RIDEGURU
Ippei Takahashi (ippei)
Ride Guru from Boston, MA - USA
Uber Driver, CEO of TaxiFareFinder and Unleashed, LLC
1202 Rider Driver GuruUber Driver and CEO/President of Unleashed, LLC.
Ippei boasts over 11 years of experience in travel and taxi industry. As a CEO, he has built, managed, and executed the operations of TaxiFareFinder since 2007. He has partnerships and relationships with major taxi, rideshare, and other travel-related companies.
To contact me, please send email
Activity
Posts by ippei
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What to do if your Rideshare Driver makes you feel Uncomfortable [RideGuru Newsroom]
Good article: What to do if your Rideshare Driver makes you feel Uncomfortable -
Riders are more likely to take an Uber when it's surging 2.1 times than 2.0.
Riders are more accepting of surges that are NOT round numbers, because consumers feel more thoughts went into the calculation … -
Driver strikes didn’t break Uber - but they showed gig economy workers are mad. [Vox]
Feel the Bern!Demanding higher wages and benefits, thousands of Uber and Lyft drivers in over two dozen cities around … -
Uber IPO: Relationship with drivers, drivers being employees, and some metrics starting to be revealed
The usual market gibberish, but I did find these interesting though:Tips and TripsNonfinancial metrics are also important for … -
Our friend, Peter Ashlock, is on NY Times. Pointing out the truths about Uber and its gig-economy.
Our friend, Peter, was on the New York Times last week. Mr. Ashlock, who will be 71 next week, has … -
To Uber and Lyft drivers: What are things passengers UNFAIRLY rate you on? What are things outside of your control as a driver, but can ding you on your ratings or tips?
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Underage Passengers Can Ruin Your Life. Are You Properly Protected? [Ridester]
It's a great summary from Ridester on underage passengers: https://www.ridester.com/lyft-uber-minor-policy/Uber’s rule says:“A rider must be at least … -
A friend, a prank, and autocorrect leads to bad passenger ratings.
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All The Ways You Can Sell Advertising Space In and On Your Car [The Rideshare Guy]
Rideshare driving is becoming more difficult – rates are declining, bonuses are changing, and promotions have been reduced drastically in … -
How to Maximize Earnings While Driving Part Time [The Rideshare Guy]
Are you a part-time Uber or Lyft driver? If so, you’re probably wondering how you can maximize your time on … -
Waymo’s self-driving car unit officially launched the first commercial driverless taxi service
Waymo’s self-driving car unit officially launched the first commercial driverless taxi service in a roughly 100-mile zone across four Phoenix … -
Driver Star Rating Explained - How ratings work and affect drivers (plus video)
How ratings work and affect driver-partnersWhat you’ll be rated onRiders likely consider a variety of factors when selecting … -
If Self-Driving Cars Were Southern
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Uber for Packages - Amazon Delivery Driver: What it’s like to work for Amazon Flex [Geekwire]
People overlook what it takes to delivery all those packages from Amazon, and most aren't aware that it's Uber-esque in … -
What do you think of Lyft's $299/mo subscription plan to replace car ownership?
https://www.theverge.com/2018/10/16/17978626/lyft-monthly-subscription-plan-nationwide Lyft’s monthly subscription experiment is going national. The ride-hailing company has been tinkering with subscriptions since earlier this year, … -
Video - Every Uber Ever [Smoth]
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Travel Tips - Should You Tip Your Uber Driver? If So, How Much? [New York Times]
New York Times' Kristin Wong is educating the riders on how the tipping should work. Do you agree with her … -
Teens headed to homecoming say Uber driver told them to get out due to age [AJC.com]
This is sure to stir up some discussions with strong voices from both ends. "Teenagers in Gwinnett County say they … -
How to Profit from Minimum-Fare Uber Rides [Ridester.com]
Any rideshare driver will tell you that minimum fare rides are undesirable. These small trips offer a low fare cost … -
The worst types of Uber passengers (and how to deal with them) [Gridwise]
A fun article on Gridwise regarding our important cargos, i.e. passengers. They pick up 5 worst types of rideshare passengers …
Featured Answers by ippei
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A 45 miles will take 45~60 minutes to drive. Such a trip should be about $55 to 70 in most areas. This is without considering for surge pricing which can raise the fare during busy periods.
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Here are two related and common questions around Uber/Lyft scheduled rides:
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check this out for the graphs of how rideshare number has been skyrocketing.
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There was a thread on this with a Guru Answer.
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Related threads:
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Great discussions going on here. All great advice. Here are some relevant articles from RideGuru
Getaround: Is Renting A Car For $5 an Hour to Drive for Uber Worth It?
What about peer-to-peer car rentals?
Uber Rent - Drive stranger's cars AirBnB style! Would you rent your car for $5 an hour?
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Hi, Joyce,
I updated the guru answer with a map and a link to Uber's relevant page, regarding Flagstaff coverage. Please take a look. I hope you find it useful.
Two more relevant articles that may answer your questions
How are Long Pickup Premiums (aka Long Pickup Fees) calculated?
Which cities are the long distance fees available and can be collected by the Uber drivers?
The long distance fees are assessed on the customers, and they are based on the time and distance it takes for the driver to get to them. Previously, the trip the drivers took to pick up the passenger had no cost to the passenger.
Check out these articles here:
Live in the Suburbs? Get ready to pay Uber's "Long Distance Pick Up Fee"
Long Distance Pickup Fee...Yaaaay!
There was a good thread on drivers who smoke and what they did about the smell.
The answer depends on the state actually. This is obviously to do with consent, and how it affects the privacy.
Here's a good explanation of what I found. It talks to how some states require two-party consent vs. one-party consent.
"Everything comes back to state law. The United States has a federal law regarding filming people without their consent, but it’s a little more complex than just yes or no. Things get even more complicated when it’s a car owned and operated by a private citizen. Gargac told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he doesn’t consider people riding in another person’s car a private place — because it isn’t their property.
“I have sex in my bedroom,” Gargac said. “I don’t have sex in strangers’ cars. Because I have a reasonable expectation of privacy in the bedroom in my own house. I don’t have that in a stranger’s car.”
Missouri, where Gargac lives, operates on one-party consent laws, which state people “can record a phone call or conversation so long as you are a party to the conversation,” according to the Digital Media Law Project. Thirty-nine other states also have one-party consent laws regarding such recording activities.
Considering the conversation took place in Gargac’s car, and therefore in his vicinity, he is a member of the party. Since he consented to the video, it’s fine to record and stream, even if his passengers are unaware. California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Montana, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and Washington abide by two-party consent laws, which means that both parties must agree to being recorded. (source)"
Related threads:
What is the "cleaning fees" and "vomit" SCAM by Uber drivers? Should I be concerned? How do I avoid them?
How is Uber fighting back against Cleaning Fees Scams?
They spend $800 million a year on Autonomous Vehicle development. I just posted the article here:
https://ride.guru/lounge/p/investors-tell-uber-to-ditch-self-driving-car-program-report-says
There is an article on this topic. You may find some good tips there.
How much luggage can I bring in my Uber/Lyft?
A rider asked this question about how drivers may not be able to end a trip without a cellular signal. Check out the thread:
Can the driver complete and end the ride if he has no cell phone signal?
No, the driver fees are NOT in addition to the total cost. The fare displayed already includes the drivers' fees.
10! That's a lot within the a region. Then again, Australia is a battleground for rideshare services
My first stab below off the top of my head
Bigger Players
Shofer
Taxify
GoCatch
Shebah
Uber
Ola
Didi (started in June, 2018)
Smaller players or more traditional "rideshares" are:
ShareYourRide.net
CoSeats.com
Carpool Works
Gumtree
Hophop Ride
Kangaride
Hi, Oscar
Food delivery
UberEats
Menulog
Deliveroo
GoFetch
There was a thread on this with a Guru Answer.
What is the "cleaning fees" and "vomit" SCAM by Uber drivers? Should I be concerned? How do I avoid them?
https://ride.guru/lounge/p/uber-experiments-drivers-seeing-destination-info-before-accepting-the-trip
No, they won't be able to edit the destination and have it be reflected in the Uber app.
However, if you just ask them to go to a different destination, they will take you there! (and the price will be adjusted.)
I have heard from another Philly driver that they can pick up in parts of Maryland but only in Cecil County, Maryland, which borders Delaware. As you said, it does not cover the whole state, say Baltimore or Annapolis.
Guru here. Those tolls are indeed being assessed on the passengers. However, I do wonder if many are even aware that they are paying for the return tolls. (and not theirs)
There are situations where passengers are charged the tolls for the return trip, even though they were not incurred during the trip. Philadelphia bridges is a good example.
Who pays the tolls on the return trip on an Uber/Lyft ride?
(Note: I added your Philly example to it. Thanks!)
Hi, James,
I reached out to a few New Jersey drivers and also a person who is close to Uber, and I believe I have the information you are looking for. Just so you are aware, I will be updating the original Guru Response shortly as well.
Uber now has an agreement with the city of Philadelphia, and the local regulation dictates that you must be registered in Philadelphia (i.e. have Philadelphia as the primary location) to receive requests in Philadelphia. This enforcement indeed began in April. The below is a communication that went out to some drivers in New Jersey, which sheds light on what happened. (Please note that this is from a driver, and it has not been verified with Uber.)
"To comply with local regulations, drivers who wish to do trips starting in Philadelphia must have Philadelphia as the primary city on their Uber driver account."
"By switching to Philadelphia, you’ll continue to receive trip requests in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware as well; however, if you choose to continue as a New Jersey partner, you will only get requests for trips beginning in New Jersey."
Here's where it gets interesting. There are conflicting reports from New Jersey drivers on how Uber sent out the communication. Take a look at some of the claims from these drivers:
Seeing the above, it's possible that Uber may be consoslidating the New Jersey and Philadelphia markets, by having all of the drivers be compliant to Philly's regulations. This way, all drivers get to continue to drive for both locations and in both directions. (This is only our speculation, however.)
So, perhaps you could request Uber to change your home location to Philadelphia? Since Philadelphia drivers can also drive in New Jersey, this may solve the problem you outlined. I wondered what other impacts there may be, such as losing the NJ promotinos or not being able to drive in northern states like NY and CT, but upon asking a few drivers, that does not seem to be the case.
I hope you find this information helpful.
here's another thread. Check out the comments section for more examples of driver scams.
There are "Uber for moving" companies. See if there is one available. It's basically a way to rent a truck from a local truck owner.
Uber for Moving, Get Help with Your Move!