# Random thoughts on many drivers on this forum



## James Lee (Nov 10, 2015)

As I am reading through the threads, I realized that most of drivers aren't satisfied in any circumstances.

First, people were complaining about their market being saturated and how they couldn't make any money with low volume of requests coming in each day.

Then, with the rate cut, which caused a massive number of people quitting, active drivers are getting pings from 15-20 minutes away. They're complaining that it is not profitable and are not accepting those pings and end up getting deactivated from the platform, which they call "unfair".

If you aren't going to be satisfied in any way from driving for uber then you really shouldn't drive. There are many other jobs out there that you can do to bring food to the table as you were doing before uber existed.


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## sicky (Dec 18, 2015)

If the rates were decent, we would accept farther away trips. Uber could limit the number of drivers to ensure that it wasn't oversaturated, and it would be a win-win. As it stands, driving 15-20 minutes to score $2.40 before expenses is a huge loss. you're lucky to make minimum wage taking only close trips without a surge.

If Uber has a problem with me being unwilling to take a loss on a trip, they can feel free to deactivate me.


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## James Lee (Nov 10, 2015)

sicky said:


> If the rates were decent, we would accept farther away trips. Uber could limit the number of drivers to ensure that it wasn't oversaturated, and it would be a win-win. As it stands, driving 15-20 minutes to score $2.40 before expenses is a huge loss. you're lucky to make minimum wage taking only close trips without a surge.
> 
> If Uber has a problem with me being unwilling to take a loss on a trip, they can feel free to deactivate me.


Even the rate was 1.65 per mile, it would still only be close to 5-6 dollar net for min.


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## scrurbscrud (Sep 11, 2014)

James Lee said:


> As I am reading through the threads, I realized that most of drivers aren't satisfied in any circumstances.


Nah. The problems are the same everywhere. Insufficient pay and driver saturation.

Uber's only game plan is to see how many drivers will drive for nothing, how low they will go, how long they'll do it, and how many they can churn through to keep their scam floating.



> If you aren't going to be satisfied in any way from driving for uber then you really shouldn't drive. There are many other jobs out there that you can do to bring food to the table as you were doing before uber existed.


The more intelligent drivers will stay active and drive when it pays and won't when it don't. Pretty simple. Call it modified Uber OFF. OFF when the pay is crap is a fairly easy decision to make.


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## James Lee (Nov 10, 2015)

scrurbscrud said:


> Nah. The problems are the same everywhere. Insufficient pay and driver saturation.
> 
> Uber's only game plan is to see how many drivers will drive for nothing, how low they will go, how long they'll do it, and how many they can churn through to keep their scam floating.
> 
> The more intelligent drivers will stay active and drive when it pays and won't when it don't. Pretty simple. Call it modified Uber OFF. OFF when the pay is crap is a fairly easy decision to make.


Don't expect too much from this low skilled gig because that will never happen. Find yourself a real job if you are looking to make 20+ an hour.


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## scrurbscrud (Sep 11, 2014)

James Lee said:


> Don't expect too much from this low skilled gig because that will never happen. Find yourself a real job if you are looking to make 20+ an hour.


There is neither wage nor profit for what Uberx std rates pay. The lie is that there is any. And the delusion of the drivers who think there is eventually fizzles out when math reality bites.


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## 10thSteetMonkey (Jan 19, 2016)

scrurbscrud said:


> drive when it pays and won't when it don't


Exactly. Wish we didn't have to pay that kind of attention to strategy but it does work.

Driving works for the strategic part-timer with other income, sunk costs of insurance and vehicle (payment or not) who's real cost is time and gas, who's risk is perhaps car damage.

I'll have my IRA filled by June, and when offline catch up on a lot of business reading until the next profitable ping. In other words, the highest and best use of my time.


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## howo3579 (Dec 8, 2015)

sicky said:


> If the rates were decent, we would accept farther away trips. Uber could limit the number of drivers to ensure that it wasn't oversaturated, and it would be a win-win. As it stands, driving 15-20 minutes to score $2.40 before expenses is a huge loss. you're lucky to make minimum wage taking only close trips without a surge.
> 
> If Uber has a problem with me being unwilling to take a loss on a trip, they can feel free to deactivate me.


Why would Uber limit the number of drivers? It's like the broke taxi industry again. I don't have problem with drivers whining. I hate Uber too. But when you refer new drivers just to get that sign up bonus you're playing into the scam. Don't whine about it if you've ever referred a friend to drive because you are part of the problem exists today.


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## I_Love_Uber_Not (Jan 28, 2016)

James Lee said:


> As I am reading through the threads, I realized that most of drivers aren't satisfied in any circumstances.
> 
> First, people were complaining about their market being saturated and how they couldn't make any money with low volume of requests coming in each day.
> 
> ...


And the sky is blue.


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## Oscar Levant (Aug 15, 2014)

James Lee said:


> As I am reading through the threads, I realized that most of drivers aren't satisfied in any circumstances.
> 
> First, people were complaining about their market being saturated and how they couldn't make any money with low volume of requests coming in each day.
> 
> ...


Jobs are not always that easy to get. if that were not true Uber would not be exploiting its drivers so easily.


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## James Lee (Nov 10, 2015)

Oscar Levant said:


> Jobs are not always that easy to get. if that were not true Uber would not be exploiting its drivers so easily.


There are tons of jobs available which can be started on the same day or next. Restaurants, labor work, sales and such. People choose to drive for uber because? It is lowest skilled job and they are comfortable working as needed but expecting too much out of it.


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## Oscar Levant (Aug 15, 2014)

James Lee said:


> There are tons of jobs available which can be started on the same day or next. Restaurants, labor work, sales and such. People choose to drive for uber because? It is lowest skilled job and they are comfortable working as needed but expecting too much out of it.


for many young folks out there you might be right but not for us senior citizens.


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## Thatendedbadly (Feb 8, 2016)

James Lee said:


> As I am reading through the threads, I realized that most of drivers aren't satisfied in any circumstances.
> If you aren't going to be satisfied in any way from driving for uber then you really shouldn't drive.


You need to read a little more. Some of us aren't actually driving for Uber unless the circumstances are favorable. End of discussion.


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## J1945 (Jan 2, 2016)

Oscar Levant said:


> Jobs are not always that easy to get. if that were not true Uber would not be exploiting its drivers so easily.


B.S.

There are plenty of fast food places hiring all the time that pay slightly better than minimum wage. If you're a good worker, prompt, and dependable, within a short time they would let you work all the hours you want.

It's jobs that require skill, education and or experience that pay well. Those are the hard jobs to get because they take time to achieve all three.


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## rocksteady (Mar 19, 2015)

James Lee said:


> As I am reading through the threads, I realized that most of drivers aren't satisfied in any circumstances.
> 
> First, people were complaining about their market being saturated and how they couldn't make any money with low volume of requests coming in each day.
> 
> ...


Good Gawd you're dumb. Those points aren't contradictory at all.

People complain because there is no food.

People complain when they are offered 100 calories of food that they must burn 200 calories walking to go and get.

FrippityFrackin Hypocrites!


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## James Lee (Nov 10, 2015)

rocksteady said:


> Good Gawd you're dumb. Those points aren't contradictory at all.
> 
> People complain because there is no food.
> 
> ...


Then don't drive. As simple as that. Go ahead and get a job if you aren't satisfied with current condition. Obviously nobody is forcing you to drive for uber.


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## Tedgey (Jan 29, 2016)

James Lee said:


> As I am reading through the threads, I realized that most of drivers aren't satisfied in any circumstances.
> 
> First, people were complaining about their market being saturated and how they couldn't make any money with low volume of requests coming in each day.
> 
> ...


I've had lots of driving jobs. From delivering pizzas in high school to driving for a courier service to hiking trucks to driving a cab and now this. Grumbling is part and parcel of every one. It's like being in the military. The grunts grumble.

In regards to the 15 minute pickups, if you're working in a high traffic area, that 15 minutes can really cost you. For me it's not such a big deal, kind of the cost of doing business, you take the occasional money loser and that's that. But if you work around Hollywood and Beverly Hills, that fifteen minutes is sitting in suck traffic to pick up some suck passenger for ubersuckpool and you're going to net a suck $2.40 for your half hour and meanwhile everywhere around you all of a sudden is surging at 150X and by the time you give this suck ass his ride to the corner the surge has completely evaporated.

Traffic can make people crazy you know.


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## stuber (Jun 30, 2014)

James Lee said:


> As I am reading through the threads, I realized that most of drivers aren't satisfied in any circumstances.
> 
> First, people were complaining about their market being saturated and how they couldn't make any money with low volume of requests coming in each day.
> 
> ...


In short then, stop complaining and get busy quitting Uber. I endorse this idea. If we could get the driver density reduced permanently by 70%, then those drivers remaining would have little to complain about. It's simple.

Taxis cost about $2.50/mile on average throughout the US. This is not accidental. It's not because of taxis rigging the markets with regulations. It's not unions distorting the value.

It's $2.50 because that's generally what taxis have to charge in order to make enough to pay the expenses and be left with $25-30K/ year. And taxis drivers will work about 3000 hours each year to make their money. $10/hour basically.

But the public thinks that a bit high. Solution: $5/hour Uber drivers. Problem solved.


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## nowiwannabeyourdog (Nov 15, 2015)

L


James Lee said:


> Don't expect too much from this low skilled gig because that will never happen. Find yourself a real job if you are looking to make 20+ an hour.





James Lee said:


> There are tons of jobs available which can be started on the same day or next. Restaurants, labor work, sales and such. People choose to drive for uber because? It is lowest skilled job and they are comfortable working as needed but expecting too much out of it.


Professional driver
Driving safety expert 
Entertainment director 
Navigation pilot
Tour guide 
City ordinance clerk
Janitor 
Mechanic
Tax accountant 
Customer service concierge 
Brilliant conversationalist 
Whipping boy 
I totally disagree with you 
You have to have mad skillz to be a sucessful 
Uber driver.


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## Tim In Cleveland (Jul 28, 2014)

James Lee said:


> Then, with the rate cut, which caused a massive number of people quitting, active drivers are getting pings from 15-20 minutes away. They're complaining that it is not profitable and are not accepting those pings and end up getting deactivated from the platform, which they call "unfair".
> 
> If you aren't going to be satisfied in any way from driving for uber then you really shouldn't drive. There are many other jobs out there that you can do to bring food to the table as you were doing before uber existed.


Why are you complaining about people refusing to drive 15 minutes? That's their right to decide that they don't want a particular ping. It's dangerous to even drive 10 minutes to pick up a passenger, because it will also be 10 minutes back and at least 10 minutes waiting for the pax and completing the trip. You're up to 1/2 hour and may only make $2.40. People whine here to let off steam. If you don't want to "hear" it, stop reading these forums. If they truly hate driving, they quit. If they show up, it's helping them. This is from someone who cancelled the first 9 pings he got on Friday, but then accepted 95% of the rest of them until 3 a.m.
It's a shame when a pax demands that we drive obnoxious distances to pick them up because "It's our job". We don't have "jobs". We are self employed and free to turn down crummy offers.


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## howo3579 (Dec 8, 2015)

nowiwannabeyourdog said:


> L
> 
> Professional driver
> Driving safety expert
> ...


You really don't need any of these except for whippign boy to qualify to drive with Uber.


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## Oscar Levant (Aug 15, 2014)

J1945 said:


> B.S.
> 
> There are plenty of fast food places hiring all the time that pay slightly better than minimum wage. If you're a good worker, prompt, and dependable, within a short time they would let you work all the hours you want.
> 
> It's jobs that require skill, education and or experience that pay well. Those are the hard jobs to get because they take time to achieve all three.


None of those low skill jobs have Uber's benefit of flexibility, no boss breathing down your neck, etc., no time card to stamp, etc, so it's not that easy to give up a job that has that kind of advantage, so I don't accept your attitude that "if you don't like it, quit", Uber is actually a system, a good idea on its face, and it's worth fighting to put it back to the glory days of when it started, so, unlike you, I empathize with drivers.


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## I_Love_Uber_Not (Jan 28, 2016)

Oscar Levant said:


> None of those low skill jobs have Uber's benefit of flexibility, no boss breathing down your neck, etc., no time card to stamp, etc, so it's not that easy to give up a job that has that kind of advantage, so I don't accept your attitude that "if you don't like it, quit", Uber is actually a system, a good idea on its face, and it's worth fighting to put it back to the glory days of when it started, so, unlike you, I empathize with drivers.


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## J1945 (Jan 2, 2016)

Oscar Levant said:


> None of those low skill jobs have Uber's benefit of flexibility, no boss breathing down your neck, etc., no time card to stamp, etc, so it's not that easy to give up a job that has that kind of advantage, so I don't accept your attitude that "if you don't like it, quit", Uber is actually a system, a good idea on its face, and it's worth fighting to put it back to the glory days of when it started, so, unlike you, I empathize with drivers.


You go ahead and empathize with them. Your empathy and $1.50 will get them a cup of coffee.

If your dream job of flexibility, no boss breathing down your neck, no time card to stamp actually pays your bills good for you. But when it doesn't, it should be easy to give up. I'd like to be paid to watch The Price is Right and play Call of Duty. But it doesn't pay well, so I have to have a grown up job.


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## Lnsky (Jan 2, 2016)

So my takeaway froM this post is that you are a rider, depend on Uber as a service but want to encourage more drivers to quit. 

Cool story bro. Dude just learn to be slightly more reciprocal in your approach to these rides. Be ready when they get there and tip them a buck or two if they had to sit in heavy traffic or they had to wait for you while you popped into a store. 

Like it or not a driver needs to be motivated by Uber and riders to keep delivering consistently good rides. You'll get a ride either way it will just take longer, be frustrating when they don't speak English and pick you up in a crapmobile.


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## Fuzzyelvis (Dec 7, 2014)

J1945 said:


> B.S.
> 
> There are plenty of fast food places hiring all the time that pay slightly better than minimum wage. If you're a good worker, prompt, and dependable, within a short time they would let you work all the hours you want.


That's not true. First off, they often won't hire anyone who is "over qualified" as they prefer those who are not likely to keep looking for a better job and leave. It is also the case that they like to have mostly part timers as they always have someone hungry for more hours and willing to come in at a moments notice. Plus, that way they don't incur overtime.

This is why Walmart considered (they still may, but this was when my mom worked there about 10 years ago) 28 hours full time.

They also won't put anyone on a regular schedule so that they can't work another job. That way, again, they are always desperate for more hours.


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## J1945 (Jan 2, 2016)

Lnsky said:


> So my takeaway froM this post is that you are a rider, depend on Uber as a service but want to encourage more drivers to quit.
> 
> Cool story bro. Dude just learn to be slightly more reciprocal in your approach to these rides. Be ready when they get there and tip them a buck or two if they had to sit in heavy traffic or they had to wait for you while you popped into a store.
> 
> Like it or not a driver needs to be motivated by Uber and riders to keep delivering consistently good rides. You'll get a ride either way it will just take longer, be frustrating when they don't speak English and pick you up in a crapmobile.


If this was directed at me, I used to be an Uber driver. I realized it was a losing proposition and quit. Uber was a side job, not a career.


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## berserk42 (Apr 24, 2015)

James Lee said:


> Don't expect too much from this low skilled gig because that will never happen. Find yourself a real job if you are looking to make 20+ an hour.


Yep, no one on here that drives has a real job too. No one. That said, this shouldn't be difficult for Uber, but they're making it that way. The availability problems in SoCal now are just the tip of the iceberg.


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## Teksaz (Mar 16, 2015)

To Mr. Lee. You're a Black car driver according to your avatar. Why are you worried about what we Uber X drivers have to say or go through. If you don't like it, don't read it. Simple as that.


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## bdriven (Jan 9, 2016)

Lnsky said:


> So my takeaway froM this post is that you are a rider, depend on Uber as a service but want to encourage more drivers to quit.
> 
> Cool story bro. Dude just learn to be slightly more reciprocal in your approach to these rides. Be ready when they get there and tip them a buck or two if they had to sit in heavy traffic or they had to wait for you while you popped into a store.
> 
> Like it or not a driver needs to be motivated by Uber and riders to keep delivering consistently good rides. You'll get a ride either way it will just take longer, be frustrating when they don't speak English and pick you up in a crapmobile.


well said


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## rocksteady (Mar 19, 2015)

James Lee said:


> Then don't drive. As simple as that. Go ahead and get a job if you aren't satisfied with current condition. Obviously nobody is forcing you to drive for uber.


I've posted this elsewhere. So to save myself some time:

Sometimes a choice is worth the cost but that doesn't mean I have to like it in order to justify doing it. Doing only what we like to do in life is naive and unrealistic for most people. In agency, doing things we don't like to do doesn't mean we are ultimately forever stuck doing what we don't like, but that doesn't mean the only option is quitting. It doesn't mean we can't be objective and come to a critical understanding of what is wrong in order to try and change what we don't like. To say "if you don't like it then quit" is a manipulative reduction. It creates a false binary intended to control the argument.

I can criticize Uber and still work as a driver because the benefits outweigh the costs. It's not a contradiction. Criticism and discussion of what we don't like, the things that go against our own interest, is how we hopefully change the things we don't like about Uber so we can like it more which makes us happier. It's about betterment.

I read this weener comment, "no one's forcing you to drive for uber. If you don't like it then quit" from time to time on the forum. It's moronic and pathetic. Along with advice, instruction, and entertainment, criticism is an integral part of the forum. Not all criticisms are valid. That's where discussion comes in but all should be welcome. "Like it or quit" comments should always be met with heavy shaming and ridicule.

You'd rather have only the contrary, but I've never understood the purpose of a kumbaya circle-jerk (see Facebook). It seems like a sad, desperate attempt to hide misery by dosing oneself with a steady supply of external validation. It's treating the symptoms instead of the problem. It won't lead to betterment. You have to deal with the negative if you want to make positive changes. In that way, negativity is positivity.


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## J. D. (May 13, 2015)

scrurbscrud said:


> Nah. The problems are the same everywhere. Insufficient pay and driver saturation.
> 
> Uber's only game plan is to see how many drivers will drive for nothing, how low they will go, how long they'll do it, and how many they can churn through to keep their scam floating.
> 
> The more intelligent drivers will stay active and drive when it pays and won't when it don't. Pretty simple. Call it modified Uber OFF. OFF when the pay is crap is a fairly easy decision to make.


In one breath, you call Uber a scam (toward drivers I agree) and the next you use the oxymoron "intelligent driver". If it is a scam, the intelligent driver gets away from it. Simple. If you drive, you SUPPORT the Uber scam, even if it is during a surge when you "may" be able to profit. Uber still takes their scam cut from your surge.


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## scrurbscrud (Sep 11, 2014)

J. D. said:


> In one breath, you call Uber a scam (toward drivers I agree) and the next you use the oxymoron "intelligent driver". If it is a scam, the intelligent driver gets away from it. Simple. If you drive, you SUPPORT the Uber scam, even if it is during a surge when you "may" be able to profit. Uber still takes their scam cut from your surge.


I have no issues staying active and driving when it pays. No sense over reacting when driving less and driving when paid sufficiently to do so will suffice. I also could care less about whatever cuts are taken and the SRF fees. All I am ever concerned with is my bottom line, period.

Strictly business. When I do biz I do it to make money. Emotional reactions tend to not pay well.


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## J. D. (May 13, 2015)

howo3579 said:


> Why would Uber limit the number of drivers? It's like the broke taxi industry again. I don't have problem with drivers whining. I hate Uber too. But when you refer new drivers just to get that sign up bonus you're playing into the scam. Don't whine about it if you've ever referred a friend to drive because you are part of the problem exists today.


I keep looking for the double LIKE button!


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## tohunt4me (Nov 23, 2015)

Oscar Levant said:


> None of those low skill jobs have Uber's benefit of flexibility, no boss breathing down your neck, etc., no time card to stamp, etc, so it's not that easy to give up a job that has that kind of advantage, so I don't accept your attitude that "if you don't like it, quit", Uber is actually a system, a good idea on its face, and it's worth fighting to put it back to the glory days of when it started, so, unlike you, I empathize with drivers.


" Hey hey,my my. . .
"They sell you this ,and GIVE YOU THAT "-Neil Young,Out of the Blue.


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## William1964 (Jul 28, 2015)

There are no random thoughts. Every thought is created in the exact same way and is not random . The cerebral cortex does not randomly send a neurological impulse through the neurological matter . The neurons that need to line up for a fight to happen do not light up randomly. While the words are stored around in the mass , at different places, every time we think of that word , we do not randomly access it . The brain knows what it's doing . Randomness is chaos. I do not believe in a chaotic universe. Everything is ordered orderly. Both of these ideas are scientific principles. Randomness is superstition.

Like I said above I don't have random thoughts. So too play the game here is the thought of everyone here on the board its the same for everyone. Even me.

You're spending way too much money. on your cell phone. You're spending way too much money. Did I mention you're spending too much money on things other people spend it for less.

It's not just the cell phone, so all the food you throw out every week when you clean out your fridge. If you're lucky you ate 75% of what you paid for. So there's 25 percent per week you can save on food.

There's nothing wrong with having the best. But when you spending 150 bucks on gym shoes that last 6 months, you have a problem.

Everyone here seems to be really decent but I haven't met you in person and my imagination of who you can be is in charge. If I ran down to anyone from here on the street I would greet them with a happy hello.


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## Oscar Levant (Aug 15, 2014)

J1945 said:


> You go ahead and empathize with them. Your empathy and $1.50 will get them a cup of coffee.
> 
> If your dream job of flexibility, no boss breathing down your neck, no time card to stamp actually pays your bills good for you. But when it doesn't, it should be easy to give up. I'd like to be paid to watch The Price is Right and play Call of Duty. But it doesn't pay well, so I have to have a grown up job.


You're condescending tone aside-- there's dignity in all kinds of work, little medium, or big-- it doesn't matter, it really doesn't. Perhaps you should grow up somewhere else, you seem to be wasting a lot of time here among us children.


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## J1945 (Jan 2, 2016)

Oscar Levant said:


> You're condescending tone aside-- there's dignity in all kinds of work, little medium, or big-- it doesn't matter, it really doesn't. Perhaps you should grow up somewhere else, you seem to be wasting a lot of time here among us children.


It's "your". There's no dignity in bad grammar.





"There's dignity in all kinds of work......it doesn't matter..." Good thing you weren't sitting as a judge at Nuremberg.


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## Oscar Levant (Aug 15, 2014)

J1945 said:


> It's "your". There's no dignity in bad grammar.


There's no dignity in being an egregious grammar cop on a forum where it's not that important.



> "There's dignity in all kinds of work......it doesn't matter..." Good thing you weren't sitting as a judge at Nuremberg.


[/QUOTE]

I suppose you can always pin someone down to such an extent to obfuscate the spirit of the intended meaning of what was communicated. 
My gawd, if I thought I had to write that sentence to the precision of a legal contract, I would have put all sorts of qualifiers in it. But, I guess I didn't realize was talking ( oh sh*t, "writing" ... ) to a grammarian with a thorn up his butt, or a lawyer or an english professor, sheesh.


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## Fuzzyelvis (Dec 7, 2014)

J1945 said:


> "There's dignity in all kinds of work......it doesn't matter..." Good thing you weren't sitting as a judge at Nuremberg.


Bit of an extreme example, doncha think?


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## mark edwards (Sep 11, 2015)

James Lee said:


> Don't expect too much from this low skilled gig because that will never happen. Find yourself a real job if you are looking to make 20+ an hour.


This is a real and much needed job, it just pays way too low with Uber. Uber's greed and poor management is what is wrong.


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## J1945 (Jan 2, 2016)

mark edwards said:


> This is a real and much needed job, it just pays way too low with Uber. Uber's greed and poor management is what is wrong.


I agree to an extent, but like he said, it's a low skill job. Don't expect much. That's a problem this country is in the middle of. People want low skill labor jobs to pay as much as a job that requires skill, experience and extensive education and/or training. It's not going to, nor should, happen. I've put 15 years into my industry, which includes punching a clock, low flexibility, and a boss breathing down my neck, to make $24 an hour, plus overtime. I put long hours in and come home tired. Driving a couple of drunk frat boy 5 blocks isn't going to pay as much, ever.


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## J1945 (Jan 2, 2016)

Well, shut my mouth. Just received a guarantee email from Uber stating if I maintain 2 trips per hour from 12am to 3am on Friday and Saturday, I'll make $24 an hour. I'm going to quit my day job!


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## Ubernomics (Nov 11, 2015)

James Lee said:


> As I am reading through the threads, I realized that most of drivers aren't satisfied in any circumstances.
> 
> First, people were complaining about their market being saturated and how they couldn't make any money with low volume of requests coming in each day.
> 
> ...


Sir, why don't you drive for a month or so then criticize us. . I mean seriously, you really don't understand being on the other side of the fence. We all, for the most part, enjoy driving and that's why we don't just give up on you completely and stop driving. What we are looking for is a fair rate to justify our costs..."we don't want to stop driving".

A lot of us who drive enjoy the social interaction with our customers and keeping busy. A lot of us are very dedicated workers and we work for the same reasons that you yourself do.. to earn money.

We think the same way that you do or would also: you don't see it because you don't currently have the compensation issues that we do.

Our choices are limited to competition in this business and unfortunately there is very little competition; so where one might quit and go to another company for better pay, like you have the option to do, we can't.

Strange to say maybe but we really want to drive but we just want earnings to accommodate our efforts "less our car expenses and replacement cost over time." when you look at it from this angle what we seem to be asking for is really not that tremendous.

Just invision once being paid $900 a week and being chopped down to $350 by your employer, but then imagine that you have to give $150 of that back for car replacement/ costs! Meanwhile you worked 40hrs and net $200. Someone needs to stick up for this business behavior and it happens to be us. It's called standing up for what you believe in sir.


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## Ubernomics (Nov 11, 2015)

James Lee said:


> As I am reading through the threads, I realized that most of drivers aren't satisfied in any circumstances.
> 
> First, people were complaining about their market being saturated and how they couldn't make any money with low volume of requests coming in each day.
> 
> ...


Sir, why don't you drive for a month or so then criticize us. . I mean seriously, you really don't understand being on the other side of the fence. We all, for the most part, enjoy driving and that's why we don't just give up on you completely and stop driving. What we are looking for is a fair rate to justify our costs..."we don't want to stop driving".

A lot of us who drive enjoy the social interaction with our customers and keeping busy. A lot of us are very dedicated workers and we work for the same reasons that you yourself do.. to earn money.

We think the same way that you do or would also: you don't see it because you don't currently have the compensation issues that we do.

Our choices are limited to competition in this business and unfortunately there is very little competition; so where one might quit and go to another company for better pay, like you have the option to do, we can't.

Strange to say maybe but we really want to drive but we just want earnings to accommodate our efforts "less our car expenses and replacement cost over time." when you look at it from this angle what we seem to be asking for is really not that tremendous.

Just invision once being paid $900 a week and being chopped down to $350 by your employer, but then imagine that you have to give $150 of that back for car replacement/ costs! Meanwhile you worked 40hrs and net $200. Someone needs to stick up for this business behavior and it happens to be us. It's called standing up for what you believe in sir.


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## J1945 (Jan 2, 2016)

Ubernomics said:


> Sir, why don't you drive for a month or so then criticize us. . I mean seriously, you really don't understand being on the other side of the fence. We all, for the most part, enjoy driving and that's why we don't just give up on you completely and stop driving. What we are looking for is a fair rate to justify our costs..."we don't want to stop driving".
> 
> A lot of us who drive enjoy the social interaction with our customers and keeping busy. A lot of us are very dedicated workers and we work for the same reasons that you yourself do.. to earn money.
> 
> ...





Ubernomics said:


> Sir, why don't you drive for a month or so then criticize us. . I mean seriously, you really don't understand being on the other side of the fence. We all, for the most part, enjoy driving and that's why we don't just give up on you completely and stop driving. What we are looking for is a fair rate to justify our costs..."we don't want to stop driving".
> 
> A lot of us who drive enjoy the social interaction with our customers and keeping busy. A lot of us are very dedicated workers and we work for the same reasons that you yourself do.. to earn money.
> 
> ...


We heard you the first time.

If you love driving so much and enjoy interaction with customers, get a CDL, put your time in and eventually, you'll make decent money.


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## Ubernomics (Nov 11, 2015)

J1945 said:


> We heard you the first time.
> 
> If you love driving so much and enjoy interaction with customers, get a CDL, put your time in and eventually, you'll make decent money.


I (we) enjoy the personal side of the job, truck driving is not the same thing at all. There is no shortcut solution other than having a second way to earn money.

Nothing justifies Uber paying what it does to drivers in any situation.


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## Michguy01 (Feb 13, 2016)

J1945 said:


> I agree to an extent, but like he said, it's a low skill job. Don't expect much. That's a problem this country is in the middle of. People want low skill labor jobs to pay as much as a job that requires skill, experience and extensive education and/or training. It's not going to, nor should, happen. I've put 15 years into my industry, which includes punching a clock, low flexibility, and a boss breathing down my neck, to make $24 an hour, plus overtime. I put long hours in and come home tired. Driving a couple of drunk frat boy 5 blocks isn't going to pay as much, ever.


When Uber starts letting us drive THEIR cars, I'll agree with you. But since I'm required to bring my own personal $22,000 piece of equipment to work everyday, I'll disagree with you.


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## King Brown (Feb 23, 2016)

James Lee said:


> As I am reading through the threads, I realized that most of drivers aren't satisfied in any circumstances.
> 
> First, people were complaining about their market being saturated and how they couldn't make any money with low volume of requests coming in each day.
> 
> ...


You are not taking into account that some people like myself purchased a new 2016 vehicle to only realize UBER is dropping prices without our consent. This is not an hourly job as my car are doing all the work and needs to make at LEAST $1.50/mile or more to cover my expenses as well. I am making a little over $1.00/mile without surges and UberPool is 35% less and prorated if you pick up additional PAX's. UBER is taking too many liberties in prorating fixed prices at the expense of the driver with no return fares if traveling long distances away from home. I work 10-12hr shift and don't want to travel from Palm Beach County more than an hour and close to 100 miles back to South Miami on my time which EATS PROFIT. Uber is advertising flat fares to the Okeechobee Music and Arts Festival from Miami, Broward, Palm Beach, Orlando and Tampa with Miami being $130. From Coral Gables is 134 miles and 2 hours and 21 minutes!!! HOW IS THE DRIVER SUPPOSED TO GET HOME AND STILL MAKE MONEY WITHOUT A RETURN FARE!!!


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## James Lee (Nov 10, 2015)

King Brown said:


> You are not taking into account that some people like myself purchased a new 2016 vehicle to only realize UBER is dropping prices without our consent. This is not an hourly job as my car are doing all the work and needs to make at LEAST $1.50/mile or more to cover my expenses as well. I am making a little over $1.00/mile without surges and UberPool is 35% less and prorated if you pick up additional PAX's. UBER is taking too many liberties in prorating fixed prices at the expense of the driver with no return fares if traveling long distances away from home. I work 10-12hr shift and don't want to travel from Palm Beach County more than an hour and close to 100 miles back to South Miami on my time which EATS PROFIT. Uber is advertising flat fares to the Okeechobee Music and Arts Festival from Miami, Broward, Palm Beach, Orlando and Tampa with Miami being $130. From Coral Gables is 134 miles and 2 hours and 21 minutes!!! HOW IS THE DRIVER SUPPOSED TO GET HOME AND STILL MAKE MONEY WITHOUT A RETURN FARE!!!


It sounds like you got yourself a nice brandnew Porshe if you need to make $1.50/mile to cover for your expenses.


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## hotrodzoomguy (Jan 2, 2016)

James Lee said:


> There are tons of jobs available which can be started on the same day or next. Restaurants, labor work, sales and such. People choose to drive for uber because? It is lowest skilled job and they are comfortable working as needed but expecting too much out of it.


Hardly the lowest skilled job. I agree Uber X is more suited for part time work. But having the responsibility to maneuver traffic, picking up passengers, some great people, others not so much.
Then taking them to a destination sometimes down the street, but often miles away, making sure you make just the right amount of comversation as you drive, plugging in their I phone or Android for them since they didn't bother before they left their home or office. As you know, I'm just scratching the surface of the responsibilities of being a good driver. I enjoy it most of the time, but the lowest skilled job??? That is an insult to every driver who does his or her best to insure a safe and timely trip for every pax he or she picks up.


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## J1945 (Jan 2, 2016)

hotrodzoomguy said:


> Hardly the lowest skilled job. I agree Uber X is more suited for part time work. But having the responsibility to maneuver traffic, picking up passengers, some great people, others not so much.
> Then taking them to a destination sometimes down the street, but often miles away, making sure you make just the right amount of comversation as you drive, plugging in their I phone or Android for them since they didn't bother before they left their home or office. As you know, I'm just scratching the surface of the responsibilities of being a good driver. I enjoy it most of the time, but the lowest skilled job??? That is an insult to every driver who does his or her best to insure a safe and timely trip for every pax he or she picks up.


Good Gosh! How do you find time to cure cancer with all of your other responsibilities?


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## King Brown (Feb 23, 2016)

James Lee said:


> It sounds like you got yourself a nice brandnew Porshe if you need to make $1.50/mile to cover for your expenses.


I don't know if you're being sarcastic or your cost of living is dirt cheap. Try living in Miami working during rush hour and the distances the PAX's take you between counties and see how far $1.oo/mile or less suits you to cover living expenses and car maintenance. I have 10,000 miles on my car driving 3 months starting with 0 miles. I bought my 2016 Elantra to not have maintenance issues with the warranty. I have to do an oil change a month and will reach 100,000 miles in less than 5 years at the rate they are riding us. Who wants to buy a 5 year old car with that kind of mileage. Speak your mind James if you're going to make comments and educate us.


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## Adore (Feb 28, 2016)

10thSteetMonkey said:


> Exactly. Wish we didn't have to pay that kind of attention to strategy but it does work.
> 
> Driving works for the strategic part-timer with other income, sunk costs of insurance and vehicle (payment or not) who's real cost is time and gas, who's risk is perhaps car damage.
> 
> I'll have my IRA filled by June, and when offline catch up on a lot of business reading until the next profitable ping. In other words, the highest and best use of my time.


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## Adore (Feb 28, 2016)

Tim In Cleveland said:


> Why are you complaining about people refusing to drive 15 minutes? That's their right to decide that they don't want a particular ping. It's dangerous to even drive 10 minutes to pick up a passenger, because it will also be 10 minutes back and at least 10 minutes waiting for the pax and completing the trip. You're up to 1/2 hour and may only make $2.40. People whine here to let off steam. If you don't want to "hear" it, stop reading these forums. If they truly hate driving, they quit. If they show up, it's helping them. This is from someone who cancelled the first 9 pings he got on Friday, but then accepted 95% of the rest of them until 3 a.m.
> It's a shame when a pax demands that we drive obnoxious distances to pick them up because "It's our job". We don't have "jobs". We are self employed and free to turn down crummy offers.


Amen!


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## SEAL Team 5 (Dec 19, 2015)

King Brown said:


> You are not taking into account that some people like myself purchased a new 2016 vehicle to only realize UBER is dropping prices without our consent. This is not an hourly job as my car are doing all the work and needs to make at LEAST $1.50/mile or more to cover my expenses as well. I am making a little over $1.00/mile without surges and UberPool is 35% less and prorated if you pick up additional PAX's. UBER is taking too many liberties in prorating fixed prices at the expense of the driver with no return fares if traveling long distances away from home. I work 10-12hr shift and don't want to travel from Palm Beach County more than an hour and close to 100 miles back to South Miami on my time which EATS PROFIT. Uber is advertising flat fares to the Okeechobee Music and Arts Festival from Miami, Broward, Palm Beach, Orlando and Tampa with Miami being $130. From Coral Gables is 134 miles and 2 hours and 21 minutes!!! HOW IS THE DRIVER SUPPOSED TO GET HOME AND STILL MAKE MONEY WITHOUT A RETURN FARE!!!


Your first sentence says it all. Before you bought your new 2016 car where did you see that Uber needed your consent to change pricing? Just a very little research and you would of seen Uber's been slashing prices for almost 3 years. Do you know that Uber X started out at $2.25 per mile? Their 1st rate cut came 6 months after starting and it was a $.90 cut to $1.35 per mile. I know you learned this phrase in high school economics; Caveat Emptor.


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## William1964 (Jul 28, 2015)

It's times like this I remember my birth. Not really I do remember losing $2. I help Mr Green load up a truck full of logs from a tree cut down. I remember it as if it happened a moment ago. We live next to some train tracks we had a large yard with a small forest is really cool. I got my first target practice there. I must have been four maybe 5. I guess that would be my first work experience, and bewilderment as to what happened to my $2.


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## SEAL Team 5 (Dec 19, 2015)

King Brown said:


> I don't know if you're being sarcastic or your cost of living is dirt cheap. Try living in Miami working during rush hour and the distances the PAX's take you between counties and see how far $1.oo/mile or less suits you to cover living expenses and car maintenance. I have 10,000 miles on my car driving 3 months starting with 0 miles. I bought my 2016 Elantra to not have maintenance issues with the warranty. I have to do an oil change a month and will reach 100,000 miles in less than 5 years at the rate they are riding us. Who wants to buy a 5 year old car with that kind of mileage. Speak your mind James if you're going to make comments and educate us.


You'll actually have 100k on your vehicle in 2 1/2 years


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## William1964 (Jul 28, 2015)

In regards to overeat

I can't believe uber can't find to small unoccupied storefront for 200 bucks a month. use the charity they give when they give away the food and be part of that sharing too.

Some days it's warmer indoors and outdoors, and some days it's hotter indoors then it is outdoors. Keep the food warm


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## Realityshark (Sep 22, 2014)

Nobody is forcing you to read this forum. If you don't like to read people complaining, read something else or don't log on.

Can you say, hypocritical.


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## cleve216land (Sep 12, 2015)

James Lee said:


> As I am reading through the threads, I realized that most of drivers aren't satisfied in any circumstances.
> 
> First, people were complaining about their market being saturated and how they couldn't make any money with low volume of requests coming in each day.
> 
> ...


I'm agree with you 100%. If you are other happy then quit!! It's that simple.


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## cleve216land (Sep 12, 2015)

Oscar Levant said:


> Jobs are not always that easy to get. if that were not true Uber would not be exploiting its drivers so easily.


No the majority of drivers are just idiots


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## William1964 (Jul 28, 2015)

This has got to happen this thing is painted in the corner ifile. They don't send me a schedule ifile

No reasonable person would disagree that what is going on in the parking garages at ubereat 70 people a day need to be aware of in the other 250,000 people won't order


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## J1945 (Jan 2, 2016)

William1964 said:


> This has got to happen this thing is painted in the corner ifile. They don't send me a schedule ifile
> 
> No reasonable person would disagree that what is going on in the parking garages at ubereat 70 people a day need to be aware of in the other 250,000 people won't order


Cannonball bacon and toe lick needs to couch when juniper bush makes furniture too.


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## William1964 (Jul 28, 2015)

Some of the finest menu items in the city of Chicago from some of the most popular restaurants. I really think they should know too. They need to stop you until you clean this s*** up


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## William1964 (Jul 28, 2015)

I personally know the bone of a pillow family. Their flagship beef restaurant right down the street from me. You served their food from a pile of s*** after promising a professional standard of care


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## tohunt4me (Nov 23, 2015)

William1964 said:


> There are no random thoughts. Every thought is created in the exact same way and is not random . The cerebral cortex does not randomly send a neurological impulse through the neurological matter . The neurons that need to line up for a fight to happen do not light up randomly. While the words are stored around in the mass , at different places, every time we think of that word , we do not randomly access it . The brain knows what it's doing . Randomness is chaos. I do not believe in a chaotic universe. Everything is ordered orderly. Both of these ideas are scientific principles. Randomness is superstition.
> 
> Like I said above I don't have random thoughts. So too play the game here is the thought of everyone here on the board its the same for everyone. Even me.
> 
> ...


"God does not play dice with the universe"-Albert Einstein


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## tohunt4me (Nov 23, 2015)

Fuzzyelvis said:


> Bit of an extreme example, doncha think?





King Brown said:


> I don't know if you're being sarcastic or your cost of living is dirt cheap. Try living in Miami working during rush hour and the distances the PAX's take you between counties and see how far $1.oo/mile or less suits you to cover living expenses and car maintenance. I have 10,000 miles on my car driving 3 months starting with 0 miles. I bought my 2016 Elantra to not have maintenance issues with the warranty. I have to do an oil change a month and will reach 100,000 miles in less than 5 years at the rate they are riding us. Who wants to buy a 5 year old car with that kind of mileage. Speak your mind James if you're going to make comments and educate us.


You will have 120,000 miles or more in 3 years.


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## Teksaz (Mar 16, 2015)

(Random Thought)

You'll all have hemorrhoids within the first year and *Preparation H *(Pfizer) stocks will go through the roof. Buy in NOW!!

1,000,000 drivers with Hemorrhoids. Hilarious lol


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## Richard Dastardly (Jun 6, 2017)

Funny, OP's account is no longer active.


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## Yulli Yung (Jul 4, 2017)

James Lee said:


> As I am reading through the threads, I realized that most of drivers aren't satisfied in any circumstances.
> 
> First, people were complaining about their market being saturated and how they couldn't make any money with low volume of requests coming in each day.
> 
> ...


You know, it's kinda like the military. As long as the troops are *****ing, they are happy.


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## Jamesmiller (May 8, 2017)

Transportation/ride sharing us bound to be saturated as they dont posses the knowledge of taxi company owners


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