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
Yeah, heavily subsidized like Uber. LOL.
I am a bit worried about this economy. Every company is so heavily leveraged, and the competition brings down the cost to unbelievable levels. I don't even know how much things are supposed to cost.
I mean, how much is Uber suppose to be?!
They are slightly different though. Those are electric scooters. Dockless, GPS-enabled and all that, but they are powered.
well, I suppose theoretically, if you get into an accident, you don't have to tell anyone you were driving for uber at the time, huh? Assuming there were injuries from passengers or something. and the passenger rats you out.
Unless the accident is huge or has some red flags, I doubt the insurance company will subpoena Uber and match it up to whether you were driving a customer at the time.
It's noble you believe that, but
- You are taking money. That changes the relationship. It's no longer you
- Insurance companies may not care if you are driving for Uber but may care for other impacts that arise from it. a) your increased driving, b) liability from having customers, c) running a business out of your car, etc.
We all have to look at the situation at hand, and stop playing the blame game. Uber isn't paying the drivers enough money, and Uber currently has a monopoly and can dictate how much should be paid by them and how the rest should be paid by the public. It's not a problem of Uber vs. a problem of society thing. It's a problem as a society that we need to solve.
Also, let's give credit to the capitalism, shall we? Does it really matter how much of your extra payment goes tip vs. Uber? Let's pay the driver whawt they need and move on. If you don't go with the socio-norm and you are paying less than everyone else, then maybe it's you who has the problem. (speaking of blame game..)
One of the reasons these big companies are popping up everywhere is due to their ability to leverage existing taxi companies and drivers. Look at 99, Grab, Meru, and Didi. They all played nice with taxi authorities and companies, and were considered as the taxi aggregators before we all realized they were Uber-like.
Their pricing similar to taxis, they were making sustainable economics behind it too
In contrast, Uber fought taxi companies and destroyed them in US and everywhere they went, with their predatory pricing and putting taxi companies out of business. As a result, the markets crumbled and regulations kicked in hard, and now what they have is a bunch of taxis but this time with super low pricing, while they lose craploads of money.
They can also check whether your referrals led to many new users who only take one ride.
Simply query, right? Just pull you up as a referrer, and then see how many referrals were made and how many rides were taken. If it's 100 to 100, then they know something is wrong.
They often do this, not necessarily for the # of rides taken, but for how much you brought in as a referrer, e.g. ambassador.
You must be referring to this article:
Ubering While Black
So, yeah..it's a thing. :)
No, the app doesn't warn you for the time being. Perhaps Uber should implement that.
They announced UberRush closing down back in April. They did it quietly, but it's the end of the gig economy. I guess the market wasn't ready for it yet?
You'd think Walmart and Uber would have deep enough pocket to stay in the race. The numbers must have been REALLY bad for them to pull out so quickly.
I posted a related article, in case you were interested in reading more about it.
https://ride.guru/lounge/p/end-of-gig-economy-no-demand-for-on-demand-means-end-of-road-for-uberrush-and-shyp
Human drivers may have been able to avoid it, as they may be able to pick up additional cues that AVs can't...yet. People are alert and can pick up many signals that may alert them that something is amiss or something "may be wrong." Then as a precautionary measure they'd slow down and start paying more attention.
For example, that black car started to enter the intersection, and let's assume it did it on a red light. (I can't tell from the video.) or maybe that oncoming silver car honked its horn. Maybe that car swerved and made a rubber screeching noise.
These are cues that Waymo RADAR/LIDAR probably not have picked up.
Re: Protect the occupants vs. others.
As with any invention, marketability will come into play at some point. I spoke to a designer on this, off the record, and he told me that they have to design it to protect the occupants or such software will not sell or be adopted. People don't want to buy or invest in a car that may turn on you.
Of course, the landscape may change if this is the government or a large fleet owner (Waymo, Google, etc.). They may be able to decide this for the cause of greater good.
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.
Yeah, they do. Probably not as blatant as you might suspect. These scenarios are more realistic of what happens:
1) You do throw up *a little* in a vehicle. Then the driver exaggerates it by making more mess (that's relatively easy to clean up) before taking a picture. This enables the driver to claim a higher cleaning fee. Since the rider is expecting a charge, this reduces the chance they will dispute.
2) You are completely drunk and most likely won't remember. Then the driver makes up a mess, whether it's doritos on the floor or water on the seat. The passenger has a hazy memory and believes that the mess was indeed created by them.
3) Multiple passengers, i.e. diffusion of responsibility. When there are multiple people or multiple stops, the blame is spread across multiple people, and it becomes more difficult to dispute. So large parties, with multiple stops? Be careful and keep an eye peeled for those weird cleaning fees.
I love it how in the midst of a billion scandals, you mention how uber thwarts scams. No, I am not disagreeing with you. I guess I am saying no one sees Uber as a "safe" company or players being accountable.
Speaks volumes to how horrible of a job they did with PR, and even billions of dollars couldn't save it. The bad boy culture really did a lot of damage there.
You sound all noble talking about business models and such, but can we for a second look at the reality of the situation? Drivers are starving and cannot make ends meet. You speak of this emerging industry but the industry won't exist soon if people didn't tip.
This isn't about whether it's Uber's fault or some drivers conspiring to create the new norm. It's about drivers earning a living and making this industry work for all of us.
100K does sound like a lot, but isn't this one of those psycholoical phenomenon where we all believe the world is smaller than it really is?
To put Boston into perspective, Central Artery and Zakim Bridge (i.e. Big Dig) is designed to handle 245,000 vehicles every day. There are 690,000 people living in Boston, 4.6M in Greater Boston Metro. Almost 1.3M people take the MBTA buses, subways, commuter rails and ferries. Is 100K a lot?
Well, yeah, 100K Uber and Lyft rides still do feel pretty big number. OK, it passes my test.
Yeah, not sure where they expect the discount to come from. Who's pocket? Uber? So laughable.
This whole thing is flawed. Drivers aren't happy because they aren't getting paid enough per rates set by Uber. Now the riders and passengers are arguing as to how much needs to be paid. It's all messed up.
Drivers demand they get pad tips because Uber doesn't listen. Passengers can be shamed into it, so that's where they turn.
In a P2P on-demand service, one entity shouldn't be setting a price. A better business model would allow all parties (riders and drivers) to bid and agree on a price. Uber can be more like eBay, where as the facilitator, they can take a cut of that and be happy.
Did everyone see the bit on how Didi's stance on Autonomous Vehicles is to partner with a car manufacturer? I agree with that approach over Uber's where they are trying to do that themselves. (I guess Uber had to do something with that money.)
"Didi executives said they were considering developing a smartcar customized for ride-sharing and is seeking auto makers that could manufacture the vehicle. The car is anticipated to be an electric vehicle and would be connected to the internet, allowing Didi to monitor data from the car for safety by applying artificial intelligence technology."