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.
It would be nice if you at least told us your location!
In most markets Uber does not accept cash payments. I would recommend taking a cab. Uber insurance will NOT cover you in the event of an accident if you're utilizing an Uber driver and negotiated a deal to pay them cash.
The driver would have to have true COMMERCIAL insurance (this is NOT the same as if they have added Ridehshare to their policy)... otherwise you're both at risk in the event of an accident and technically neither of you would be insured as regular insurance does NOT cover "ride for hire" situation and they will drop the insured so fast you won't even know what happened!
You could also book an Uber Black and they would accept cash.
Thanks for the clarification. The markets you mentioned must have MUCH better rates than we see in our market. There is absolutely NO WAY you could make a profit (unless perhaps you're renting the car itself and nothing more) in our market... I used to know a couple of people that hired drivers and provided the cars etc... but that went away when the rates dropped to 50% less than they were and it has improved very little.
Are you referring to Black Car Limo or regular Uber X and XL?
Could this possibly be a carrier problem, AT&T in particular??? Have you discussed the issues with friends from that perspective? I'm just wildly curious. I'm using an older 6S Plus Iphone on Verizon and honestly I can't remember the last time I noticed any issues. (I use Uber maps fwiw)... I've had perhaps 5 issues within 2K + rides.
The new surge system is a fixed amount. For example a $3-4 dollar adder in lieu of the traditional rates rather than paying a large surge for the entire ride. (However on very long rides they DO give you an additional surge amount). The disadvantage is it can be less earnings on a medium size ride. The good news however is that EVERY driver that crosses through a surge area will get the surge price on their next ride even if it's out of the surge area.
Uber technically won't lose overall as the surge pay to an individual driver is less (still more than standard rates) but it is ALSO given to EVERY other driver in a surge market area during the surge on their next ride.
Go to that ride in your trip history and then send a message to Uber. They will contact the driver for you. Expect to compensate the driver especially if this involves mailing or returning them to you. Uber DOES NOT cover that, but they will charge you a $10 fee for time and trouble.
The laws concerning Commercially insured vehicles varies widely by State and City. Most major cities would require a license of some sort and fee's would be involved. You would most likely need a "permit" to operate and in all probabilities you would have to establish a corporation of some kind with a business name. (which could be your name).
Which begs the question, why do you have commercial insurance rather than just adding Rideshare onto your existing policy which costs MUCH less? Surely you must already be a part of a driving/transportation situation in order to be paying for commercial insurance? Possibly you could do private rides under the guise of whatever company that is and avoid the additional expense since you're probably only going to offer the private ride service on a very select basis.
If his background investigation didn't show anything, then no, Uber is not responsible. However, if the background check showed ANYTHING at all, Uber should have conducted a deeper investigation IMO and does assume some degree of liability.
Personally i think new drivers should have to pay a fee for their own investigation AND receive a copy. Let's get some skin in the game and also reduce the number of people that apply but never gain approval because of their records, which is a huge waste of dollars for Uber.
I would suggest using two Uber X. You will have to order one per phone - you can't order two. An XL most likely will not be able to handle it, but two x's should be able. And keep in mind the price difference between two x vs one xl is relatively insignificant.
From what I've read, at their peak, over a million dollars in value at their peak in New York, but I haven't reviewed anything regarding Chicago. Most taxi drivers considered their medallion their retirement fund. I'm sure they'd never dreamed it could possibly decline - until Uber came on the scene.
Yes, i definitely feel they will increase rates, HOWEVER, I am confident they will increase rates to benefit themselves - NOT the driver. Yeah we may get a tiny increase, but as long as there's a steady flow of new drivers ready to 'try it out' I don't think things will change for anybody except the corporation. They've yet to ever make a cent of profit, and it appears the only way to change that, which will be essential if they're going to survive as an IPO, will be to increase their share of the ride revenue (take a larger cut).
Open your Uber app. Enter the destination. Then on next page you can revised your pickup location to the Gypsy Fly address. The app will then give you a guaranteed rate (for that moment).
I agree it often seems to happen at the most inconvenient times!!! Their computer program that determines when this is required definitely needs some work. How about when you first sign on before you've received a ride request? How about when your car is sitting still! Or how about just making it a part of signing on for the day rather than in the middle of things when you're obviously working.
There's certainly no reason to be "freaked out"... you are recorded dozens if not hundreds of times a day and you never know it. Security cameras are on virtually every business, every bank, everywhere you go. Heck i have 4 in my house and getting ready to add more.
If you aren't doing anything illegal, why worry about it?
And yes, many drivers have cameras but they are within view, typically mounted on the front window or dash. Most of these operate in both directions so it adds several layers of safety both for YOU as well as the driver. I've never heard of a driver having elaborate hidden systems - those are very costly and if you knew how poorly being an Uber/Lyft driver actually paid, you would understand why the chances of anyone investing thousands into that type of system are virtually nill.
Actually you should feel doubly safe when you enter an Uber that DOES have cameras as you have the assurance of knowing the driver isn't going to do anything foolish or aggressive either since it would all be on film!
I'm a member of a car wash program - unlimited washes for around $40 a month and it's a truly good car wash with and includes inside although having the floormats spray cleaned is a few dollars extra.
While I typically shutter when the government gets involved in anything, and especially in a business, but in this case, I hope they do! The only way we will EVER see Uber/Lyft rates become a workable long term method to make a living will be if the government insists that we be classified and PAID as employee's with rate guarantee's so that we can do more than just "break even" after we file our taxes every year.
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.
Actually having done a couple thousand rides, I don't think I've ever given a 1-star. I had one trip were I would have, but the ride requesting customer was not in my car - rather he had ordered the ride for a couple of employee's that were complete idiots and furthermore puked in the car. So i didn't... but in hindsight, I should have!
I think in the beginning Travis had everyone at heart including the drivers and of course, once he realized the potential, that quickly began to change. Profitability (which Uber has NEVER experienced) was thrown to the wind in exchange for growth. And it worked in that Uber's popularity grew like crazy. Not to say it wouldn't have grown exponentially anyhow as it is a wonderful service and word of mouth alone could have made it wildly popular even at the higher prevailing rates of 2 years ago. Unfortunately nearly every cent that has has been invested has been spent, and every driver makes less than 1/2 today than they did when the company started.
Now that Dara is at the helm, his focus is entirely on making a profit to look good for an IPO, and increasing the overall public perception through marketing efforts. But the truth is, how this actually translates for the drivers is that Uber is now averaging about 50% on the majority of rides once you weigh their share versus the drivers share, and the original 80% for the drivers will perhaps never be seen again.
I anticipate we may see customer rate increases in the future, most likely hidden under the guise of "guaranteed trip price" while Uber takes ALL the increase and shares nothing with the drivers. (They're doing that already but to a lesser scale)
At some point, one of the big news shows such as dateline or 20/20 etc... will actually have the intestinal fortitude to step up and do driver interviews and actually break out how poorly it pays - which will become a real awakening for those that have considered but never actually signed up to drive. At this point Uber and Lyft spend a few million on advertising, so I'm confident that keeps the possibility of the news story from happening since everyone (including the major networks) are driven by profitability which comes primarily through advertising dollars.
Once the news is out (some day, some way) the constant flow of new drivers will drastically slow, and then, and ONLY then, Uber will be forced to deal with driver pay and finally provide a more reasonable share of the income.
I don't doubt that Uber needs to make money - of course - that's why any company exists, but it's unreal that to operate a computer system (a dispatch system) can require MORE than 25% of the revenue just to break even. And yet, to date, with the exception of the quarter where they sold off their China operations, there has NEVER been a profitable quarter and they have lost BILLIONS of dollars. Mindblowing!
First consider than an Uber driver would be a terrible choice for several reasons. Not the least of which is that we DO NOT accept cash payments, and most seasoned drivers KNOW BETTER than to carry much cash. Second many of us have defensive methods in our cars - far more than the average driver. I would mace your eyes SO FAST! Others I know have Concealed Carries. Third, I see cars all around me all the time. Being able to see them on a map certainly doesn't somehow make them more of a target IMO. Having driven for Uber since they first arrive in our market (over 3 years) I am very happy to say i have had some questionable customers that may have been participating in some suspect activities, but I can only think of one trip where I felt slightly unsafe and that was a matter of where I had to stop and wait in a well known questionable neighborhood. I have never felt threatened in any way thankfully.