Morning Rush Hour

17712 Views 25 Replies 13 Participants Last post by Wil_Iam_Fuber'd, May 14, 2016

cubbyblue23

Discussion Starter · Jul 22, 2015

I've been an occasional driver but have to drive more for certain expenses. Is morning rush hour worth it? Or is it better off to do evenings/ nights?

1 - 20 of 26 Posts

chideordie

· #2 · Jul 22, 2015

I've been doing 7am to 10am in Chicago pretty consistently for the last 12+ months.

I prefer morning rush hour because most people are heading downtown (loop), and 8 out of 10 routes seem to head down there. I find the morning rush hour to be more manageable than the evening rush hour.

Morning rush hour is pretty much guaranteed-busy between 7am to 9:30 am, and demands drops off pretty sharply after 10am.

Mornings in the summer haven't been surging much lately, but during in-climate weather (especially during winter), morning rush hour can be some of the best surges of the week.

Reactions: 1

cubbyblue23

Discussion Starter · #3 · Jul 23, 2015

thanks. Ya i'll have to give it a try. A friend of mine/ fellow uber driver says he prefers other hours because of morning stress of people running late for work and such. Are there certain routes you take for getting back up into the neighborhoods avoiding LSD and 90/94?

chideordie

· #4 · Jul 23, 2015

After a downtown drop off, depending on where I am, I'll either take LaSalle north into River North or Adams west into West Loop. LSD from Randolph north to North or Fullerton is also usually wide open...

Reactions: 1

Soccergirl1023

· #5 · Jul 23, 2015

I live up North, and I have a full time down in the South Side so I usually do drive early between 6:30- 7:30 people around the loop, there is always one person that I pick North that needs to go to the loop and then I go west and pick up a couple more before I head to work. It works good for me!

cubbyblue23

Discussion Starter · #6 · Jul 24, 2015

Thanks for the advice. Ya heard lower wacker can be a friend once used properly.

Reactions: 1

DrinkSoda

· #7 · Jul 25, 2015 (Edited)

If you're willing to get up really early on a Monday morning, the 4-6am timeframe is consistently one of the busiest times of the week. Lots of business travelers going to the airports and plenty of surge, sometimes high (2.0+). And you can make it back into the neighborhoods in 15-20 min. When I got burned with airport runs between 6-6:30a when traffic is building something had to give and I begin really early. It does pay off.

William1964

· #8 · Aug 5, 2015

The airport runs are decent and at 4am you beat the rush. Had both a Midway and Ohare trip. both rather short for 12.50 each.

DrinkSoda

· #9 · Aug 5, 2015

Had Ohare and Midway runs this past Monday morning between 4-6am on surges of 3.1 and 3.3. That's a good way to start the week.

Oh My

· #10 · Aug 5, 2015

cubbyblue23 said:
I've been an occasional driver but have to drive more for certain expenses. Is morning rush hour worth it? Or is it better off to do evenings/ nights?

Morning rush hour is NOT worth it in Chicago. Be prepared to sit on Lake Shore for at least 1/2 hour (make sure to go potty first). Drop them off downtown then FLEE and drive back north to do it again if you want to. Not worth it!

Reactions: 1

Chicago-uber

· #11 · Aug 5, 2015

Oh My said:
Morning rush hour is NOT worth it in Chicago. Be prepared to sit on Lake Shore for at least 1/2 hour (make sure to go potty first). Drop them off downtown then FLEE and drive back north to do it again if you want to. Not worth it!

It's worth it at 2x surge. Lately the surges are so rare, I'd rather sit on my ass and people watch than drive someone in rush hour @90 cents a mile.

Reactions: 2

[email protected] Noob

· #12 · Aug 5, 2015

This entire week, there have been no surges at all...morning or evening. I really do think Chicago is officially worthless as an Uber driving city. Waaaay too many new drivers (and I'm one of them. Only been on the road for three and a half weeks) and some of the biggest asshole passengers you'll ever find. Stupid little C U Next Tuesday seemed to deliberately smack her bag filled apparently with lead into the side of my door. After I wash my car the next day I see where she chipped a bit of paint on the door. The stupid ***** wouldn't even acknowledge my existence when she got in the car, fussed with her bag full of makeup and shit for the entire ride and then sprayed hairspray all over my backseat. The awful little snot left without saying a word. I one starred her, and I'm pretty sure she returned the favor.

What the **** do you do when you say, "Good morning!" cheerfully and get an insolent glare and silence. I've had enough with America's shittiest generation.

Reactions: 3

Oh My

· #13 · Aug 5, 2015

[email protected] Noob said:
This entire week, there have been no surges at all...morning or evening. I really do think Chicago is officially worthless as an Uber driving city. Waaaay too many new drivers (and I'm one of them. Only been on the road for three and a half weeks) and some of the biggest asshole passengers you'll ever find. Stupid little C U Next Tuesday seemed to deliberately smack her bag filled apparently with lead into the side of my door. After I wash my car the next day I see where she chipped a bit of paint on the door. The stupid ***** wouldn't even acknowledge my existence when she got in the car, fussed with her bag full of makeup and shit for the entire ride and then sprayed hairspray all over my backseat. The awful little snot left without saying a word. I one starred her, and I'm pretty sure she returned the favor.

What the **** do you do when you say, "Good morning!" cheerfully and get an insolent glare and silence. I've had enough with America's shittiest generation.

You're not allowed to say a word to those *****es, they'll think you're trying to "talk to them". You're just the help afterall.

I would not budge that car without confirming their name however. "Hi, it's Ashleigh?" (nothing there implies I wanna get wich you). I would stare them in the eye and ain't moving until they SPOKE. We have the right to confirm their name and aren't even supposed to say it first ourselves. THEY are supposed to tell us their name after confirming vehicle and plate number.

Spray something in MY car? Immediate end of ride.

Reactions: 1

DrinkSoda

· #14 · Aug 6, 2015

July and August are big vacation months to the point where its slower in the mornings. A surplus of new drivers have a bit to do with it combined with nicer weather. As summer winds down and people return to their normal routines I think we'll see a return to the means. Which also means significantly more traffic volume as well. Both go hand in hand. Tuesday Sept 8 could be especially telling when CPS returns to school and summer is 'unofficially' over.

Monday saw significant surges all morning, a lot of it likely had to do with people in town for Lollapalooza that were leaving. Not often you see surge hovering around or above 2.0 around 9:30am in multiple neighborhoods. I know...I had a run to O'Hare on a 2.1 surge from Old Town around 9:30.

William1964

· #15 · Aug 6, 2015

I drove morning today for 2nd time. Made 90. It started about 6am I think. Drove down town and had a couple of short trips. Was up 17 and change so I left. On my way home, some one ping while riding the blue line Took them shopping then home. Grabbed a nurse for a short trip to Hines Va hospital. 6am I got a 18 dollar trip to Ohare. On my way back I almost made it home but got a ping near grand and Harlem took this lady to Rolling Meadows for court. Someone bit her and knocked her friends teeth. 25 bucks. On the way home someone pinged from 401 lake in Melrose park. It's a retirement community. I wait 15 minutes. No show. I cancel. Omar calls back and says he's at Portillos on north avenue. I turn off my phone. 4 hours 90 bucks. Maybe 5 bucks in gas. Good shot and beating my best day of $176 and change.

More good news. Mile MPG went up to 27.3 from 27.2. Cha-Ching!

80sDude

· #16 · Aug 27, 2015

I was sitting in the middle of a 1.5 this morning.. 4 pings in a row at normal rate.. WTF ? Dropped them all... Second time around.. Not a single ping in a 1.5. As soon as it ended ...ping city... Uber raise the ****ing rates.. This back and forth game pax and drivers play is ridiculous....

Reactions: 2

DrinkSoda

· #17 · Aug 27, 2015

80sDude said:
I was sitting in the middle of a 1.5 this morning.. 4 pings in a row at normal rate.. WTF ? Dropped them all... Second time around.. Not a single ping in a 1.5. As soon as it ended ...ping city... Uber raise the ****ing rates.. This back and forth game pax and drivers play is ridiculous....

This happens to me a lot too. I will NEVER accept a trip request that pulls me out of a surged area. But if the surge drops there's pretty much no choice.

I think the day after Labor Day and the days that follow will be really hectic and regular patterns will return.

331303

· #18 · Sep 2, 2015

Do not ever do a Midway run after 6am.... Like ever unless it's surging. It ALWAYS will take you 1.5 hours to just get into a zone that is kinda busy and by then it's flooded with drivers.

DrinkSoda

· #19 · Sep 8, 2015

All it took was summer to "unofficially" end for morning surge to come back. The rush hour was consistently red in all Chicago neighborhoods. Lakeview/Lincoln Park was consistently >2.0 between 6:30-9. Wicker Park hit 3.0 around 7:45.

Back to work/school/traffic = back to surge.

Wil_Iam_Fuber'd

· #20 · Sep 9, 2015

DrinkSoda said:
All it took was summer to "unofficially" end for morning surge to come back. The rush hour was consistently red in all Chicago neighborhoods. Lakeview/Lincoln Park was consistently >2.0 between 6:30-9. Wicker Park hit 3.0 around 7:45.

Back to work/school/traffic = back to surge.

Nice...this past weekend surge was also more present. I saw mostly 1.2-1.5's. Also looks like a large cohort of "summer job" drivers have dropped off the grid.

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