RIDEGURU
I am just curious as to what the majority of rideshare drivers do as I have heard many different things. Do you sit someplace for a bit and wait for a ride or, do you contantly drive around until you get a ride?
Drive or Sit?
Posted 6 years, 4 months ago
Posted In
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Posted By
Wendy Carman Coffman (WendyC)
19
Driver
Ride Apprentice from Austin, Texas
Buzy Bee Mompreneur
I am originally from Las Vegas, NV and currently live in Austin, TX. I have 3 beautiful daughters; 23, 15, and 13 and have an 11 month old granddaughter. I have been married to my husband, Brian for 11 years. I have been driving with Lyft since May of 2018 and I juggle 3 small businesses. (if you're interested in risidual income, hit me up) I enjoy doing rideshare because, of all the people that I get to come into contact with which is really great for networking. I am also a college student going for my associats in Healthcare Management. Hence the Buzy Bee Mompreneur name
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Comments
Always "sit" unless you're not comfortable in the area or if a ride has taken you to an area that you know is slow. I would still park for at least 10 minutes and use that time to expore the app and see if there is surging in any markets close by. Open the paz app and see where there's a need for drivers (based on your knowledge of activity in different towns etc...) and then plan to head to one of those areas if you don't get a ping.
You can also download Farepilot which will help you find the best locations for any given area. It has proven very helpful for me a few times.
Pay attention where your last drop off is - for example if I am a Philadelphia registered driver and drop someone outside my zone (say NY or Baltimore) I can sit and wait for next ping until I am blue in the face, and the pings will not come in:) this is where taking the bullet and getting back to a more populated area (which is in your zone) is your best bet. If you are already in your zone but somewhere in the burbs, put your destination filter on and head towards more populated areas
When you say “paz” app, are you talking about the passenger app?
Paz or Pax is typically referring to "passenger".
I hadn't heard of "Paz" before I read this either. :) Sounds kinda cool.
I guess I am a "Driv" then.
It's a great question, but it's a difficult answer. My rule is to sit. Gasoline is the highest expense any driver faces. Why move and incur more? Never chase surges, and don't ever aimlessly drive around.
Of course, that's easier said than done. When you drop off a passenger, you can be anywhere, and you never know what the pickups are like there. So what do you do?
After drop-off in Suburban Areas or Places I am not familiar: When I am in a new area I am not familiar with, say in a new town in a suburb, I may drive a few minutes back to the main road, but then i sit. I sit there for 45 minutes or so, and if there are no hits, I would make my way back to the city, more populated areas, or places I know.
After drop-off in Urban Areas: I know the city pretty well, so I know where to be and want to be. Considering that my favorite places are always within a mile or two away, I do move around. This only works with experienced drivers though. If you aren't? I'd say sit.
So, I guess my advice is *When you are in doubt, stay put and sit*
Normally I sit and wait, I find rides come just about as quick if I am in one place vs driving around and this way I am not wasting gas money. Sometimes If I am in a really obscure location though I will start to drive back towards busier areas.
What driving like in Austin? Do you get a lot of rides?
It really just depends. Some weeks are great, orhers, I am struggling to find rides, and I don’t do the airport thing because there are 70-100 drivers out tjere at any goven time. What sucls for me is, I live just outside of Austin (Northwest) and most rides are downtown or sourh, about 20-30 min from me
Driving is Austin always intrigued me becuase of all the drama Uber/Lyft went through there a couple years ago. All those smaller Austin only companies started to take over. Did you ever drive for one of them? Like rideaustin?
No, I didn't. I didn't start doing rideshare until May of this year when things went crazy with the workforce here in Austin. Austin isn't the same as it was even 3 years ago. A lot has changed and, in my opinion, not for the better.
yes! dont drive around aimlessly. This just wastes gas, much smarter to stay in one location. Maybe find a flexible part time gig you can do from your phone like taking surveys in your down time.
Sit. Always sit. I've tried everything, and it's always better to sit.
One may argue, "what if you are far away from the bars and busy areas?" Still sit.
My answer? "It's because if you go to the "busy" areas, other drivers are there already. I am not saying there aren't good places to wait. I am saying that it's not worth moving to those areas, while using up fuel.
If you were taken to an area by an Uber rider, it's likely that area has other riders wanting a ride. Trust it.
Thank you for your reply! That totally makes the most sense to me. I usually turn on my app when I am ready to go and wait at home until I get that first ride and them go from there. Sometimes it's beneficial, and other times, not so much. Usually, if I have been waiting at home for more than 30 min, I will venture out and find a spot and wait.
Definitely find a parking spot somewhere and wait. Bring you small businesses with you - that way you are still making money - or even your books to study.