RIDEGURU
The Wraith (wraiththe)
Ride Apprentice from USA, South East.
Another Fish in the Sea, but taken.
207 DriverHave learned a lot since the start.
Still wish to remain anonymous
Activity
Posts by wraiththe
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Do not take people for an extra stop for Cash.
Had a woman and man in my car the other night. They were both fine when they got in... as … -
When a passenger damages my car or steals stuff.
How come Uber can deny requests for reimbursement if someone steals stuff from your car? I have video of where … -
Canned responses and responding to what?
Why is it OK for Uber to not listen to what you are saying and offer canned responses that are … -
Changing the terms
Why is it OK for Uber to change the terms and then offer 21 documents, many are over 35 pages, … -
Earning how much per hour you say???
It is a little annoying to see Uber showing earnings of $30/hr. This is misleading because you have your expenses: … -
Uber X: 3 passenger max???
HI,Uber states that Uber X is for 3 passengers max. Now that the mask mandate is removed, they still … -
Go ahead, be a DB... do you still expect to be picked up.
Just curious for riders...If the pin placement or address is wrong - Do you expect the driver to find … -
Uber now ask driver if rider was wearing a mask or not
"Was your rider wearing a mask?" (Yes/No) is asked for every rider now.Not sure what happens if you say … -
Uber Privacy Notice?
Here we go again. Honestly, I cannot stay awake to read the entire 20 page policies and links to other … -
Changes in Charlotte
Uber recently made some changes in Charlotte. I started reading some of the documents... which of course point to other … -
Inconceivable to work for Lyft in Charlotte NC and others.
Lyft dropped their payout to drivers to 33 cents per mile and 10 cents per minute. It has been over … -
Low down on minors.
School is about to start and we, as drivers, are about to get inundated with ride requests from children anywhere … -
I am not a clairvoyant!!! To the Riders, if you want to get picked up.
One day this week... 4 riders put in the wrong addresses that were at least 2-4 blocks away. At least … -
Uber Driver App not working... I think... it is getting really bad - anyone else???
HI, My Uber driver app has been horribly messing up. FIrst I thought it was my phone, so I had … -
PLEASE wave when you see us. Please please please
HI,The aps/GPS are often lacking. It can be hard to gauge where you are and we do not know … -
Clarity on free rides to voting locations and expectations
It is great that Uber and Lyft are helping people get to the voting booth, but it would be nice … -
Uber GPS improvements
I noticed that the new app has a few more buttons if you use the GPS in the Uber App. … -
Hurricane Riding compensation
Attention: Rideshare companies If you expect us to take risks during the next few days of the hurricane, We epxect … -
Dead Leg Compensation
What do you think about soliciting compensation for Dead Leg returns on long trips? For those who do not know …
No one has shamed me yet. Many are curious... some want to understand more about it and ask questions.
A few have barked orders and talked down to me.
No matter how poorly some people may act out... Who and how I am is not dependent on them or thier perception. If they are off putting or rude... they will be out of the car in a few minutes (usually.)
Some of the other drivers I have seen should be absolutely ashamed of themselves for different reasons (We will not go into here.) There are times I actually feel ashamed to be associated with them. Ultimately, it is not because they are Drivers, it is who they are.
Some passengers confide in me about poor experiecnes... but they generally will not treat me poorly.
I have actually written in to Lyft about this. Every time the email me back, they do not include the original message, so I paste the history back in. Every time I clarify, they evade.
The only clarification I have gotten is that a description will be given in the passenger app when it is offered. They implied that there would be a discount offered on all rides... they also said that waiting would be determined by the rider and the passenger as to how it benefitted them.
RedANT, the part I think is rediculous is the description in blue. Gifts or incentives... are for buying someone's vote, not getting them to vote. This refers to paying them to vote a specific way, not to vote how they want to.
Joke right? You gotta be kidding? Does anyone have to even try to explain what is wrong with all that? Nonsnese.
Thanks RedANT, got a link to that information? I might just print it out and laminate it.
Could not say about a movement, but I would really appreciate it if
1) the rider's face was on the account and visible so I could make sure the person who ordered the ride is the same as the one getting in the car... or who to look for. Perhaps they could take a selfie even...
2) at the very least - the phone numbers were current... so I could reach them if needed. It has been said that it is impossible to change the phone number on an account. I do not know if that is true or not.
Not too concerned about any other profile information. Also who has time to read it before accepting? Just about everyone gets a ride. I would just want accountability and more clear communications.
Part of the problem is "texts." I don't read texts while driving. Unless there is a light to stop at. Often I call, but the problem there is that 50% of the people do not answer.
I wish Uber/Lyft would eliminate the texts.
I am not comfortable... but I do have a dashcam to record inside and outside the car in case there are questions.
I have been taking taxis and Mass Transit since 12 years old on my own... but that was then, this is now...
Perhaps Rideshares should charge an extra fee for extra insurance if the passenger is a minor... and even ask that an adult put them in the car?
The other problem is I don't really trust kids. It would be nice to be able to opt out.
Cheesehead has a point though. Who knows about the next guy.
You should
1) call your card company and explain the situation to them, see what they say.
2) be sure to send an EMAIL to Uber... or go through the site: do it in writing and cut and paste the information into a document and save it.
3) everytime they contact you through email, be sure to cut and paste the previous emails into the document.
4) State that you have done everything you can and that it is now on them and that they need to escalate and fix it immediately.
5) see 3 - try to keep the emails in order as they never send the original in a reply...
Paper trails make a huge difference.
You are so wrong... men on men happens... happened.
As one already said, it buzzes the passenger that the driver has arrived.
What kills me is when the passenger does not answer the phone or the number is invalid.
Then they do or don't accept a text... and expect us to wait five minutes or more?
Then the driver has to hope the address was put in correctly... (mistakes happen A LOT)
I start to think it is a rider scam. Ever have a shotgun pointed at you at 5:30 am? (For being at the wrong address?)
I once saw a woman driver with two kids bouncing around in the SUV waiting for a pickup at the airport.
Nothing can come close to the original post!
While it would take a lot to make me ready to pop, one passenger really got me mad.
He was hidden deep in an unpaved parking lot behind a fence with no numbers on it. Even with him trying to help, it took 15 minutes to find him. He finally had to walk out to the street. He spoke broken english which made it hard. Too long, I should have cancelled.
On entering the car, he had mud caked all around his shoes.
I asked him to please clap them before entering the car because I had just detailed it, and because I did not want all the mud in the car. He turned and mocked me with sad eyes and said "Awwwww, you knew what you were getting into when you took this job." and flaired out his lower lip (pouting and taunting me.)
I had to bite my lip.
I should have kicked him out, but I explained that it was MY CAR, I was not a taxi, and that I did not have to give him a ride at all. Also that I would have to clean it up and if he made it dirty enough he would have to pay to have it cleaned. I was still nice to him, and still gave him a pleasant ride. Still, by then the damage was done. He got the ride, I rated him poorly and I am sure he did the same. I also had to drive across a muddy parking lot with pot holes big enough to swallow my car to get his luggage. I had to clean the car and the carpet. Red and grey clay. I called in and asked that they never pair me with him again.
It is annoying when people put in the wrong address, then are not out side when you get there... or worse: they don't even try to flag you down when you arrive... (as if we are supposed to be magicians and know...) if we pass them... they get condescending when they get - the trip is off to a poor start.
Once I waited in the driveway at the address given, and the owner came out with a shotgun. The passenger must have done this before, because he realized quickly why I was there. Still, not fun.
One other thing... Never ever spray on perfume in an Uber. You could potentially kill your driver and you in the process.
Don't smoke or vape anything in the car... that really does not need to be said.
I guess we shall see. I will be checking both the rider and driver apps. If they do charge the riders a surge, but do not pass it down to the rider... then.. well, that is just deplorable. I am hoping they will not. Based on what the other guys said, I plan on staying home. We are only supposed to get a lot of rain and some high winds.
More importantly get one with IR nightvision for the camera inside the car. or, at the very least one that records sound.
No, you are right, they are not! People should do their homework and not just buy anything.
All I can say is on a very dangerous day to drive because of the ICE, I asked two different people what they paid and compared it to what I got. One paid over $17 and I made 4 and change. Another I had to trek to was charged $25; my take was @ $6. There were only a few drivers on the road that day. Tons of wrecks. Literally driving on ICE on %70 or more of the roads. Can't remember if there were any surges or not. If there were, there were not many.
I wont go out in hazardous conditions unless there are surges, and the riders will be asked what they paid.... There will not be any driving 17 minutes away for a pickup with out motivation. Not talking about a little rain, but more about torrential downpours and high winds.
Of course, if the roads are hazardous enough for curfews and evacuation... no one should be out. If there is an emergency... then call 911.
As a driver, be smart and don't bite off more than you can chew.
As a passenger, If you need to get somehwere badly and the weather terrible, and there are only a few drivers up to the task, then they deserve more. How much? Maybe NOT 10X the ammount. But maybe 2 -4? Depending? Maybe a $10-20 surge? It is not price gouging,
Also, In my case, the rideshares billed the riders more, but did not pay it forward. Call it gouging or not.
Please understand, I have a very strong work ethic and detest gouging. This is not water, or toilet paper, insulin, or generators... it is a service under harsh conditions.
Best not to go out anyway. No money is worth getting you and your passengers hurt, or your car wrecked. If you cannot do it safely with good equipment and some good driving skills, then stay home... PLEASE.
Count your blessings if you do not have the new one. Wait till they fix a few things... or don't.
It is pretty, but it still has quite a bit to go in order to be more effective and graceful.
Please consider this constructive.
If you turn off navigation comments, it no longer reads texts from riders out loud.
When in a call, it will not sound off when a ride is offered. At least it flashes the camera flash.
It no longer shows us how many cars are in the airport: The "Lot Full" shows on a small number which makes it harder to chose to go there or not.
It is harder to navigate through the app to things like specific ride information.
The surge apparently does not work correctly. I have images and video of being in a surge area and never recieving the surge, or getting only < %30 of the surge. At least once, two other drivers next to me - using the old ap got the full surge, but I did not.
The time estimates may be off as the ap does not show traffic info or closed streets.
The directions sometimes get lost or do not come up. I had several rides today and a few days where I had to reboot the phone to get the app working again... This could be my phone, but I don't think so. The blue line that shows the path and the directions never show up.
There are several screens where there is an "X" to click in order to exit a popup or screen instead of a back arrow. It looks like it could cancel the ride if you click it. (ie. rider info)
Lastly, I can no longer change the destination. A large ammount of my passengers will not correct the destination. Often they are off by many miles. Some are combatant, some are annoyed by it, some just cannot figure out how to do it... This is very frustrating and can diminish a ride on several levels. It can also be dangerously distracting unless one pulls over. It creates conflicts that are unecessary.
Afterthought: It is tricky to get to the setting where you do not want to accept anymore rides... especially if you are currently driving a passenger and need to stop accepting requests that are comming in rapid fire.
Well, since you asked:
There will always be things people consiously or subconsiously do that we don't like. It is to be expected in any service industry. In dealing it is always best to weigh the significance or threat, remain level headed, and try to come to an amicable solution. (Also, to decide if you are the one being unreasonable.) Always be nice, until a line is crossed. For most of us, the line is different. I try to keep the line as distant as possible. We all have buttons, but still, it is best to breathe, remain calm, stay respectful, be considerate, and be pleasant. In service, it is not about the person providing the service, it is all about the person paying and their experience.
1) People who soak themselves in perfume to the point where I can no longer breathe, or I get a little dazed. To add, people that have just smoked 5 cigarrets and put the last out as they get in the car. These people smell so strong it has taken a day to get the stink out... even after washing the seats (a block or so away from the drop off.) - Which I have had to do... a lot.
Dealing: I have started asking if I may open the windows for a while, at the start of the trip... as it has been a necessity to continue the ride. Most do not seem to mind. If there is resistance I may tell them that I cannot tolerate it or breathe and it may not be safe to continue the ride. Some people cannot tolerate fragrances. (Yes it is true and and million dollar lawsuites have been won.) I think people are beggining to realize how bad perfume can hurt people... and chronic smokers realize how bad they can stink up a room. I would even go so far as to say that some people appreciate the chance to air themselves out a little.
Two people have put on perfume IN the car. That should be an absolute no no. I have let them know it was unacceptable. Once I washed the seats three times yet it was still like a perfume store. The Another it took over three days for the smell to dissapated.
So far, I have not had to deny anyone a ride... but I fear the day is comming when I will not be able to tolerate it.
2) Slamming the doors: only because its effects are cumulative. My car is light, not an SUV. People can be brutal: One opened the door so hard, I thought the hinge had bent.
Dealing: On occasion, I have jumped, cringed, and then politely aksed for them to please be more gentle with the doors.
One guy (in a bunch of rowdy young guys) slammed the door so hard... without thinking I turned around, looked him in the eye, and said "Respect the car!" He apologized, we laughed it off and had a very fun ride.
Most likely: if you put love into your car, people can tell, appreciate it, and will actively refrain from doing harm. At least they will understand when you ask.
Inversely: If you dont care about it, why should they?
I hate to put up signs to be gentle with the doors, but I may have to consider it.
3) No baby seats or underage kids, Customers who put me in an uncomfortable position where I have to deny service: They are asking me to do something that would risk my job. Most know this... they deny it, but you can read it on their faces. Also, there are a lot of kids that miss the bus and try to take Rideshares to school. It is terrible getting pulled 15 minutes away to a ride we cannot accept.
Dealing: Politely: "I cannot risk losing my license as this is my only source of income at the moment." Even when frustrated, I never show anger or disrespect... only dissappointment that I cannot help them. For older kids, it is a shame we cannot give teenagers a ride and I don't make the rules. I ask if they are 18, if they say yes they get a ride... unless it is obvious they don't.
3a) Open alcoholic beverages. (actually this has not been a problem)
Dealing: With a make no mistake attitute: "Sorry, I don't want to be a downer, but I cannot risk losing my dirver's license as this is my only source of income. I will wait while you finish it or we can cancel the ride." I have only had one person call another car.
4) People that disrespect the car. Mine is immaculate. 8 years old and it looks brand new. Some people could care less and have no manners... unless it is brought to their attention.
Dealing: No eating in the car, no open beverages, no smoking. If you are dirty, wet, or have a sympathy or service dog that is not exceptionally clean: I have beach towels in the trunk, as well as a small tarp in case it is really bad or a grease monkey expects a ride. No one has ever gotten mad for me pulling out a beach towel, and I am not afraid to use it. My car, my investment. Ultimately it is my way or the highway.
5) Asking me to wait, agreeing to tip, then not tipping.
Dealing: On a one to one basis. I tell people "I will not wait for more than two or three minutes unless there is compensation. We make less than $4 an hour sitting on the clock. Others have stiffed me... so I can drop them off and they can start a new trip if it is going to be long..." I have not gotten stiffed since I am upfront and stern. I am careful to watch my tone of voice, and do this gently, respectfully, but firmly. I never pull a rap like tone of resentment or imply that they would do the same. I just have to protect my interests.
Rideshare companies: Sorry, 7 cents a minute is not enough for a long wait!!
6) Wrong phone numbers, pick up locations, ID pictures, drop offs. These are increadibly annoying and can be challenging.
There should be a place where we can let the rideshare Co's know that the phone numbers are no longer valid. I absolutely hate it pulling into a driveway in the dark, with no light on with no way to call the rider and verify the address. Often - the call is ignored... or worse; the number is no longer valid. (I have actually had someone open their door with a shotgun asking my why I turned into his driveway.) All too often there are no numbers on buildings or homes.... and the GPS is absolutely useless!
Dealing: Honestly... most people know their phones are no longer associated with their accounts. I will mention that many drivers will just leave. If the wait is too long and the phone does not work, I will leave, but have only had to do this once. Often I mention the situation casually and move on. if it is really bad, I may explain and reccomend a course of action. If I had the time and a very good memory, I would fix the records... it is possible to fix google anyway. If the destination is wrong, I correct it.
I would really feel safer if the rideshare companies had a little more control over peoples pictures being correct and their phone numbers being correct. It actually feels a little scary when they are not.
Furthermore, their home addresses should be easy to put in. They should be in before rider even asks for a ride from home... and not send us to a neighbor two houses down.
Always keep a cool head, be polite and smart about things. At least until it is time not to be and try not to let that time come. NEVER escalate.
Heard the Vantrue n2 Pro is one of the best.
You can pick up a NuCam Dual Dash Cam for under $100 and it does better than many of the cams out there, but it is not perfect. It is easy to mount, does GPS, and Records inside the car at night.
http://a.co/d/dm610wg
None of the cams are perfect. This one does a good job. Keep the button handy that keeps the video segments from being overwritten. Use a good 32GB microSD card.