# The Cancer Is Spreading



## anteetr (Jan 24, 2017)

The Charlotte surge "test" (lol) just expanded to 5 more cities. RI, OKC, Phoenix, Cincinnati, and San Antonio. Quit driving for Uber if you live in any of these places.

If you're not in one of those markets and you haven't found a new job yet, now might be a good time to start looking


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## MothMan (May 15, 2016)

Columbus got the new surge message today too.


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## Failed Login (Nov 13, 2017)

Warned you guys it was coming. They told me it would be nationwide by late August/early September. Go ahead and be prepared for your earnings to go down. Now that they give you the higher of the surge area you have been in or that the driver is in, is a better option, but the dollar amounts are so low that it still doesn't come near equaling what you made before. Just imagine, a late night Saturday shift through peak surge and your largest surge amount is $3. And it could be on a 30 minute ride! Have fun fellas!


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## Ralfoneparadise (Oct 16, 2015)

The NEW surge is TOTAL BULLSHIT and a rip-off! Uber continues to be a dishonest partner, despite all the promises made to improve.. Nothing has improved, actually quite the opposite - everything takes a turn to worse !!! Fuel prices are at $3.20 per gallon for regular (Uber price calculation is based on $2.20 !!!???) with NO sign of raising fares !!! Of course NOT, since you don‘t pay for our fuel! Surge now doesn’t pay an time increase, meaning, stuck in traffic we get paid SHIT. I drove surge today and this is the biggest BULLSHIT UBER has come up with so far !!! Good luck with that, I‘m sure the rest of the drivers going to be thrilled !!!


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## anteetr (Jan 24, 2017)

This job is currently about half of my income but when it comes here, I'm *DONE*. Those of you who are ants can enjoy letting them take 80% when it's supposed to be the other way around. Remember, they can't rape the willing.


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## Simon (Jan 4, 2015)

No one will quit. The Taxi rejects will still do this thinking they are making money. Only a few consider expenses with this gig. Sad..


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## 1rightwinger (Jul 13, 2015)

It is too bad that a large percentage of people in the "test cities" for new surge can't simply stop driving Uber. That would send Uber the proper message


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## Drivincrazy (Feb 14, 2016)

CHARGE UPFRONT FOR TEMPORARY FUEL SURCHARGE. We are independent contractors according to Uber, so, do like the airlines do. If Uber deactivates us, file for unemployment insurance. Prepare for court battles. Uber is forcing drivers into losing propositions and does not care a bit. There is a bunch of admin who will reap huge millions when the IPO occurs next year. They must show profitability in order to cash. Get imaginative and legally disrupt their plans.


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## heynow321 (Sep 3, 2015)

https://www.wsoctv.com/news/local/some-uber-drivers-cry-foul-over-new-pricing-policy/656456044


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## anteetr (Jan 24, 2017)

heynow321 said:


> https://www.wsoctv.com/news/local/some-uber-drivers-cry-foul-over-new-pricing-policy/656456044


From the article:

"We are testing changes to surge that are designed to make the experience *APPEAR *more stable, simple and attainable for drivers, *AS WE BEND THEM OVER THE TABLE TO KEEP A BIGGER SLICE OF THE PIE FOR OURSELVES* . This test is part of our broader effort to improve the earnings experience, *FOR UBER*" an Uber spokesperson said.

Fixed that for you, asshole! Don't piss on my head and tell me it's raining.

How do these corporate toadie scumbags live with themselves?


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## heynow321 (Sep 3, 2015)

anteetr said:


> From the article:
> 
> "We are testing changes to surge that are designed to make the experience *APPEAR *more stable, simple and attainable for drivers, *AS WE BEND THEM OVER THE TABLE TO KEEP A BIGGER SLICE OF THE PIE FOR OURSELVES* . This test is part of our broader effort to improve the earnings experience, *FOR UBER*" an Uber spokesperson said.
> 
> ...


They sleep very well and die fat and happy. Life is easier when you have no conscience


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## MadePenniesToday (Feb 24, 2017)

I'm going to get myself deactivated.


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## touberornottouber (Aug 12, 2016)

I'm very near quitting completely but as it is now I won't drive when there is heavy traffic unless there is a very high multiplier type surge. There is no way I am going to take a ride which takes an extra 30 minutes over normal for a promise to pay me $3 extra if I accept the next ride after that. Especially not when Uber can potentially make 200-500% more on the ride than me. 

It's insulting how dumb the Uber management seems to think drivers are.


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## Drivincrazy (Feb 14, 2016)

It is also longer based on time and distance alone. This a significant change to the original agreement of October 2015. Seems like a good lawyer could win this for drivers of pre May 27, 2017.


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## Mista T (Aug 16, 2017)

Old surge was designed as an incentive for drivers to work during times when drivers didn't want to work. The extra money earned is relative to the amount of time the driver needed to put up with traffic, ice, drunks, etc etc. The longer they were in the car, the more $$ the driver earned.

The new surge is radically different: basically, it is a bribe for the driver to pick that person up. What happens after that is irrelevant. Could be a 2 min drive or an hour, same pay boost. In a nutshell, the company is saying they will pay an extra $2.57 if you go pick up this person.


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## Drivincrazy (Feb 14, 2016)

Under these conditions it is imperative to know the destination. If it is a loser, cancel or negotiate an upfront cash tip.
DGAS.


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## touberornottouber (Aug 12, 2016)

Mista T said:


> Old surge was designed as an incentive for drivers to work during times when drivers didn't want to work. The extra money earned is relative to the amount of time the driver needed to put up with traffic, ice, drunks, etc etc. The longer they were in the car, the more $$ the driver earned.
> 
> The new surge is radically different: basically, it is a bribe for the driver to pick that person up. What happens after that is irrelevant. Could be a 2 min drive or an hour, same pay boost. In a nutshell, the company is saying they will pay an extra $2.57 if you go pick up this person.


That wouldn't be so bad if the per minute charge were fair to drivers but for the most part it isn't. The surge typically happens in areas and times where there is traffic which is above normal. That means the same ride will take longer. Possibly significantly longer. So $2.57 ain't gonna cut it if it means say that the trip will be an extra 30 minutes over normal.

Raise the per minute charge (going to the driver) to 25-35 cents and it is fine. Otherwise it isn't because we are radically underpaid for slow rides (traffic, drive-thrus,etc).


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## Failed Login (Nov 13, 2017)

I posted last week about the funny business that occurred late Saturday night during one of our 2 predictable and consistent significant surge times. From 1:50am until 2:30am each Sunday morning, there is always a good surge in the center of downtown, almost centered around the EpiCentre. Fixed surge amount going to at least $10 most weeks is normal. I'm usually on a trip somewhere in the burbs and miss it. But I enacted a strategy a few weekends ago and no matter where I am before that, I make sure I'm in that area at 2am, with my destination set just a few miles south, past the SouthEnd area, as so many riders are going to their apartments there. I'll watch the surge from offline, then when it hits $10, I'll go online, get a short ride within the destination limits, come back and get another (most times), then head toward the house which is also south. 

2 Saturday nights ago, as I executed the strategy and waited starting about 1:55am, I watched as the surge hit $3 and remained there until 2:30am. Never budged one cent. Watching the rider app, I noticed that several times for minutes at a time, there were zero drivers in the downtown loop, zero. I'd switch online, get the $3 in my surge bubble and get requests like crazy until I could go back offline. So the demand was there, but there were no drivers. Yet the surge remained at $3. Finally took a ride south for the $3 and went home. I was pissed. The surge is never that small at bar closing on Saturday night. 

Well, same song second verse this past Saturday night. Same exact thing, never went above $3. Identical. I timed the surge and it lasted for 55 minutes at $3. Again, there were numerous times during the window when I was the only driver within the loop. I stayed offline most of the time so no drivers showed up. I'd go online just to make sure my surge map was current and to see of there was demand. And there was plenty of demand. At one point, I declined 3 rides in about 4 seconds. It kicked me offline before I could select "Go Offline" for myself. WTF is going on with this $hi1, Uber? Capping the drunk mad rush surge at $3 fro consecutive weeks? Really?


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## bobby747 (Dec 29, 2015)

it's sad thy hat upfront pricing took Uber's best drivers and made them do wrong bad habits to go the wrong way to increase the pay to fair. this was not good enough. 
now they need to rob the customers and cheat the drivers.
I predict 2 things.
one many drivers will quit bar crowds and concert crowds of drivers will be 50 % lower for sure at bars...
others with flat out quit.
others will find another job still work uber... but get Visa type payment set up and ask customers what their paying..say $150... they will do it for $110... without fear of deactivation. as they will have work lined up.. and won't give s crap about getting fired...just imagine .. 1000 drivers in say pay not caring about getting fired...having customers ending trip and drivers uninstalling uber app. ....
this direction is so stupid uber is going...rob from the rich...and cheat the poor....


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## hulksmash (Apr 26, 2016)

Failed Login said:


> I posted last week about the funny business that occurred late Saturday night during one of our 2 predictable and consistent significant surge times. From 1:50am until 2:30am each Sunday morning, there is always a good surge in the center of downtown, almost centered around the EpiCentre. Fixed surge amount going to at least $10 most weeks is normal. I'm usually on a trip somewhere in the burbs and miss it. But I enacted a strategy a few weekends ago and no matter where I am before that, I make sure I'm in that area at 2am, with my destination set just a few miles south, past the SouthEnd area, as so many riders are going to their apartments there. I'll watch the surge from offline, then when it hits $10, I'll go online, get a short ride within the destination limits, come back and get another (most times), then head toward the house which is also south.
> 
> 2 Saturday nights ago, as I executed the strategy and waited starting about 1:55am, I watched as the surge hit $3 and remained there until 2:30am. Never budged one cent. Watching the rider app, I noticed that several times for minutes at a time, there were zero drivers in the downtown loop, zero. I'd switch online, get the $3 in my surge bubble and get requests like crazy until I could go back offline. So the demand was there, but there were no drivers. Yet the surge remained at $3. Finally took a ride south for the $3 and went home. I was pissed. The surge is never that small at bar closing on Saturday night.
> 
> Well, same song second verse this past Saturday night. Same exact thing, never went above $3. Identical. I timed the surge and it lasted for 55 minutes at $3. Again, there were numerous times during the window when I was the only driver within the loop. I stayed offline most of the time so no drivers showed up. I'd go online just to make sure my surge map was current and to see of there was demand. And there was plenty of demand. At one point, I declined 3 rides in about 4 seconds. It kicked me offline before I could select "Go Offline" for myself. WTF is going on with this $hi1, Uber? Capping the drunk mad rush surge at $3 fro consecutive weeks? Really?


Interesting. I don't have the new surge yet but perhaps you should compare with other drivers to see if you have the same amounts. They could be customized amounts. Perhaps the algorithm detected a pattern of you using the system to your advantage and decided to limit you to $3. You may start to see higher dollar amounts once you're far away from that. If they detect you're already in the area, they may not feel the need to entice you with larger amounts anymore since you're already there. You may not see other cars online if they're accepting stacked pings and taking back to back pings.

Part of the reason for this new system was to counter drivers gaming the surge (sitting offline, cancelling, rejecting rides, toggling trip preferences) since Uber is much wiser to it now. They are essentially giving you longer surge windows in exchange for lower surge amounts, so there may be a mechanism in place to keep surge from rising (at least for you) regardless of supply vs demand, especially if they know you're in the area.



Mista T said:


> Old surge was designed as an incentive for drivers to work during times when drivers didn't want to work. The extra money earned is relative to the amount of time the driver needed to put up with traffic, ice, drunks, etc etc. The longer they were in the car, the more $$ the driver earned.
> 
> The new surge is radically different: basically, it is a bribe for the driver to pick that person up. What happens after that is irrelevant. Could be a 2 min drive or an hour, same pay boost. In a nutshell, the company is saying they will pay an extra $2.57 if you go pick up this person.


I think your right about the reason for the old surge. It was meant to keep drivers already online working longer and to go to specific areas. It wasn't meant for drivers to use as a negotiating tool. The system failed as they intended it when drivers began sitting offline anticipating surge. In Uber's eyes, too many drivers sat offline pretending to not want to work, then all of a sudden decide they did once surge went up.


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## bobby747 (Dec 29, 2015)

talk about being bent over..i am full time guy...i read that n.c site where its in place...any driver driving for these companys when they make the change is really stupid...i all my years i seen drug dealers with better deals....i used to think night time pizza driving was lower than uber...wow the local places with the pay you make..ME 20 yrs as 2nd job...really 23... was like being a CEO.... compared to this..
we could break them in phila if philly wanted to,,,but many drivers have no common sense.....whats next after this . you may need a 2014 and above car......than you must have waters for pax...WHEN WILL ALL THE MADNESS STOP.
if i was young and all i knew was to drive now i would go private..its not too hard


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## Failed Login (Nov 13, 2017)

hulksmash said:


> Interesting. I don't have the new surge yet but perhaps you should compare with other drivers to see if you have the same amounts. They could be customized amounts. Perhaps the algorithm detected a pattern of you using the system to your advantage and decided to limit you to $3. You may start to see higher dollar amounts once you're far away from that. If they detect you're already in the area, they may not feel the need to entice you with larger amounts anymore since you're already there. You may not see other cars online if they're accepting stacked pings and taking back to back pings. .


You're hitting the nail on the head with my same concern. I don't know any other drivers that are out driving, or awake, during the 2am surge. I would do anything to know if I'm getting a max $3 surge in my map and others are getting higher/different surge amounts in their apps. I wouldn't be surprised at all. But that would be a whole different concern if they are showing drivers different surge maps/earning opportunities.


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## bobby747 (Dec 29, 2015)

if u are driving bar crowd at these new surge..u are a different kinda. stupid


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## Stevie The magic Unicorn (Apr 3, 2018)

There's no option for "i quit when base rates hit 48c a mile"

I'm personally looking forward to the new surge.

When the surge happy places get stupid in terms of traffic the uber drivers arn't going to bother with them anymore.

An extra $2.00 to fight traffic 20 minutes to make it 800 feet to Universal studios for closing rush?

Pass..

I see this going badly and lots of people quitting.


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## Mole (Mar 9, 2017)

I for one will not drive events or late night or long trips more then 8 miles in these surges. The cancel button will be well used. I'll miss you surgy.


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## bobby747 (Dec 29, 2015)

I don't understand. you are saying that if that ride was 40 miles u would not take it at$240


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## Mole (Mar 9, 2017)

bobby747 said:


> I don't understand. you are saying that if that ride was 40 miles u would not take it at$240


No what I'm saying is I should get $240 but uber would most likely only give me $80 while charging the customer $300


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## bobby747 (Dec 29, 2015)

why work bars anyway


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## Fuzzyelvis (Dec 7, 2014)

anteetr said:


> The Charlotte surge "test" (lol) just expanded to 5 more cities. RI, OKC, Phoenix, Cincinnati, and San Antonio. Quit driving for Uber if you live in any of these places.
> 
> If you're not in one of those markets and you haven't found a new job yet, now might be a good time to start looking


I somehow became part of Lyft's beta test of the same thing in Houston. As a result there is no prime time for me. I've seen ONE of the new "added amount" type surges which was after a concert close to my house. I was home and not about to leave. I assume it only shows if you're close because I haven't seen ANY Primetime in downtown since, even at 2am Saturday nights. I live 20 miles from there, by the way.



Stevie The magic Unicorn said:


> There's no option for "i quit when base rates hit 48c a mile"
> 
> I'm personally looking forward to the new surge.
> 
> ...


One can only hope.

My hope is drivers will start telling people they can't take them on long trips. People who live 20 miles away from downtown and are being quoted $80 to go home AND accept it then have the driver (who's only going to make an extra $8 over base) tell them he's canceling will be pissed. The driver, of course, wants several short trips while the "surge" lasts.

If enough of that happens it MIGHT hit social media. People don't care that the driver is being screwed, and they assume if the price is high the driver is making most of it. But they get stuck without a ride and they'll care that they've been told surge is to "get more drivers in the area" only to find out that's not where their money is going.


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## Bjnesbitt (Dec 2, 2016)

Failed Login said:


> Warned you guys it was coming. They told me it would be nationwide by late August/early September. Go ahead and be prepared for your earnings to go down. Now that they give you the higher of the surge area you have been in or that the driver is in, is a better option, but the dollar amounts are so low that it still doesn't come near equaling what you made before. Just imagine, a late night Saturday shift through peak surge and your largest surge amount is $3. And it could be on a 30 minute ride! Have fun fellas!


Yeah it sucks! OKC driver here.

Example of 1:40am bar ride that was at old surge of 5.5x I got $4,75 flat rate surge for a near 20 minute 17 mile ride. Driver payout $12 should of been around $16-$18. Think about amount we don't get on 30 mile 44 minute rides.



Mole said:


> View attachment 237055
> I for one will not drive events or late night or long trips more then 8 miles in these surges. The cancel button will be well used. I'll miss you surgy.


I totally agree good ole Surgie is going to be missed.


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## Failed Login (Nov 13, 2017)

You guys see my post in Charlotte forum about 2am bar close surge. Uber has used a pre-set static map in our downtown area where all the bars are, from 1:50am to 2:50am, and it's capped at $3. It's the same map the last 3 Saturday nights. Has a few unique features, shapes in it, so a few of us have confirmed it is the same for all 3 weeks. So much for algorithms, models, high demand/low supply driving up the surge.... This is total BS. Just when you think it couldn't get worse....


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## heynow321 (Sep 3, 2015)

I really hope none of you guys are working bar close or events. You’d be a huge sucker to do so


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## Stevie The magic Unicorn (Apr 3, 2018)

heynow321 said:


> I really hope none of you guys are working bar close or events. You'd be a huge sucker to do so


 I did good on the fourth dragging a taxi out to event close..


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## Failed Login (Nov 13, 2017)

Stevie The magic Unicorn said:


> I did good on the fourth dragging a taxi out to event close..


I drove for 2 hours on July 4th, brought home $90. Drove 7 trips for a total of 60 miles counting driving back to my house at the end. 2.5 gallons of gas. Every trip was surge of some amount. It was a nice shift for me. Rare, but nice.

I drove my normal Saturday night bar scene shift, 10:30pm to 3am, and for the second time in 16 months, had a full shift with no surge rides. There were ants everywhere. I took someone home out Wilkinson, in rough spots, and there were 7 drivers around me within a few blocks. Hit Midwood twice and there were trains of drivers just circling the bar area. Here I thought Uber would be losing drivers due to all these fare cuts and the opposite is occurring. It's wild. I'm moving in less than a month, so I'll be out the door soon. Amazing that I could drive 16 trips during bar crowd on Saturday night and get no surge trips. And for the fourth time in the last four Saturday nights I've driven, uptown capped at $3.50 surge at 2:30am. Something fishy is going on. Uptown used to hit $10 or more at bar close, but the last 6 weeks or so, $3.50 is the max. It just doesn't make sense to me.


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## Bjnesbitt (Dec 2, 2016)

OKC Thursday night my fares all averaged a net 28% to 35% paid to Uber the rest paid to driver. That’s proper amount. OKC Friday night all fares averaged 43% to 53% paid to Uber. YES!!! Not typo they took over 53% of one fare. After sending two requests to support and receiving the useless Bot canned messages for response I quit replying back. 

Here is the response I received. In my messages I said how can you take more than the agreed amount of fare percentage that I agreed too when signing the Driver agreement. 

Uber response:

Please be informed that service fee amounts vary per trip; they are not a set percentage. You can always see what the rider paid and what Uber received under “Fare Details” on the “Trip Details” page for any given trip. 


Uber will estimate the length of each trip and generate an upfront fare for the rider before the trip starts. If the trip fare is more than the base + time + distance (+ surge), Uber will collect the difference. And when the fare of the trip is less than the base + time + distance, Uber will pay the cost. The driver will always make the same rates, independent of the fare estimate.


Partner's earnings will always be calculated using base fare+time+distance. The service fee amount can vary based on the upfront fare charged to the rider. 


There are times when what a rider pays may be higher or lower than what you earn for a trip. Our goal is to keep driver rates consistent while allowing us to offer new options for riders like flat fares and subscriptions. 


For full information on your trip breakdown, including what the rider paid and what Uber received, tap “Fare Details” on your trip receipt. 


Thanks for your understanding.


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## Mista T (Aug 16, 2017)

Bjnesbitt said:


> OKC Thursday night my fares all averaged a net 28% to 35% paid to Uber the rest paid to driver. That's proper amount. OKC Friday night all fares averaged 43% to 53% paid to Uber. YES!!! Not typo they took over 53% of one fare. After sending two requests to support and receiving the useless Bot canned messages for response I quit replying back.
> 
> Here is the response I received. In my messages I said how can you take more than the agreed amount of fare percentage that I agreed too when signing the Driver agreement.
> 
> ...


How is it you have been a member here since 2016 and you are this clueless?


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## Bjnesbitt (Dec 2, 2016)

I’m not clueless to anything. I’m just reporting what I’m experiencing here in OKC.


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## mrpjfresh (Aug 16, 2016)

I cannot imagine Uber not shooting themselves in the foot in regards to customer service here. As Mista T said, if there is no incentive to work very busy or hazardous times, a majority of drivers will simply not or pass on these trips. It seems so short-sighted even though they've been testing it forever it seems like.

Surge was a nice gimmick to keep drivers enticed. Now it's like fishing in a pond with only guppies or playing a slot machine with a jackpot of $15... what's the point? This doesn't fit the M.O. of the fiends at Uber either. They are usually clever when it comes to their money-shuffling schemes; this is very much _not_. Frankly, it reeks of desperation as well to sacrifice reliability to skim more money from drivers in such a fashion.


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## heynow321 (Sep 3, 2015)

You’re 100% correct that it stinks of desperation. They are realizing they don’t have a sustainable business model So they need to use less and less transparent schemes like this to keep stupid investors funneling them money


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## TheWanderer (Sep 6, 2016)

Any new places it is rolled out!


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