RIDEGURU
As a driver, have you ever arrived for pickup and then decided to refuse/cancel the ride?
Posted 6 years, 10 months 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
Peterthebull
140
Ride Apprentice
Popular Links
- Maximum Ridesharing Profits
- Fare Estimator
- Rideshare 101
- Sign up for UberAd
- Sign up for Uber EatsAd
- Sign up for Lyft - $5 offAd
Comments
Reading other responses, I am noticing a common theme here. It's on the weekend nights, when people are wasted, drivers do whatever it takes to defend themselves. I am the same way.
I am tired of driving drunk passengers. You riders don't understand how high the risk is driving these drunks. Forget the fact that they are annoying and loud and scoff up my car. They often give horrible ratings thinking it's funny, and OH MY GOSH, if they PUKE in my car, I am out for the job the whole night.
What turns my crank is when the riders think we make out on charging cleaning fees. It's far from the truth. We lose the revenue for the rest of the night. It's the biggest crock of crap..
Lets be real here.... to get puke out of a carpet for real would cost hundreds of $$$. It is a bio hazzard and it soaks into the carpet and beneath it. Getting it in the door requires door disassembly. $300 would not cover it at the dealer. $500 would not cover really cleaning up puke if it is bad. I had an a$$hole the other day try to bring a can of gas... I said no way and they acted like I should help because they are desperate. Not in my $40K car???? I went to pick up the gas can and it had holes in it!!! My hand was covered in gas. I told him NO F'ing way!!! but compromised. it was 4 miles, I drove slow, he put the can in a heavy garbage can and held it out the window very carefully, I drove at 30mph. Many Pax do not care about our cars... including putting feet on the plastic part of the dashboard scratching it... not repairable. Use discretion.
I will bite. When arriving at a location, I do look at the rider up and down, and judge them on their appearance and their ability to stay conscious through the ride. Let me explain. and the premise here is late at night around bar closing times. Say 2:15AM.
Appearance - If they have puke stains on front of their shirts. It's a CANCEL. If they have stains on their crotch area (from pee), it's a CANCEL. If you don't have shoes or sandals on, it's a CANCEL. (yep, it happens, and I am from Boston not Long Beach.)
Stay Awake - In my not such a long career of driving for four years, I've had about 10 people fall asleep on me to the point I honestly couldn't wake them up. At least I know where the destination is on an Uber, so I can at least take them where they are going. Some of those times, I had to knock on the house door to see if I could leave them with someone else. Some of those times, I had to drive to the police station and get them to take the passengers off.
Hell yah. Gotta stand up for yourself. When I arrive and the dudes are obviously drunk, I refuce to let them in my car.
Everyone knows the type. The weekend nights, there'reo ften groups of white men, who seem to go berserk ballistic belligerent whenever they are drunk. Kicking wastebaskets hanging on awnings. They slam doors, and are in to break stuff. There's no way I am letting those douche bags in my car. I just keep driving and cancel.
There are code of conducts and community guidlines and all that, but all that stuff go out the door. In the guideline, it also says the drivers need to not discriminate and all that, but drunk violent dudes I'd be happy to discriminate against.
"berserk ballistic belligerent." nice. yes, we all know those guys. Chads and Todds of the world.
I had a buddy who always started shouting "homo" repeatedly when he got drunk and rode on taxis. It's weird that the anti-homosexual behaviors always came out when he rode taxis. (ando only when he was on taxis) None of us could figure out why, and we all decided to not pry.
and yes, he was white and his name was Zack. yes, typical.
Do you mean discovering that the person is black?
that's awful. but i'd hate to say it it happens.
or too old?
or too ugly?
In fact, you can actually discriminate on someone for being too ugly. IT's the color, age, and sexual orientation we cannot. or something. no, I am not a lawyer.
I am not a driver, but I've lived in Boston and NYC, and cabbies HATE people going over the bridge, as the return to downtown would be too hard. They would ask where the rider is going (if not specified), and if they find out the pax is going to East Boston or NJ, they'd speed off or cancel the ride.
The return trip can be costly, and it's doubful they will get a ride on the other end. It all comes down to economics.
I am sure other drivers would agree on this one.
Bar closing times, there are ALWAYS groups that are too large who attempt to cram into the car. I show up in my 4-seater (i.e. UberX), there are like 6 of them, and they all look blankly at each other, and they all TRY to get in thinking it's ok, as long as they can fit. A drunk girl offers to sit on a boy's lap, and then another lying across the others.
I have learned to cancel those rides immediately. Definitely BEFORE the ride starts so they can't ding me on the review. Nothing but trouble, ya know?
Yes, but only a few. ie. I am prepared for most trouble, but there are just some things you cannot risk.
1) people carrying babies with no baby seat.
2) young kids or unaccompanied minors (unless they are in danger if I leave them there... like it is getting dark.) (I save the dashcam video for those rides) If it is policy not to take on unaccompanied minors... and there is an accident... technically the insurance might be a problem.
3) If someone looks like they are about to puke. (Usually mutual agreement, they do not want to get billed.) or if they are incoherent... I would consider driving off. (Done that once)
4) Just recent: If a bar tender tries to put someone in the car that cannot even walk... I have learned to not accept the ride. I feel bad about this, but they can sober up and I love my car and cannot handle chemical smells or puke smells. (Done that once)
5) If you have more than 4 people. (I only have 4 seatbelts besides mine. NO YOU CANNOT SIT IN THE TRUNK! (man…
Read more...
Yes, but only a few. ie. I am prepared for most trouble, but there are just some things you cannot risk.
1) people carrying babies with no baby seat.
2) young kids or unaccompanied minors (unless they are in danger if I leave them there... like it is getting dark.) (I save the dashcam video for those rides) If it is policy not to take on unaccompanied minors... and there is an accident... technically the insurance might be a problem.
3) If someone looks like they are about to puke. (Usually mutual agreement, they do not want to get billed.) or if they are incoherent... I would consider driving off. (Done that once)
4) Just recent: If a bar tender tries to put someone in the car that cannot even walk... I have learned to not accept the ride. I feel bad about this, but they can sober up and I love my car and cannot handle chemical smells or puke smells. (Done that once)
5) If you have more than 4 people. (I only have 4 seatbelts besides mine. NO YOU CANNOT SIT IN THE TRUNK! (many times)
6) If the passengers are fighting... I would drive off.
7) If you are drinking from open containers (alcohol) No Way... Where I live - open container is 6 month drivers license suspension. (Some people refuse to drink or dump.) (Ok in Taxi or Bus, but not in a rideshare.)
8) If they are filthy... I have towels and even a tarp on hand at all times... but there are limits. My Third day a guy tried to get into my prius with 3" rings of mud all around his work boots even after I asked him to kick some off... twice... He pretended that he did not speak English and when I asked him in "his language" he said (in perfect English) "Awww you should have known what you were getting into when you took this job.." What a jerk. I explained that we pay for everything uber pays for nothing and it is my car. He complied but gave me a bad rating and permanently stained my mat. I rated him badly and blocked him. I also realized...you have to protect yourself. We may be the service side... but we matter too. It may suck for the rider... but you cannot just get expect an Uber to accept your ride because you do not want to ruin YOUR car.
Most people understand... Most rides are good... this happens on occasion, and we do have to protect ourselves.
9) If they are not where they dropped the pin. This is happening more frequently. Often they can be 2 miles or more away from the pickup. Not sure why, but I am going to start cancelling these more. The problem is that it hurts me to cancel.
FYI, real cleanup for a puke could cost $1000 or up if bad enough unless you like smelling puke forever. It is actually a bio hazard too. I would assume for some the only recourse is to replace the carpeting or panels or seat covers... disassemble the door to get inside... etc. So the path of least resistance is to say no.
TMI, sorry.
Things I wish I could cancel for: People who reek of cigarettes or pot. I have to clean the seats when they get out... the whole car stinks and I do not want the next people to smell bad when they get out. Also people who wear too much perfume... for same reasons... or they make my eyes burn and lungs hurt.
Read less...
Oh...my...gosh.... Be careful before answering this everyone!! It's a trap!
How can you post that without this meme.
RIP, General Ackbar.
Wait, what? Did he die? oh, crap....yeah... I didn't even notice. He was a good man. (or whatever he is)
Stay on the subject, guys. LOL.
Only once, this guy wasn't at the pickup so I waited. Then I got a call, "where are you?" in the rudest tone, I said I was at the pickup location. He swears then hangs up. I am tempted to just leave right now but I waited another minute and saw a guy walk out fron the apartment building all dressed in black and I just decided that this guy was trouble so I peaced out and collected my no show fee :) Felt so good.
Love collecting no show fees on rude pax. If someone calls me, 9/10 times they are an a**hole.
Whenever I see PUKE or PEE stains, I just keep on drivin'.
Surprised I haven't seen this yet. I cancel rides when:
1) I can't find the passengers (well, duh), or more interestingly
2) I don't trust that the person who is claiming I am his Uber isn't the person who requested the ride.
I feel like this is happening more and more often. It's a thing isnt?
This is absolutely a thing. Kids jump on whatever "uber" they can find and they change the destination. I think there is even a word for it.
It has a pretty high success rate. Almost can't blame stupid teenagers for doing it.
Isn't it call the 'mugging'? or is that just stealing coffee at Starbucks?