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
That claim sounds nice and all, but they will still do whatever they want to. That's what it means they ignore the authorities and regulations.
They have bukus of money. If they get busted or whatever, they can afford it. Uber knew their service will spread like wildfire and had billions of investor dollars. They knew they can do whatever they did. They did their risk cost analysis and consciously made the choices they did.
The scooter companies will do the same thing.
No, they do not.
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.
But halfway through 2018, that still hasn't happened.
"It's just unbelievable," said Harbour Air executive vice-president Chad Wetsch. "Like, you're counting on it to get these people to their final destinations and we just can't do anything about it."
Wetsch said the inconvenience caused by the province's lack of ride-hailing services is damaging the reputation of the rest of the tourism industry.
"It's awful when we get a two-star Trip Advisor (review) because someone has had to wait for a taxi," he said."
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.
But halfway through 2018, that still hasn't happened.
"It's just unbelievable," said Harbour Air executive vice-president Chad Wetsch. "Like, you're counting on it to get these people to their final destinations and we just can't do anything about it."
Wetsch said the inconvenience caused by the province's lack of ride-hailing services is damaging the reputation of the rest of the tourism industry.
"It's awful when we get a two-star Trip Advisor (review) because someone has had to wait for a taxi," he said."
Try this:
RideGuru Estimates from Airport Arrival Rtn, Las Vegas, NV, USA to 3799 S Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89109, USA
They are cautious but they are definitely eyeing it for sure. They are going into Australia and England, both English speaking and of western culture. Their thought is that if they can be successful there, they can be successul in the United States.
This is a great strategic move, not just because they can try the markets and the populace that are similar to US but also because they can form relationships and alliances with businesses that also do work in US. Companies like Didi are approaching travel websites like Obitz and Expedia to form alliances in preparation to attach Uber.
Well, I think there's doubts in every one's mind whether a ridesharing can be a full time job or not. Sometimes I wonder if Uber really believes it ....or wants it to be that way.
There are many arguments as to how this should be a part-time job. Leveraging peope's downtime, taking advantage of car that you already own, and just considering it as a supplemental income.
I don't think it's too out there that Uber never wanted full-time people. They just wanted part-times and elimiate all fulltime drivers (i.e. taxi and limo drivers)
Slightly, deep, I know.
Yeah, look here:
Pull up the list from RideGuru. Make sure to look at the flatrates available. they arne't bad
I found a good article on this. There's a big list of properties that the camera stores on its image files.
https://exposingtheinvisible.org/resources/image-digging
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.
She must be the coolest lady ever.
I had to look up Univac.
Very smart move to compare itself to Amazon. Readying himself for the upcoming IPO. Investors love Amazon. Everyone talks about investing in Amazon in 1990s.
I believe you, instead of driving people, can drive food items around. UberEats' minimum age is 18.
It's all an marketing attempt!
See, the problem is, every company who sells anything is marketing itself as an "Uber for..." They are just positioning themselves as a "fast service" in the word who demands instant gratification.
All of these businesses existed long ago. We always called them over the phone, and they'd deliver. Hey, take a look at this one. Does it sound familiar?
It's dumb.
Upon accepting cash, the driver is supposed to click on the button on their app that he was paid and that the trip has been completed. It really does act like a regular ride.
No, there is no record of your payment, really. but when the driver completes the trip, that is supposed to be his or her acknowledgement that the payment was received and accepted.
Then there are of course disputes.
right. Traffic and driver pay.
I see the point of Uber how they want truly elastic workforce based on free market, but Uber obviously failed to address these problems if drivers were happy and the traffic congestion weren't a problem, they would have been able to dictate the rules
Instead, the problems got so bad the government HAD to take action.
I am a big fan of Uber and love driving for them, but I have heard repeatedly from my buddies who drive in the city that th market was not sustainable. Uber can claim all their benefits and wonderful things they offer, but this completely unregulated market wasn't going to last forever.
Drivers had too much flexibility. Veteran drivers saw a huge influx of people coming into NYC and driving their regular sedans. TNC licenses were a joke to get, and they all flooded the market. It was wild wild west.
Drivers were waiting more and more for their next fare, and they would just sit on the streets blocking traffic. We all talk about supply and demand, but the supply ballooned and it was becoming a huge congestion problem.
Forget the idealism. Look at the reality.
Yeah, people use "uber" as a verb now. Everything is an uber. In fact, we were arguing between friends whether 1) we will eventually abandon the word, "taxi" and let "uber" take over, or 2) we will all go back to calling them "taxis" again.
I was in the camp hat we will all call them Taxis but my friends think otherwise. Like how Uber will take over and enter the routine vernacular of Xerox, Kleenex, Google.
Itll be interesting to see what people in the US will start saying when there's more competition. Say when Didi and Ola come on shore.
You can fake the metadata pretty easily. Plus, you can even take a pic of a pic. Sigh, I know. In fact, this would be an example of what you say about it being too much trouble.
Then again, it's sad that Lyft cannot trust any of the claims and has to resort to checking the details on the files for deception. I feel bad for Uber and Lyft who have to fight these mud-slinging cat-and-mouse fraud war taking place between riders and drivers.
Did you see the water bottle trick below? It's good to see Lyft fighting back with checking the metadata, but that'll be hard to catch.
https://ride.guru/lounge/p/why-did-uber-drivers-take-pictures-of-my-girlfriend-puking#comment-3588
Yeah, I don't think you can anymore. You used to be able to do it on both Uber app and m.uber.com. The workflow was that you open the app, you see the available cars and wait time, and you could click on "Request" without actually specifying the destination.
Around the time Uber introduced upfront pricing, they changed this. For a while, I think there was still a way to request one without entering the destination. You just had to ignore the input field.
I just tried and I don't think it's possible to avoid that. You must enter the destination