# Safe Rides Fee - What is it?



## SCdave (Jun 27, 2014)

Below is the "Uber Speak" from Uber Corporate re $1 Safe Rides Fee found at: https://support.uber.com/hc/en-us/articles/201950566-What-is-the-Safe-Rides-Fee-

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* What is the Safe Rides Fee?*


_From the beginning, we've always been committed to connecting you with the safest rides on the road. The Safe Rides Fee is a small fee added to uberX fares on behalf of drivers in cities with uberX ridesharing. This Safe Rides Fee supports continued efforts to ensure the safest possible platform for Uber riders and drivers, including an industry-leading background check process, regular motor vehicle checks, driver safety education, development of safety features in the app, and more. For complete pricing transparency, you'll see this as a separate line item on every uberX receipt._

_In the U.S., the Safe Rides Fee is always $1 USD. In Canada, it is $1 CAD._
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I know it has been mentioned in other posts but I wanted to focus only on this Fee. Uber makes it seem like it goes to the Driver for the benefit of the Rider.

Here is what Uber says the $1 per Trip Fee pays for:
- Background Check Process (One Time & periodic?)
- Vehicle Checks (Driver pays $20 for annual inspection, what other checks are ongoing?)
- Driver Safety Education (Video Onboarding Only, Drivers Pay for course if deactivated for low ratings)
- Development of Safety Features in the App (Why charge for this and what does it mean anyway?)

Really? This is just a $1 Tip for Uber. A 100% Commission. There is little to no benefit for the Driver in relation to 0% cut the Drivers gets. If a Driver does 20 Trips per day, 5 days per week, that would be _about_ $4800 per year income for Uber (Just example, less for some drivers, more for others & I know 4.33 months average).

Uber tells us that Lower Fares means increased Earnings but then places a $1 _"Excise Tax"_ on each Fare.
Yes, the Safe Driver Fee just seems like a local, state, or federal tax that is collected by Uber (Government) with no monetary benefit for the driver but is in essence attributed to the driver - _"... on behalf of the driver"._

Am I wrong to believe that Uber should not be charging a $1 Safe Driver Fee? That the costs of a background check, vehicle check, driver safety education, safety features in the app, should just be the cost of doing business for Uber? And that using the Uber "Price Elasticity Model" Uber holds so dear, that the $1 Fee is reducing driver trips per hour and thus driver "earnings"?

So much so wrong with the $1 Safe Driver Fee: attributed to the Driver, little benefit to Driver or Rider in relation to the high _"Excise Tax"_ charged by Uber. Am I so wrong about this?


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## OldTownSean (Aug 14, 2014)

Yeah its bullshit ... I assumed it was just for the temporary commercial insurance while the cheapass is in my ride.


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## chi1cabby (May 28, 2014)

SCdave said:


> The Safe Rides Fee is a small fee added to uberX fares on behalf of drivers in cities with uberX ridesharing.





SCdave said:


> , driver safety


"On behalf of Drivers"
That's just precious!
I don't think any driver would regret to seeing TravisK & Co do the perp walk one day.


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## Farman vegas (Aug 8, 2014)

chi1cabby said:


> "On behalf of Drivers"
> That's just precious!
> I don't think any driver would regret to seeing TravisK & Co do the perp walk one day.


Lawyer Shannon Liss-Riordan will cover this topic in discovery. My bet is the case will be settled with gag order for all parties. She will win this case, a walk in the park with her ability.


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## LAuberX (Jun 3, 2014)

Its commission, nothing more.

When a client asks how much I make I tell them Uber takes 25% and I pay all the expenses.


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## Mark Hughes (Sep 1, 2014)

Horrible. Yes, it's Uber's cost of doing business, not the driver's. It also gives a false total for every fare. And, on a $4 minimum fare it is 25% cut for Uber off the top - outrageous. Now the minimum fare (4$) is$2.40 net to the driver - which in many cases is a net loss when you drive in traffic to get to customer, and then customer takes 10 minutes to get to the car after you arrive, and it takes you 10 minutes to get to the customer. 5 minutes ride, 25 total lost minutes, plus spent gas for $2.40 (at minimum it's 1 gal gas 3.60 - 2.40 fare = 1.20 loss, minus car wear and tear) - it's insane is what it is. Why does an 18 Billion company have to do this kind of nonsense?


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## OldTownSean (Aug 14, 2014)

Mark Hughes said:


> Horrible. Yes, it's Uber's cost of doing business, not the driver's. It also gives a false total for every fare. And, on a $4 minimum fare it is 25% cut for Uber off the top - outrageous. Now the minimum fare (4$) is$2.40 net to the driver - which in many cases is a net loss when you drive in traffic to get to customer, and then customer takes 10 minutes to get to the car after you arrive, and it takes you 10 minutes to get to the customer. 5 minutes ride, 25 total lost minutes, plus spent gas for $2.40 (at minimum it's 1 gal gas 3.60 - 2.40 fare = 1.20 loss, minus car wear and tear) - it's insane is what it is. Why does an 18 Billion company have to do this kind of nonsense?


Welcome to the forum ... you will fit in nicely here.


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## Walkersm (Apr 15, 2014)

Lyft was getting away with it so Uber tried it also. Worked like a charm. No one cares about a buck if it is for "Safety".

And it makes for a good joke when a driver hits a passenger in the head with a hammer: Well I guess he is going to get his dollar back then.


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## OldTownSean (Aug 14, 2014)

Walkersm said:


> Lyft was getting away with it so Uber tried it also. Worked like a charm. No one cares about a buck if it is for "Safety".
> 
> And it makes for a good joke when a driver hits a passenger in the head with a hammer: Well I guess he is going to get his dollar back then.


R O F L


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## DriverJ (Sep 1, 2014)

It's money you can earn, and look at in your account, only! There's nothing to collect here, move along.


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## billybengal (Sep 26, 2014)

Dear Partners,

Please do not make false and uneducated statements.

Most of you are not aware of Uber's future plans. Uber's safety fee is collected to fund a brand new hammer for each new and existing driver in the near future.
Hammers will be of high quality from a market leading brand name and will increase drivers' and passengers' safety.

Thank you,

Pooper


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## SCdave (Jun 27, 2014)

If Uber wants to take a buck off the top of the minimum fee along with 80% after, fine with me. Just be straight up and say so. Just say this is the way we WILL calculate fares. We"ll (Uber) start with a minimum, we'll take $1 off the top, then we'll split it 80/20 with you. That's the offer. Would you like to drive with us?

Just don't market it as a "Safe Riders Fee" and tell consumers/riders that it "on behalf of drivers". And if you (Uber) still want to go with the Safe Riders Fee scenario as being on driver behalf , be transparent and show us exactly where the money goes. Don't tell me, show me with a spreadsheet stating total income and costs like any company would in an annual budget projection. If it isn't a profit making product/charge but a cost covering fee as Uber attributes the Safe Rides Fee being, then be transparent. The numbers exist, there is a line item in the Uber 2014 Budget, Uber is doing all of this on Driver Behalf, so showing the numbers is easy and not a big deal for Uber, right?

Here are some numbers to throw around on an annual basis just for the USA/Canada (I'm being conservative on Income/Driver at $1 per trip and using 50 trips per week average; have no idea how many drivers there are):

# of Drivers Income/Driver Total Income
50,000 ......... $2400 .......... $120,000,000
100,000 ....... $2400........... $240,000,000


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