RIDEGURU
Lets assume the driver is in an urban or semi-urban setting with moderate activity level.
Drive or stay put? While waiting for fares, do you drive around or stay put? This is a question for Uber and Lyft drivers.
HemiDodge
363
Posted 5 years, 9 months ago
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HemiDodge
363
Ride Apprentice
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Featured Answers
lguirch
80
Driver
Depends on various factors. if you endup in some remote place, I would use fare pilot app to see if they suggest any spots where driver can go for a better chance of getting a ride. Also at this point you want to have both apps running (Uber and Lyft) and on Lyft you can see if there are any scheduled rides on that you can scoop up near by (does not happen often), but worth checking. Figure out if there are any smaller airports in the area (the ones without a que) Download FlightStats and see what times flights land there perhaps this is where you want to head over, same for Amtrak and Greyhound theiy have their own apps to check status. If all else fails, get out of there and head towards a busier area even if it takes 30 minutes to get there
Comments
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Depends on various factors. if you endup in some remote place, I would use fare pilot app to see if they suggest any spots where driver can go for a better chance of getting a ride. Also at this point you want to have both apps running (Uber and Lyft) and on Lyft you can see if there are any scheduled rides on that you can scoop up near by (does not happen often), but worth checking. Figure out if there are any smaller airports in the area (the ones without a que) Download FlightStats and see what times flights land there perhaps this is where you want to head over, same for Amtrak and Greyhound theiy have their own apps to check status. If all else fails, get out of there and head towards a busier area even if it takes 30 minutes to get there
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Thanks! So it looks like you take the drive approach. These are all things I didn't know.
I am actually not a driver but I just looked up Fare Pilot app. IT says it enables you to locate where the customer hotspots are. I mean, how in the hell would they know?
You sound like an experienced driver. So you check FlightStatus app, Amtrak and Greyhoud schedules, etc. etc. Man. This requires massive skills. Do you drive in a rural area or city?
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I drive in Philadelphia Suburbs and actually prefer NJ as it is not as densely populated and mass transport is not as well developed, thus many rides are on highways and are around 7-10 mile a piece - which beats Philadelphia pothols, red light cameras, tough pickup and drop off situations as well as ton of pool rides which I try to avoid unless I am trying to do a quest. I am a part time driver. Also do not forget about destination filter which may come in handy when stuch somewhere far. Trucker path app will show you locations of truck stops, good place to get long drives as drivers mainly get home on Fridays due to New DOT regulations so all end up parking trucks at Truck stops where you may land a good long ride. When I drive a full time day, usually on Sunday I print a schedule of Amtrak trains, landing times at nearby airports and Greyhound. so depending where I end up after last ride into nomans land, I will look on my schedule if I am close to any of the locations I named abov…
I drive in Philadelphia Suburbs and actually prefer NJ as it is not as densely populated and mass transport is not as well developed, thus many rides are on highways and are around 7-10 mile a piece - which beats Philadelphia pothols, red light cameras, tough pickup and drop off situations as well as ton of pool rides which I try to avoid unless I am trying to do a quest. I am a part time driver. Also do not forget about destination filter which may come in handy when stuch somewhere far. Trucker path app will show you locations of truck stops, good place to get long drives as drivers mainly get home on Fridays due to New DOT regulations so all end up parking trucks at Truck stops where you may land a good long ride. When I drive a full time day, usually on Sunday I print a schedule of Amtrak trains, landing times at nearby airports and Greyhound. so depending where I end up after last ride into nomans land, I will look on my schedule if I am close to any of the locations I named above and if time works out I head there:) Farepiot claims to use algoritms and prior historical data to pint you in the right direction. I used it once a few weeks back when in the middle of nowhere in NJ and did get a ride to Newar Airport (43 miles away) all highway - got paid $70.00 form fare and a $10.00 tip so I would recommend it (no guarantee it will find you a fare but any fare at that point is better than none).
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It totally depends on where you drive and the market. or even time of day. By default, yeah, I pick a few locations I have had good luck and stay there. but one thing you may not be thinking about is that we are taken to random places by the last rider, so we are forced to think creatively as to where to wait next. You really do start to learn about the city after awhile. and this plays into how much you enjoy a ride. Say, if you know you accept a ride to a hot area, then you know you are golden. Then you get a request to outside of town, and you are bummed because you start to think about the return trip.
I drive an SUV which gets 17mpg, so the gasoline is definitely the #1 expense.
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Experienced drivers have a pattern to their driving. we naturally navigate to where the best rides are (not necessary just long ones). We would casually drive to more populated areas, transportation hubs, etc.
It also depends on time of day, day of the week, etc. If we are aware of events or particularly busy areas, we naturally drive to those locations. it's very strategic, and experience really plays a big role.
and don't foget surge too.
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After I drop off a passenger, I usually stay put for at least 15 minutes, even if it's a new area. This makes me learn about the demand in that neighborhood. Obviously, if it's in middle of nowhere, I may drive sme, but if I am in a new town, I will try to find a town center nearby. or at least a bigger road.
It's all about following the flow of the people. Every driver has a routine, something we pick up after driving for a while.
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Well, the simplistic answer is that we drive to locations where there are most fares. Some drivers may disagree because they hate short riders and maybe urban areas during traffic, but in 99% of cases, we try to be where the riders are.
So, usually we do drive to places with higher activities and where more demands are.
Sometimes chasing surges are helpful. It's slightly a lazy way to find where the pepole are, but according to Uber, that's where the most demand is and the supply (drivers) are low.
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I definitely stay put. save on gas. I just pull over, crack the winow, turn the engine off, and read.
but I think it depends a bit on the circumstances. It definitely depends on where I am. If my last fare took me to some remote location, I better hustle back for sure, right?
