Interesting experience the other night, I got a ping from 20 minutes outside of town. Total boondocks but next to a major highway. Thinking it was likely a stranded/broken down rider and that the town I was in was the likely destination I accepted. But I wasnt going out there without voice contact first and before I could call him, he called me. Here's his story:
He had started an Uber ride about 2 hours and 100 miles away. The driver told him he got an alert on his phone that he needed to take the rider to a safe location and end the ride. At the same time as the alert, the riders phone vibrated and when he turned it on it sounds like it was in the ride request screen (he described the current promo screen that pops up in the rider app in my market). He and the driver found a gas station and the driver left him in an area with a VERY low probability of him being picked up and just inside the perimeter of my market (much higher rates than where he came from, over a dollar more per mile).
I picked him up, 130$ ride. 5.0 rating, but that rating seemed unlikely given some of the stories he shared so I'm fairly certain he has multiple accounts (not my problem, I got paid)
Mainly I am just curious if anyone has ever gotten an alert like that as a driver, I have taken people further than his initial ride on a couple occasions, including crossing into the market he came out of. If there is any chance his story and the drivers claim are true that is seriously F'ed up on Ubers part, often there are NO drivers on at the time he made his request since the only likely demand in the area might be a five dollar bar ride. Also, zero chance of a driver closer than 20 minutes. This guy would have been stranded at a boondock gas station over night. Also, he paid as more for the last 40 miles than he did for the first 100, that's f'ed as well since the quote system told him a price to get all the way to his destination.
He had started an Uber ride about 2 hours and 100 miles away. The driver told him he got an alert on his phone that he needed to take the rider to a safe location and end the ride. At the same time as the alert, the riders phone vibrated and when he turned it on it sounds like it was in the ride request screen (he described the current promo screen that pops up in the rider app in my market). He and the driver found a gas station and the driver left him in an area with a VERY low probability of him being picked up and just inside the perimeter of my market (much higher rates than where he came from, over a dollar more per mile).
I picked him up, 130$ ride. 5.0 rating, but that rating seemed unlikely given some of the stories he shared so I'm fairly certain he has multiple accounts (not my problem, I got paid)
Mainly I am just curious if anyone has ever gotten an alert like that as a driver, I have taken people further than his initial ride on a couple occasions, including crossing into the market he came out of. If there is any chance his story and the drivers claim are true that is seriously F'ed up on Ubers part, often there are NO drivers on at the time he made his request since the only likely demand in the area might be a five dollar bar ride. Also, zero chance of a driver closer than 20 minutes. This guy would have been stranded at a boondock gas station over night. Also, he paid as more for the last 40 miles than he did for the first 100, that's f'ed as well since the quote system told him a price to get all the way to his destination.
