RIDEGURU
Wes Kretzer (Wes)
Ride Apprentice from Aurora, OH
Weekend Uber Warrior
1602 Rider DriverWeekend Uber Warrior, experience with lighting and lighting fixtures/applications, Southern Gospel Music.
Activity
Posts by Wes
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Corona Precautions
Just wondering, if you're a driver that's willing to take the chance during these difficult times and continuing to driver, … -
Are you taking any safety precautions during this Pandemic while driving?
Personaly i haven't driven since the Pandemic started as Uber/Lyfting is a sideline occupation for me. And from looking at … -
With the impending changes, will YOU continue to driver for Uber/Lyft?
Yes, you can be SURE rates will increase to the customer, but you can also be equally assured that the … -
Did you continue to drive in spite of the protests in your city?
Several major cities experienced work stoppage this week in protest to low wages and working conditions with Uber. And yet, … -
Why do YOU think Uber is dropping the destination filter in some cities and changing the pay rates on destination rides in other cities?
Uber has announced it is withdrawing the destination filter in some areas (New York for example) and in other areas … -
Uber Sues New York - yet again!
So what do you think Drivers - Uber goes at it again in New York. Uber is suing New York … -
New Surge System Revolt Cleveland, OH
Did you catch the national news story out of Cleveland, OH? The new surge system just rolled into town and … -
Upcoming Rate Increase
Hey Drivers: We all KNOW that Uber/Lyft have been sneaking in a much larger share of the fares as compared … -
The Perfect Prius?
I've been considering picking up a used Prius to use exclusively for Uber/Lyft. But it seems that almost every used … -
New York Rates
If I'm not mistaking, Feb 1 was "D" day for New York when the new rates were going to be … -
Electric vehicles
I regular consider driving an all electric vehicle, but with severe range anxiety as well as the need to occasionally … -
Auto Off feature in newer cars when stopped.
Many of not most newer cars feature an engine cut off feature when stopped at a red light etc... where … -
Should we drive during the government shutdown?
I've seen numerous posts about how dead it is out there - which based on 3 plus years experience is … -
The "new" surge
So for those of you that now have the "new surge" system - where you are guaranteed a surge rate … -
As a Driver, will you buy Uber or Lyft stock when it becomes available?
It appears both Lyft (which has already initiated the paperwork to go Public) and now Uber is rushing to follow, … -
As a Driver, what were some of your moments when you had to say "I'm just the driver"...
If you've driven your share of rides, I'm sure that you, like myself, have had at least a few occasions … -
Cargo and other snack services for Rideshare
Are any of you selling snacks in your cars to passengers whether individually or as part of Cargo or one … -
Lyft Subscription Service
Today Lyft announces that their "trial" subscription service it going mainstream and for $299.00 a month you can receive up … -
The revised Uber Surge System
Just wondering, now that Uber has rolled out the "new way of surging" in many major markets, I'd like to … -
The "NEW" Uber Surge Format
Have any of your markets changed to the new method of surge? Where you no longer get "surge" rates for …
Featured Answers by Wes
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You need to call your agent to see if you can add "rideshare" coverage to your policy. In most states this is now available. I'm with State Farm in Ohio and it cost me less than $10 a month to cover two cars. You NEED this coverage as Uber/Lyft ONLY cover you when you're on your way to pick up and when you have a passenger. You do NOT have coverage when you're waiting for a ping, and if you got in an accident you would technically NOT be covered. Furthermore when adding Rideshare, particularly to State Farm, they then offer you full coverage and THEY deal with the insurance companies used by Uber/Lyft.
If your insurance company does not offer Ridehshare, I would STRONGLY encourage you to change to a company that does. It simply isn't worth the risk. Insurance companies don't want to pay claims!!! Don't give them a reason to deny you, becuase THEY WILL. I don't care how long you've been with them or who you know, the job of the insurance company is to MAKE A PROFIT, and the best possible way to do that is to avoid paying claims!!! Think about it and choose wisely!!!
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Why not use this very site where you are posting the question (www.rideguru.com) and let it calculate the fare for you???
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At least in our market that option no longer seems to be available with Uber. It is available with Lyft, but please understand, all it really does is send out a request in advance of your pick up time to the nearest driver. With Lyft, a driver can accept it well in advance, but if they're on a ride or not near the location, it will still default to the closest driver. It also does not protect you against surge pricing fyi.
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4.5 is not good at all. Keep in mind that, as a driver, we would already be kicked off the system for a rating that low. Honestly I've done a few thousand trips, I've never given a passenger a 1-2 rating, and I've only given a 3 or 4 on rare occasion when they truly deserved much less. There are drivers that are much less lenient, and I would offer a few suggestions to bring your ratings up.
1. Give a cash tip. This will almost ALWAYS result in a 5 star rating, even if you were a little late or generally obnoxious. Once your rating returns to more acceptable levels you could resume tipping on the APP, but a cash tip will be known BEFORE we rate you. Otherwise it can be a couple of days before we would even know that you tipped as they are not always instantaneous on our end.
2. NEVER make the driver wait more than 2 minutes, and most definitely not beyond 5 minutes. (Most drivers will leave at the 5 minute mark anyhow)
3. NEVER turn the sound system up to max!!! Drivers' need to hear things like sirens and horns etc... Consider your driver and also consider that it is their personal car, so they DO care about their sound system in general.
4. If you ask to make a stop, please be quick. Remember we make almost nothing when we're sitting still. We're doing it as a favor, NOT as an obligation. We don't HAVE to wait, so if your driver is gracious enough to do so, hustle yourself in and out of the store!
5. Don't put your feet in our seats. Don't get crumbs all over our seats. Don't get into our car wet or soiled without offering a seat covering (plastic bag would suffice).
6. Please tell us if you're sick. We'll gladly assist you, most of us have barf bags, and we will gladly pull over when it's safe to do so. PLEASE don't puke in our cars!!!
7. Please NEVER yell out the windows at friends or foes, and NEVER discard anything out the window.
8. Please don't bring opened alcohol into the car. It's against the law. We are NOT a limo, so it is NOT allowed. I don't care how special your occassion is, don't break the law!!!
9. Please bring car seats for the kids and babies. We don't have them, and you, as a parent, are responsbile to provide them.
10. Please make sure the address that the app found as your location is correct. YOU, not Uber, not me, but YOU are responsible for entering a correct pick up location. Consider walking outside to request the ride so the GPS in YOUR phone can correctly identify your location. Remember, it's YOUR phone that pinpoints your location and communicates that information to the Uber system, so don't blame Uber when it's not correct!
11. I know nobody wants to "wait"... that's the nature of American culture. But please, wait until you're really READY to depart before requesting a driver and have your shoes on and be ready to go when we arrive. Remember, WE MAKE NOTHING waiting for you, or driving to pick you up. NOTHING!!! So please be considerate!!!
12. Lastly, please don't eat Taco's and messy foods in the car. I know you think you're starving and that drive through Taco Bell stop smells SO good. But please - it is totally wrong to expect us to stop and clean our car in preparation for the next passenger (who is probably already waiting for us to arrive) to clean up YOUR mess. That will ALWAYS result in a lower rating.
13. Lastly, be considerate. Leave the car in better shape than when you arrived. We are NOT responsbile for your trash, your chewing gum wrappers, your candy papers, and I can ASSURE you the next passenger doesn't want to see them.
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Actually they aren't that prevalent in our area and unless it's a Tesla charging station, they aren't free (nor are they free any longer for the more recent Tesla customers)...
But I do feel the day will come when they'll be everywhere - in fact I suspect gas stations will soon add areas for charging (if they have room) and use superchargers that can do the job rather quickly) at 30 mins or less.
But for now - it's still an issue for sure.
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The threshold varies by market. It is a well established fact that certain geographies rate more liberally or more conservatively and thus there is no single number for the entire US. However the long standing number for reference and concern is 4.65 and we can assume once you see any version of 4.xx you should be mildly concerned.
The biggest Uber Marketing Myth is that it's "easy" to clear $1000 a week - why, just turn on the app and drive and it will happen!!! Yeah right!!!
Can it be done? Absolutely, but only if your're willing to work long hours at late night and early morning, and only if you're willing to study your market and understand where the action is, and then committ to working those markets. Committ to fighting the bar crowds, the congested streets, the aggrevation of irritated policeman directing traffic, the pukers and all the assoicated alcohol induced activities.
Yes, if you have a low investment cost vehicle that gets reasonable or better mileage in good repair, you can probably clear $1K a week after expenses - but ONLY if you're wiling to work 12 hour nights six days a week with either Sunday or Monday as your only day off.
Absolutely positively NOT!!!!
It happens pretty often. I just turn on the lights, turn OFF the radio so it gets really quite and wait a second - surprisingly this often awakens them. If not, then I talk to them loudly. I did have a lady that had been literally passed out the entire trip (30 minutes) and I went to the door of the home and asked the lady that answered to help me - which after explaining she did. And she was SO mad that her friend was in "this condition" and was angry with me - and I told her "please don't shoot the messenger - I'm just an Uber driver that her friends called to get her a ride home so she wouldn't drive".... she was okay after that.
You need to define "whining". Why didn't you just cancel and request another car that was close by? Why did you allow 20 minutes to pass? Please explain "whining"... did he have a "reason" for not picking you up? Sue for what???? Making you late??? LOL... seriously, scheduling in advance doesn't commit any driver to you. Scheduling in advance simply means that at the given time, the computer will hail the closest driver to come to you. If for some reason that driver chooses to cancel, that is their option. I would hope they had a good reason, but whether they did or not is inconsequential. They are private contractors, and they DON'T HAVE TO GIVE YOU A RIDE!!!
It depends on your interpretation of "support your family". And it depends on how expensive the vehicle is not only in value, but also in upkeep and maintenance which is an enormous factor for full timers.
As a part time driver it's easier to ignore the miles you're logging on your personal vehicle as it doesn't seem like much when you're only doing it a day or two a week and most of us enjoy the extra jingle in our pocket without being forced to account for the reality of expenses incurred.
But as a full time driver, I could NEVER possibly use my personal vehicle as it is way too expensive to use as for a fT gig in my case. ($52K vehicle, one year old, enormous payments etc...)
If I were going to do it full time, and I plan to do that when i retire in a couple of years, I will purchase either a hybrid or a mini van hybrid (x or xl, haven't decided) probably through an auction where I can get a lower mileage, high mpg vehicle at the lowest possible cost. Probably something that is approx 3-6 years old so much of the depreciation works in my favor.
Keep in mind, it doesn't matter how old the vehicle is (up to 15 years in our market) as long as it's clean, void of blemishes, smells and looks good. Most people won't even recognize the age anyhow! What matters to "really" make any money in the Rideshare business is keeping your costs to a minimum. Otherwise you will end up earning something in the "minimum wage" category after expenses.
To make "better" money you will be forced to work late nights and early mornings during rush hour and peak party hours. That's when the best money is made. Those are not hours you may enjoy!!! So even though you can "work Uber any time you want and make your own schedule"... the truth is, to really make any money you will have no choice but to work when rides on in demand.
Why not use this very site where you are posting the question (www.rideguru.com) and let it calculate the fare for you???
The things that ladies have in their purses are amazing! And naturally most younger ladies carry tampons in their purse "just in case" or possibly it's their special "time" of the month. When drinking or in the darkness of the car, it's easy for something as lightweight as a tampon to get fipped out of the purse without their knowledge.
I've had tampons and also unopened condoms, cigarette lighters, ink pens, keys and cell phones. I'm amazed at how many people almost leave their phone in the car and I catch it as they're getting out. Come on people, how many times to you have to lose your phone before you learn to pay attention!!!!
As a driver, I've taken a lot of dudes whereas a gal requested the ride, and vice-versa. I always assume they're booty calls of sorts, and I'm perfectly okay with that if that's what they choose.
However on a personal level, the only way I would ever ask my lady to "uber" to me rather than picking her up would be if I had been partying and not legal to drive, or if there were extenutating circumstances. Otherwise, I think it sort of a "low blow" to send a car for your nookie as opposed to offering them your time and car to take them to your rendevous location!
Sure, I've had "ladies of the evening" quite a few times and quite a few "dancers"... every one of them I found to be profoundly nice people and overall very professional in their approach to life in general.
I've also had what i suspected were drug runs etc... but only on one occasion did I ever feel a little concerned, and that was when I took a person to a crack house to try and bring someone out of the house and take them home. I had to park on the street in a very sketchy area and I could see the eyes peaking out the windows of homes trying to figure out who I was. And my car (black explorer) looks a lot like the local cop cars, so i'm sure it was particiuarly unsettling to them as well. I was also concerned about what kind of shape the passenger we were supposed to pick up was going to be in and I obviously didn't want to assume any responsbility for them, or their condition. However as it worked out, the person refused to come to my car, and the original passenger had me take him back home.
Paz or Pax is typically referring to "passenger".
Having done a around 3K rides over the last 3 years, (which isn't a lot actually) on a very part time basis, I'm blessed that my MIL lives in our home, so when I do take an evening to Uber, my wife isn't left alone. I try to always start later (usually around 10PM) knowing that she'll be hitting the sack shortly. I generally only take one or two evenings a week, and often a couple of weeks will pass with no Ubering depending on our schedules. Fortunately my Uber income isn't critical but rather a little bonus money to our stable income.
When I retire in a couple of years, I do plan to drastically increase the amount of time i spend Ubering, but once again I will try to build my schedule in such a way as to not take away too much time for she and me to be together and do things. I'm blessed with an incredible marriage and I truly enjoy our time together, so I hope to never have to change that.
But for those that are working full time plus Ubering most evenings, there's no question it is negatively impacting your lives and I would hope you could find a way to spend more time with your significant other and especially your children if you are blessed with those. You can't burn candles on both ends and not expect it to negatively impact your relationships. Just won't happen....
Always "sit" unless you're not comfortable in the area or if a ride has taken you to an area that you know is slow. I would still park for at least 10 minutes and use that time to expore the app and see if there is surging in any markets close by. Open the paz app and see where there's a need for drivers (based on your knowledge of activity in different towns etc...) and then plan to head to one of those areas if you don't get a ping.
You can also download Farepilot which will help you find the best locations for any given area. It has proven very helpful for me a few times.
First remember there are two statements, one is likely and one is "possible"... and also remember that every market area has a threshold. So for example, it Cleveland, OH it is 10 minutes, but in the Southern area which we term the "Akron" or Southern market, the threshold is 15 minutes!!!
You ONLY get paid for the time/miles OVER the threshold, not the entire trip! So if you're accepting them (and I do if it's somewhere I want to be) take your time. Don't rush to pick up - it's to your advantage to take MORE minutes to arrive at the threshold!
I've had quite a few trips that actually paid more for the pick up than the ride itself, so while I'm not out to abuse the system, I do drive at the speed limit and take my time while going to the pick up location.
Just for the record, we DID have additional destination filters for a while, but they took the number back down to 2 a day after they realized it was drastically reducing the number of available drivers and furthermore degrading the overall operation of the database.
Hey listen Redant, I'm on your team. But I'm also deeply involved in another industry and deal with small businesses as well as larger corporationss. I just know from experience that most folks that haven't had experience with business development can't even begin to imagine how incredibly costly it is just to "be in business". With all the federal regulation and BS, it's almost impossible to start a small business today, and that's simply a fact.
How many people do you think it requires to maintain the 'buggy" app (as you say) that serves over 100,000 drivers at any given point. Trust me, this isn't being maintained in a bedroom. It's in multiple offices where the rent alone is millions of dollars a year for their facilities. But that isn't the biggest expense. Their legal bills are ginormous. Have you hired an attorney lately. Imagine hiring teams of attorneys. Because they do, over and again. Marketing? It's another enormous expense. How much do you think the TV ads we all see for Uber cost? Can you say millions? Because it is!
Yes, to me and I suspect to you as well, it makes sense to raise rates so that we all make more money, thus fewer drivers quit and everything calms down, BUT, i can assure you that will NOT happen until after the IPO. Uber had tremendous growth in ridership again for 2017 and up even more for 2018 thus far, so they aren't possibly going to do anything to slow their growth until they become profit focused and that will be (IMO) AFTER the IPO when they will have no choice but to turn it around for their shareholders.
Other than Facebook and Rideguru, there really isn't a method for drivers to communicate with each other. Occasionally the local hub will offer a get together but those are rare. Honestly I think that is "by design" as it would really not benefit Uber/Lyft for the drivers to have an organization, as that could result in a Union or organized work stoppage etc...
As a driver, we are all "on our own" with the only central point being the APP itself. Otherwise we keep our own secrets, our favorite locations, our "honeypot" so to speak and those were developed as a result of our own investment of time and experience. There is such an influx of drivers these days, you can't afford to give away your findings as that would only serve to reduce your own income.
Personally I would sign-up both cars on the system and you can choose which car you are using at the beginning of each shift. You will find that a regular X is by far the most popular during the week and XL is more popular on weekends when groups go out to events/party etc... You'll still most likely find that only about 1 in 10 ride requests are XL unless you're working around events where "groups" of people attended a game or concert together.
On Uber you can select whether to be X or xl exclusively at any point during your shift. Keep in mind that Uber takes 28% on XL rides, so while you make more they also take more!!!
You can go to www.rideguru.com and calculate any fare from any location/destination with a variety of services including Uber/Lyft.
If you clean/shower frequently and have fresh clothing, no. I've driven extensively my entire life and it has never been an issue whatsoever and I'm very fair skinned.
i have "heard" of some individuals having issues and getting sores, but candidly, these were folks that showered once a week and didn't bother to change underwear etc... during that time.
Generally you "move around" enough as an active driver to keep the blood flowing in your nether regions which maintains your skin.
The APP developement, the computers required to maintain a healthy data environment, and the staff to develop and maintain the system is significant!!! The cost of constantly replacing drivers, doing background checks, recruiting, paying staff at local hubs, having call centers, advertising and marketing and legal defense. This is just a few of the items that has a very REAL cost to Uber. Until you've actually tried to start and maintain a business, you can't appreciate the tremendous costs involved.