# "I was an undercover Uber driver" — piece about UberX in Philly



## lymmis (Jan 29, 2015)

Hi! I'm a journalist who's been talking to some Philly drivers for this - thought you might like to read the finished product. Thanks to all who gave me information on and off the record!

http://citypaper.net/uberdriver/

(FYI, the issue with the annoying refreshing is now fixed.)

EDIT: Hey, people keep mentioning that they'd like more people to see this piece? Here's an easy but enormously effective way to do that, if you have a Reddit account. (It's super easy to make one if you don't have one.)

1. Find the subreddit for your home city - it'll generally be at reddit.com/r/YOURCITYNAME.
2. Submit the story to your city's subreddit. I don't want to put words into anyone's mouth, but if you mention in the title that you're an Uber driver yourself and liked the piece, it will probably be more effective than just taking the title Reddit suggests.
3. Talk to people in the comments on your post, politely and courteously, about your experiences working for Uber. Answer questions that they might have.
4. Go here and upvote the places other people have posted the story on reddit.

AND/OR:

Go upvote the piece on Digg.


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## Disgusted Driver (Jan 9, 2015)

Nice, you done good! Well written, think it was pretty fair and I appreciate your penchant for getting the data yourself. 

One minor comment, you got slightly snookered by Uber on the pay issue. For an average gross of 20.97, in order to calculate net payment we need to know how many rides that was. If it's 4 minimum rides you have the following:
1 ride : 20.97 - 1.00 SRF = 19.97 *.8 = 15.98
4 rides: 20.97 - 4.00 SRF = 16.97 *.8 = 13.58

It's called Uber Math, when we compare gross figures without expenses to taxi drivers without tips after expenses or give guarantees based on gross or advertise gross as how much you "make". 

Just some of the reasons why we love Uber so much!


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## LEAFdriver (Dec 28, 2014)

Excellent article Emily! Thank you so much for taking this project on!  I thought it was very well-written and researched! I think probably my favorite part was at the end where you included this:

Morake says he doesn't usually accept requests more than 10 minutes away, because customers tend to get impatient and cancel when he's halfway there. He finally accepted mine because it was coming from a hospital and seemed desperate. "So it called one time, two times, three times - I said, 'Maybe this person don't have nobody else.'"
*The contrast is so striking - Morake, who accepted a ride against his own best interests out of human kindness, and Uber, which treats him and so many other drivers as utterly disposable numbers in an equation.
*
(Morake....if you are here on UP.net.....please chime in)

_"Emily is senior staff writer at Philadelphia City Paper. She enjoys writing about feminism, opera, television, arts ecosystems, music theory,* people with weird jobs* and pretty much everything involving money. You can also find her writing at the A.V. Club, the Guardian and other fine publications."_

So Emily....did we fit into the: _people with weird jobs category_?   I hope you will pop your head in here every once in awhile and say Hi!


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## lymmis (Jan 29, 2015)

Disgusted Driver said:


> One minor comment, you got slightly snookered by Uber on the pay issue.


Thanks for fact-checking (not being snotty - when I spend this much time on something, I genuinely appreciate when people politely point out math errors). Sketchy math/stats are some of my least favorite things, which is in part why I spent so much time doing this piece - to get it right.

But I think I'm unsnookered! The PR rep sent me a draft text of the blog post, and there was information that was in the email apparently isn't in the blog post - he said that average rides per hour per driver increased from 1.09 to 1.83. If you factor $1.09 and $1.83 in as the before and after safe rides fees, you'll find the math works out.

And thanks, Leafdriver!


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## arto71 (Sep 20, 2014)

lymmis said:


> Hi! I'm a journalist who's been talking to some Philly drivers for this - thought you might like to read the finished product. Thanks to all who gave me information on and off the record!
> 
> http://citypaper.net/uberdriver/


Very well written article ,thank you,IMHO this thread and your article would get more exposure and discussion if you ask forum admin. move 
under "news" sub forum .


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## lymmis (Jan 29, 2015)

arto71 said:


> Very well written article ,thank you,IMHO this thread and your article would get more exposure and discussion if you ask forum admin. move
> under "news" sub forum .


Good point. I have zero idea how to do that, and I'm just about to go get a much-needed drink after birthing this 20-pound mother****er. Uh, admins? Could you move this? Could someone ask them to on my behalf?


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## arto71 (Sep 20, 2014)

lymmis said:


> Good point. I have zero idea how to do that, and I'm just about to go get a much-needed drink after birthing this 20-pound mother****er. Uh, admins? Could you move this? Could someone ask them to on my behalf?


Att, uberpeople.net could you please move this thread under "News" sub forum per OP.thanks.


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## Phillyx (Nov 9, 2014)

Nice article Emily ,only thing is new drivers are watching the YouTube video is for uber black service,not for uber x, $3.20 I am not going to open the door and wear a suit and a tie


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## chi1cabby (May 28, 2014)

And they said reportage was dead!
Nice going, lymmis!


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## Casuale Haberdasher (Dec 7, 2014)

chi1cabby said:


> And they said reportage was dead!
> Nice going, lymmis!
> 
> 
> View attachment 7103


POST # 9 / chi1cabby : Bostonian Bison
surely loves it
when St. Comity "Lowers the boom" 
on A••hat "Technologies" LLC...........
Can I get a "BOOYAH!" from the Troops?


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## Kalee (Feb 18, 2015)

lymmis said:


> Hi! I'm a journalist who's been talking to some Philly drivers for this - thought you might like to read the finished product. Thanks to all who gave me information on and off the record!
> 
> http://citypaper.net/uberdriver/


Brilliant piece, Emily! Thank you!


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## Casuale Haberdasher (Dec 7, 2014)

lymmis said:


> Hi! I'm a journalist who's been talking to some Philly drivers for this - thought you might like to read the finished product. Thanks to all who gave me information on and off the record!
> 
> http://citypaper.net/uberdriver/


POST # 1 / lymmis : ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆


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## ReviTULize (Sep 29, 2014)

Whatever is auto refreshing on your mobile site sucks...
Great story so far though.

Still refreshing and reading


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## Kalee (Feb 18, 2015)

ReviTULize said:


> Whatever is auto refreshing on your mobile site sucks...
> Great story so far though.
> 
> Still refreshing and reading


I agree that is annoying. After the 3rd or 4th double auto refresh, I copied and pasted the article into a note so that I could finish reading the article without interruption.


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## chuck50 (Dec 28, 2014)

ReviTULize said:


> Whatever is auto refreshing on your mobile site sucks...
> Great story so far though.
> 
> Still refreshing and reading


It auto refreshes on my Macbook as well. Very annoying, but worth the read.


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## newsboy559 (Oct 14, 2014)

lymmis said:


> Hi! I'm a journalist who's been talking to some Philly drivers for this - thought you might like to read the finished product. Thanks to all who gave me information on and off the record!
> 
> http://citypaper.net/uberdriver/


You are an angel! As a journalist myself, I thank you for this absolutely thorough piece.

This is the kind of journalism that is so sorely lacking in this day and age.


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## Taxi Driver in Arizona (Mar 18, 2015)

Article: 5 stars.

Website: 1 star.


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## Errich (Aug 24, 2014)

Very good article. Well informed and well written. Brilliant way to bring it home with the story at the end. We've all felt that way as drivers at least once.


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## ReviTULize (Sep 29, 2014)

Kalee said:


> I agree that is annoying. After the 3rd or 4th double auto refresh, I copied and pasted the article into a note so that I could finish reading the article without interruption.


I temp disabled Javascript in my mobile browser. Seems to work


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## thehappytypist (Oct 9, 2014)

Fabulous article! Very refreshing to see an article based on information you gathered yourself instead of anecdotal data and hyperbole.


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## MKEUber (Aug 20, 2014)

Great article, made my day!


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## gaj (Nov 11, 2014)

Good article, but I also found the website auto-refreshing really annoying.

If I wasn't really interested in fully reading the article, I would have given up after the second refresh. Might want to let your web guys know 

g


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## frndthDuvel (Aug 31, 2014)

lymmis said:


> Hi! I'm a journalist who's been talking to some Philly drivers for this - thought you might like to read the finished product. Thanks to all who gave me information on and off the record!
> 
> http://citypaper.net/uberdriver/
> 
> (FYI, the issue with the annoying refreshing is now fixed.)


Sure would be nice to see you do an interview on CNN or MSNBC. Thanks for a truer glimpse of the UBER reality than previously has been reported on.


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## gaj (Nov 11, 2014)

Actually, I think this is the most realistic driver story I have seen.

It would be great if you could get national exposure.

g


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## observer (Dec 11, 2014)

gaj said:


> Actually, I think this is the most realistic driver story I have seen.
> 
> It would be great if you could get national exposure.
> 
> g


Everyone with a twitter account should tweet the story, help her get her story out.


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## RockinEZ (Apr 29, 2015)

I like how she describes this forum. 

"The Uberpeople forum exists in a state of quivering rage I usually associate with cable-news talk shows. Drivers are furious about everything. Spoiled passengers. Fare cuts. Living in fear of arbitrary ratings. The dumb Spotify thing streaming over the driver's data plan rather than the passenger's."

Pretty accurate description.


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## ubercurious (Dec 24, 2014)

Excellent piece Emily - you captured the bouyant and exuberant thrill of the newbie and quickly worked out that the "house" always wins... despite a few glimmers of hope.

Overall a really honest and accurate account of the risks and "rewards" of those who choose to run the gauntlet driving UberX without guaranteed legality by Govt or endorsement by insurer.... a very grey area indeed .


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## lymmis (Jan 29, 2015)

gaj said:


> It would be great if you could get national exposure.
> 
> g


If you would really like to get this national exposure, there's a slightly more obscure way to do it - go suggest the piece to be featured on longform.org. Lots of journalists who work at more prestigious places than Philadelphia City Paper read it.

http://longform.org/suggestions/new


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## Txchick (Nov 25, 2014)

observer said:


> Everyone with a twitter account should tweet the story, help her get her story out.


I tweeted multiple times.


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## UberDude2 (Nov 19, 2014)

Good story, great job.


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## Huberis (Mar 15, 2015)

lymmis said:


> Hi! I'm a journalist who's been talking to some Philly drivers for this - thought you might like to read the finished product. Thanks to all who gave me information on and off the record!
> 
> http://citypaper.net/uberdriver/
> 
> (FYI, the issue with the annoying refreshing is now fixed.)


Very fine work. You put some real effort into that!


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## elelegido (Sep 24, 2014)

lymmis said:


> Hi! I'm a journalist who's been talking to some Philly drivers for this - thought you might like to read the finished product. Thanks to all who gave me information on and off the record!
> 
> http://citypaper.net/uberdriver/
> 
> (FYI, the issue with the annoying refreshing is now fixed.)


Without a doubt the best article I've ever seen about how things are for drivers. You were impartial and gave Uber the chance to supply any data evidence they wanted to you, then you took each piece of their evidence apart and explained exactly why it is misleading.

Would you be willing to do an article on Lyft, about how they have been failing to pay drivers all of the revenue they contracted to pay them? They unjustifiably withhold earnings by rounding down some driver payments. for example, if the driver's gross payment for a trip should be $5.80; Lyft rounds it down to $5, keeps the 80 cents for itself, then calculates its regular commission on the remaining $5.

If you are interested in this story, I will share with you all of my Lyft ride data - spreadsheets containing hundreds of rides which show I am owed hundreds of dollars by Lyft in unpaid revenue, as well as all emails from me to them demanding payment and their replies refusing it.


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## Huberis (Mar 15, 2015)

elelegido said:


> Without a doubt the best article I've ever seen about how things are for drivers. You were impartial and gave Uber the chance to supply any data evidence they wanted to you, then you took each piece of their evidence apart and explained exactly why it is misleading.
> 
> Would you be willing to do an article on Lyft, about how they have been failing to pay drivers all of the revenue they contracted to pay them? They unjustifiably withhold earnings by rounding down some driver payments. for example, if the driver's gross payment for a trip should be $5.80; Lyft rounds it down to $5, keeps the 80 cents for itself, then calculates its regular commission on the remaining $5.
> 
> If you are interested in this story, I will share with you all of my Lyft ride data - spreadsheets containing hundreds of rides which show I am owed hundreds of dollars by Lyft in unpaid revenue.


I hope "Ol Harry the rideshare driver" contributor to Forbes magazine has the opportunity to read this. Impartiality is one thing, but this piece strove for depth, clarity, accuracy. It is a meaningful piece.

Also in the news in my State of Pa: http://www.post-gazette.com/news/tr...t-of-trip-data-from-Uber/stories/201505060143


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## observer (Dec 11, 2014)

elelegido said:


> Without a doubt the best article I've ever seen about how things are for drivers. You were impartial and gave Uber the chance to supply any data evidence they wanted to you, then you took each piece of their evidence apart and explained exactly why it is misleading.
> 
> Would you be willing to do an article on Lyft, about how they have been failing to pay drivers all of the revenue they contracted to pay them? They unjustifiably withhold earnings by rounding down some driver payments. for example, if the driver's gross payment for a trip should be $5.80; Lyft rounds it down to $5, keeps the 80 cents for itself, then calculates its regular commission on the remaining $5.
> 
> If you are interested in this story, I will share with you all of my Lyft ride data - spreadsheets containing hundreds of rides which show I am owed hundreds of dollars by Lyft in unpaid revenue.


There is a thread on forum where Uber was rounding down fares in Australia and recently stopped doing that.


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## observer (Dec 11, 2014)

elelegido said:


> Without a doubt the best article I've ever seen about how things are for drivers. You were impartial and gave Uber the chance to supply any data evidence they wanted to you, then you took each piece of their evidence apart and explained exactly why it is misleading.
> 
> Would you be willing to do an article on Lyft, about how they have been failing to pay drivers all of the revenue they contracted to pay them? They unjustifiably withhold earnings by rounding down some driver payments. for example, if the driver's gross payment for a trip should be $5.80; Lyft rounds it down to $5, keeps the 80 cents for itself, then calculates its regular commission on the remaining $5.
> 
> If you are interested in this story, I will share with you all of my Lyft ride data - spreadsheets containing hundreds of rides which show I am owed hundreds of dollars by Lyft in unpaid revenue, as well as all emails from me to them demanding payment and their replies refusing it.


Rounding down thread,

https://uberpeople.net/threads/interesting-development-re-fares.19494/#post-267795


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## chi1cabby (May 28, 2014)

*A Philadelphia journalist went undercover as an Uber driver - here's how much she made*
*http://www.businessinsider.com/uber-driver-earnings-2015-5*
*







*


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## elelegido (Sep 24, 2014)

chi1cabby said:


> *A Philadelphia journalist went undercover as an Uber driver - here's how much she made*
> *http://www.businessinsider.com/uber-driver-earnings-2015-5*
> *
> View attachment 7165
> *


Great news


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## elelegido (Sep 24, 2014)

observer said:


> There is a thread on forum where Uber was rounding down fares in Australia and recently stopped doing that.


I just couldn't get over the justification that Lyft gave for not paying us the whole payment due. "As a standard business practice we round down driver payments". My reply, " My standard business practice is to collect all money I earned. Please pay me".

Still no money from them. Looks like they have just stopped rounding down now though.


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## observer (Dec 11, 2014)

elelegido said:


> I just couldn't get over the justification that Lyft gave for not paying us the whole payment due. "As a standard business practice we round down driver payments". My reply, " My standard business practice is to collect all money I earned. Please pay me".
> 
> Still no money from them. Looks like they have just stopped rounding down now though.


They were shortchanging drivers to the tune of thousands of dollars. Seems grounds for ANOTHER class action lawsuit.


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## elelegido (Sep 24, 2014)

observer said:


> They were shortchanging drivers to the tune of thousands of dollars. Seems grounds for ANOTHER class action lawsuit.


Absolutely. I estimate the total they shorted drivers will be in the hundreds of thousands if not millions. Until late last year, they rounded down payments to drivers on all rides, not just on Lyft Line rides, which they decided to keep skimming for some reason.

I'm trying to get reporters interested in this to give it sone coverage. chi1cabby, can you help with this?


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## LEAFdriver (Dec 28, 2014)

elelegido said:


> I just couldn't get over the justification that Lyft gave for not paying us the whole payment due. "As a standard business practice we round down driver payments". My reply, " My standard business practice is to collect all money I earned. Please pay me".
> 
> Still no money from them. Looks like they have just stopped rounding down now though.


Wow. I had no idea Lyft had this practice! What a sneaky way of them taking an additional 10% of short rides! Seems like they have some of the same 'ethics' as Uber! 

If they liked the idea of 'rounding' so much.....how about rounding UP instead?


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## lymmis (Jan 29, 2015)

elelegido said:


> Without a doubt the best article I've ever seen about how things are for drivers. You were impartial and gave Uber the chance to supply any data evidence they wanted to you, then you took each piece of their evidence apart and explained exactly why it is misleading.
> 
> Would you be willing to do an article on Lyft, about how they have been failing to pay drivers all of the revenue they contracted to pay them? They unjustifiably withhold earnings by rounding down some driver payments. for example, if the driver's gross payment for a trip should be $5.80; Lyft rounds it down to $5, keeps the 80 cents for itself, then calculates its regular commission on the remaining $5.
> 
> If you are interested in this story, I will share with you all of my Lyft ride data - spreadsheets containing hundreds of rides which show I am owed hundreds of dollars by Lyft in unpaid revenue, as well as all emails from me to them demanding payment and their replies refusing it.


Let's talk - [email protected]. Philadelphia's in the midst of electing a mayor right now, so I'm out of commission while I'm focusing on that for a week or two, but that is interesting and I'd like to hear more.

Also, yeah - people looking for journalist contacts, email me. That's my email.


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## chi1cabby (May 28, 2014)

elelegido said:


> I'm trying to get reporters interested in this to give it sone coverage. chi1cabby, can you help with this?


I can try reaching out to some journos. Can we get some more Lyft Drivers from markets with LyftLine who'd be interested in getting this out in media.
Another aspect of LyftLine & UberPool is lower ratings from pax...


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## chi1cabby (May 28, 2014)

lymmis said:


> If you would really like to get this national exposure, there's a slightly more obscure way to do it - go suggest the piece to be featured on longform.org. Lots of journalists who work at more prestigious places than Philadelphia City Paper read it.
> 
> http://longform.org/suggestions/new


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## elelegido (Sep 24, 2014)

I've emailed Shannon Liss-Riordan about the Lyft rounding down / failure to pay drivers for all work done issue. Let's hope she's interested enough to start another class action suit against Lyft.

There is no reason why Lyft should get away with not paying its drivers in full for all work done.


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## elelegido (Sep 24, 2014)

lymmis said:


> Let's talk - [email protected]. Philadelphia's in the midst of electing a mayor right now, so I'm out of commission while I'm focusing on that for a week or two, but that is interesting and I'd like to hear more.
> 
> Also, yeah - people looking for journalist contacts, email me. That's my email.


Email sent; thanks


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## elelegido (Sep 24, 2014)

chi1cabby said:


> I can try reaching out to some journos. Can we get some more Lyft Drivers from markets with LyftLine who'd be interested in getting this out in media.
> Another aspect of LyftLine & UberPool is lower ratings from pax...


This is huge; it's not just drivers on Lyft's Line product who are affected by this.

Until late last year, Lyft rounded down payments to all its drivers on its standard Lyft product as well. During this time, they also rounded down the fare charged to their customers. They have told me that their reason for doing this was that they wanted to simplify pricing. It's simpler to charge $8 than $8.63, according to them. And because the pax had their fare rounded down, drivers had their gross pay rounded down, as these are one and the same, ride fee excluded.

The point is that Lyft was contracted with its drivers - the driver would drive the pax to their destination and in return Lyft would pay the driver its published rates. Base + miles + time. That was the contract between Lyft and its drivers. There was/is no contract whatsoever between drivers and passengers. If Lyft decides, of its own accord, to be generous and round down what it charges its pax, that's all well and good. But it has no effect on the separate contract Lyft has to pay its published rates to its drivers. They are in breach of contract with drivers and they owe them millions of dollars.


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## OCBob (Jan 20, 2015)

lymmis said:


> Hi! I'm a journalist who's been talking to some Philly drivers for this - thought you might like to read the finished product. Thanks to all who gave me information on and off the record!
> 
> http://citypaper.net/uberdriver/
> 
> (FYI, the issue with the annoying refreshing is now fixed.)


I clicked on the "What to do as an Uber driver" and most of those were like I actually wrote them! The best one that so many noobs don't follow is to turn off your app when going into a surge and turn it back on when you are in the middle of your hot spot. Only thing I wish you did was push the "tip your drivers" line because with all the great info you gave, Uber PAX are too stupid to realize what you are trying to tell them. Kudos for no open doors, water and gum bullshit.


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## anOzzieUber (Oct 31, 2014)

Just to confirm the rounding situation here in Australia if you didn't read the thread that observer linked to, AFAIK Uber doesn't keep the rounded amount here in any city. They do round down to the nearest dollar in most cities, and pass on that rounding to the pax. I took a trip as a rider and that is when I noticed that I got about a 80 cent discount on my trip. Prior to this, I stupidly believe Uber was rounding correcting - rounding down when it was 0.50 cents or lower and rounding up when it was 0.51 cents or higher.


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## OCBob (Jan 20, 2015)

anOzzieUber said:


> Just to confirm the rounding situation here in Australia if you didn't read the thread that observer linked to, AFAIK Uber doesn't keep the rounded amount here in any city. They do round down to the nearest dollar in most cities, and pass on that rounding to the pax. I took a trip as a rider and that is when I noticed that I got about a 80 cent discount on my trip. Prior to this, I stupidly believe Uber was rounding correcting - rounding down when it was 0.50 cents or lower and rounding up when it was 0.51 cents or higher.


To me, that is stolen money. I cannot believe it is allowed and drivers go for that shit.


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## elelegido (Sep 24, 2014)

OCBob said:


> To me, that is stolen money. I cannot believe it is allowed and drivers go for that shit.


It's almost certainly breach of contract. Uber is contracted to pay drivers its published rates. If Uber wants to give its customers discounts, that's up to them - drivers have no control over pricing anyway, as everyone knows. But Uber has to pay drivers what it contractually agreed to pay, whatever it chooses to bill the customer.


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## MKEUber (Aug 20, 2014)

Just saw this article was posted to Longform. Congrats Emily!!! That website used to get me through some long and boring days at work.


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## anOzzieUber (Oct 31, 2014)

OCBob said:


> To me, that is stolen money. I cannot believe it is allowed and drivers go for that shit.


I hadn't thought of it that way, but you are 100% correct. In any case, it appears as though the Melbourne market which just had a rate drop has stopped the rounding, so hopefully they stop doing it in the other cities too, preferably without dropping rates at the same time. Though it does take some of the edge off the 15% rate drop they had in Melbourne.


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## observer (Dec 11, 2014)

Txchick said:


> I tweeted multiple times.


Thnx, I tweeted a couple radio hosts hopefully they talk about it.


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## Fauxknight (Aug 12, 2014)

Good article, but...

If your self admitted costs are $.51/mile, the how is that only 20% of your gross. To be true your fares would have to average over $3/mile with zero dead miles. Either your math is completely wrong or Philly is in a constant state of heavy surge...which doesn't equate to the number of runs/hour you take or your $/hour take home.


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## lymmis (Jan 29, 2015)

Fauxknight said:


> If your self admitted costs are $.51/mile, the how is that only 20% of your gross.


I wrote "per paid mile" - my expenses of driving my car are $.255 per mile, and on average I drove one mile per paid mile. Hence: $.51 per paid mile.

AND! Hey, people keep mentioning that they'd like more people to see this piece? The piece totally got on Longform, which is awesome. Here's another easy but enormously effective way to get eyes on the story, if you have a Reddit account. (It's super easy to make one if you don't have one.)

1. Find the subreddit for your home city - it'll generally be at reddit.com/r/(YOURCITYNAME).
2. Submit the story to your city's subreddit. I don't want to put words into anyone's mouth, but if you mention in the title that you're an Uber driver yourself and liked the piece, it will probably create more interest than if you just take the title Reddit suggests.
3. Talk to people in the comments on your post, politely and courteously, about your experiences working for Uber. Answer questions that they might have. Be painfully polite, even if people are nasty to you.
4. Go here and upvote the places other people have posted the story on reddit.

AND/OR:

Go to the story on Digg and upvote it.

Thanks!


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## chuck50 (Dec 28, 2014)

lymmis said:


> I wrote "per paid mile" - my expenses of driving my car are $.255 per mile, and on average I drove one mile per paid mile. Hence: $.51 per paid mile.
> 
> AND! Hey, people keep mentioning that they'd like more people to see this piece? The piece totally got on Longform, which is awesome. Here's another easy but enormously effective way to get eyes on the story, if you have a Reddit account. (It's super easy to make one if you don't have one.)
> 
> ...


I have a New York Times app ("NYT Now") on my iPhone. Your article showed up on the NYT Now news feed this morning!!!


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## lymmis (Jan 29, 2015)

chuck50 said:


> Your article showed up on the NYT Now news feed this morning!!!


Believe that I got a million texts about it, heh. That was cool.


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## JaxBeachDriver (Nov 27, 2014)

lymmis said:


> Hi! I'm a journalist who's been talking to some Philly drivers for this - thought you might like to read the finished product. Thanks to all who gave me information on and off the record!
> 
> http://citypaper.net/uberdriver/
> 
> ...


At first I was skeptical, especially since you put undercover in the headline. But, then I read it. Excellent job. I really loved it, and I'm sharing it with everyone I can!


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## Goober (Oct 16, 2014)

This was an amazing article lymmis! Thank you.


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## ARIV005 (Mar 4, 2015)

Great article!


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## Amsoil Uber Connect (Jan 14, 2015)

Freaking Awesome Girl !!! Your Famous Now.


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## chi1cabby (May 28, 2014)

Hello,

[email protected] has posted a new comment on:
Page: I was an undercover Uber driver
URL: http://citypaper.net/uberdriver/
Comment:
I am so tired of reading about all the people whining about Uber pay and tactics. If you dont like it, then dont do it!!! i signed on as a driver in Dallas Texas. I just moved here and am trying to remodel a house to flip on the market in the next couple of weeks. I needed some income...(I normally work in Supply Chain Middle management, but needed time to get this house done.) Uber has been perfect for me! How many other jobs do you work whenever you want and however long you want as is convenient to you. You know what I think...if you dont like their pay structure, then dont do it!!! They have absolutely to the letter done exactly what they stated when I hired on. I dont like the 20% and think its a bit high, and lord knows *I dont like the wear and tear on my vehicle which is a Hummer by the way...not the cheapest on upkeep, but this has been a lifesaver for me. *When I needed some income while working on the house, this is what has paid my bills. I know of no other job that would give me this flexibility and still pay bills. I have been driving for Uber for about 6 weeks now, and am doing about 40 hours a week after working on the house every morning. I am able to start driving in a busy area at approximately 3pm and work as long as I want. I started a spreadsheet to calculate my expenses and have good accurate information for a 5 week period now. I average about $17.00 an hour in Dallas texas, 5 to 6 days a week., but more important to me is the numbers by Mlileage. I am averaging between $.65 and $0.80 per mile. The current government rate, which I have always found pretty generous, is currently $0.56 per mile which covers gas and wear and tear in theory. I am making money! and even if i was a lot closer to the government number, this has still been a lifesaver to me. I needed income right now, and what other job am I going to get that gives me the flexibility needed to do what I need to do????? Fast Food??? really???? at minimum wage and the mercy of their schedule???? I am 47 years old and that aint happening! Ifanyone out there plans on making this the career they retire from then they are fools. I have had nothing but great experiences with my riders, including wonderful conversation and tips as well. If you are not getting tips, then I believe that is your own fault. Doesnt anyone remember when you actually had to work for your pay? Again, if you dont like the structure or tactics of the company....then dont work for them!! This is free market capitalism at its best. Go work for Mcdonalds or Walmart and see how you like that one! This has been the perfect opportunity to give me the temporary consistent income I needed while having another personal project going at the same time.They offer their incentives(guarantees) and I have taken advantage of every one of them...They have paid and done EXACTLY what they said they were going to do. Again, If I didnt like the terms, then I can choose something else. So quit whining and do your job or quit and see if you can find something better. They are a company with the goal of making a profit.... Isnt this still America?There is no shortage of jobs In this country, just an abundance of people that feel entitled to more than the market demands&#8230;.at least in Texas that is true. In conclusion, I am gratefull for the opportunity Uber has given me to still make some income on my own schedule for a period of time that I needed it. I am now beginning to job hunt in my real field, and in appreciation and practicality will use Uber as a rider whenever I get the chance.


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## newsboy559 (Oct 14, 2014)

A Hummer on UberX? Ok, yeah right. I don't think so. There is no way anyone is making money at 6-8 miles per gallon.


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## AKhBX4 (Jun 2, 2015)

Taxi Driver in Arizona said:


> Article: 5 stars.
> 
> Website: 1 star.


just paste the url into a proxy server and see it load fast.


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## CNJtrepreneur (Mar 25, 2015)

From the article - what a load of unadulterated bullshit out of the mouth of Philadelphia Parking Authority Director:

_UberX and competitor Lyft are both illegal taxi services that use an app to connect people looking for rides with private citizens willing to use their own vehicle as a commercial taxi. Unlike the 1,600 licensed medallion cabs in the city, there is no guarantee these cars are clean, safe, inspected or insured.

Their drivers have no training and have not gone through extensive driving or criminal background checks._

Whoa. Back the f**k up 3 steps.

"there is no guarantee these cars are clean, safe, inspected or insured" - there is a ratings system that basically FORCES the driver to keep the car clean & neat. Unlike vomit-soaked cabs driven by guys who have yet to discover the benefits of deodorant. "Safe" is taken care of by the fact that it's people's OWN cars - they won't drive something unsafe, because it's their life at stake, their ability to get to their primary job, get their kids to school, etc. "Inspected" is covered by the fact that, you can't have a vehicle on the road legally without a state inspection. "Insured" is a bit of a gray area, as we all know, but there IS insurance.

"drivers have no training" - um, yeah, what additional "training" do you need to drive a cab and operate Google Maps on a cell phone?

"have not gone through extensive ... criminal background checks" - maybe not in Philly, but in New Jersey at least, Uber (Rasier) pays Hirease to run a NINE-LEVEL-DEEP background check that goes from nationwide felony all the way down to county-level MISDEMEANOR convictions.

So... um... besides the insurance issue, 90% of that guy's statement is a complete, utter, absolute LIE.

I'm surprised Uber hasn't filed a suit for libel against this dude. I would have. Disinformation on this scale, on this level, from a public official, should be fought against, HARD.


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## azndriver87 (Mar 23, 2015)

who wears suit and tie for uberx?

1) if you want to wear suit and tie, tug in your shirt.
2) there are couple people who say buying a new car is not smart because of depreciation rate. However a used car you're looking at more immediate higher repair cost. so it actually off set


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## Uzcaliber (Aug 22, 2014)

lymmis said:


> Hi! I'm a journalist who's been talking to some Philly drivers for this - thought you might like to read the finished product. Thanks to all who gave me information on and off the record!
> 
> http://citypaper.net/uberdriver/
> -- cut -------


It's a very well written article, true journalism where you actually became an Uber driver, a "foot solder" journalism. There are a few things I would like to add:
1. There seems to be a pattern of Uber started slashing rate shortly after cities legalized it. It seems like a strategy to convince local cities to legalize it by showing high paying job, bringing money to the cities. It's like a "mis-representation".
2. The concept of where drivers are categorized as "Partners" is a misrepresentation (Uber categorizes themselves as a "software" company). Drivers have nothing to say as "partners", and treated like "employees". Shouldn't it be a "vote" for each city for the rate and what they want from the Uber app if Uber is truly a "software" company ? If lower rate truly bring in more income to drivers, most drivers would vote for lower rate. "Partners" or independent contractor is convenient for Uber to make drivers highly disposable, instead of employees. Having large number of employees come with higher liability.


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## Amsoil Uber Connect (Jan 14, 2015)

CNJtrepreneur said:


> From the article
> _
> Their drivers have no training and have not gone through extensive driving or criminal background checks._
> 
> ...


Pax should be so lucky that I have put more than a Million miles on 3 Accords running them into the ground. During my career job.

Plus riding and Raced dirt bikes for years. Sure, I'll make a mistake sooner or later. But I keep it on the down low with the pax.


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## Lidman (Nov 13, 2014)

I love it!!! A secret undercover uber driver!!! James Bond would be proud.


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## newsboy559 (Oct 14, 2014)

CNJtrepreneur said:


> From the article - what a load of unadulterated bullshit out of the mouth of Philadelphia Parking Authority Director:
> 
> _UberX and competitor Lyft are both illegal taxi services that use an app to connect people looking for rides with private citizens willing to use their own vehicle as a commercial taxi. Unlike the 1,600 licensed medallion cabs in the city, there is no guarantee these cars are clean, safe, inspected or insured.
> 
> ...


Oh, please! Those Hirease background checks are jothing more than credit checks that anyone can purchase off of the internet. These are not state and federal level background checks.


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