As I mentioned Nashville had a legit snow storm last week and I had a legit Uber experience.
I learned a lot about how to work Uber from the driver point of view and how customers do the same, both intentionally and unintentionally.
I have some tips for those of you who use the service.
First, please realize that there are some people out there driving half for fun and half for money like me but the vast majority count on Uber as a big part of their income which means they count on you.
1. Track your driver and at least be on the look out for him from the inside and ideally be outside where he can see you. This is especially true in an apartment complex or at a mall where you can spot him since you know his vehicle but he has no way to spot you.
2. Since the app tells you when she will arrive and allows you to track her progress, be ready. Uber has made people feel like it's a chauffeur service and the driver should just wait. I have already put in a 6 minute rule. I feel it's reasonable to wait 5 minutes for someone(though I really don't) and I added a 1 minute grace period. After that I'm gone, good luck next time.
3. Don't ask him to make an extra stop. I had people ask me to take a friend home, stop by a grocery, and stop by a liquor store. Weather circumstances were extraordinary so I made some allowances, and the style of the request and the nature of the customer always matter, but extra stops take extra time for which a driver is not paid. It's unfair of you to expect it and you shouldn't. I have already become much more of a hardliner on that issue because I had to.
4. If there are some special navigational instructions please text or call the driver. I had a number of people do that and it helps a lot. In some cases I stayed on the phone and they literally guided me through their streets to the right stop.
5. Tips matter. I know Uber says they're not necessary and they're not, but they matter, especially on the short little hops. If a driver has a $5.00 fare then a $1.00 tip is a big addition and it won't kill you.
I drove 12 hours on Thursday at standard Uber rates, pleasantly surprising people in my 4WD F150. Sometimes only my vehicle could have gotten them where they needed to be and they said as much. Not a single dollar all day long, not one. You know who tipped me after Thursday, Friday, and
Saturday? The solider that I took from the airport to Ft. Campbell, KY, 75 miles one way. I didn't WANT his tip but me basically forced it on me.
6. Don't complain about surge pricing. For many drivers, me included, surge pricing is the only reason we show up where you are at the time you want us. Weather is bad, or you're far away, or everybody wants a ride, and there aren't enough drivers. Surge pricing fixes it and I watch the color coded map on the drivers app as the system works in real life. Price look too high for you? Drive yourself then.
7. Don't cancel unless you absolutely have to. A driver changes directions, commits to you thus losing chances for other rides, gets half way there and you bail. Thanks a lot. At least one guy called to tell me and apologize but....
So there you go. I think it's a good service, I think it beats taxis usually, and I intend to keep doing it. But take a moment to think about it from the driver's point of view.
Thanks
KS
I learned a lot about how to work Uber from the driver point of view and how customers do the same, both intentionally and unintentionally.
I have some tips for those of you who use the service.
First, please realize that there are some people out there driving half for fun and half for money like me but the vast majority count on Uber as a big part of their income which means they count on you.
1. Track your driver and at least be on the look out for him from the inside and ideally be outside where he can see you. This is especially true in an apartment complex or at a mall where you can spot him since you know his vehicle but he has no way to spot you.
2. Since the app tells you when she will arrive and allows you to track her progress, be ready. Uber has made people feel like it's a chauffeur service and the driver should just wait. I have already put in a 6 minute rule. I feel it's reasonable to wait 5 minutes for someone(though I really don't) and I added a 1 minute grace period. After that I'm gone, good luck next time.
3. Don't ask him to make an extra stop. I had people ask me to take a friend home, stop by a grocery, and stop by a liquor store. Weather circumstances were extraordinary so I made some allowances, and the style of the request and the nature of the customer always matter, but extra stops take extra time for which a driver is not paid. It's unfair of you to expect it and you shouldn't. I have already become much more of a hardliner on that issue because I had to.
4. If there are some special navigational instructions please text or call the driver. I had a number of people do that and it helps a lot. In some cases I stayed on the phone and they literally guided me through their streets to the right stop.
5. Tips matter. I know Uber says they're not necessary and they're not, but they matter, especially on the short little hops. If a driver has a $5.00 fare then a $1.00 tip is a big addition and it won't kill you.
I drove 12 hours on Thursday at standard Uber rates, pleasantly surprising people in my 4WD F150. Sometimes only my vehicle could have gotten them where they needed to be and they said as much. Not a single dollar all day long, not one. You know who tipped me after Thursday, Friday, and
Saturday? The solider that I took from the airport to Ft. Campbell, KY, 75 miles one way. I didn't WANT his tip but me basically forced it on me.
6. Don't complain about surge pricing. For many drivers, me included, surge pricing is the only reason we show up where you are at the time you want us. Weather is bad, or you're far away, or everybody wants a ride, and there aren't enough drivers. Surge pricing fixes it and I watch the color coded map on the drivers app as the system works in real life. Price look too high for you? Drive yourself then.
7. Don't cancel unless you absolutely have to. A driver changes directions, commits to you thus losing chances for other rides, gets half way there and you bail. Thanks a lot. At least one guy called to tell me and apologize but....
So there you go. I think it's a good service, I think it beats taxis usually, and I intend to keep doing it. But take a moment to think about it from the driver's point of view.
Thanks
KS
I have been driving for Uber for 3 weeks and haven't been paid a cent! They keep telling me 'we have resolved your problem' when they bloody well have not. The keep telling me my bank info is incorrect. I have checked it 12 bloody times. It is perfect. I have sent them screenshots of my bank into and screenshots of it entered into the Uber system. 100% match. Still, the can't pay me. They tell me to go to the local Uber office, which I do. They verify that my banking info is 100% correct. So, they suggest I go to my bank. I do that. The bank verifies that the info I have given Uber is 100% correct and everyone is scratching their heads because they can't understand why Uber can't pay me the hundreds of dollars they owe me. And, all I get from Uber is copied and pasted form responses.
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