RIDEGURU
Are mall and restaurant stops ok?
How long are Uber drivers willing to wait if I asked?
Posted 7 years ago
Posted In
Ask a Driver
Do you have questions for your Uber anad Lyft drivers? What about tips and suggestions? Whether you are a driver or a rider, share your comments here and get responses from real rideshare drivers.
Posted By
ThomBrady
122
Ride Apprentice
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The Guru Take
It depends on the drivers' schedule and how they are.
Uber’s recommendation for the riders is to keep each stop short in consideration for the drivers. The feature is meant to be used for quick errands, such as picking up other passengers or going through a drive-through. It is NOT for going for shopping and dining.
With that said, there is no formal rule from Uber, except for their request to keep the stops to 3~5 minutes.
You can always ask your driver if they are willing to accommodate a longer stop. Depending on their schedule and how busy they are, they may be happy to wait in the parking lot. Remember, they are paid (and you are charged) for the time they wait! (Albeit it being a small fee, at about $0.20 a minute in the USA.)
If the driver is not happy with it, don' fret. Simply request another ride when you are done with your errands. That's what the on-demand car service is for, right?
Lastly, what happens if you ask a driver to wait, but the driver decides to take off. (Say you were taking longer than you said you would.) In that case, the driver would simply end the ride, get paid for the time he or she drove you and waited.
ippei
1202
Uber Driver, CEO of TaxiFareFinder and Unleashed, LLC
Comments
Oooh, I love passenger questions. I love the naivity of them. Also the fact that they're usually from those who care and how genuinei they are.
Just like anything else, just be thoughtful of the position of the driver. We don't make nearly as much when we are waiting for you. We want to be driving! If it's a busy night, we have others we can be driving. Don't make us wait at all!
Then the opposite is true when it's not busy. We make more money while waiting for you than when we are waiting for requests. So, ,those slow times? Sure, I will wait for you outside of Starbucks, in front of your girlfriend's house, wherever. :)
This was with a taxicab once. Those days when we used to pay by cahs.
I once had to make a quick stop at the ATM, yes, ATM of all places. I wanted the driver to wait, so I got out and even tipped him a $20. I didn't want him to peel off with my stuff, so I took my roller bag and walked over to the ATM. Then he peeled off anyways.
In hindsight, of course he would. He got to keep the $20 and probably went off to find another fare without waiting.
This depends on how busy it is. If it's a busy period and there are surges, trust me, I am outta there! Sorry, I am not in it to make pennies just sitting around.
cool, this is +1 for Uber.