be so bad? The right side is all from one ride the old way of calculating fares is above it. @8pm Sunday
Maybe the concern should be NO surges last weekend until 2am and very sporadic an spotty boost offerings. (1hr here and there.) My income does rely on surges and promotions and tips... without which uber is not sustainable... really.
I have been doing this for years. My Ride is immaculate, clean, great sound system, I am very friendly, entertaining or quiet... genuine... I try to make the most of it and even though I may be unhappy... I never drop the level of the way I treat people or the service I provide. Though I may gripe here online... the level of service remains top notch.
I would like to see a pay increase, I would like to get more $ on top of this for 10 minute pickups... It is expensive to have a nice car and do the proper maintenance. I wish I could afford health insurance that actually pays well. Uber still takes close to 50% of what the customer pays when there is no boots or surges. If they are charging less... it comes out of the drivers pocket... or so it seems.
Yes, but that can be tricky when driving, trying to read the plaque and hitting the right buttons quickly so you can accept the ride.
I will most likely drive and accept every ride for a week to give it a chance. A little dot like the Uber ap does over the navigation window... for quick access... would be perfect. I could take a snapshot, accept the ride... then compare it. See my next comment on the main thread please... incoming data.
Good luck with the lawyers thing, best to just find something else to do. I would like to find an ap for Android that will leave a button over the apps that can do an instant screen copy. I would like to copy the offer for every ride I get offered... and to check it against what is paid, where the money is coming from, how many miles and minutes they estimate... then to calculate how much they are paying per mile and minute against old methods.
This is what they say in a popup where the rates should be!!!
"You’ll see the rates you earn for every minute and every mile you drive. You no longer need to subtract the Uber service fee from these rates to determine your earnings. Rates are based on your Uber activation date. From time to time there may be differences between the rates displayed here and the rates you receive, as reflected on your driver receipt. This may be due to timing differences, delays in updating, technical issues, or for other reasons. We do not guarantee that the rates displayed on this page will be the same as the rates you receive, and in the event of any such difference, the rates you receive shall be controlling. By using this portal, you acknowledge that the rates you will receive, as reflected on your driver receipt, control over any rates shown in this portal."
"You no longer need to subtract the Uber service fee from these rates to determine your earnings. " BS BS BS!!! We never had to subtract the uber service fees to see what we made. Who the F comes up with this?
"From time to time there may be differences between the rates displayed here and the rates you receive, as reflected on your driver receipt "
so what now, they can change the rate of pay at any time?
Going to give them a week to fix this shite or I am gone. Many K rides... awesome car... let the meth-heads take it over like they did with the other service for a while in CLT.
This new method is bogus.
Uber no longer lists the rates of pay for uber x in my area: including pickup time, driving time broken down...
Supposedly customers only have an hour to tip and the tip is included with the offering price.
The ticket disappears in 2 seconds. I can barely read the last line, which is the destination
Most 20-25 minute rides make 4-5 dollars.
My acceptance rate is low because of this. My cancellation rate is going to skyrocket because I am accepting rides that are a loss.
There are no more surges before 2 am in charlotte on Friday and Saturday nights and the boost offerings are pathetic.
Uber is taking %75-50% of what they are charging the customers.
I am making %50 of what I was making 2 months ago working all night Friday Saturday Sunday and have been unable to get 60 rides to make the total promotion rate which has been pretty low anyway.
So far this sucks so bad, I cannot afford to drive if it is going to be this way.
They want $340 a WEEK to rent a tesla. You also have to stop for several hours to charge it after several hours of driving.
I cannot believe that would be sustainable unless you were working @100 hours a week (including hours to charge)
Here is a new breakdown in the app.
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Vs the old breakdown. Notice the miles and minutes broken down.
This is serious.
Here is one of the offerings... I was just able to get a screenshot: They disappear in just about 2 seconds. I try to focus and read the last line to see where, but hell if I know where some of these streets are.
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23 minutes for 5.22. less than $15 an hour and I have to pay for all expenses, gas, car, cleaning, maintenance... Car payments... and I had two people this week that almost ruined my seats... I was gagging when they got out. (anal leakage or something that uber will not pay for cleaning.) Luckily I got it out. Just stating this because I had to stop and clean the seats several times with each exposure. Note this does not include that people expect you to wait 4-10 minutes which also makes it worse.
This absolutely sucks so far. it is scary that they are no longer showing the rates they pay for miles and minutes in the Charlotte area.
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Three of these rides in a row and you are working 30 minutes for free over a period of an hour and 10 minutes!!!
I know I should give it a week, but who the hell thought this up and thought it was a good idea. They were barely paying us enough. I am reporting negative income and still cannot afford insurance of any kind. At this rate I may have to sell my car... at a loss and work from home.
No sir... I do not like this... I hope the other drivers will not stand for it. Until I take another job I will have to work 12- 16 hours a day 7days a week to earn what I was making in 3-4 nights. That and suffer a horrific acceptance rate decline and cancellation rate increase.
The first thing I would suggest is to give us enough time to read the damn offer card
then stop hiding the rate of pay and show it in the ride breakdowns and show the rate of pay placard in the help section:
The Uber X pay card are no longer available:
I have a very high rating, an immaculate prius, been diamond for several years.
Picked up an older lady. Very elegant like a fairy godmother or royalty from a Disney movie... she looked around 80, silver hair... wonderful lady. I asked what kind of music she like and she said Freddy Mercury... and I had just made an MP3 CD of all Queen. We cranked it up and it was like a Waynes World Ride with grandma... not the strangest ride... but so unexpectedly fun and positive.
Yes, but only a few. ie. I am prepared for most trouble, but there are just some things you cannot risk.
1) people carrying babies with no baby seat.
2) young kids or unaccompanied minors (unless they are in danger if I leave them there... like it is getting dark.) (I save the dashcam video for those rides) If it is policy not to take on unaccompanied minors... and there is an accident... technically the insurance might be a problem.
3) If someone looks like they are about to puke. (Usually mutual agreement, they do not want to get billed.) or if they are incoherent... I would consider driving off. (Done that once)
4) Just recent: If a bar tender tries to put someone in the car that cannot even walk... I have learned to not accept the ride. I feel bad about this, but they can sober up and I love my car and cannot handle chemical smells or puke smells. (Done that once)
5) If you have more than 4 people. (I only have 4 seatbelts besides mine. NO YOU CANNOT SIT IN THE TRUNK! (many times)
6) If the passengers are fighting... I would drive off.
7) If you are drinking from open containers (alcohol) No Way... Where I live - open container is 6 month drivers license suspension. (Some people refuse to drink or dump.) (Ok in Taxi or Bus, but not in a rideshare.)
8) If they are filthy... I have towels and even a tarp on hand at all times... but there are limits. My Third day a guy tried to get into my prius with 3" rings of mud all around his work boots even after I asked him to kick some off... twice... He pretended that he did not speak English and when I asked him in "his language" he said (in perfect English) "Awww you should have known what you were getting into when you took this job.." What a jerk. I explained that we pay for everything uber pays for nothing and it is my car. He complied but gave me a bad rating and permanently stained my mat. I rated him badly and blocked him. I also realized...you have to protect yourself. We may be the service side... but we matter too. It may suck for the rider... but you cannot just get expect an Uber to accept your ride because you do not want to ruin YOUR car.
Most people understand... Most rides are good... this happens on occasion, and we do have to protect ourselves.
9) If they are not where they dropped the pin. This is happening more frequently. Often they can be 2 miles or more away from the pickup. Not sure why, but I am going to start cancelling these more. The problem is that it hurts me to cancel.
FYI, real cleanup for a puke could cost $1000 or up if bad enough unless you like smelling puke forever. It is actually a bio hazard too. I would assume for some the only recourse is to replace the carpeting or panels or seat covers... disassemble the door to get inside... etc. So the path of least resistance is to say no.
TMI, sorry.
Things I wish I could cancel for: People who reek of cigarettes or pot. I have to clean the seats when they get out... the whole car stinks and I do not want the next people to smell bad when they get out. Also people who wear too much perfume... for same reasons... or they make my eyes burn and lungs hurt.
How about this same article, but for the Driver Ap?
1) Destination mode does not work correctly... You could be an hour away from where you need to be and it times out. or you cannot stop new requests once you get near your destination... So you better remember to go offline about a mile away or get hit with multiple failure to accepts.
2) Information about ride length and direction in ride offers may not be correct.
3) There is no feedback option in the help menu...
Imagine wanting to be home by 3am after working for 10 hours and instead you are an hour away and now have to drive home alone with no hope of work, because it could take you further away... Or needing to make a doctor's appointment/pick up the wife or kids/be on time for your birthday party or what ever.... only to keep getting requests that pull you further away with no hope of getting back in time. (failure to accept requests hurts your status... cancelling requests hurts it even more)
Don't get me wrong... not trying to invalidate or minimize any issues towards riders... Thier issues need to be addressed most certainly!