Let me preface this with a very important part of the Uber Platform Access Agreement from January 6, 2020:

Source: https://uber-regulatory-documents.s3.amazonaws.com/reddog/country/United States/p2p/Uber Platform Access Agreement January 6, 2020.pdf

TOO LONG DIDN'T READ Version: According to Uber's agreement, they have no right to control or direct drivers because they are simply a company that provides leads to us, and it is up to us whether we accept ride requests or not, as long as we follow the law. Also, if Uber's serious about the "No Unaccompanied Minors" allowed policy, then they should stop accepting ride requests originating from known highschools or at least remind passengers each time they open the app about how unaccompanied minors aren't allowed. Finally, if Uber's worried about the lack of drivers taking short rides, then they need to raise the minimum fare to $5.

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Hello friends! Today I finally received not one, but TWO of those threats/notices that other drivers here in OC/LA have received whenever they decline a lot of unprofitable rides or rides against the policy involving minors.

and

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The Threats:

As for the threats, if Uber wants to really fight AB5 in order for us to not be classified as employees, then they shouldn't punish us for declining unfavorable rides, or any rides at all. It's what's on the agreement that Uber itself created. Uber itself specifically stated in the agreement that they will not, and they have NO RIGHT, to direct or control drivers. Sending threats is a form of control, directing drivers on how to act a certain way. The purpose is to "encourage" or "influence" drivers into accepting all rides, not just the good profitable ones that make sense to accept. Why even have an agreement that will just be broken by the company which created it? What is the point of removing the acceptance rating if in the end, we'll be penalized with the not-so-hidden timeouts for making smart driving decisions? What is the point of showing us the Estimated Fare, the Distance, the Pick-up Location and the Destination, if we're gonna be penalized for making decisions that would maximize our profitability? Is Uber admitting that these features are all for show in order to fight AB5 (because if we become treated like real employees, Uber will have to pay for so many things), and they really still want to treat us like employees, but not pay us like proper ones or pay for the maintenance and other things involved in this business? Some may say "But Uber wants to give rides to reliable independent contractors". Stop. What matters is what's in the agreement that we signed. What did Uber agree to with us again? They said they won't control or influence drivers and it's up to us whether to accept or decline rides. It's supposed to be that simple. End of the story. Uber itself said so. If they wanted us to not have a certain amount of rejected number of rides, then they should have been clear with the agreement right from the start. You can't just make somebody agree and sign to an agreement and suddenly, without even changing the details of the agreement, you go "Oh but now it works differently because I said so!" without making official changes to the document. That's not how agreements work. If you want to change something in the agreement, then you need to make a new agreement including the changes that you've made, and then make people sign that document again. Sure, Uber can make changes anytime, but they still have to make it legal, not just something implemented on a whim without being acknowledged by any official document. The point is to have a legal documented record of these changes. I did a little google search about how changes to an agreement/contract are handled, and at least as far as I understand, the changes can't just be verbal or not officially recorded, it has to be officially signed again - https://www.lawyers.com/legal-info/business-law/business-law-basics/contract-modification.html

If Uber is so concerned about drivers rejecting short rides, then they can remedy it by making each short ride worth at least $5. Hey, California is an expensive place. Gas prices are usually around $4 or maybe even higher. Uber also has to take into consideration that drivers need money to maintain vehicles, buy new tires, get new brakes, and have all sorts of safety features taken care of. A lot of drivers have already been suggesting it, and I have personally written to Uber via the feedback feature in the Driver App, although it remains to be seen if Uber actually reads those comments and suggestions. Better yet, why not allow drivers to set their own fares, with a base minimum of what is the average price per gallon in California.

After everything's been said and done, just look at the agreement again. Uber said it has no right to control or direct drivers, but it sends threats of us receiving fewer requests upon exercising our right to decline rides. That's so wrong.

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The Minor Problem:

Basically, what happened was that while I was passing by Fountain Valley, I received a request for $4. Since I was nearby, I decided to go for it. Just as I was nearing the location, I noticed that it was a HIGHSCHOOL! Damn it! I passed by it and the kid actually texted me "U PASS ME". I thought to myself "Wow, all caps!" I turned around, looked at the minor (he was probably thinking I was gonna pick him up), and then cancelled the ride. Amazingly, since I already triggered that "You have arrived" thing on the gps, the option to report the passenger as a minor appeared. I definitely used that!

I then moved north to Santa Ana and noticed that I was suddenly in the middle of a 1.9x surge that somehow just materialized. I received a request, it was paying very well, around $7 for a short distance so I immediately accepted it. This time though, when I had the chance, I zoomed in on the map just to make sure where I was picking up the passenger. UNFORTUNATELY it was from a highschool on some Monarch street. DAMN IT, I cancelled right away, but since I haven't arrived at the spot yet, there's no option to report the rider as a minor. It's a highschool, at the time when children are getting out of school, 99% it's a minor! A few more requests came in, all of them ranging between $5 to $8. I kept accepting but each time I checked the map, it was the streets around the school! It's not like I can read the tiny address when the request pops up while I'm driving. There's a good chance it's another minor. These children can usually be found trying to get rides ranging as far as a few streets away from school.

I decided to find a little parking spot to rest a bit, and suddenly I received a ride request. It's just nearby, $3 to the police station, I took it since at this time, I was trying to not get that hidden timeout punishment that other drivers were experiencing. I'm in a dire financial situation so for now, I have to take the crappy rides. Right after dropping the adult at the police station, I received the first threat. At this point, I cursed at Uber before driving off to my resting spot.

I waited for a while and finally, another ride request came in. It sure felt like a long time before I received another ride request! I just took the next one that popped up, which was thankfully worth around $11 or so to Anaheim. I drove to the guy's place, almost witnessed an accident where a truck and a van almost collided due to one of them making a sudden illegal turn, and then finally picked up the guy. I think the guy's Russian or something, he had Niko Bellic's accent from GTA 4. After dropping him off, the man was surprisingly kind enough to hand me a $5 bill, which will become part of tomorrow's gas money. As soon as I ended the ride and parked behind the restaurant I dropped him off at, I received the second threat from Uber!

Also, notice how the two threats came exactly one hour apart! First at 2:16pm, second at 3:16pm! I haven't declined any rides because... I've only had the two passengers since those were the only requests I got after declining numerous children! Anyway, some time later, as I was moving to another city, I received another ride request, finished it, gave up since it was already getting dark (I avoid driving in the dark, astigmatism issue) and just went home. I also received a note from Uber about the minor that I reported acknowledging that I did the right thing, but of course I didn't get paid for it.

The day started nicely though, I picked up this nice gentleman from the hospital (nah, I don't care about the Coronavirus anymore as long as the person isn't carrying a pee or poo bag). He didn't seem like a patient, he looked like some businessman. He wanted to sit at the front, so ok sure, why not? He was a pretty friendly guy, complimented me for my rating, complimented me for my "smoothest braking style ever", and then he started telling me the story of how he used to be an Uber driver in Arkansas. He said he's already retired, but he felt lonely at home so he used to drive for fun to talk to people. Then he told the story of how after 2000 passengers, he only had one crazy passenger, and "of course, it's a drunk one!" he gleefully said. After dropping him off at some highend car shop where he's picking up whatever expensive thing he owns, he was kind enough to give me a $3 tip, which definitely brightened my day! Here's a look of today's rides:

I had personal business during the first half of the day (I sell imported Japanese toys on Ebay and other sites as a sideline) so I spent the time shipping out orders. After packaging and dropping off the items at the USPS, I had to go back home by noon to pick up a housemate who needs to be driven to work. I still had an hour to spend for one passenger and that's when I went online and got that passenger from the hospital. After that ride, I went back home, drove housemate to work, then started really working for myself. That explains the time between my first and second ride.

After finishing my second ride, that's when those pesky highschool requests came in, and I kept declining them of course. Take note of the time between the second ride and the third ride. It's 12:55pm to 2:03pm. Between that time, I declined probably 5 or so children, all coming from highshools! The third ride came at 2:03pm, still in a surge but I noticed that finally it's not coming from a highschool. After that ride, that's when I got the first threat from Uber.

Anyway, I really hope Uber would stop sending us requests to highschools! It's annoying, it's a waste of time. I accept rides from elementary schools because I know there's gonna be an actual parent or guardian with the kid then, or it's usually a teacher or a worker since most of the younger kids aren't given access to mommy or daddy's Uber account. If Uber's so serious about this "no unaccompanied minors" policy, then they should seriously do something about it, they control the app, they're a "technology company". Maybe for riders, they should put a big reminder on the screen that reads "NO UNACCOMPANIED MINORS ALLOWED" and then everyone who's trying to break the rules would have to pay a "Liar's Fee" that goes to the driver and Uber (10% max!) for wasting time and gas.

Uber's whole premise in their driver contract is wrong. They're still claiming we are independent contractors and have written their contract around it, with such claims now quashed by AB5. So they could state in the contract that the moon is made of blue cheese; it would just be one more clause that is invalid.

The question now is what the lawmakers who wrote AB5 and the courts whose job it is to enforce it are going to do about Uberlyft ignoring it.

If we were genuine independent contractors then Uber selecting drivers for work based on acceptance rate would arguably be valid. However, that whole discussion is moot given that the law says we are not.

 

Uber needs to require the customer to throw in a $3 surcharge fee on all min fare trips. In my market that would make all trips at least $10. With $6 going to the driver and $4 to Uber.

Currently customers pay $7 for min fare Trips with $3 going to the Driver. Charging $10 would make the short rides very much worth it because you can easily hammer out 3 or 4 of those every hour and make $18-$24 an hour while only putting 15 or so miles on your vehicle.

 

Going to have to remember that "Your choice...." propaganda.

This morning alone I canceled 4 rides.

The first was from Rahway to Philadelphia. I accepted the ping because it seemed like a normal ride. I get there and the guy who ordered the ride informs it was to take his "family" to Philly. That's @ 1hr 20 min ride. There was no warning of a 45+ ride, and at 1am there was no way I am getting a return pax. I told him I am only registered with Uber for local rides and canceled. (amazing after all these years people have no clue how Uber works. hehehe) I do wonder if he was the 45+ ride I ignore every 2 to 3 mornings.

The second was from Rahway to Elizabeth. The destination miraculously changed to Jersey City when I pulled up. Pax insisted he put in Jersey City when he ordered ride. I let him know I get a notification when anything with the ride changes. He annoyed me so much I just canceled.

Then came a pick up at one of the malls . . . at 3am in the morning. The first attempt had me stopping on the highway to pick up a non-existant rider. I waited out the clock and got the no show fee. A few minutes later, same request. I usually don't take a duplicate request after getting a no show. I don't want to listen to them complain. A guy and a girl get in. They are going to Brooklyn. Sorry, not in my car. She is carrying on that this is Uber. (does that mean anything to anyone.) I let her know in no uncertain terms it was still my car and I decide where it is going. I get to cancel them for "rider bahavior."

Final cancellation came as I was in destination mode, from Cranberry to Rahway Train Station. I get a ping to pick up a rider 20 minutes south from my location "going in my direction" when I had already driven 15 minutes north toward my location. Canceled because of route problems.

I rarely use destination mode since it seems to like two steps back for one step forward.

 

I usually don't take a duplicate request after getting a no show. I don't want to listen to them complain.

If it's slow I'll go for the double no show. I've got it a few times. Quite fun when you do. The last time was a drunk young woman who refused to come outside. After I accepted the re-ping she texted, "I'm coming, do NOT cancel!". After I no showed her again at 5:00 she came running out of the house. I really wanted to go for the turkey triple as I haven't achieved that yet but could see that was not going to happen so I slow rolled away. 🤷‍♂

 

I don't understand the problem with minors. Is it against the law there? Have you had problems?

In my market high school pickups are some of the nicest, most polite, well behaved riders I get. They're never drunk.

In my market kids taking Lyft or Uber home come from well-to-do families, they are going to area regional schools or private schools, and they're going to nice neighborhoods. They are squared away and well-adjusted

I'm not afraid of any personal liability. I have multiple dash cams.

I do refuse unaccompanied children. I have no problem with a person I can treat as an adult (I can drop them off where they still will be unaccompanied). If I accept a ride with a child, and there's nobody to receive them on the other end then they're my problem.

In the ghetto, you have the other end of the spectrum, people taking Lyft or Uber to pick up their children because they are too poor to own a car or it was repossessed etc. The only problem with these folks is that they often are taking rideshare to pick up an infant or very small child and they have no car seat. For those I cancel every time.

 

it remains to be seen if Uber actually reads those comments and suggestions.

They don't.

The whole purpose of the feedback/surveys is simply to increase morale by making us think they're concerned; but in fact they really couldn't care less and don't want to actually do anything to boost morale.

when I used to drive, and Uber would send me the surveys, I would just hit the delete button. No point wasting 10 minutes of my life to do a survey no one is going to read.

 

If they require us to have a certain AR for requests again, I’ll finally quit.

When PAX pay SURGE they want their moneys worth. A lot of us with nicer cars wait for surge, declining rides along the way.

Guess all those satisfied customers which would have been otherwise angry at paying SURGE will just lose my business.

 

From reading the OP it just seems to indicate you could be kicked off the platform based on your rating, provided by your riders.

I don't see anything there about timeouts due to passing on shit non profitable rides.

 

From reading the OP it just seems to indicate you could be kicked off the platform based on your rating, provided by your riders.

I don't see anything there about timeouts due to passing on shit non profitable rides.

Look at the second graphic that the OP posted. It is a screenshot of the Uber's confirmation in the app that there are two reasons why drivers may receive fewer requests.

"Declining based on destination or refusing too many requests may result in fewer requests"

I see the first reason for Uber sending any given driver fewer requests - declining based on destination - as a valid reason. I personally don't decline based on destination.

The second reason Uber gives - "refusing too many requests" - is what many of us are seeing in practice. I don't do Pool trips, for example, so I decline around 60% of total trip requests. Uber considers this too many and I no longer get much work from them. I'm getting 1 trip request per hour now on average. Naturally, this has discouraged me from going online with Uber now - there's little point. I have started to concentrate now more on my other business, which I enjoy a lot more anyway so no real loss.

 

What's your Cancel Rate?

 

If a driver is willing to accept the little $2-$3 trips, they should get more requests than the cherry pickers.

 

Short trip rates need to increase

 

I suggest all UBER drivers nationwide strike again and make UBER feel the crunch this time. Let’s show them how it feels to be slaves with no food on the table.
Let’s strike an entire week and see how many millions of dollars we can make UBER loose. We drivers are UBER! Uber is nothing without us. We should demand better pay in fares and fees. We are in a position to make UBER bend to our demands. Uber is nothing without us drivers.
LETS STRIKE!!

 

I suggest all UBER drivers nationwide strike again and make UBER feel the crunch this time. Let's show them how it feels to be slaves with no food on the table.
Let's strike an entire week and see how many millions of dollars we can make UBER loose. We drivers are UBER! Uber is nothing without us. We should demand better pay in fares and fees. We are in a position to make UBER bend to our demands. Uber is nothing without us drivers.
LETS STRIKE!!

Let's don't.

Second thought, all you guys strike; but, please share details. I'll be driving hard. Strike bucks are fun bucks 💸!

Cleaned up last strike. 😁😁

MAGA 2020
🇺🇲

 

I don't understand the problem with minors. Is it against the law there? Have you had problems?

In my market high school pickups are some of the nicest, most polite, well behaved riders I get. They're never drunk.

In my market kids taking Lyft or Uber home come from well-to-do families, they are going to area regional schools or private schools, and they're going to nice neighborhoods. They are squared away and well-adjusted

I'm not afraid of any personal liability. I have multiple dash cams.

I do refuse unaccompanied children. I have no problem with a person I can treat as an adult (I can drop them off where they still will be unaccompanied). If I accept a ride with a child, and there's nobody to receive them on the other end then they're my problem.

In the ghetto, you have the other end of the spectrum, people taking Lyft or Uber to pick up their children because they are too poor to own a car or it was repossessed etc. The only problem with these folks is that they often are taking rideshare to pick up an infant or very small child and they have no car seat. For those I cancel every time.

In California, unaccompanied minors are prohibited from traveling with most carriers, including TNCs. ... The driver may also let a rider know that the driver will have to cancel the trip if the rider is indeed under 18.

https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/uploadedFil...panies/Rasier-CA__LLC_--_Plan_Regarding_Unaccompanied_Minors_(June_6__2016).pdf

https://www.ridester.com/lyft-uber-minor-policy/

Also, in the case of an accident with unaccompanied minors in the car, the Uber insurance would probably be void since it is against Uber rules to drive unaccompanied minors. I won't take the responsibility of transporting minors even though they would be easy.

On another topic, today was my last day driving until I see how the coronavirus issue turns out in the coming months. Skipping a few months is safer than driving if a pandemic pops up.

 

What's up with you CHILDREN begging for $5 minimum fares a NYC minimum fare in 1995 was $6.50 with NO maintenance costs....

Anything less than $10 gross is less than minimum wage & if you accept them more than once YOU are part of the problem & just as guilty as Uber Lyft for disrespecting & spitting on the humans that DIED standing up for labor laws & human rights.

Cancel or ignore the rides let the 96% who fail because they can't do basic math service them

Wouldn't of given you a ride in high school 25+ years ago for $5 lmao unless you were standing right next to me, were my friend, & going to the same place geez,

Simply pathetic YOURE the reason these evil organized criminals lower rates every year duh

 

Hey all - I gave my first trip Fall 2013 on Uber X in Los Angeles. I want to remind drivers and readers that this was not a problem Uber had to deal with the first couple years. Minimum fares were $10 in 2013, then dipped lower and lower. This is a problem Uber created. At the time, the official emails from Uber said it would encourage more trips while keeping earnings the same. Drivers are now carrying the weight of unfair market prices, driven artificially low by Rideshare companies that lose hundreds of millions in capital per fiscal quarter.

My friends used to make fun of me the first year Uber launched: "Jareds out doing his taxi thing again." But even then I knew the honeymoon wasn't going to last forever. Making $40/hr part time for little to no buy in? Crazy. What I didn't anticipate was how deep the hole would go. Government has had little teeth because consumers love a low price, and worker protections and civil liberties have fallen to the wayside in recent times.

I hope that California enforces the new regulations. Disruption is not change for the better. Innovation shouldn't come at the expense of quality of life.

 

I don’t know where trips pay $2! I simply wouldn’t drive.

 

In my market now they’re only calculating/updating the total requests sent - declined rides. Which means if I skip 5 out of 100 rides I would go from 95% to 90% once a new week starts. Once you hit 85% you can’t see pax direction upfront.

My rating also seems to be handpicked for the last few months. After comparing weekly screenshots it will normally erase 1 5 star and add 1 4 and below rating.

 

In my market there is no law prohibiting unaccompanied minors from being a passenger. It’s against the Uber rider’s terms, but it isn’t illegal. I have a ‘Working With Children’ accreditation and under our car registration requirements all cars have compulsory passenger and third party personal injury insurance. This is in addition to your comprehensive property insurance. So I don’t have a problem with carrying high school kids, and like someone said, they’re amongst the nicest passengers I’ve carried. There are laws against lack of car seats, and a hefty fine. I live in a small town of about forty thousand people, and the atmosphere is totally different from cities. Of course a dual lens dashcam is a must, you’d be stupid to drive without one.

 

Of course a dual lens dashcam is a must, you'd be stupid to drive without one.

Yeah, nope. Those TNC's approved to have minors also prohibit cameras of any type in the car. Hard stop, there.

 

Pretty callous and reductive to use a metric like school shooting deaths as rebuttal. Mental illness is everywhere.

Mate, if you don't have a go at me, you don't get 'callously rebutted'. Let's face it, if some dweep can't cope with a reasonable post, and feels the need to be sarcastic, don't expect me to hold back. In our country we pay back hard. Tough if you don't like it.

 

Let me preface this with a very important part of the Uber Platform Access Agreement from January 6, 2020:

Source: https://uber-regulatory-documents.s3.amazonaws.com/reddog/country/United States/p2p/Uber Platform Access Agreement January 6, 2020.pdf

TOO LONG DIDN'T READ Version: According to Uber's agreement, they have no right to control or direct drivers because they are simply a company that provides leads to us, and it is up to us whether we accept ride requests or not, as long as we follow the law. Also, if Uber's serious about the "No Unaccompanied Minors" allowed policy, then they should stop accepting ride requests originating from known highschools or at least remind passengers each time they open the app about how unaccompanied minors aren't allowed. Finally, if Uber's worried about the lack of drivers taking short rides, then they need to raise the minimum fare to $5.

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Hello friends! Today I finally received not one, but TWO of those threats/notices that other drivers here in OC/LA have received whenever they decline a lot of unprofitable rides or rides against the policy involving minors.

and

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The Threats:

As for the threats, if Uber wants to really fight AB5 in order for us to not be classified as employees, then they shouldn't punish us for declining unfavorable rides, or any rides at all. It's what's on the agreement that Uber itself created. Uber itself specifically stated in the agreement that they will not, and they have NO RIGHT, to direct or control drivers. Sending threats is a form of control, directing drivers on how to act a certain way. The purpose is to "encourage" or "influence" drivers into accepting all rides, not just the good profitable ones that make sense to accept. Why even have an agreement that will just be broken by the company which created it? What is the point of removing the acceptance rating if in the end, we'll be penalized with the not-so-hidden timeouts for making smart driving decisions? What is the point of showing us the Estimated Fare, the Distance, the Pick-up Location and the Destination, if we're gonna be penalized for making decisions that would maximize our profitability? Is Uber admitting that these features are all for show in order to fight AB5 (because if we become treated like real employees, Uber will have to pay for so many things), and they really still want to treat us like employees, but not pay us like proper ones or pay for the maintenance and other things involved in this business? Some may say "But Uber wants to give rides to reliable independent contractors". Stop. What matters is what's in the agreement that we signed. What did Uber agree to with us again? They said they won't control or influence drivers and it's up to us whether to accept or decline rides. It's supposed to be that simple. End of the story. Uber itself said so. If they wanted us to not have a certain amount of rejected number of rides, then they should have been clear with the agreement right from the start. You can't just make somebody agree and sign to an agreement and suddenly, without even changing the details of the agreement, you go "Oh but now it works differently because I said so!" without making official changes to the document. That's not how agreements work. If you want to change something in the agreement, then you need to make a new agreement including the changes that you've made, and then make people sign that document again. Sure, Uber can make changes anytime, but they still have to make it legal, not just something implemented on a whim without being acknowledged by any official document. The point is to have a legal documented record of these changes. I did a little google search about how changes to an agreement/contract are handled, and at least as far as I understand, the changes can't just be verbal or not officially recorded, it has to be officially signed again - https://www.lawyers.com/legal-info/business-law/business-law-basics/contract-modification.html

If Uber is so concerned about drivers rejecting short rides, then they can remedy it by making each short ride worth at least $5. Hey, California is an expensive place. Gas prices are usually around $4 or maybe even higher. Uber also has to take into consideration that drivers need money to maintain vehicles, buy new tires, get new brakes, and have all sorts of safety features taken care of. A lot of drivers have already been suggesting it, and I have personally written to Uber via the feedback feature in the Driver App, although it remains to be seen if Uber actually reads those comments and suggestions. Better yet, why not allow drivers to set their own fares, with a base minimum of what is the average price per gallon in California.

After everything's been said and done, just look at the agreement again. Uber said it has no right to control or direct drivers, but it sends threats of us receiving fewer requests upon exercising our right to decline rides. That's so wrong.

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The Minor Problem:

Basically, what happened was that while I was passing by Fountain Valley, I received a request for $4. Since I was nearby, I decided to go for it. Just as I was nearing the location, I noticed that it was a HIGHSCHOOL! Damn it! I passed by it and the kid actually texted me "U PASS ME". I thought to myself "Wow, all caps!" I turned around, looked at the minor (he was probably thinking I was gonna pick him up), and then cancelled the ride. Amazingly, since I already triggered that "You have arrived" thing on the gps, the option to report the passenger as a minor appeared. I definitely used that!

I then moved north to Santa Ana and noticed that I was suddenly in the middle of a 1.9x surge that somehow just materialized. I received a request, it was paying very well, around $7 for a short distance so I immediately accepted it. This time though, when I had the chance, I zoomed in on the map just to make sure where I was picking up the passenger. UNFORTUNATELY it was from a highschool on some Monarch street. DAMN IT, I cancelled right away, but since I haven't arrived at the spot yet, there's no option to report the rider as a minor. It's a highschool, at the time when children are getting out of school, 99% it's a minor! A few more requests came in, all of them ranging between $5 to $8. I kept accepting but each time I checked the map, it was the streets around the school! It's not like I can read the tiny address when the request pops up while I'm driving. There's a good chance it's another minor. These children can usually be found trying to get rides ranging as far as a few streets away from school.

I decided to find a little parking spot to rest a bit, and suddenly I received a ride request. It's just nearby, $3 to the police station, I took it since at this time, I was trying to not get that hidden timeout punishment that other drivers were experiencing. I'm in a dire financial situation so for now, I have to take the crappy rides. Right after dropping the adult at the police station, I received the first threat. At this point, I cursed at Uber before driving off to my resting spot.

I waited for a while and finally, another ride request came in. It sure felt like a long time before I received another ride request! I just took the next one that popped up, which was thankfully worth around $11 or so to Anaheim. I drove to the guy's place, almost witnessed an accident where a truck and a van almost collided due to one of them making a sudden illegal turn, and then finally picked up the guy. I think the guy's Russian or something, he had Niko Bellic's accent from GTA 4. After dropping him off, the man was surprisingly kind enough to hand me a $5 bill, which will become part of tomorrow's gas money. As soon as I ended the ride and parked behind the restaurant I dropped him off at, I received the second threat from Uber!

Also, notice how the two threats came exactly one hour apart! First at 2:16pm, second at 3:16pm! I haven't declined any rides because... I've only had the two passengers since those were the only requests I got after declining numerous children! Anyway, some time later, as I was moving to another city, I received another ride request, finished it, gave up since it was already getting dark (I avoid driving in the dark, astigmatism issue) and just went home. I also received a note from Uber about the minor that I reported acknowledging that I did the right thing, but of course I didn't get paid for it.

The day started nicely though, I picked up this nice gentleman from the hospital (nah, I don't care about the Coronavirus anymore as long as the person isn't carrying a pee or poo bag). He didn't seem like a patient, he looked like some businessman. He wanted to sit at the front, so ok sure, why not? He was a pretty friendly guy, complimented me for my rating, complimented me for my "smoothest braking style ever", and then he started telling me the story of how he used to be an Uber driver in Arkansas. He said he's already retired, but he felt lonely at home so he used to drive for fun to talk to people. Then he told the story of how after 2000 passengers, he only had one crazy passenger, and "of course, it's a drunk one!" he gleefully said. After dropping him off at some highend car shop where he's picking up whatever expensive thing he owns, he was kind enough to give me a $3 tip, which definitely brightened my day! Here's a look of today's rides:

I had personal business during the first half of the day (I sell imported Japanese toys on Ebay and other sites as a sideline) so I spent the time shipping out orders. After packaging and dropping off the items at the USPS, I had to go back home by noon to pick up a housemate who needs to be driven to work. I still had an hour to spend for one passenger and that's when I went online and got that passenger from the hospital. After that ride, I went back home, drove housemate to work, then started really working for myself. That explains the time between my first and second ride.

After finishing my second ride, that's when those pesky highschool requests came in, and I kept declining them of course. Take note of the time between the second ride and the third ride. It's 12:55pm to 2:03pm. Between that time, I declined probably 5 or so children, all coming from highshools! The third ride came at 2:03pm, still in a surge but I noticed that finally it's not coming from a highschool. After that ride, that's when I got the first threat from Uber.

Anyway, I really hope Uber would stop sending us requests to highschools! It's annoying, it's a waste of time. I accept rides from elementary schools because I know there's gonna be an actual parent or guardian with the kid then, or it's usually a teacher or a worker since most of the younger kids aren't given access to mommy or daddy's Uber account. If Uber's so serious about this "no unaccompanied minors" policy, then they should seriously do something about it, they control the app, they're a "technology company". Maybe for riders, they should put a big reminder on the screen that reads "NO UNACCOMPANIED MINORS ALLOWED" and then everyone who's trying to break the rules would have to pay a "Liar's Fee" that goes to the driver and Uber (10% max!) for wasting time and gas.

I want to know if theres a way around this!

Or if its another case of

'just deal with it"

any advice?

(edit: it just seems to me like rot.... it always seems to be something or another, they say one THING and then do something completely different... I know I know, this isn't anything new, but seriously, are they EVER going to suffer consequences? Or is it just the SAME crap, different day!"

 

are they EVER going to suffer consequences?

Only one thing will get their attention. Pax requests going unanswered. Or a great number of ants not going online when they normally do.
most ants are not unhappy. This forum does not represent the driving population.
just take California alone. Maybe > 200k drivers. What would it take to make them so Unhappy to stay offline? A great percent of them are happy with AR gone and full info pings. Up hill climb for sure.

 

Let me preface this with a very important part of the Uber Platform Access Agreement from January 6, 2020:

Source: https://uber-regulatory-documents.s3.amazonaws.com/reddog/country/United States/p2p/Uber Platform Access Agreement January 6, 2020.pdf

TOO LONG DIDN'T READ Version: According to Uber's agreement, they have no right to control or direct drivers because they are simply a company that provides leads to us, and it is up to us whether we accept ride requests or not, as long as we follow the law. Also, if Uber's serious about the "No Unaccompanied Minors" allowed policy, then they should stop accepting ride requests originating from known highschools or at least remind passengers each time they open the app about how unaccompanied minors aren't allowed. Finally, if Uber's worried about the lack of drivers taking short rides, then they need to raise the minimum fare to $5.

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Hello friends! Today I finally received not one, but TWO of those threats/notices that other drivers here in OC/LA have received whenever they decline a lot of unprofitable rides or rides against the policy involving minors.

and

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The Threats:

As for the threats, if Uber wants to really fight AB5 in order for us to not be classified as employees, then they shouldn't punish us for declining unfavorable rides, or any rides at all. It's what's on the agreement that Uber itself created. Uber itself specifically stated in the agreement that they will not, and they have NO RIGHT, to direct or control drivers. Sending threats is a form of control, directing drivers on how to act a certain way. The purpose is to "encourage" or "influence" drivers into accepting all rides, not just the good profitable ones that make sense to accept. Why even have an agreement that will just be broken by the company which created it? What is the point of removing the acceptance rating if in the end, we'll be penalized with the not-so-hidden timeouts for making smart driving decisions? What is the point of showing us the Estimated Fare, the Distance, the Pick-up Location and the Destination, if we're gonna be penalized for making decisions that would maximize our profitability? Is Uber admitting that these features are all for show in order to fight AB5 (because if we become treated like real employees, Uber will have to pay for so many things), and they really still want to treat us like employees, but not pay us like proper ones or pay for the maintenance and other things involved in this business? Some may say "But Uber wants to give rides to reliable independent contractors". Stop. What matters is what's in the agreement that we signed. What did Uber agree to with us again? They said they won't control or influence drivers and it's up to us whether to accept or decline rides. It's supposed to be that simple. End of the story. Uber itself said so. If they wanted us to not have a certain amount of rejected number of rides, then they should have been clear with the agreement right from the start. You can't just make somebody agree and sign to an agreement and suddenly, without even changing the details of the agreement, you go "Oh but now it works differently because I said so!" without making official changes to the document. That's not how agreements work. If you want to change something in the agreement, then you need to make a new agreement including the changes that you've made, and then make people sign that document again. Sure, Uber can make changes anytime, but they still have to make it legal, not just something implemented on a whim without being acknowledged by any official document. The point is to have a legal documented record of these changes. I did a little google search about how changes to an agreement/contract are handled, and at least as far as I understand, the changes can't just be verbal or not officially recorded, it has to be officially signed again - https://www.lawyers.com/legal-info/business-law/business-law-basics/contract-modification.html

If Uber is so concerned about drivers rejecting short rides, then they can remedy it by making each short ride worth at least $5. Hey, California is an expensive place. Gas prices are usually around $4 or maybe even higher. Uber also has to take into consideration that drivers need money to maintain vehicles, buy new tires, get new brakes, and have all sorts of safety features taken care of. A lot of drivers have already been suggesting it, and I have personally written to Uber via the feedback feature in the Driver App, although it remains to be seen if Uber actually reads those comments and suggestions. Better yet, why not allow drivers to set their own fares, with a base minimum of what is the average price per gallon in California.

After everything's been said and done, just look at the agreement again. Uber said it has no right to control or direct drivers, but it sends threats of us receiving fewer requests upon exercising our right to decline rides. That's so wrong.

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The Minor Problem:

Basically, what happened was that while I was passing by Fountain Valley, I received a request for $4. Since I was nearby, I decided to go for it. Just as I was nearing the location, I noticed that it was a HIGHSCHOOL! Damn it! I passed by it and the kid actually texted me "U PASS ME". I thought to myself "Wow, all caps!" I turned around, looked at the minor (he was probably thinking I was gonna pick him up), and then cancelled the ride. Amazingly, since I already triggered that "You have arrived" thing on the gps, the option to report the passenger as a minor appeared. I definitely used that!

I then moved north to Santa Ana and noticed that I was suddenly in the middle of a 1.9x surge that somehow just materialized. I received a request, it was paying very well, around $7 for a short distance so I immediately accepted it. This time though, when I had the chance, I zoomed in on the map just to make sure where I was picking up the passenger. UNFORTUNATELY it was from a highschool on some Monarch street. DAMN IT, I cancelled right away, but since I haven't arrived at the spot yet, there's no option to report the rider as a minor. It's a highschool, at the time when children are getting out of school, 99% it's a minor! A few more requests came in, all of them ranging between $5 to $8. I kept accepting but each time I checked the map, it was the streets around the school! It's not like I can read the tiny address when the request pops up while I'm driving. There's a good chance it's another minor. These children can usually be found trying to get rides ranging as far as a few streets away from school.

I decided to find a little parking spot to rest a bit, and suddenly I received a ride request. It's just nearby, $3 to the police station, I took it since at this time, I was trying to not get that hidden timeout punishment that other drivers were experiencing. I'm in a dire financial situation so for now, I have to take the crappy rides. Right after dropping the adult at the police station, I received the first threat. At this point, I cursed at Uber before driving off to my resting spot.

I waited for a while and finally, another ride request came in. It sure felt like a long time before I received another ride request! I just took the next one that popped up, which was thankfully worth around $11 or so to Anaheim. I drove to the guy's place, almost witnessed an accident where a truck and a van almost collided due to one of them making a sudden illegal turn, and then finally picked up the guy. I think the guy's Russian or something, he had Niko Bellic's accent from GTA 4. After dropping him off, the man was surprisingly kind enough to hand me a $5 bill, which will become part of tomorrow's gas money. As soon as I ended the ride and parked behind the restaurant I dropped him off at, I received the second threat from Uber!

Also, notice how the two threats came exactly one hour apart! First at 2:16pm, second at 3:16pm! I haven't declined any rides because... I've only had the two passengers since those were the only requests I got after declining numerous children! Anyway, some time later, as I was moving to another city, I received another ride request, finished it, gave up since it was already getting dark (I avoid driving in the dark, astigmatism issue) and just went home. I also received a note from Uber about the minor that I reported acknowledging that I did the right thing, but of course I didn't get paid for it.

The day started nicely though, I picked up this nice gentleman from the hospital (nah, I don't care about the Coronavirus anymore as long as the person isn't carrying a pee or poo bag). He didn't seem like a patient, he looked like some businessman. He wanted to sit at the front, so ok sure, why not? He was a pretty friendly guy, complimented me for my rating, complimented me for my "smoothest braking style ever", and then he started telling me the story of how he used to be an Uber driver in Arkansas. He said he's already retired, but he felt lonely at home so he used to drive for fun to talk to people. Then he told the story of how after 2000 passengers, he only had one crazy passenger, and "of course, it's a drunk one!" he gleefully said. After dropping him off at some highend car shop where he's picking up whatever expensive thing he owns, he was kind enough to give me a $3 tip, which definitely brightened my day! Here's a look of today's rides:

I had personal business during the first half of the day (I sell imported Japanese toys on Ebay and other sites as a sideline) so I spent the time shipping out orders. After packaging and dropping off the items at the USPS, I had to go back home by noon to pick up a housemate who needs to be driven to work. I still had an hour to spend for one passenger and that's when I went online and got that passenger from the hospital. After that ride, I went back home, drove housemate to work, then started really working for myself. That explains the time between my first and second ride.

After finishing my second ride, that's when those pesky highschool requests came in, and I kept declining them of course. Take note of the time between the second ride and the third ride. It's 12:55pm to 2:03pm. Between that time, I declined probably 5 or so children, all coming from highshools! The third ride came at 2:03pm, still in a surge but I noticed that finally it's not coming from a highschool. After that ride, that's when I got the first threat from Uber.

Anyway, I really hope Uber would stop sending us requests to highschools! It's annoying, it's a waste of time. I accept rides from elementary schools because I know there's gonna be an actual parent or guardian with the kid then, or it's usually a teacher or a worker since most of the younger kids aren't given access to mommy or daddy's Uber account. If Uber's so serious about this "no unaccompanied minors" policy, then they should seriously do something about it, they control the app, they're a "technology company". Maybe for riders, they should put a big reminder on the screen that reads "NO UNACCOMPANIED MINORS ALLOWED" and then everyone who's trying to break the rules would have to pay a "Liar's Fee" that goes to the driver and Uber (10% max!) for wasting time and gas.

Had several back to back $4.00-$5.00 earnings that were 20 miles away (always seem to get the lower price) last night which I ignored. Got the threat notice on app. Made $28.00 in 4hrs. Thought it was a result of Coronamania. I guess they followed thru with the threats.

 

I got the threat yesterday because I didn't want to keep being sent for $3-$4 short rides in pothole-ridden East Oakland that are 10-15 minutes away and often minors wanting to get to school. It's a part of town many drivers apparently avoid, considering it often shows as surge pricing. I'll go there after an airport drop-off when it's in surge pricing, but even then those rides tend to send me farther away from the core market for $3-$4 rides even farther distant from each other...and I never get tips east of Fruitvale BART station. So I shut off the app and went home for a nap when they sent me the second warning (used 15th St to see the hookers for kicks), hopefully affecting Uber's bottom line when many drivers are staying home due to the virus panic. Went back out in the afternoon and got a string of good rides and a few tips to beat my goal for the day. I don't take to threats, I don't take orders, but I follow the rules. The warning indicates I'm discriminating based on location, but I'm calculating distance from where I am and the estimated fare to refuse unprofitable rides. I can use my history of rides in East Oakland to prove I don't discriminate based on location. In West Oakland, a home-to-BART dropoff for the same price takes half the time, and that's my basis for declining rides.

Drivers need to decline more $3.75 rides. They don't add up for us.

 

I got the threat yesterday because I didn't want to keep being sent for $3-$4 short rides in pothole-ridden East Oakland that are 10-15 minutes away and often minors wanting to get to school. It's a part of town many drivers apparently avoid, considering it often shows as surge pricing. I'll go there after an airport drop-off when it's in surge pricing, but even then those rides tend to send me farther away from the core market for $3-$4 rides even farther distant from each other...and I never get tips east of Fruitvale BART station. So I shut off the app and went home for a nap when they sent me the second warning (used 15th St to see the hookers for kicks), hopefully affecting Uber's bottom line when many drivers are staying home due to the virus panic. Went back out in the afternoon and got a string of good rides and a few tips to beat my goal for the day. I don't take to threats, I don't take orders, but I follow the rules. The warning indicates I'm discriminating based on location, but I'm calculating distance from where I am and the estimated fare to refuse unprofitable rides. I can use my history of rides in East Oakland to prove I don't discriminate based on location. In West Oakland, a home-to-BART dropoff for the same price takes half the time, and that's my basis for declining rides.

Drivers need to decline more $3.75 rides. They don't add up for us.

Do lyft requests show length of trip, fare for the trip and direction of the trip too in California?

 

I don't drive for Lyft.

I have only declined one ride in the past two days (a ride that popped up when I was preparing to go offline). But the threat popped up about 10x. I sent them a message asking that they stop sending this message, as it continually pops up while I have a pax in the car requiring me to take my hands off the wheel to remove a tacky message the pax can see. Bad form and distracting to the driver.

 

Here's an update, I'm not sure if you've seen it yet but the threat color turned from Orange to Red. What happened was I was in LA after dropping off someone and I had to get out of the car to try and help the guy get up since he "lost feelings in the leg and arms". His friends were waiting for him so they took him away. I wasn't able to get a bunch of pings and then I received 4 red colored threats. When you received your threats, what color was it? Orange or Red? I wonder what the change in color means. Is it just for "artistic" purposes or is this some kind of escalated threat hmm.

 

Here's an update, I'm not sure if you've seen it yet but the threat color turned from Orange to Red. What happened was I was in LA after dropping off someone and I had to get out of the car to try and help the guy get up since he "lost feelings in the leg and arms". His friends were waiting for him so they took him away. I wasn't able to get a bunch of pings and then I received 4 red colored threats. When you received your threats, what color was it? Orange or Red? I wonder what the change in color means. Is it just for "artistic" purposes or is this some kind of escalated threat hmm.

View attachment 426955

Mine are blue

 

Here's the deal, and listen up. While they have that as policy, to fulfill some requirement so they can not be required to make you an employee, think about it --- if they really want to can you, they can find a reason, discrimination, something.

See, Uber likes drivers to work hard, and do not cherry pick.

If you owned a taxi company, you'd like drivers that did that, too.

Despite the short hauls, depending on your region, if everyone accepts all rides the average ride will be $8.
If you work it like a taxi ( 10 - 12 hour shifts ) you should do about 20 trips.

If you can do better, good for you,. but that has been my experience.