[Connecticut Kid]

Hi- I live in CT, and I just recently started driving for Uber. Every time I get out there, something new and unexpected happens, and I think that these sorts of things cause me to screw up somewhat, and then this hurts my ratings, and then I wonder what the hell I am doing here anyway. My main gripe right now is that on a trip that I did two nights ago, the GPS sent me on a route that was at least twice as long as a more direct route to my passenger's home. How could this be? That is totally crazy.

When I picked up the passenger in Westport, CT, I saw that he was going to a certain address in Norwalk, CT, a neighboring town. I am fairly familiar with both Westport and Norwalk, but I was not familiar with the address that I saw on the app. I asked him if there was any particular way that he wanted to go, but he just said something like, "Uh, I just put the address in the app." I got the feeling that he didn't want to verbally give me directions, and I felt that he wanted me to just follow the GPS directions. I said to myself that that sounded fair enough, as I had done that numerous times before with no problems.

Well, as I started to drive, it seemed to me that I was heading in the wrong direction. When I eventurally got to his house about twenty minutes later, I was pretty sure that for some odd reason the GPS on the Uber Partner app had caused me to take this guy home by an EXTREMELY scenic route. Although this guy didn't say anything when he got out of the car, I happen to believe that he thought that I did this just to build up a much bigger fare. Based on how my ratings came out the next day, I am pretty sure that this guy gave me a 1 out of 5. But it wasn't my fault! I just followed the app--which must have been drunk or something.

When I went on the Uber site earlier today and took a look at my account, I took a look at the map of how that trip from Westport to Norwalk, CT, played out last night. I was not all that surprised to see that the length of the trip was at least double what it should have been if we had taken a more direct route.


So, for this to happen even once is absolutely no good for me or the passenger, and if it happens again, then I think maybe I will just forget about this part-time job with Uber, as it just won't be worth it. If anyone out there has any comments or suggestions, I would be very interested in hearing them. Thanks.

The Connecticut Kid

 

[Renaldow]

I think you are worried about things you cannot control.

You do not know what the pax rated you.
You do not know what the pax thought of anything.
You asked the pax if there was a way they wanted to go, they said the GPS.
You followed the GPS.

One thing I believe about this job is that if you are overly worried about things and can't just let go and go with the flow sometimes, this is not a job you will like. Everything is chaotic. Nothing is for sure. You deal with randomness on ever single trip. Good luck out there!

 

[RainbowPlate]

You can always ... some say you should always ... confirm the GPS route with the pax, especially if it seems odd to you.

"Hmm... The GPS is saying take Yellowbrick Road. Does that sound right to you or should we take Abbey Road?"

Most will just say take whatever route you think best.

Also, repeat pax will be often proactive: "The GPS might say get off at Exit 215 but it's better if you stay on to 216...."

Etc.

 

[Connecticut Kid]

I think you are worried about things you cannot control.

You do not know what the pax rated you.
You do not know what the pax thought of anything.
You asked the pax if there was a way they wanted to go, they said the GPS.
You followed the GPS.

One thing I believe about this job is that if you are overly worried about things and can't just let go and go with the flow sometimes, this is not a job you will like. Everything is chaotic. Nothing is for sure. You deal with randomness on ever single trip. Good luck out there!

Thanks for the reply. I don't want to sound ungrateful for your input, but I think that it is quite possible to make the case that radomness is a part of every job out there, and just a part of daily life. That being said, however, I do not expect randomness from Uber's GPS system. I mean, it is supposed to be pretty precise, and I have come to rely on it. So I am having trouble understanding how come it failed so miserably on that particular trip.

The other thing is about ratings...I have only done 12 trips so far. My average before I started driving the other day was 4.73. I only picked up three passengers on the night in question. One of the passengers without doubt gave me five stars, as I saw her do it and she showed that to me just as she was getting out of the car at her destination. That leaves two passengers whose ratings for me--if any--are unknown. Of those two remaining trips, one went quite smoothly with no problems, while the other took a very roundabout way of getting the passenger to his home. On the day after doing those three rides, my rating had dropped to a 4.4. Considering that I only have a handful of trips under my belt, each rating that a passenger leaves can have a significant impact, especially if it happened to be one out of five stars. There is only one way for my rating to have gone from 4.73 to 4.4, and that is to have been given a single one star rating by one of those two passengers left out of the three that I gave rides to that night. If I had to take a guess, I would say that it must have come from the guy that I took home via a route that takes twice as long and costs at least twice as much.

Yes, I do realize that if I worry about these sorts of things, maybe this isn't the job for me. That's a totally valid point that you make. But in the past, I used to drive limousines, and I had a pretty good record at the company that I worked for. And before that, I used to drive people to the local metro airports--JFK, LaGuardia, Newark--and that used to go quite well. So even though I am new to Uber, I have a fair amount of experience at driving people here and there. It is just that this whole thing about needing to maintain, say, a 4.5 out of 5 star rating is really getting to me, especially as I have now fallen below the cutoff through no fault of my own.

OK, once again, thanks for the reply and the advice, but I just felt that I needed to give a little more info from my side of the story. Take care.

CK

 

[William1964]

Try getting on 90/94 during morning rush only to find out you have 500 feet to get 4 lanes over to the exit.
I hope he isn't missing the route he was on before he got into my car.
He got out before his destination and walked about 500 feet to Union Station.

It was perfect for a crazy taxi route. Wow...