# Surge is an illusion



## 858 (May 10, 2018)

Sitting at my house with a light rain. Socal that equates to a blizzard. Check the uber app and there is a $13 cloud over my house. Grab a few towels and start the app. 5 minutes go by and no pings. Next ride promising $3.25. What about the $13?? Get in car and drive away from house one mile and get a ping now guaranteeing me a $3.75 bonus. Whoopty do. Pull up to pin in the alley of an apartment complex on a pretty busy street. Try to call rider, phone not working. Send a text to inform them im in alley as per the pin and ask if they want different. No response. 3 minutes go by. Try calling. Nada. 5 mins mark em no show. Collect $4 no bonus. Idling further down the alley, still promised my additional $3.75. Surprised it didn’t just clear from the cancel. $13 surge zone completely gone. Decide not worth it. Back home. 4 miles, $4. 

Why don’t I get the surge if I go back online? Wasn't I there when you needed me Uber? Usually the zone is 5-10 mins and if I drive towards it...poof its gone. This time it was on my couch. Still bogus. $13... $3.75. Nothing.


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## Dodger Royal (Nov 27, 2019)

858 said:


> Sitting at my house with a light rain. Socal that equates to a blizzard. Check the uber app and there is a $13 cloud over my house. Grab a few towels and start the app. 5 minutes go by and no pings. Next ride promising $3.25. What about the $13?? Get in car and drive away from house one mile and get a ping now guaranteeing me a $3.75 bonus. Whoopty do. Pull up to pin in the alley of an apartment complex on a pretty busy street. Try to call rider, phone not working. Send a text to inform them im in alley as per the pin and ask if they want different. No response. 3 minutes go by. Try calling. Nada. 5 mins mark em no show. Collect $4 no bonus. Idling further down the alley, still promised my additional $3.75. Surprised it didn't just clear from the cancel. $13 surge zone completely gone. Decide not worth it. Back home. 4 miles, $4.
> 
> Why don't I get the surge if I go back online? Wasn't I there when you needed me Uber? Usually the zone is 5-10 mins and if I drive towards it...poof its gone. This time it was on my couch. Still bogus. $13... $3.75. Nothing.


We refer to the Uber computer program as Hitman.
whether diversion or fake troop movements, Hitman wins and we're dead


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## Youburr (Aug 22, 2019)

Surges last until enough drivers start driving towards it. I only catch surges by hopping on and off the freeway.


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## BuberDriver (Feb 2, 2016)

if you were in the middle of a $13 surge it would show up at the bottom of your screen once you're online. the fact that you tell us it said $3.75 means you were too late turning on the app to get the $13...once you get the "sticky" $13 it will stay with you as long as you're online until you accept the next ride. even if you accept and cancel like you did the $13 would still be there towards the next ride


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## JaxUberLyft (Jan 9, 2019)

I've noticed that surge clouds sometimes don't update. Sometimes they grow mottled, pale and blurry, and then they die.


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## Wolfgang Faust (Aug 2, 2018)

Every time I go offline, the surge clouds appear with lofty numbers.

It is evil bull$hit.


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## mch (Nov 22, 2018)

It happens to me when I quit early. I flip on the app to see what im missing and theres a surge cloud at my house. Ive always suspected BS but never went back out to check for sure.


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## Wolfgang Faust (Aug 2, 2018)

mch said:


> It happens to me when I quit early. I flip on the app to see what im missing and theres a surge cloud at my house. Ive always suspected BS but never went back out to check for sure.


I go back online, and surge disappears.


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## waldowainthrop (Oct 25, 2019)

mch said:


> It happens to me when I quit early. I flip on the app to see what im missing and theres a surge cloud at my house. Ive always suspected BS but never went back out to check for sure.


I just checked tonight a few weeks after self-deactivation. No surge anywhere 20+ miles from me. Feeling good!


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## UbaBrah (Oct 25, 2019)

How about this sucker? It's a literal illusion. Uber's infamous "ghost surge." I wonder if I'll get paid in ectoplasm?


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## mch (Nov 22, 2018)

UbaBrah said:


> How about this sucker? It's a literal illusion. Uber's infamous "ghost surge." I wonder if I'll get paid in ectoplasm?
> 
> View attachment 392357


Yea. That shit is garbage


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## tohunt4me (Nov 23, 2015)

858 said:


> Sitting at my house with a light rain. Socal that equates to a blizzard. Check the uber app and there is a $13 cloud over my house. Grab a few towels and start the app. 5 minutes go by and no pings. Next ride promising $3.25. What about the $13?? Get in car and drive away from house one mile and get a ping now guaranteeing me a $3.75 bonus. Whoopty do. Pull up to pin in the alley of an apartment complex on a pretty busy street. Try to call rider, phone not working. Send a text to inform them im in alley as per the pin and ask if they want different. No response. 3 minutes go by. Try calling. Nada. 5 mins mark em no show. Collect $4 no bonus. Idling further down the alley, still promised my additional $3.75. Surprised it didn't just clear from the cancel. $13 surge zone completely gone. Decide not worth it. Back home. 4 miles, $4.
> 
> Why don't I get the surge if I go back online? Wasn't I there when you needed me Uber? Usually the zone is 5-10 mins and if I drive towards it...poof its gone. This time it was on my couch. Still bogus. $13... $3.75. Nothing.


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## 25rides7daysaweek (Nov 20, 2017)

UbaBrah said:


> How about this sucker? It's a literal illusion. Uber's infamous "ghost surge." I wonder if I'll get paid in ectoplasm?
> 
> View attachment 392357


That very well could turn into a surge.
If you dont see $ on it theres no surge
A bunch of people driving towards that could actually stop a surge from coming


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## Dekero (Sep 24, 2019)

Surge doesnt auto update fast enough on map... If surge hunting... Restart app every 2-3 mins tops!! That way it shows accurate info... Have this problem downtown all the time... I've learned to constantly update when im holding out for a high value.. otherwise I miss it..


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## Wild Bill Yahoo (Jan 22, 2018)

UbaBrah said:


> How about this sucker? It's a literal illusion. Uber's infamous "ghost surge." I wonder if I'll get paid in ectoplasm?
> 
> View attachment 392357


This screenshot just shows that the demand is higher than normal. That's what the arrows indicate. There is no actual surge anywhere on your map. Uber is using the higher demand indicators to attract additional drivers to avoid surge. This is becoming more common in Phoenix.


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## Denver Dick (Nov 2, 2019)

Wild Bill Yahoo said:


> This screenshot just shows that the demand is higher than normal. That's what the arrows indicate. There is no actual surge anywhere on your map. Uber is using the higher demand indicators to attract additional drivers to avoid surge. This is becoming more common in Phoenix.


i put those arrows on 100% ignore


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## Johnny Mnemonic (Sep 24, 2019)

UbaBrah said:


> I wonder if I'll get paid in ectoplasm?


More likely get slimed.












858 said:


> Sitting at my house with a light rain. Socal that equates to a blizzard.


Kind of find it humorous how many people in So Cal react to rain like hot coals were falling out of the sky.


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## Legalizeit0 (Jul 26, 2017)

UbaBrah said:


> How about this sucker? It's a literal illusion. Uber's infamous "ghost surge." I wonder if I'll get paid in ectoplasm?
> 
> View attachment 392357


That looks exactly like what Lyft is doing in my area. They light up an area that's busy, but put no money in it. Lyft is still charging customers extra, but not paying drivers anything. There are no personal power zones, no bonuses, nothing with Lyft. It's just the basic rate with no chance to earn anything extra, ever.


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## Wild Bill Yahoo (Jan 22, 2018)

Denver Dick said:


> i put those arrows on 100% ignore


No need to embelish. Everyone knows what those arrows indicate.


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## Boca Ratman (Jun 6, 2018)

When the surge dies out, the cloud stays. It's a graphics glitch, (or manipulative tool)
If you close out the app to and reopen it, the cloud will be gone. It's been like this since sticky surge became a thing.


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## Tulsa Tom (Jan 2, 2016)

I am in the middle of a $2,25 surge. Been sitting here for 30 minutes. No pings. WTF? 
It will disappear as soon as I acccept a ping, then I get the message "Something went wrong" And it disappears. wtf/


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## Youburr (Aug 22, 2019)

Seems intermittent.


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## FLKeys (Dec 27, 2018)

UbaBrah said:


> How about this sucker? It's a literal illusion. Uber's infamous "ghost surge." I wonder if I'll get paid in ectoplasm?
> 
> View attachment 392357


That is the busy area indicator, if it is that busy give me a surge.


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## Bubsie (Oct 19, 2017)

Boca Ratman said:


> When the surge dies out, the cloud stays. It's a graphics glitch, (or manipulative tool)
> If you close out the app to and reopen it, the cloud will be gone. It's been like this since sticky surge became a thing.


Yes this is total ****en bullshit behaviour by Uber. The cloud is the same and locked in size and location, but the $ value is no longer there. At the very least drop the cloud display once it has no dollar value. No doubt they want suckers to continue to flood the area even after sticky surge is over.


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## Dekero (Sep 24, 2019)

Sounds to me like maybe you have a weak data plan and the surge cloud had updated but your phone hadn't... Gotta refresh the app often to keep from missing surge...if I'm surge hunting... I reset my app every 60 seconds...


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## Bubsie (Oct 19, 2017)

Solid 4G connection on Verizon. Restarting app doesn't affect it. As I headed away from the fake cloud a new "real" cloud appeared to it's north, with a dollar value showing. Fake cloud still showing and pulling in the unwitting to it's south.


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## 5231XDMA (Apr 7, 2018)

Surges treat me like gods son, I get close and they move out of the way like I'm Jesus walking through the sea.


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## nj9000 (Jun 6, 2019)

Surge has issues because ants will stay offline to increase surge, then all go online and the load on the server causes delays in the # and the cloud displayed. I'm a scab and my tactic is to just go online or stay online and not try to game surge. Then usually after getting the sticky surge there's too many ants in the area and its hard to get a ping, so I'll go somewhere else to get a ping.

Should've gone online when you saw the $13, the higher it gets the more likely ants will think its high enough and suddenly go online and you'll miss out. If you weren't ready to go and got a ping its not the end of the world if your marker doesn't move for a min or 2. 

Also, I read in a guide that its a red flag in your account if you game surge. i. e. purposefully staying offline to see if it'll go higher, then going online. If you're too difficult of an ant you risk deactivation.


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## EM1 (Apr 28, 2019)

UbaBrah said:


> How about this sucker? It's a literal illusion. Uber's infamous "ghost surge." I wonder if I'll get paid in ectoplasm?
> 
> View attachment 392357


Yep. Looks like they misspelled Bull S hi t as 'Bull St'

In Socal, the surge has changed back from a flat $X to the X%. And phantom surges definitely worse in 2020 so far. Its like a 10yr old kid is running their matrix.


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## DentonLyfter (Apr 14, 2018)

I had a small 3.25 surge today, but at the end of the ride it had ballooned to a 10.56 “adjustment to ensure that you receives significant portion of the rider surge price”. Don’t know what all that means but I LIKED it !


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## Galveston (Aug 16, 2019)

858 said:


> Sitting at my house with a light rain. Socal that equates to a blizzard. Check the uber app and there is a $13 cloud over my house. Grab a few towels and start the app. 5 minutes go by and no pings. Next ride promising $3.25. What about the $13?? Get in car and drive away from house one mile and get a ping now guaranteeing me a $3.75 bonus. Whoopty do. Pull up to pin in the alley of an apartment complex on a pretty busy street. Try to call rider, phone not working. Send a text to inform them im in alley as per the pin and ask if they want different. No response. 3 minutes go by. Try calling. Nada. 5 mins mark em no show. Collect $4 no bonus. Idling further down the alley, still promised my additional $3.75. Surprised it didn't just clear from the cancel. $13 surge zone completely gone. Decide not worth it. Back home. 4 miles, $4.
> 
> Why don't I get the surge if I go back online? Wasn't I there when you needed me Uber? Usually the zone is 5-10 mins and if I drive towards it...poof its gone. This time it was on my couch. Still bogus. $13... $3.75. Nothing.


I avoid surge and I definitely avoid consecutive rides because those are all high school pickups which I can't stand, takes ten minutes to exit the parking lot and the kids don't understand or don't care and of course never tip


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## FLKeys (Dec 27, 2018)

DentonLyfter said:


> I had a small 3.25 surge today, but at the end of the ride it had ballooned to a 10.56 "adjustment to ensure that you receives significant portion of the rider surge price". Don't know what all that means but I LIKED it !


In theory if you have a sticky surge and get a ride in the surge zone while it is still lit up you will get the increased urge amount because the rider paid surge pricing. If you get a ride after the surge zone cleared from the map or the ride was outside the surge zone you only get the sticky amount because the rider did not pay surge pricing.


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## 25rides7daysaweek (Nov 20, 2017)

It was snowing pretty hard 
a couple weeks ago. 
This area is probably
100 square miles.


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## Ssgcraig (Jul 8, 2015)

If you are sitting in a $13 surge, you get the $13 on your next ride. At least it's that way in my market. 

I am assuming "socal" means southern California? You have different everything there.


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