RIDEGURU
Smitten Kitten (SmittenKitten)
Ride Scholar from Washington DC
2098 RiderActivity
Posts by SmittenKitten
-
Hackers Are Using The Uber App to SCAM Drivers!
I don't get it either.A new and insidious scam has popped up recently for drivers: scammers are using the … -
Building a Search Engine for Food Delivery [The Rideshare Guy]
Do you think this will work? or be successful?There are a lot of food delivery apps out there – … -
Can Uber and Lyft Fully Recover from the Pandemic? [RideshareGuy]
From the RideshareGuy:Uber and Lyft have been offering drivers big incentives to hit the road, mainly because of the … -
Another hiccup for Uber: Some drivers were being charged for giving rides [CNN]
Whatever happened to driver shortage and outrageous prices?(CNN Business)When a Chicago-area Uber driver checked his account balance after dropping … -
Uber ordered to pay $1.1 million after blind woman was denied rides more than a dozen times - CNN
Classic Uber moment.(CNN)Uber has been ordered to pay $1.1 million after an arbitrator ruled that the rideshare company's drivers … -
Users with fake names and no profile pics should not be able to use Uber
Whatever happened to accountability? How is this not obvious?https://abc7chicago.com/chicago-carjacking-rideshare-uber-lyft/10401859/ -
What history books will say about Uber
Not sure if it's "strange" but this will likely be true for econ books. -
Coronavirus is forcing Uber to return to its start-up roots [WP]
Good read.Coronavirus is forcing Uber to return to its start-up rootsFor years, Silicon Valley start-ups have built a … -
CDC: What Rideshare, Taxi, Limo, and other Passenger Drivers-for-Hire Need to Know about COVID-19
In case people haven't seen it. CDC has a formal posting.Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a respiratory illness caused … -
Amazon Drivers Are Hanging Smartphones in Trees to Get More Work
Awesome. What time to be alive. Cell phones hanging from trees.Someone places several devices in a tree located close … -
Lyft is launching a car rental service. [The Verge]
Only available in two cities. San Francisco and Los Angeles:Lyft is launching a car rental service. Differentiating itself from … -
"Delivery-only" Restaurants Coming (SmartKitchen)
This reminds me of the branch-less banks that were so successful in the 2000-2010. There's been some consolidations and reversion … -
Uber founder Travis Kalanick has reportedly raised $400 million for his next act from Saudi Arabia.
He will make a few more billions by competing against his old company.https://www.businessinsider.com/uber-travis-kalanick-saudi-arabia-funding-cloud-kitchens-delivery-2019-11?utm_source=reddit.com -
Uber Says It Will Sue Los Angeles Over Sharing Scooter Location Data [Vice]
Uber is suing Los Angeles. The Los Angeles Department of Transportation asked Uber to start providing real-time location data for … -
The self-driving Uber that killed a pedestrian in Arizona wasn’t programmed to see jaywalkers.
How are they testing this stuff on our roads with our lives at stake? Human testing?Findings released by US … -
Uber lost $1.1 billion last quarter, says rides are profitable (sort of)
https://arstechnica.com/cars/2019/11/uber-lost-1-1-billion-last-quarter-says-rides-are-profitable-sort-of/?amp=1First time they are giving us more visibility into their revenue figures. Fun. Yet the company argues that things … -
Uber announced a series of changes to its app in an attempt to become the “operating system for your daily life.”
I can't read this with a straight face:The changes include giving users things to do other than call a … -
Ford executive says Full Self-Driving cars will last only 4 years on the road
Of course, this is in response to how people will stop buying cars once the autonomous vehicles are on the … -
Lyft: Not Disruptive Enough
Lyft's focus is mainly in urban ridesharing market in the US and Canada, while Uber is eyeing for global exposure … -
Uber and Lyft close at record lows as investors lose faith in ride-sharing companies
These Wall street investors...they should just be talking to the drivers. They could have told them this a long time …
Featured Answers by SmittenKitten
-
As I read these responses, I think the answer depends on a few things:
a) How busy the night is. Yes, drivers do make money while driving and when the vehicle is moving. So, if it's a busy night, they'd rather be doing that. Some are saying, "it's better than making $0.00", but that logic only works if there aren't other passengers out there.
b) Whether the driver drives an UberX, UberXL, UberBlack, or UberSUV. The per minute fee is quite different between these services. In Boston, UberX makes $0.21/minute ($12.6/hr), UberXL $0.35/minute ($21/hr), UberBlack $0.45/minute ($27/hr), and UberSUV $0.50/minute ($30/hr). UberX drivers would be at a disadvantage and perhaps be grumpy, but UberSUV guys probably don't mind nearly as much.
c) Location probably matters. The per minute fee is also different from city to city. For example, Boston UberX drivers get paid $0.21/minute but those in San Diego make $0.15/minute. That's a big difference. You may argue that there is a cost of living adjustment, but $0.15/minute is $9 per hour before Uber takes its cut.
-
Here's the driver edition:
Before:
![]()
After:
![]()
-
Here you go. two screens You first are prompted to leave a review, and then upon doing so, the tipping page opens.
![]()
BTW, there used to be a "$0" option and someone told me there used to be a "No tip" option too. It looks like they updated that though. Perhaps the drivers didn't like it.
-
The fact remains that Uber is in bed with all the law makers in NYC, so I doubt anything too negative will happen to Uber. Any measures that will be put into place will likely benefit Uber as they do have influence over this decision.
For all we know, this "change" was proposed by Uber. They too knew the sharp rise of rideshares would become a problem.
For example, thy will
- Limit the number of rideshares to exactly the # Uber wants on the road, after they carefully analyze the demand.
- Put some rules or emasures in place to "limit" the number of competitor driver apps in NYC, say make it more difficult to drive for multiple.
-
Uber and Lyft both analyze the photo you submit, by putting them through an automated scan. They supposedly check for various properties of the photo to look for inconsistencies and associate a credibility score to it. They check for information such as when the photo was taken, what camera was used, etc. (more on that later)
Before you ask what exactly Uber checks (which no one except Uber knows), let me interest you on something you probably didn't know.
Your images that you take on your smartphones or digita cameras store various properties in its metadata. There are many fields that you probably didn't know you were sharing when you send your files around.
![]()
Are you scared yet?
Yeah, you should be scared because this applies to any photo you share with anyone. (but since this is a ridesahre forum, I should stick to what Uber cares about.)
I was going to post a full list of metadata properties that you can identify, but that's a pretty lengthy list. I will pickup a few things below:
- Timestamp
- Date Created/Date Modified (If different, the image was "editted")
- GPS Location, such as lat/long and even altitude.
- What camera or smartphone was used
- Flash on/off
- Exposure
- Camera Lens
- Resolution, etc.
So how do they verify?
Since I don't work for Uber, I don't know exactly what they check. However, if I were one of their engineers, and I had to catch crooks, I would look for the following:
- Was the photo taken on a different day then when the rider occured?
- Was the photo ever modified or editted?
- Was the photo taken on a different smartphone than the one driver uses? If so, why?
- Does the photo match up with any other photos submitted by other passengers?
- Does the photo match up with the car that the driver drives?
Why so secretive about this process?
Well, it's because none of these things will *prove* that the photo is not authentic or that the incident didn't happen. If the file was modified or if the pic was taken by a different camera than the smartphone the driver conveniently had in his hand, you would start to doubt the authenticity.
This is why Uber won't tell you exactly why you are being denied the cleaning fees or that you don't have credibility.
I hope I have adequatey answers how Uber *must* be fighting back against this cleaning fees fraud. They do it because they can, and it isn't that hard.
-
Vancouver doesn't have Uber or Lyft yet. There's a feud over this. Here's an article from June.
'Unfathomable': Vancouver tourism industry lashes out against absence of Uber
Excerpt
"Members of British Columbia's tourism industry are speaking out against the BC NDP for failing to deliver on a promise to bring app-based ride-hailing services to the province in time for this year's travel season.
"People come and go, 'OK, can I have my Lyft or my Uber?' and then turn on their app and there's no cars," said Ian Tostenson, a spokesperson for Ridesharing Now. The coalition is aimed at lobbying the provincial government to create a framework that would allow companies such as Uber and Lyft to operate alongside the taxi industry.
Before forming government last summer, the BC NDP promised it would pass legislation regulating app-based ride-hailing services in the province before the end of 2017.
-
Where to wait during downtimes is something every driver needs to eventually figure out for each local market. This is a sign of you beoming a veteran driver! It's the rite of passage. :)
So, basically the question is where to wait during those slow times like mid-mornings and mid-afternoons. You have to think about how society works and who your target should be doing those times. Working people are at work, and students are at school. So who is out?
- Seniors and retirees
- Housewives or caregivers
- Tourists
- People who aren't working, running errands, going to doctors', etc.
So, What destinations are popular during the days. They are very different from busier times. so, try these places.
- Hospitals
- Grocery stores
- Strip malls, car dealerships, etc. (every town/city has these roads)
- Senior centers
Notice that downtown business districts and transportation hubs are relatively empty during the day. So, make sure to try out all these locations, and see if you have a better ping rate! Good luck!
-
Here's a good articlef for the riders. It's tips on how to identify and finding your driver.
https://ride.guru/lounge/p/how-do-i-know-if-the-uber-driver-is-who-he-says-he-is
The rider's phone is completely irrelevant. The app doesn't even have to be on or even with the passenger.
Letting the supply-and-demand take over will alter this industry forever It will eventually push all full-time workers and replace them with part-time gig workers. I am not necessarily saying that's a bad thing, but it will affect all consumers for sure.
We have to ask ourselves if this is what we want and whether we want the government to step in. I mean, do we want such transition to any other industry?
Bus drivers? Pilots? Train conductors? What about garbage man, firefighters, food providers, customer service reps.
You should ask the community by creating a new post.
https://ride.guru/lounge/create
If you are referring to her not being able to see you on the map, remember, she doesnt see ALL drivers near her.
Yes, you can, but you still have to go through Uber who will approve the areas you are allowed to work
Sometimes it’s automatic. In many cases, you can work in states that are adjacent to your home state assuming they’re relatively close. Uber often wraps up regions together, say like NJ and NY.
There are exceptions in certain regions where you need special permits or there are inspection requirements. NYC and Philadelphia come to mind. In most cases, you can still have out-of-state plates (say NJ plate working in NYC), but I would check.
The criteria to determine if you are an employee or a contractor is outlined by IRS. However, this is often argued as the terms are somewhat subjective.
https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/independent-contractor-self-employed-or-employee
This is a super interesting topic. We are at a juncture where this "gig" of driving rideshares will be defined as either a "on the side thing" vs. "a profession." I honestly don't think anyone really knows.
Uber always wanted it to be purely a contractor gig. You do it whenever you can. It's "RIDE-share", like a carpool, where normal people driver other normal people. It was purely a side-gig, and that's how all the drivers are still considered as "independent contractors" with no benefits
Then there is an opposing force where some entities and people want these workers to be employees. Reverting this new industry back to what it was before of having normal workers and often on full time basis. Regulators and professional drivers seem to prefer this option.
I personally want the concept of "gig-economy" to thrive and not let this end as "an industry that slightly improved due to new technology (smartphones)"
I believe there’s a difference between public transportation and cars owned by independent contractors. An inside of a taxi or bus would be public, but an Uber vehicle is an individual’s car, which I believe qualifies it as “public.”
Then again, if we want to talk about the legality of recording someone, we need to be discussing the expectation of privacy, not so much whether it’s called public vs. private.
That’s for recording someone. In terms of sharing with others? I have no idea. Doesn’t the driver own the pic he takes legally in a public place? So can’t he share that with others in any way he likes? (Outside of defamation.)
Here's a big list
https://ride.guru/lounge/p/uber-for-xyz-the-big-list
Yeah, in some cities Uber accepts cash. The app gives you "cash" as a payment option, and the driver is instructed to accept cash at the end of the trip. Uber's portion of the fare will be automatically deducted from the driver's pay.
https://ride.guru/lounge/p/cash-vs-credit-card
Here's a good articlef for the riders. It's tips on how to identify and finding your driver.
https://ride.guru/lounge/p/how-do-i-know-if-the-uber-driver-is-who-he-says-he-is
as RedANT mentions above, this was a man who was pretending to be an Uber driver. .so yeah, of course it was premeditated. LOL and that also explain why he thought he can get away.
Touché. My apologies.
You are right, this guy was impersonating a driver, meaning he probably drove up to bar and picked up someone already waiting for an Uber. I can see that working pretty well.
What makes this story interesting is that this wouldn't have happened in a traditional taxi service where the cars were well marked. (or bright yellow)
Probably the latter.
Completely premeditated though. TWO. and probably used Uber with this goal in mind.
I'd like to know how many other rides he had given. That context matters.
No, Uber doesn’t official state that 4.6 is a cutoff. It’s a number many drivers observed so that’s what’s been communicated around.
The cutoff is different from market to market. I heard the average driver ratings are higher in newer markets and smaller cities for example. (So higher cutoff?)
Couldn't agree more. Of course Uber is liable for the people they partner with. Partners, contractors, employees...Let's not get confused by the semantics here.
Where to wait during downtimes is something every driver needs to eventually figure out for each local market. This is a sign of you beoming a veteran driver! It's the rite of passage. :)
So, basically the question is where to wait during those slow times like mid-mornings and mid-afternoons. You have to think about how society works and who your target should be doing those times. Working people are at work, and students are at school. So who is out?
So, What destinations are popular during the days. They are very different from busier times. so, try these places.
Notice that downtown business districts and transportation hubs are relatively empty during the day. So, make sure to try out all these locations, and see if you have a better ping rate! Good luck!
Yeah, I just went to check to make sure. This is what Lyft says:
"We predict what Prime Time will be at the time you schedule your ride. When you confirm your ride request, Prime Time is locked at that rate. Even if Prime Time is higher or lower at the actual pickup time, your Prime Time amount is the same as the original estimate."
Does booking in advance or scheduling ahead guarantee my fare on Uber and Lyft?
Lyft - Scheduled rides for passengers
I thought Lyft did guarantee the price, as they try to consider the surge into it. They only allow you to book it 7 days in advance too.
It may ease discrimination on gender and such, but Uber still knows your pickup location so they can charge different prices around that.
but it's a good start.
I wonder if SEC or FCC will step in and mandate that they must post their rates. I suppose they can get around that by saying they can quote anyone anything.
However, that can lead to discrimination if they are charging different rates to different people. Uber may have to open up their data to authorities and regulators. For all we know they are charging more certain demographics, colors, gender, etc.