RIDEGURU
Many drivers like myself drive for multiple companies to reduce downtime. Since Uber recently added trip duration to the ride request timer information do you feel life it is too risky accepting Lyft/Via/Etc requests?
Personally I find it quite excellent declining those 10 ++ minute away 1 minute trip rides. Even more common are the 20 minute ++ duration rides in the epicenter of a surge zone. You will lose out on tons of income taking that long trip out of the surge zone into the suburbs or etc
It’s been Uber all the way since this UberPro feature unlocked. Anyone else feeling this way too?
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is trip duration only on for drivers at certain tier level or to all in your market? What market do you drive in?
UberPro unlocks it. It used to require diamond or platinum but they changed it recently to include gold. It really is a blessing I can’t tell you how many times they try to send me considerably far away for a laughably short trip.
But if for gold status you have to keep a certain acceptance rate, would you not lose gold if you decline a bunch of crappy rides?
Where do you drive ?
I was worried about that also in the beginning. It hasn’t been a problem however I don’t think my acceptance rate has dropped below 96% at any point.
I kind of drive all over Chicago and it’s burbs except for Kyle’s area lol That area sucks to do Uber. Not just moneywise but everybody has a black pick up truck and it’s a competitive game out there harassing Uber drivers on the road. Kind of like March madness except forget basketball and it’s all year long not just March.
Before we get into "if you dont like it dont drive for Uber, get a different job, quit, etc". Drivers are still driving yes. Yes we complain. Not everyone can just up and find another job. My reason is the flexibility which I need right now. I like driving, I like most of my riders (most are awesome, interesting, kind, people), its even fun at times. The problem is Uber and Lyft were supposed to be taking 20%/25% of the fare depending when drivers signed up. They are now taking anywhere from 30%/70% of the fare. Whatever you see Uber or Lyft giving drivers there is a catch to it all. They give drivers nothing out of the kindness of their heart. They lie, cheat, and steal not just from the drivers but from the riders (upfront pricing). Uber and Lyft made driving for rideshare sound like drivers could make decent money and all they have done is take, take, take away from the driver it seems to never stop. They dont care about drivers, so many good drivers are no lo…
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Before we get into "if you dont like it dont drive for Uber, get a different job, quit, etc". Drivers are still driving yes. Yes we complain. Not everyone can just up and find another job. My reason is the flexibility which I need right now. I like driving, I like most of my riders (most are awesome, interesting, kind, people), its even fun at times. The problem is Uber and Lyft were supposed to be taking 20%/25% of the fare depending when drivers signed up. They are now taking anywhere from 30%/70% of the fare. Whatever you see Uber or Lyft giving drivers there is a catch to it all. They give drivers nothing out of the kindness of their heart. They lie, cheat, and steal not just from the drivers but from the riders (upfront pricing). Uber and Lyft made driving for rideshare sound like drivers could make decent money and all they have done is take, take, take away from the driver it seems to never stop. They dont care about drivers, so many good drivers are no longer driving. Some of these new drivers and probably some veteran drivers are doing whatever they can to make money. Is it fair to the riders? Some of them yes more than fair. Other riders that are decent, kind, polite, no unfortunately not fair to them. As much as you think drivers scam riders there are riders scaming drivers all the time. We get fares taken away because riders make up lies about the driver. Uber dont want to hear our side, they take the fare away. So before we start bashing drivers for "cherry picking" you need to first know what it's like to own your own business, know what its like to go out of your way for a few bucks only to have it taken away because a rider wants a free ride. I get a ping for a ride request 10.27 min 3.77 miles away (sometimes the time & distance are longer). I will make .7 for the long pick up. I get to my rider who is drunk I wait 3 min for them to come out of bar & get into my car, i then drive them 4 min 1.57 miles up the road for 3.43. If anyone out there thinks this is fair I really want to know your reasoning/logic on that. Is it fair for driver to call rider and ask where they are going, find out its a short distance, then tell rider to cancel or the driver cancels. No absolutely not. I am the sole provider for my 4 kids so if I choose to take certain rides and not others than your damn right I "cherry pick". My family is my main concern, food, clothing, shelter, and their health. However I never call my rider to ask where they are going if its a short ride I do it and treat rider just like any other rider. I dont accept a ride then cancel it unless its a minor or child with no safety seat. Riders need to stop assuming we are all mean, horrible, drivers that dont care. Drivers need to stop assuming every passenger is mean, rude, ignorant, and cheap. Uber and Lyft created this because they take the drivers money and scam the rider out of more money than the ride should be. However its not the driver getting the extra money. They have riders rate drivers and vice versa so that became an issue. Riders rate drivers low for dumb reasons and drivers rate riders low for dumb reasons. So instead of driver against rider, rider against driver we all need to be pissed and annoyed at the companies who created this. Place the blame where it belongs.
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I totally see many of your points. I’m sure it’s not like this universally but I will say in the Chicago market we definitely do have some bad apples behind the wheel. I talk with enough passengers regularly and I hear things that are very concerning. Not to mention I come across drivers all the time I mean like 50 times a day probably. They are at every car wash, gas station, restaurant, etc. I have literally never had a coherent conversation with one of these drivers.
The normal conversation starters should be really easy for example I try to talk about bonuses or recent updates to the apps. Stuff that we talk about all the time on this forums. I swear to God it’s like talking to a completely mindless vessel. You would think I’m asking them randomly to explain to me endoplasmic reticulum. This one guy looked like he was drooling and didn’t even notice.
This topic would probably make for its own separate article but simp…
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I totally see many of your points. I’m sure it’s not like this universally but I will say in the Chicago market we definitely do have some bad apples behind the wheel. I talk with enough passengers regularly and I hear things that are very concerning. Not to mention I come across drivers all the time I mean like 50 times a day probably. They are at every car wash, gas station, restaurant, etc. I have literally never had a coherent conversation with one of these drivers.
The normal conversation starters should be really easy for example I try to talk about bonuses or recent updates to the apps. Stuff that we talk about all the time on this forums. I swear to God it’s like talking to a completely mindless vessel. You would think I’m asking them randomly to explain to me endoplasmic reticulum. This one guy looked like he was drooling and didn’t even notice.
This topic would probably make for its own separate article but simply put, we as drivers need to acknowledge that there are some serious screwballs out there driving for rideshare companies. It’s not all that different from other jobs we’ve worked in the past. I can’t think of a single place I’ve ever worked that didn’t have some big-time wackos working there.
We really don’t have many options for expressing our grievances as rideshare drivers. One option however that has worked for me in the past is reaching out to your state or county attorney generals office. You will be speaking with some low-level intern but they did wonders for me last year. Ever since that ordeal I have a perfect 5.0 rating with one of the rideshare companies. I don’t think they let riders rate me poorly anymore LOL after the AG office contacted them.
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What do you mean you haven’t had a coherent talks? LOL. Like not being able to speak English or they just didn’t know how to hold a conversation.
Btw, that’s funny. I actually don’t really see a chance to hang or converse with other drivers. I mean, I see their cars all the time as they have stickers on them, but never close, bored enough , or in-person to talk.
Actually the airport maybe the only exception.
How did those interns do you wonders if they are some lowly figures? Do you mean they did something material and meaningful? Do you mean just a way you were able to vent (and keep your sanity?)
I don't drive, just a regular passenger. I looked at this post with a mixed emotion but after a few seconds I realized that this is a good thing. It's a good thing that drivers get to know how long the ride may be. You know why?
Drivers will stop scamming people. They accept a ride and if they don't like it they just sit there, ignore your calls, and wait until the passenger cancels.
I think it's madness and I cannot believe this is allowed. I was told by someone to never cancel on behalf of the driver, because that's what they want you to do. Once I was in Miami airport and the driver claimed his car was broken, as he sat right outside the airport. I knew he didn't want to drive to Miami Beach. I never cancelled that ride, and had my friend call another.
The driver even called me to cancel. I didn't. Then he had the audacity to drive over (on his BROKEN) car and start the trip from the airport. He did stop the ride in 1 minute, but he got paid the pickup fee and rated me 1-star. WHAT MADNESS IS THIS?
Sorry, I lost it there for a minute. LOL. What I was trying to convey here is that this new rule, whatever it is, may help drivers from doing this crap.
lol after what you described I think losing it sounds appropriate. I will say this, there are a lot of wannabe rideshare companies hoping they can take over the market. If one of these companies allowed the riders and drivers the option to have the ride recorded with video and audio via dash cam I’m pretty sure that company would do very well. You would weed out a lot of the problematic drivers and passengers reeeeeal fast or at least keep them on their best behavior.
I thought many drivers do record their rides on their webcam? (I haven’t personally seen it, but I assume they’re allowed to do that?) this doesn’t have to be a company led initiative, right?
Now, if there was a rideshare co pant that recorded and watched every ride remotely, maybe there something there.
I do love it. All these abilities to cherry-pick your rides keep me sane. An ability to schedule my days through an ability to choose a trip length and which direction (destination filter - those that’s up in the air, I guess) will keep many drivers happy without sacrificing the quality of service.
I assume this only works if there’s a certain saturation level of drivers in any given city. I do worry, say for example, if everyone declined short rides, that no passenger will be able to find short rides. I assume Iner figured it out.
Short rides are not really the problem they just need to be within a reasonable distance. For me to drive 15 minutes to go pick someone up and drive them just a few blocks away is reprehensible. I’m not one of those carbon footprint paranoid schizophrenics but come on now even I have some standards.
I try to use a very basic model in my head when a ride request pops up. The number of minutes it is going to take me to get to the person compared to the number of minutes the ride duration estimates should be around 1:1 ratio or better meaning 1:>1.
If I am still in the process of fulfilling my quest promotion I count that as a free .25 on the right side of that ratio. Meaning I don’t mind driving a tiny bit further if I am still collecting my 55 trips or whatever anyways.
This is all pretty quick easy math you can do in your head in the seconds you have to decide. The really hard decision is figuring out which ones to decline during s…
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Short rides are not really the problem they just need to be within a reasonable distance. For me to drive 15 minutes to go pick someone up and drive them just a few blocks away is reprehensible. I’m not one of those carbon footprint paranoid schizophrenics but come on now even I have some standards.
I try to use a very basic model in my head when a ride request pops up. The number of minutes it is going to take me to get to the person compared to the number of minutes the ride duration estimates should be around 1:1 ratio or better meaning 1:>1.
If I am still in the process of fulfilling my quest promotion I count that as a free .25 on the right side of that ratio. Meaning I don’t mind driving a tiny bit further if I am still collecting my 55 trips or whatever anyways.
This is all pretty quick easy math you can do in your head in the seconds you have to decide. The really hard decision is figuring out which ones to decline during surcharges. I know it sounds silly declining a trip that is five minutes away with a 10 minute duration but if it takes you away from the surge area that could cost you a lot of money. I kind of feel like this is the best practical use of your declines but I was wondering what the other drivers think.
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1 to 1? So if the pickup is 10 minutes the ride has to be more than 10 minutes. Fair enough.
If you are waiting longer than usual it could be because of your rating. I will not pick up a passenger with a 4.60 (drivers are deactivated at this rating) or lower after 10pm. However during the day I will pick up but not below a 4.50. If you find yourself waiting check your rating. Thete are drivers that wont pick up below 4.75.
So you have a different threshold at night. Why is that? I assume safety is involved but it’s not like being attacked is good at any time of the day.
Or is there something different. Say low rating during the day is different from low rating during the night?
During the day I feel safer. More traffic on road. Late at night, people being drunk, too risky. As a driver its dufficult to protect yourself. Your in a confined area, in a seatbelt, operating a vehicle. You use mace in your car you are going to feel effects, knife too difficult to maneuver, even a gun would be difficult. Being a female I am not taking that chance. Although I wouldnt suggest a male picking that person up. Too many things had to happen to have rating that low. Uber tends to take riders side so if something did happen probably wouldnt believe driver anyway. Uber protects rider at all costs. Drivers are easily replaced. You can see that just by ratings. As I mentioned in ladt post driver is deactivated at a 4.60. If passenger rating below that doesnt matter still able to request rides.
Totally fair.
I thought low rated passengers get matched up with low rated drivers? Or is that not true?
I get it that sometimes there aren’t enough drivers to make this work, but I’d like to think this mechanism does exist.
No unfortunately that isnt how it works. When rider request a ride it goes to nearest driver ratings are not even a consideration. Ratings give Uber a reason to deactivate drivers. A rider rating doesnt matter to Uber. It could be 4.2 (lowest I've received on ride request) that rider will still continue on platform ordering rides. However he will be waiting for awhile most times as most drivers will decline them. The night I got their request it came back to me 3X over a 12 min period. They were obviously not having much luck in getting a driver to accept.
Since Uber Pro has come out the riders who reach Diamond Status are offered highly rated drivers. My question has been, will these Diamond status riders wait longer for a highly rated driver? Here in Philly drivers average rating is 4.80. A recent rider of mine who reached Diamond Status explained what her choices are when she requests a ride. The day I got her I was 20 min away.
High rated driver will take 20 mi…
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No unfortunately that isnt how it works. When rider request a ride it goes to nearest driver ratings are not even a consideration. Ratings give Uber a reason to deactivate drivers. A rider rating doesnt matter to Uber. It could be 4.2 (lowest I've received on ride request) that rider will still continue on platform ordering rides. However he will be waiting for awhile most times as most drivers will decline them. The night I got their request it came back to me 3X over a 12 min period. They were obviously not having much luck in getting a driver to accept.
Since Uber Pro has come out the riders who reach Diamond Status are offered highly rated drivers. My question has been, will these Diamond status riders wait longer for a highly rated driver? Here in Philly drivers average rating is 4.80. A recent rider of mine who reached Diamond Status explained what her choices are when she requests a ride. The day I got her I was 20 min away.
High rated driver will take 20 min for pick up or accept closest driver. She chose high rated (4.95) as in her area that was normal wait time for driver to get to her anyway. Since I was 20 min away though it then cost her an additional $9.79 for me to get her for long pick up fee. I was headed in that vicinity anyway and it was a long trip 45+ min. As it turned out she was headed 20 min from my home and she was my last trip of the day:).Some days the stars align:)
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My rating right now is 4.94. Here are 2 recent request I have received.![]()
How was the 4.20?! Hahaha. That’s darn low. Was there anything special about the person? Anything notable?
To get a 4.20, you can either 1) get a 1-star every 5-6 rides and all the rest are 5-stars, OR 2) get 4-star consistently with an 5-star every 5-6 times. I would imagine the prior is better... wait, is it?
Don't know:) I took one look at that request and said "OH HELL NO, THEY'RE OUT OF THEIR F@#KING MINDS". Didn't realize I had my window down and I hear a voice ouside my car say "Mom, that lady is yelling at herself". I burst out laughing at that point. To which I got a dirty look. I screenshot it and clicked DECLINE. It came back to me 3X over 15 min. I assume they waited no less than 30 min for a pick up. Someone may have needed 1 more trip to finish quest, an unsuspecting newbie, or driver didnt notice the rating. There would have to be a huge surge for me to pick up that rider or a big bonus. I was only sitting maybe 250' from rider but it was dark and too many people were waiting for rides so I couldnt tell which person it was.
LOL. Thanks for sharing
So this must be a new thing. How the drivers can see the distance. That’s bad for the passengers, right? Drivers cherry picking the requests.
Or does this happen before it even matches me up with a driver? When you say declining is that canceling or does the request just go to another driver?
Good question. The poster is referring to before the driver accepts the ride so this “declining” is completely hidden from the customer. To you, the passenger, it’s all happening behind the scenes while the Uber app is spinning.
This basically gives the drivers to pick the type of rides they want. Happy drivers, better service.
The worst thing is that it may take slightly longer for your Uber app to find you a driver.
What is UberPro. Is that like some earned status for good drivers? By ratings or something else?
Sorry. Non-driver here. Just curious.
I don’t think I have this feature. I’m an Uber Pro. At least I think I am.
I’m in Boston
Hm I don't think it is too risky to decline some of those worse trips and take trips on other platforms. Maybe start off with being fairly lenient and taking some of the bad rides the first few weeks os Uber doesn't catch on?
Uber catches on to everything. If they dont figure it out for themseves all they have to do is watch you tube video (lol) or rideshare websites to see and hear what goes on. I am sure their algorithms tell them everything they need to know within a short period of time:)