[Seth619navy]

So last night at around 1:25 am (right before 2 am bar close), I accept a non-surge request along Garnett. I pick up three people and start the ride - 29 minute ride to the middle of nowhere (deep Rancho Santa Fe). I realize that this ride is going to cost me any and all Saturday night surge. I spend the entire ride kicking myself for taking a ride so close to bar close and trying to keep my cool while these annoying pax are playfully yelling at each other in my car.

Lesson: While in area known for decent 2 am surge, go offline at around 1:15 and do not start accepting rides until 1:50. Grrrr, I got complacent! ??

 

[PioneerXi]

I don’t drive at night.

Rookie mistake: I drove this past Saturday night.

Lesson: stay with what you know.

 

[Null]

Lesson: While in area known for decent 2 am surge, go offline at around 1:15 and do not start accepting rides until 1:50. Grrrr, I got complacent! ??

Speaking as an almost exclusively night driver.....

This is awful advice. You're advocating almost 35 minutes of down time that you don't get paid for for what? ONE ride with bonus of $8-13?

Let's say the ride you get comes in at 1:55am and takes 20 minutes from ping to drop off for a 7 mi ride. You made $20 but that one ride basically occupied 1:15am - 2:15 am. That's $20/hr. Not impressive.

On the other hand, your ride to deep RSF probably paid $25 and put you in position to get some minor surge from Encinitas area for bar close. That's $25/30 minutes or $50/hr.

1:25am is simply nowhere near bar close if you're hustling. If you want to get in position you can use the DF to set some boundaries or tell pax you don't want to **** off.

You need to stay busy to about 1:40 and then reconsider your positioning.and logging out. Unicorns are a thing of the past so you have to rely on average earnings instead of whoppers to prop up your average.

$8-13 Flat surge shorties can be decent if chained together, but you might only get 2-3 if you're VERY lucky. Because Lyft has basically tossed bar close out the ****ing window getting good strings on Uber is hard since everyone wants to scoop up those rides at bar close.

 

[CJfrom619]

Speaking as an almost exclusively night driver.....

This is awful advice. You're advocating almost 35 minutes of down time that you don't get paid for for what? ONE ride with bonus of $8-13?

Let's say the ride you get comes in at 1:55am and takes 20 minutes from ping to drop off for a 7 mi ride. You made $20 but that one ride basically occupied 1:15am - 2:15 am. That's $20/hr. Not impressive.

On the other hand, your ride to deep RSF probably paid $25 and put you in position to get some minor surge from Encinitas area for bar close. That's $25/30 minutes or $50/hr.

1:25am is simply nowhere near bar close if you're hustling. If you want to get in position you can use the DF to set some boundaries or tell pax you don't want to @@@@ off.

You need to stay busy to about 1:40 and then reconsider your positioning.and logging out. Unicorns are a thing of the past so you have to rely on average earnings instead of whoppers to prop up your average.

$8-13 Flat surge shorties can be decent if chained together, but you might only get 2-3 if you're VERY lucky. Because Lyft has basically tossed bar close out the @@@@ing window getting good strings on Uber is hard since everyone wants to scoop up those rides at bar close.

Spot on.

When im driving at night i dont think about bar close till about 1:15 and to be honest i dont think about it too hard. I might set my DF on if im way up north or south to try and get back to try to snag a few rides. To be honest though the surge is never worth chasing even at $10 extra. You might get lucky with a few shorties to stay in surge area but most likely your first ride is gonna take you out of the area anyways. Bar close use to be worth it to chase when there was multipliers but with the flat rate a $6-12 surge isnt going to make my day.

A mistake would be taking a ride at duck dive in PB at 1:40am when you know in 5 minutes that ride will be a surge ride.

 

[Transportador]

So last night at around 1:25 am (right before 2 am bar close), I accept a non-surge request along Garnett. I pick up three people and start the ride - 29 minute ride to the middle of nowhere (deep Rancho Santa Fe). I realize that this ride is going to cost me any and all Saturday night surge. I spend the entire ride kicking myself for taking a ride so close to bar close and trying to keep my cool while these annoying pax are playfully yelling at each other in my car.

Lesson: While in area known for decent 2 am surge, go offline at around 1:15 and do not start accepting rides until 1:50. Grrrr, I got complacent! ??

Man I have rules set for myself too. The few times I broke my rules I was sorry!

My rule #1 is to quit around midnight.

And rule #2 is not to pick up in PB around midnight, LOL.

 

[Blushark]

10:00 pm is the line in the sand for Jimmy. Normally off the clock after sundown but occasionally works an hour or two after sundown. Nearly 19,000 trips and no one has vomited in my car.....that's got to be a record don't you think?

 

[Null]

Jimmy don't do puke

 

[1.5xorbust]

10:00 pm is the line in the sand for Jimmy. Normally off the clock after sundown but occasionally works an hour or two after sundown. Nearly 19,000 trips and no one has vomited in my car.....that's got to be a record don't you think?

With 19k trips you sure missed out on a lot of easy money with cleaning fees.

 

[NCRBILL]

With 19k trips you sure missed out on a lot of easy money with cleaning fees.

I'll take no puke over cleaning fees anyday

 

[DirtyRead]

Speaking as an almost exclusively night driver.....

This is awful advice. You're advocating almost 35 minutes of down time that you don't get paid for for what? ONE ride with bonus of $8-13?

Let's say the ride you get comes in at 1:55am and takes 20 minutes from ping to drop off for a 7 mi ride. You made $20 but that one ride basically occupied 1:15am - 2:15 am. That's $20/hr. Not impressive.

On the other hand, your ride to deep RSF probably paid $25 and put you in position to get some minor surge from Encinitas area for bar close. That's $25/30 minutes or $50/hr.

1:25am is simply nowhere near bar close if you're hustling. If you want to get in position you can use the DF to set some boundaries or tell pax you don't want to @@@@ off.

You need to stay busy to about 1:40 and then reconsider your positioning.and logging out. Unicorns are a thing of the past so you have to rely on average earnings instead of whoppers to prop up your average.

$8-13 Flat surge shorties can be decent if chained together, but you might only get 2-3 if you're VERY lucky. Because Lyft has basically tossed bar close out the @@@@ing window getting good strings on Uber is hard since everyone wants to scoop up those rides at bar close.

As an over night driver myself I agree limiting down time is key and with the new surge system I will happily take a longer non surge ride close to another hot spot. However deep Rancho Santa Fe can crush your soul sometimes. Its close milage wise but time runs slow in that world. Still its better then being in RB after 1:30.

 

[BBslider001]

I don't drive at night.

Rookie mistake: I drove this past Saturday night.

Lesson: stay with what you know.

Absolutely