[Squirming Like A Toad]

Late night riders have been telling me the driver has been accepting the ping, calling them, asking where they are going and then cancelling the ride if they don't like it. There are at most 1 or 2 other drivers in the area when I am rolling so I think it's the same one. F him, if I can roll the dice so can he. Last night's event turned out to be a good fare, and it left me in a place where I got a $90 fare next. This is a slow period in the area, school is out and summer travel hasn't started yet and last night I went 2 hours without a fare, I'm either taking what I can get or staying home. Can't believe somebody can not be deactivated for too much of that.

Of course, I did my part to F him by telling the passenger to lie to the driver next time, look at the map and tell him you are going back to where he is, or I gave him a list of other places to tell the driver he is going to ensure he will come out. "Hey, my friend called and told me he wasn't going to be there, so I decided to go home instead."

 

[ColdRider]

Rider should have reported him

 

[Mountainsoloist]

I have no problem with drivers doing that. Since it doesn't show the destination on the app you have to ask the potential passenger directly to know where they are going. Also, if the passenger lied to me I would cancel.

 

[Squirming Like A Toad]

I have no problem with drivers doing that. Since it doesn't show the destination on the app you have to ask the potential passenger directly to know where they are going. Also, if the passenger lied to me I would cancel.

That's an expensive decision after you have already driven to meet the passenger.

If a destination was too far out of my area I would offer to take him across the state line and relay him to another driver, especially if the full trip would be dangerous due to lack of sleep. But no way am I driving and then refusing a fare. Calling passengers wasn't part of the deal and they're under no obligation to talk to us on the phone. Just either take the ping or leave it for someone else.

 

[kes1981]

It's fine for a driver to do that. Driver 6 miles to pick up someone going 1 mile???? No thanks. If you want those rides, they are all yours. TBH, you are kind of stupid if you are willing to lose money while driving. This is Uber's fault, not yours. You shouldn't have to pay to drive.

 

[nickd8775]

Tell the rider to promise a tip over the phone. Drivers are calling because they don't want to lose money.

 

[I_Like_Spam]

Of course, I did my part to F him by telling the passenger to lie to the driver next time, look at the map and tell him you are going back to where he is, or I gave him a list of other places to tell the driver he is going to ensure he will come out. "Hey, my friend called and told me he wasn't going to be there, so I decided to go home instead."

Why would you screw around with your brother driver? All he was trying to do is to not take a fare that is a losing proposition.

 

[Mountainsoloist]

That's an expensive decision after you have already driven to meet the passenger.

People who lie to me don't ride with me.

Calling passengers wasn't part of the deal and they're under no obligation to talk to us on the phone. Just either take the ping or leave it for someone else.

If I am calling them for a destination it is because their pickup location is already putting the ride's profitability into question. At that point I will do the trip if the destination is worthwhile. Many pings over a few minutes away are a bust. If they add a destination to the initial ping I won't need to do this anymore.

 

[I_Like_Spam]

Here's what I can't wrap my brain around.

Drivers complain about being pinged from 47 minutes away for a trip of 0.2 miles, because they aren't going to make $$ on it, particularly when Mr. 2/10ths of a mile wipes out the supply of mints and bottled water.

Yet, when a driver acts proactively to find out the length of the trip before driving the far distance for the loser trip, some drivers want to snitch on the crafty driver.

 

[Squirming Like A Toad]

Why would you screw around with your brother driver? All he was trying to do is to not take a fare that is a losing proposition.

Because he is screwing around with me, and he is not my brother. There is an element of luck when picking up fares. Last night I got two good fares in a row, very lucky, and I did not have to call. Other times I'm not so lucky, them's the breaks. In slow times a driver who is cherry-picking only the most profitable fares is trying to cheat the luck element by doing something we are not supposed to do, and leaving the less profitable fares for the other drivers. I call that dirty pool.

When there are only a couple of drivers on these things become more personal. I intentionally space myself out from the other driver, when he is in one good waiting spot I take the other if he was there first because I think it is better for the drivers to have easier nights and the riders get better service than to try and squeeze out a couple more dollars per hour at the expense of another driver. But I am very good at cheating if I want to, and if he wants to send me only the less desirable fares I will take more than that.

Also this is bad for business in general. More riders is always better, and if people find out there are no drivers available when they need them or even worse drivers who refuse to pick them up they will stop trusting Uber to get them home and do something else. Then our reputation will be as bad as the taxis.

 

[Squirming Like A Toad]

Here's what I can't wrap my brain around.

Drivers complain about being pinged from 47 minutes away for a trip of 0.2 miles, because they aren't going to make $$ on it, particularly when Mr. 2/10ths of a mile wipes out the supply of mints and bottled water.

Yet, when a driver acts proactively to find out the length of the trip before driving the far distance for the loser trip, some drivers want to snitch on the crafty driver.

Then don't take the distant pings, that's all. It's a risk. Your deadhead to the ping is your investment. Anything more than 7 miles is unlikely to be profitable for me at regular X rates. It also makes a difference how much time it will take to cover those miles, and how busy the shift is and what else I might be missing in the time it takes to complete the ride. So I don't take such a ping.

Also what if the rider is lying about the destination or about a tip? When I get there I've already paid my investment, nothing I can do about it. So by calling the rider I am giving him a choice between lying to me or sleeping in a bus shelter for the night. And if I refuse to haul when I get there I get nothing at all for my investment. No matter what you choose, it's a loss if you don't get a fare once you start moving.

 

[luberslur]

Rider should have reported him

You two are idiots....Uber it at fault for the cheap fare. driver did nothing wrong. Instead of reporting driver...why don't you report uber for the cheap fare they charge?...Uber loves you idiots!!!!

 

[Jo3030]

In a weird way, it all balances itself out sometimes.
It's the short ride that takes you somewhere else that takes you to a long ride. It's happened to me so many times.

 

[I_Like_Spam]

Also this is bad for business in general. More riders is always better, and if people find out there are no drivers available when they need them or even worse drivers who refuse to pick them up they will stop trusting Uber to get them home and do something else. Then our reputation will be as bad as the taxis.

All of that would make a difference if you had any capital invested in Uber. But you really don't, if Uber were to go belly up in an area, another rideshare concern with a better program which allows transparency for the partners to see the trip before they commit to it may come down. And since you'll have the same car, I'm sure they'll sign you up.

Right now, it doesn't cost Uber 5 cents to dispatch a trip they know will cost the partner money to take. So why shouldn't they? They are still making their money.

Partners acting proactively might get Uber to refine its technology on this.

 

[uber strike]

if you think i am driving over 3 miles to drive entitled pax for $2.40 you are greatly mistaken.

 

[Digip]

Lie to me and I will leave you there, I'll eat the cost on principle alone. The next drivers that pick them up is welcome for the better trained rider. SAme with groups of five of more in X I will leave even if I drove a ways to get there.

Seriously though, the driver you complain about is doing exactly the right thing, it is not his responsibility to provide service at a personal loss. If you are willing to blindly make these pick ups awesome, keep doing it maybe you'll get lucky occasionally and it's great for me.

I work in a large geographic area with 0-2 other drivers most of the time, 25 minute or more pings are not unusual and I ignore them the first couple times. If they ping multiple times and there is low probability of a closer ping I'll give the rider a chance to get a cheap ride, (there are plenty of cabs at all hours not like they are ever stranded) if it's unprofitable or comes with an opportunity cost, sorry, but at least I gave you a shot, I could have just continued to ignore your ping.

 

[Greguzzi]

Here's what I can't wrap my brain around.

Drivers complain about being pinged from 47 minutes away for a trip of 0.2 miles, because they aren't going to make $$ on it, particularly when Mr. 2/10ths of a mile wipes out the supply of mints and bottled water.

Yet, when a driver acts proactively to find out the length of the trip before driving the far distance for the loser trip, some drivers want to snitch on the crafty driver.

A-****ing-men.

Snitches are ********, whether they are drivers or passengers. Stay out of another driver's business, unless you are willing to pay his bills.

 

[Greguzzi]

Then don't take the distant pings, that's all. It's a risk. Your deadhead to the ping is your investment. Anything more than 7 miles is unlikely to be profitable for me at regular X rates. It also makes a difference how much time it will take to cover those miles, and how busy the shift is and what else I might be missing in the time it takes to complete the ride. So I don't take such a ping.

Also what if the rider is lying about the destination or about a tip? When I get there I've already paid my investment, nothing I can do about it. So by calling the rider I am giving him a choice between lying to me or sleeping in a bus shelter for the night. And if I refuse to haul when I get there I get nothing at all for my investment. No matter what you choose, it's a loss if you don't get a fare once you start moving.

An "investment?" LOL.

It's not an investment. It's a gamble. It would be worth the gamble if I were sure the cheap-ass liar was spending a cold night in a bus shelter after I drive away.

 

[ChortlingCrison]

Rider should have reported him

One of travis' minions. He's very proud of you.

 

[I_Like_Spam]

Because he is screwing around with me, and he is not my brother. There is an element of luck when picking up fares.

How is he screwing "with you"? He may be gaming the Uber Corporation's system, and he may be inconveniencing the prospective passenger, but he isn't screwing you or any other fellow partner. Its your choice, as well, if you don't think you can make $$ on the fare, you don't have to go for it either.

The facts are that if the Uber Corp wanted to make sure all that every would be passenger is picked up, they could do it by buying vehicles and hiring employees to go out and chauffeur these customers around. Or they could boost the payments so that current partners would be willing to make the trips- put outlying areas in perpetual "surge" status, example given.

Last night I got two good fares in a row, very lucky, and I did not have to call. Other times I'm not so lucky, them's the breaks. In slow times a driver who is cherry-picking only the most profitable fares is trying to cheat the luck element by doing something we are not supposed to do, and leaving the less profitable fares for the other drivers. I call that dirty pool.
.

I can appreciate the concept of a "lucky" trip, but if I want to roll the dice and risk losing money I'll head down to the casino and try to hit a few points.

Its not dirty pool , its looking out for your own self interest just as Uber looks out for their own.

When I was driving a cab, and people called from far, out of the way places and weren't going anywhere, I'd pick them up if I was out that way. If not, sometimes they waited for hours and even didn't get a cab. Part of the disadvantage of living in the boonies.