# how would you handle this situation (applies to both uber and lyft)



## SJUberLyftDriver2016 (Jan 25, 2016)

when a PAX requests to make a stop. it can be any stop, 7-11, drive thru fast food, liquor store, safeway, walmart, or even once i had 4 different PAX who all requested to be dropped off at different locations (that were really close to each other).


my main question is regarding the 7-11 or drive thru fast food since that is the request i get the most working the late night early am shift.

the options i can think of are not exactly great.

1. politely refuse to make a stop. explain that this is a ride share and not a personal courier. continue to driving to destination that was entered.

Pros- makes trip efficient
Cons- if you were expecting half a chance at a tip, not going to happen. may suffer lower rating.


2. make the stop. hope they appreciate and tip.

Pros- increases chances of tip (especially on lyft where the tip option is given @ end of ride)
Cons- if you do this, you obviously increase the trip time, and we all know waiting time at 15 cents a minute or whatever pays jack. and if you do a 30-40 min trip that ends in like an 8 dollar fare and get stiffed on tip, then it really goes down as a break even or negative money proposition when gas and time is factored in.


the thing is, i would be more than happy to make the stop if I knew that I was going to get tipped. That itself would make up for the wait times, but how do I go about explaining that if you want me to stop, you need to tip (in a subtle manner)?

how do you guys handle it? just wanted to gauge to see if most of you bite the bullet and do the stops, or refuse the stop and say, pretty much, to hell with rating as you are confident you can do enough rides to cover in case you get 1 stared.


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## fiyawalker (Nov 23, 2015)

You're kidding right?? You get paid by the mile and minute. No matter if you take him to Hell on the way to Heaven, You get paid for the time and miles it takes to get there. I wouldn't care if I had to pick up his kids from school. Tip or no tip. That's the real tip.


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## scrurbscrud (Sep 11, 2014)

Both platforms should have "step up" fares for stopped time. My last Lyft fare took a 20 min. stop. I sat there, waiting. The whole trip was only a mile. The whole trip took 25 min. My net? $3.20. Do the math on the hourly for that! No, I'm not interested in doing this kind of work for any reason. It's financially absurd. $6 an hour before my costs? No thank you, thank you.


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## SJUberLyftDriver2016 (Jan 25, 2016)

fiyawalker said:


> You're kidding right?? You get paid by the mile and minute. No matter if you take him to Hell on the way to Heaven, You get paid for the time and miles it takes to get there. I wouldn't care if I had to pick up his kids from school. Tip or no tip. That's the real tip.


thats cool if you like waiting for 15 cents a minute which equates to about 9 bucks an hour (before expenses for gas for running a car for an hr), i sure as hell dont. if i was making 9/hr before expenses i wouldnt be doing this.


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## TwoFiddyMile (Mar 13, 2015)

You're a cabbie - take the people where they want to go or get a real job.
Cab driving sucks at least half the time, get used to it.
Suck it up, Nancy!


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## EcoboostMKS (Nov 6, 2015)

You're a taxi driver. You do what the passenger wants to do as long as they're not breaking the law. This is the company and garbage rates you agreed to work for. If they want to stop, you stop. If you say you don't want to stop, expect for them to complain to uber about it and there may be consequences from them.


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## SJUberLyftDriver2016 (Jan 25, 2016)

EcoboostMKS said:


> You're a taxi driver. You do what the passenger wants to do as long as they're not breaking the law. This is the company and garbage rates you agreed to work for. If they want to stop, you stop. If you say you don't want to stop, expect for them to complain to uber about it and there may be consequences from them.


sorry. disagree. i am an independent contractor (according to uber). taxi cabs are owned by large companies unless you are a private taxi company, in which case you have every right to refuse a ride or stop. complain to uber that i wouldnt take them to taco bell or 7-11? please. the most they can do is one star me, guess what, i can return the favor.


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## EcoboostMKS (Nov 6, 2015)

SJUberLyftDriver2016 said:


> sorry. disagree. i am an independent contractor (according to uber). taxi cabs are owned by large companies unless you are a private taxi company, in which case you have every right to refuse a ride or stop. complain to uber that i wouldnt take them to taco bell or 7-11? please. the most they can do is one star me, guess what, i can return the favor.


Legit taxi drivers are independent contractors too, for the most part. Most aren't employees.

You're free to do what you want, but uber expects you to do whatever the passenger wants. You're not the city bus on a set route. You're a taxi driver. An illegal ********** driver, but still a taxi driver. Act like one even if you're being paid garbage rates to be one.


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## Peace7 (Nov 28, 2015)

No, they don't have to rate you right away. But you have to rate to continue driving. They could decide to give you 1* a week later. 

Make the pax happy or your rating drops so low that you are deactivated.


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## Casuale Haberdasher (Dec 7, 2014)

TwoFiddyMile said:


> You're a cabbie - take the people where they want to go or get a real job.
> Cab driving sucks at least half the time, get used to it.
> Suck it up, Nancy!


POST # 5/TwoFiddyMile: This reminds
me of when South
Park features Scenes of Canada:

"I'm no Nancy, FRIEND. You're not my
Friend, BUDDY! I'm not your Buddy, PAL!
You're no Pal, PILGRIM! I'm no Pilgrim,
DUDE! I'm no Dude, POUTINE for Brains!"

Cue: Terence & Phillip cutting the cheese.
☆☆☆Their GF's queefing with Hilarity.

Bison: "Blame Canada, Blame CANADA..."


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## Jack Marrero (Oct 24, 2015)

TwoFiddyMile said:


> You're a cabbie - take the people where they want to go or get a real job.
> Cab driving sucks at least half the time, get used to it.
> Suck it up, Nancy!





EcoboostMKS said:


> You're a taxi driver. You do what the passenger wants to do as long as they're not breaking the law. This is the company and garbage rates you agreed to work for. If they want to stop, you stop. If you say you don't want to stop, expect for them to complain to uber about it and there may be consequences from them.


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## Jack Marrero (Oct 24, 2015)

I make it very clear to pax that I will only make a 5 minute stop or the trip will end there. So far, I've been able to keep my ratings in Uber at 4.78 and 4.91 at Lyft in mre than 800 trips combined.


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## SJUberLyftDriver2016 (Jan 25, 2016)

Jack Marrero said:


> I make it very clear to pax that I will only make a 5 minute stop or the trip will end there. So far, I've been able to keep my ratings in Uber at 4.78 and 4.91 at Lyft in mre than 800 trips combined.


what percentage of people would you guesstimate that you make stops for tip? for both uber/lyft


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## Rex8976 (Nov 11, 2014)

SJUberLyftDriver2016

Remember playing "Cops & Robbers" as a kid?

All the fun of the chase without the nasty downside of actually shooting someone or going to prison?

Do you believe that you are playing "Make Believe Cab Driver" as if you only get to experience the good stuff?

Let me see if I can summarize: Passengers can be nice, but overall _*they do not give a good crap about you, your vehicle or how much you make*_.

You want the benefits of real taxis without the bother of becoming one.

The difference between you and I is that I get $0.40 per minute to wait, or $24.00 per hour without running the vehicle.

That one mile trip with 20 minutes of waiting would run $15.20 on my meter.

Tag. You're It.


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## Greguzzi (Jan 9, 2016)

fiyawalker said:


> You're kidding right?? You get paid by the mile and minute. No matter if you take him to Hell on the way to Heaven, You get paid for the time and miles it takes to get there. I wouldn't care if I had to pick up his kids from school. Tip or no tip. That's the real tip.


Depends on the per-minute rate where you are and the opportunity cost (how much you could have made in that time if you were driving instead of sitting).

In my market, the mileage rate is $1.35 and the per-minute rate is $0.24. So, about six minutes of waiting grosses the same revenue as a mile of driving, and a whole hour of waiting grosses me a whole $14.40 ($11.52 after Lyft/Uber's 20 percent cut).

Since I average $20-30 per hour overall after Lyft/Uber cut while driving, why would I be willing to sit there for $11.52 per hour after company cut when I could with that same time make twice as much driving?


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## SJUberLyftDriver2016 (Jan 25, 2016)

rex8976 thats cool. you can be a taxi driver for the rest of your life. your family must be brimming from ear to ear with your ambition and drive. im doing this part time to help pay for grad school.


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## Travy90 (Dec 14, 2015)

I never stop at food places, number one requested is Taco Bell of course working in a college town. It's a mess in the car, did it once and never again. I've been diving since 2014, and I just tell them every time that I don't do drive thrus, I've gotten messes in the car and I don't get paid to sit there. They say I thought you get paid for time too, politely say yeah 18cents a minute, it's not worth it for my time, especially this time of night. And continue on. They can get mad and the worst, ask to get out. But those rides are still rare, you shouldn't worry about low rates because all the others will balance it out. Now if it's somewhere else I'll just say I can wait two or three minutes, then I'll have to end it. By then they actually rush and get their shit much faster. Win win and plus with the recent rate cuts, uber is asking for less forgiving service anyways.


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## Greguzzi (Jan 9, 2016)

EcoboostMKS said:


> You're a taxi driver. You do what the passenger wants to do as long as they're not breaking the law. This is the company and garbage rates you agreed to work for. If they want to stop, you stop. If you say you don't want to stop, expect for them to complain to uber about it and there may be consequences from them.


LOL, no. I am sharing my ride, and I am an independent contractor.

I won't take unprofitable rides, and there are no laws here that compel me to do so, whereas I believe there are such laws for taxis. And that's why taxis cost 2-3 times what an UberX or Lyft costs.


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## SJUberLyftDriver2016 (Jan 25, 2016)

Travy90 said:


> I never stop at food places, number one requested is Taco Bell of course working in a college town. It's a mess in the car, did it once and never again. I've been diving since 2014, and I just tell them every time that I don't do drive thrus, I've gotten messes in the car and I don't get paid to sit there. They say I thought you get paid for time too, politely say yeah 18cents a minute, it's not worth it for my time, especially this time of night. And continue on. They can get mad and the worst, ask to get out. But those rides are still rare, you shouldn't worry about low rates because all the others will balance it out. Now if it's somewhere else I'll just say I can wait two or three minutes, then I'll have to end it. By then they actually rush and get their shit much faster. Win win and plus with the recent rate cuts, uber is asking for less forgiving service anyways.


thanks for the input. gonna steal that had a mess before in my car and dont want to bother line and see what happens. unless the i get the feeling that the people asking me to stop will tip.

but its your normal college frat boys or this stoner hippie couple that i had the other day, then naw ill pass.


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## Bruce DeVaux (Jan 30, 2016)

SJUberLyftDriver2016 said:


> when a PAX requests to make a stop. it can be any stop, 7-11, drive thru fast food, liquor store, safeway, walmart, or even once i had 4 different PAX who all requested to be dropped off at different locations (that were really close to each other).
> 
> my main question is regarding the 7-11 or drive thru fast food since that is the request i get the most working the late night early am shift.
> 
> ...


remember TIPS are at the customers decision-- to ur main point about stops-- YES YES and YES-- look at the video where the driver tried to put the customer out of his car-- NEVER refuse any cust request (unless illegal/immoral)-- we are called rideshare or taxi either way our job is to service the customer NOT TO COLLECT TIPS


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## Rex8976 (Nov 11, 2014)

SJUberLyftDriver2016



SJUberLyftDriver2016 said:


> rex8976 thats cool. you can be a taxi driver for the rest of your life. your family must be brimming from ear to ear with your ambition and drive. im doing this part time to help pay for grad school.


My ambition and family life aside, don't take this stuff personally. Transportation is a rough business and you chose the underbelly that provides no protection for the driver.

My point is simply this: Cry all you want, but the general public treats transportation drivers, no matter what shape or form, like garbage.

Nobody cares about us until they NEED us. Taxis suck until you can't get an Uber; I then become your best friend.

As an aside, things have truly changed. When I attended graduate school we were expected to utilize proper spelling, punctuation and sentence structure. But what do I know?


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## SJUberLyftDriver2016 (Jan 25, 2016)

Bruce DeVaux said:


> remember TIPS are at the customers decision-- to ur main point about stops-- YES YES and YES-- look at the video where the driver tried to put the customer out of his car-- NEVER refuse any cust request (unless illegal/immoral)-- we are called rideshare or taxi either way our job is to service the customer NOT TO COLLECT TIPS


i agree and disagree. yes our job is to service the customer but the customer is not always right. often times they can be misinformed. i have had numerous customers thru just casual conversation of them inquiring about driving, our pay, rates where they couldnt believe things such as

1. we dont get to see their destination until after we select start trip
2. uber takes as much of a commission as they do
3. cost in CA is only 85 cents/mile and 15cents/minute of waiting
4. that uber doesnt cover gas or offer reimbursement for "dead miles"

i could keep going.

as far as violence from a PAX, i have seen both videos, the guy in LA getting smacked by the former taco bell exec as well as the doctor lady in miami getting rowdy and kicking the guys car door in and throwing his belongings outside of the car.

I am not all that worried about my safety. I am a well built individual whos played sports my entire life as well as wrestled to a state championship in high school and lift weights/eat healthy regularly so i am not worried about my ability to handle myself in a situation that requires force.


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## SJUberLyftDriver2016 (Jan 25, 2016)

Rex8976 said:


> SJUberLyftDriver2016
> 
> My ambition and family life aside, don't take this stuff personally. Transportation is a rough business and you chose the underbelly that provides no protection for the driver.
> 
> ...


doubtful that you attended graduate school and drive a taxi. the economy isnt that bad. Yes I can capitalize letters when needed and use an apostrophe with words like can't, don't isn't but that is truly not the point of the forum. if you do not have any value to add please get off my thread. this is not a d1ck measuring contest about how much you earn driving a taxi and how much I earn part time driving uber/lyft.


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## Travy90 (Dec 14, 2015)

SJUberLyftDriver2016 said:


> thanks for the input. gonna steal that had a mess before in my car and dont want to bother line and see what happens. unless the i get the feeling that the people asking me to stop will tip.
> 
> but its your normal college frat boys or this stoner hippie couple that i had the other day, then naw ill pass.


On the tip note, I've been asking for it up front if they say, oh I'll throw you a few extra dollars, because I've learned that they won't tip if they promise it. They'll be quick to get out of the car, especially the college students. And I'll tell you what, works every time.


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## Rex8976 (Nov 11, 2014)

SJUberLyftDriver2016

Please read my last post again, then read your response.

I hope you absorbed more than a "personal attack".

Believe it or not, I'm trying to help.


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## Michael - Cleveland (Jan 1, 2015)

SJUberLyftDriver2016 said:


> ...you obviously increase the trip time, and we all know waiting time at 15 cents a minute or whatever pays jack.


While that's true - getting paid 'jack' is better than getting paid 'less-than-jack', 
which is what you are earning for every mile past the first one on a trip.

Your number of $9/hr with no expenses is a lot more profitable than 'less than $9/hr' and incurring expenses.


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## Michael - Cleveland (Jan 1, 2015)

Bruce DeVaux said:


> remember TIPS are at the customers decision-- to ur main point about stops-- YES YES and YES-- look at the video where the driver tried to put the customer out of his car-- NEVER refuse any cust request (unless illegal/immoral)-- we are called rideshare or taxi either way our job is to service the customer NOT TO COLLECT TIPS


Not gonna happen in my car.
My car - my rules. I don't make a bif deal about it (it being any request that I'm not cool with).
I really don't mind short stops and as long as it's not rush-hour or super busy out, I've gotten in the habit now of asking a rider that's obviosuly going home from a work day if they'd like to stop anywhere for something quick. 90% say thanks and do not want to stop. 10% want to stop to pick up a sandwhich or get cigs. 100% appreciate the gesture.

When a stop looks like it might be for more than just a couple of minutes, I do let the rider know that I may have to end the ride - and they should just call for another car when they're ready to go.


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## cleansafepolite (Dec 14, 2015)

SJUberLyftDriver2016 said:


> when a PAX requests to make a stop. it can be any stop, 7-11, drive thru fast food, liquor store, safeway, walmart, or even once i had 4 different PAX who all requested to be dropped off at different locations (that were really close to each other).
> 
> my main question is regarding the 7-11 or drive thru fast food since that is the request i get the most working the late night early am shift.
> 
> ...


when they get out of your car, take off, end trip..honk the horn and flip the bird while you are pulling away...go up the street out of site...ping..drive past them and honk and flip the bird again..cancell ride. Who says this job cant be fun?


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## stuber (Jun 30, 2014)

SJUberLyftDriver2016 said:


> rex8976 thats cool. you can be a taxi driver for the rest of your life. your family must be brimming from ear to ear with your ambition and drive. im doing this part time to help pay for grad school.


...and that makes you better, apparently.


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## IckyDoody (Sep 18, 2015)

In my market, after uber's cut, I get $7.20 per hour in time. Now what I don't see being discussed here is this:

The amount that a customer is paying you while he is in your car is not what you are actually earning. This is because, included in his fare, he is paying for your expenses (including driving to him), he is paying for your time (including the time you spend waiting for a ping) . 

Now, under normal driving conditions, the pax is paying you about $50 an hour. That is your effective pay. Your 'actual' pay will likely be around $7 to $15 per hour, depending on how busy you can stay. So what is your actual pay while stopped? About $2 per hour.

It is like a mechanic. He charged you $100 per hour in labor. The guy doing the work is getting $20 per hour. The rest goes towards overhead, downtime ect.

The cabbies know this. They know that their $40 per hour earned while waiting actual equates to effectively getting paid $10 per hour. $10 per hour is within the realm of reasonable pay for someone's time. $2 per hour is not.

Now, to those who say "Do what the customer wants", at what point do you say "ah hell no"? If customer tells you, "come in and clean my bathroom, you are getting paid for it", do you get on your knees and start scrubbing?

Personally, I take drive thrus and stop and waits on a case by case basis. If it is busy, it is surging or it is likely to surge then I don't wait or stop. If it is slow and the passenger has a 4.8 plus rating, I will go through a drive through or wait 10 minutes (no more) at a stop. If the customer wants in-and-out, then no. Poorly rated passengers get no favors. 

For uberx, stop and waits are basically favors. You are losing money at a rate of roughly $8 per hour when you sit in a drive thru.


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## RamzFanz (Jan 31, 2015)

The cabbie trolling is strong in this thread.

Dude, do what you want. You are in no way obligated to stop. I stop. No eating in the car.

Here's the thing, if you end trip you just gave to deadhead or wait for a new ping. Waiting doesn't pay much, but it pays. You then have the rest of the fare to earn. Unless it's just crazy busy or surging, I see no value in saying no to short stops. Pax will often tip here, so there is that also.


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## Contuber (Jan 31, 2016)

I just started ubering, made 50+ trips so far. As a rookie, I agreed to drive-thrus, waited for a guy getting his precious suit from a dry cleaning and took him back to his apartment a mile away, and I made a lot of $2.25 minimal fare trips. 

I delivered a guy to an airport, and helped with his baggage, then sat there for an hour hoping for a ping before finally deciding to go back 20 miles at my own expense. 

I drove a gal in a suburb 20 miles away (aka "one way ticket" ride) and found myself at the end of the day 50 miles away from home, then picked up a ping almost at home and spent 40 minutes in heavy traffic for $9 and 10 miles ride. 

I took a couple of girls 15 minutes before the departure of their train, and through some bad traffic, delivered them to the train station 4 minutes before the train. Another chick had an interview in 12 minutes, and I managed to make it 3 minutes before the start.

As a good person, I picked up a woman at a grocery store and helped her with all her bags and a box of eggs.

I got ZERO tips so far. 5 paxes didn't give me 5 stars, and now I'm at 4.65 rating. I make $70-80 gross per 10 hours of work for the 3rd day already.

Man, this sucks.


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## Greguzzi (Jan 9, 2016)

I feel so sorry for you guys who try so hard at rates so low that they guarantee that you will be rewarded only with a worn-out car and poverty. Get out as soon as you can. Uber is pure evil for promising so much and delivering only poverty for its drivers.


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## R44KDEN (Jul 7, 2015)

When I drove X/Select, I did a handful of stops and I don't think I can remember one person tipping. I agree with others that its on a case by case basis (for me at least). As I got wiser (or more experienced), my criteria for stopping was if they asked nicely I would do it, if they were pricks, I wouldn't). UberBlack customers are on the whole, a different breed. In my market its 35 cents a min and $3.20 a mile. A much higher % will tip if they want you to stop and given that we run a commercial car service, our motive is to always convert them away from Uber, so the nicer we are, the higher chance of this happening.

Perhaps the real question is this. Out of 100 trips, how many of those involved a request to stop somewhere? I think I did around 1200 trips on X/Select before I transitioned to Black and I could count on one hand the number of times I was asked to make a stop.


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## Fuzzyelvis (Dec 7, 2014)

SJUberLyftDriver2016 said:


> doubtful that you attended graduate school and drive a taxi. the economy isnt that bad.


Yes it is.


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## SJUberLyftDriver2016 (Jan 25, 2016)

R44KDEN said:


> When I drove X/Select, I did a handful of stops and I don't think I can remember one person tipping. I agree with others that its on a case by case basis (for me at least). As I got wiser (or more experienced), my criteria for stopping was if they asked nicely I would do it, if they were pricks, I wouldn't). UberBlack customers are on the whole, a different breed. In my market its 35 cents a min and $3.20 a mile. A much higher % will tip if they want you to stop and given that we run a commercial car service, our motive is to always convert them away from Uber, so the nicer we are, the higher chance of this happening.
> 
> Perhaps the real question is this. Out of 100 trips, how many of those involved a request to stop somewhere? I think I did around 1200 trips on X/Select before I transitioned to Black and I could count on one hand the number of times I was asked to make a stop.


id say maybe 15-20 percent want to stop? but i also work night shifts so i start around 9-10PM and go till 2-3AM


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## SJUberLyftDriver2016 (Jan 25, 2016)

Contuber said:


> I just started ubering, made 50+ trips so far. As a rookie, I agreed to drive-thrus, waited for a guy getting his precious suit from a dry cleaning and took him back to his apartment a mile away, and I made a lot of $2.25 minimal fare trips.
> 
> I delivered a guy to an airport, and helped with his baggage, then sat there for an hour hoping for a ping before finally deciding to go back 20 miles at my own expense.
> 
> ...


that sucks man. personally, i have stopped helping with the groceries, luggage, etc. on airport runs, if i see someone has luggage that they should be able to lift, ill just pop the trunk and stay in the drivers seat. if theyre handicapped then obviously ill help. but the point is, if some readily capable human being has a couple of small bags or so forth, there is no reason why they cant put it in the car. at these rates im not going above and beyond sorry, i dont care what anyone says. i will be courteous and professional, get you from point A to point B efficiently, nothing more.


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## Tenzo (Jan 25, 2016)

SJUberLyftDriver2016 said:


> doubtful that you attended graduate school and drive a taxi. the economy isnt that bad............. if you do not have any value to add please get off my thread.


1) I have a doctorate and drive for Uber
2) It's not your thread


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## Oscar Levant (Aug 15, 2014)

fiyawalker said:


> You're kidding right?? You get paid by the mile and minute. No matter if you take him to Hell on the way to Heaven, You get paid for the time and miles it takes to get there. I wouldn't care if I had to pick up his kids from school. Tip or no tip. That's the real tip.


One minor flaw in your statement: the timer is meant for traffic congestion compensation, not extended wait times in food lines. Even SUV timer is only $24 an hour, so when my expenses are about $20 per hour, average, it doesn't leave me much.


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## Contuber (Jan 31, 2016)

Wow, I've got a first tip ($1) after 70 rides! I helped a woman with her bag, her ride was just a min fare, 1.5 miles or something. She was about 50-55 y.o., the young kids with smartphones just aren't capable to get to an idea to tip...


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## FrankMartin (Nov 27, 2015)

SJUberLyftDriver2016 said:


> when a PAX requests to make a stop. it can be any stop, 7-11, drive thru fast food, liquor store, safeway, walmart, or even once i had 4 different PAX who all requested to be dropped off at different locations (that were really close to each other).
> 
> my main question is regarding the 7-11 or drive thru fast food since that is the request i get the most working the late night early am shift.
> 
> ...


HMMMMM. Have you perhaps forgotten that ratings work both ways? Drivers can 1* PAX that abuse their welcome.


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## SJUberLyftDriver2016 (Jan 25, 2016)

FrankMartin said:


> HMMMMM. Have you perhaps forgotten that ratings work both ways? Drivers can 1* PAX that abuse their welcome.


yeah but in the end its more detrimental to the driver to be one starred because at some point if you fall below 4.6 you run the risk of being deactivated. as a PAX your rating can be in the toilet and Uber is never going to deactivate you. it might take you a little longer to get a ride as most drivers (myself included) wont pick up anyone under a 4.5, but you could be a 3.5 for christ sakes and some desperate uber driver or a newbie will pick up the ping.


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## SJUberLyftDriver2016 (Jan 25, 2016)

Oscar Levant said:


> One minor flaw in your statement: the timer is meant for traffic congestion compensation, not extended wait times in food lines. Even SUV timer is only $24 an hour, so when my expenses are about $20 per hour, average, it doesn't leave me much.


i agree. 15 cents per minute isnt really profitable after expenses. in the bay area, as an uber/lyft driver you generally stay pretty busy during all hours, with maybe a small exception from 2-4AM which is known as the dead hours (bars have closed, too early to pick up those early AM airport riders). i would rather drop off a PAX then spend 10-15 min waiting because in the end picking up a ride (especially true if surging or the ride is a decent fare) will always be more profitable than sitting there waiting. you're burning gas either way so id rather make more $ per minute.


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## DudeCity (Jun 22, 2015)

with maybe a small exception from 2-4AM which is known as the dead hours......................If U don't mind me asking 

where do U work SF Bay ?


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## SJUberLyftDriver2016 (Jan 25, 2016)

i work in san jose. occasionally sf if i get pings that put me there.


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## lcwashinc (Dec 24, 2015)

Great question about would you stop. I usually will stop if it's a nice surge. To be honest it depends on the Pax if they are really cool, and tolerable
@ 2-4am and its a quick 5 min yes. If it's in the middle of the and they are going into a big box store Walmart or Grocery Store I will usually tell them to
request another uber someone will pick you up in less than 10 min.


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## MikesUber (Oct 23, 2015)

EcoboostMKS said:


> An illegal ********** driver, but still a taxi driver


 Please do elaborate how we're all illegal ********** drivers?



SJUberLyftDriver2016 said:


> rex8976 thats cool. you can be a taxi driver for the rest of your life. your family must be brimming from ear to ear with your ambition and drive. im doing this part time to help pay for grad school.


 Love it lol yeah I'm just saving for a house and having some extra money to burn. It's all gravy



Rex8976 said:


> the general public treats transportation drivers, no matter what shape or form, like garbage.


 I'll get you a wider brush to paint with. 600+ rides and 99% of my passengers are polite, plus I only drive overnights. You guys are way too cynical about the public, too many Liveleak videos smh.



SJUberLyftDriver2016 said:


> doubtful that you attended graduate school and drive a taxi


 Thought the same thing here, probably just like the F/T U/L driver I talked to yesterday (big mistake) who coined himself a "businessman". Impressively unemployed. Oh the uneducated.


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## EcoboostMKS (Nov 6, 2015)

MikesUber said:


> Please do elaborate how we're all illegal ********** drivers?


Do you have a livery class on your license? Livery permits and plates? Commercial insurance? What's the airport situation for you - do the cops there allow you to pick up legally or do you need to sneak around?


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## MikesUber (Oct 23, 2015)

EcoboostMKS said:


> Do you have a livery class on your license? Livery permits and plates? Commercial insurance? What's the airport situation for you - do the cops there allow you to pick up legally or do you need to sneak around?


Hybrid Personal/Commercial Insurance [X] (GEICO)

Airport [X] (Pickups/Dropoffs approved for Pittsburgh)
http://www.post-gazette.com/news/tr...gh-International-Airport/stories/201506020186

Have heard nothing about livery class requirements/plates here in Pittsburgh, couldn't find anything in a Google search either.


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## EcoboostMKS (Nov 6, 2015)

MikesUber said:


> Hybrid Personal/Commercial Insurance [X] (GEICO)
> 
> Airport [X] (Pickups/Dropoffs approved for Pittsburgh)
> http://www.post-gazette.com/news/tr...gh-International-Airport/stories/201506020186
> ...


Hybrid insurance doesn't make you legal. It just covers you a little more than your personal insurance which doesn't cover you at all. Doesn't make you a legal taxi or livery driver. It's really just a gimmick if you ask me, but it's probably better than nothing.

Surprised to hear about the airport in pittsburgh because that's not the case pretty much everywhere else in the country. It's illegal at most airports.

http://www.dmv.org/pa-pennsylvania/special-licenses.php

http://www.puc.state.pa.us/consumer_info/transportation/motor_carrier/limos_taxis_movers.aspx


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## MikesUber (Oct 23, 2015)

EcoboostMKS said:


> Hybrid insurance doesn't make you legal. It just covers you a little more than your personal insurance which doesn't cover you at all. Doesn't make you a legal taxi or livery driver. It's really just a gimmick if you ask me, but it's probably better than nothing.
> 
> Surprised to hear about the airport in pittsburgh because that's not the case pretty much everywhere else in the country. It's illegal at most airports.
> 
> ...


From the PUC page you listed, we are not taxicabs:

"Taxicabs operating within Pennsylvania are required to be licensed by the Public Utility Commission"

Requiring:
Posting rates inside vehicle
Marking vehicle with the name of the company, the PUC number (PUC A-#), and a vehicle number.
Ensuring meter is sealed

If Uber/Lyft were operating illegally I'm sure the city would crack down on this. There are perhaps thousands of drivers in Pittsburgh and I have had no issues.


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## EcoboostMKS (Nov 6, 2015)

MikesUber said:


> From the PUC page you listed, we are not taxicabs:
> 
> "Taxicabs operating within Pennsylvania are required to be licensed by the Public Utility Commission"
> 
> ...


Exactly, you're not a legal taxi cab or you'd have all those markings. You're not a legal limo either. You're like a gypsy hybrid - that's my point. Let's call a spade a spade. You do the same exact job as a limo or taxi driver without having to do anything they do in terms of licensing or insurance.

Uber gets away with it everywhere they go because the public loves them. They're cheap and people are sick of the old taxi system. The police crackdown at the airports, but they have more important things to do than chase you guys down around the suburbs and cities. There are far too many uber drivers at this point to do anything. It's just accepted for what it is at this point.


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## MikesUber (Oct 23, 2015)

EcoboostMKS said:


> Exactly, you're not a legal taxi cab or you'd have all those markings. You're not a legal limo either. You're like a gypsy hybrid - that's my point. Let's call a spade a spade. You do the same exact job as a limo or taxi driver without having to do anything they do in terms of licensing or insurance.
> 
> Uber gets away with it everywhere they go because the public loves them. They're cheap and people are sick of the old taxi system. The police crackdown at the airports, but they have more important things to do than chase you guys down around the suburbs and cities. There are far too many uber drivers at this point to do anything. It's just accepted for what it is at this point.


Fine with me I don't want to be a taxi driver, I do this because I am _not_ a taxi driver. I could go on and on why the city hates their service. Now if you come to Pittsburgh a ********** driver is someone from Homewood who drives a 2001 Ford Taurus that is beat to sh*t, didn't finish high school and will cram in 5 people for $15 bucks or so. I am not a ********* driver I am a Uber/Lyft driver who takes immaculate care of my car and am a highly educated professional. It's like restaurants, sure you can get fast food crap or you can choose a higher-end service. The issue at hand of course is pay, that's a whole different issue though.


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## howo3579 (Dec 8, 2015)

EcoboostMKS said:


> Legit taxi drivers are independent contractors too, for the most part. Most aren't employees.
> 
> You're free to do what you want, but uber expects you to do whatever the passenger wants. You're not the city bus on a set route. You're a taxi driver. An illegal ********** driver, but still a taxi driver. Act like one even if you're being paid garbage rates to be one.


um no we are just a regular folks using the "ride share" app to pick up someone who's going to the same direction as we are. Once the passenger exit the vehicle, I don't care if he/she's going to bathroom or beer run, I should end the trip and continue my journey to the intended direction.


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## EcoboostMKS (Nov 6, 2015)

MikesUber said:


> Fine with me I don't want to be a taxi driver, I do this because I am _not_ a taxi driver. I could go on and on why the city hates their service. Now if you come to Pittsburgh a ********** driver is someone from Homewood who drives a 2001 Ford Taurus that is beat to sh*t, didn't finish high school and will cram in 5 people for $15 bucks or so. I am not a ********* driver I am a Uber/Lyft driver who takes immaculate care of my car and am a highly educated professional. It's like restaurants, sure you can get fast food crap or you can choose a higher-end service. The issue at hand of course is pay, that's a whole different issue though.


Sorry to break it to you, but you are a taxi driver. Your job is no different than theirs. You just have an iphone instead of a meter.


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## EcoboostMKS (Nov 6, 2015)

howo3579 said:


> um no we are just a regular folks using the "ride share" app to pick up someone who's going to the same direction as we are. Once the passenger exit the vehicle, I don't care if he/she's going to bathroom or beer run, I should end the trip and continue my journey to the intended direction.


Rideshare, huh? What kind of "sharing" involves set rates and an exhange of money for services. When I share something with someone, I typically don't charge them by the minute or mile for it.

And you're not going the same direction as the passenger and they're just hopping in. They tell you where to go and you go. Just like any other taxi driver would do.


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## howo3579 (Dec 8, 2015)

EcoboostMKS said:


> Rideshare, huh? What kind of "sharing" involves set rates and an exhange of money for services. When I share something with someone, I typically don't charge them by the minute or mile for it.
> 
> And you're not going the same direction as the passenger and they're just hopping in. They tell you where to go and you go. Just like any other taxi driver would do.


hey don't ask me. Go ask Travis when he was trying to avoid taxi and city regulation. Apparently Uber is just a ride sharing app. I share my car with someone who will chip in for the gas and my energy on the wheel. Not sure what's so hard for you to understand.


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## EcoboostMKS (Nov 6, 2015)

howo3579 said:


> hey don't ask me. Go ask Travis when he was trying to avoid taxi and city regulation. Apparently Uber is just a ride sharing app. I share my car with someone who will chip in for the gas and my energy on the wheel. Not sure what's so hard for you to understand.


If you're stupid enough to believe that crap, I don't know what else i can say to you.


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## howo3579 (Dec 8, 2015)

EcoboostMKS said:


> If you're stupid enough to believe that crap, I don't know what else i can say to you.


If you are smart enough not to believe that crap but still keep taxi driver's mentality and professionalism while driving like everyone's private slave, I don't know what else I can say to you.


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## Greguzzi (Jan 9, 2016)

Travis knows exactly what he's doing. He knows he could order an Uber to hell, and he'd find some clown willing to drive him there—and no tip required!


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## Rex8976 (Nov 11, 2014)

MikesUber



MikesUber said:


> I'll get you a wider brush to paint with. 600+ rides and 99% of my passengers are polite, plus I only drive overnights. You guys are way too cynical about the public, too many Liveleak videos smh.


Never said they could not be polite or civil. As I stated in another thread, passengers may think your car is great but they don't care how they leave it. That includes the driver, as well.

_On a personal note, yes, I have the education I alluded to. In the mid 80's I was unable to follow my chosen field of study. Thirty one years behind the wheel later, POOF!, here we are._


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## Realityshark (Sep 22, 2014)

Your car your rules. I used to make up my mind on an individual basis.


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## Realityshark (Sep 22, 2014)

Bruce DeVaux said:


> remember TIPS are at the customers decision-- to ur main point about stops-- YES YES and YES-- look at the video where the driver tried to put the customer out of his car-- NEVER refuse any cust request (unless illegal/immoral)-- we are called rideshare or taxi either way our job is to service the customer NOT TO COLLECT TIPS


Are you high? Where does Uber keep finding people like you?


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## MikesUber (Oct 23, 2015)

EcoboostMKS said:


> Sorry to break it to you, but you are a taxi driver. Your job is no different than theirs. You just have an iphone instead of a meter.


Pax can call me whatever they want, I've had some say, "Yeah I'm on my way I'm in a cab" (which I disagree with) and some say, "Yeah I'm in an Uber" (sounds much better). Either way I'm just doing it for the money.


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## REpsilonHughes (Feb 1, 2016)

Speaking as a rider, if I asked to make a stop, I'd be pretty understanding about being told that you weren't okay with that for economic reasons. But I'm the sort of weirdo who hangs out on UberPeople even though I don't drive an uber, so make of that what you will.


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## Atlantawheels (Dec 7, 2015)

Does not bother me. I stop all the time. I'm on the clock I'm getting paid no biggie


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## SJUberLyftDriver2016 (Jan 25, 2016)

REpsilonHughes said:


> Speaking as a rider, if I asked to make a stop, I'd be pretty understanding about being told that you weren't okay with that for economic reasons. But I'm the sort of weirdo who hangs out on UberPeople even though I don't drive an uber, so make of that what you will.


yeah but you are in the minority with that thought unfortunately. i would reckon 8-9/10 of people; if they request a stop and you say no, you can rest assured you are not going to get a 5 star rating.


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## Kristr90 (Sep 19, 2015)

I have stopped at Wawa for people, sometimes they ask if I would like anything, I say no, I have gotten a tip maybe once for stopping at a store for them. I did have a guy one time ask me to stop at a house so he could let his coworkers dog out, it was on the way so I didn't mind and he gave me a $20. You win some you lose some.


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## garyk (Jan 22, 2016)

I have three simple rules for my customers. Rule number one have fun. Rule number 2 don't puke. Rule number 3 no drive throughs during the times of 11:30 p.m. to 3 o'clock a.m.


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## SJUberLyftDriver2016 (Jan 25, 2016)

garyk said:


> I have three simple rules for my customers. Rule number one have fun. Rule number 2 don't puke. Rule number 3 no drive throughs during the times of 11:30 p.m. to 3 o'clock a.m.


i agree with all 3. how is your rating with uber when you decline to make a stop at drive thru?


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## IckyDoody (Sep 18, 2015)

REpsilonHughes said:


> Speaking as a rider, if I asked to make a stop, I'd be pretty understanding about being told that you weren't okay with that for economic reasons. But I'm the sort of weirdo who hangs out on UberPeople even though I don't drive an uber, so make of that what you will.


Yeah, that is weird.

In my experience, people don't like to hear "no" from a person in a position of service.

I could tell them "no, I am highly allergic to the grease that del taco uses". I could produce paperwork documenting the effect. I could produce a video of my severe reactions. None of it would matter. They are only concerned with themselves.


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## garyk (Jan 22, 2016)

I'm a 4.83... And holding at 300 rides... I simply tell them that I know they want Drive thru but the other people standing downtown in the cold and rain want to get home so I'd rather not go through the drive through out of respect for all the other customers. I'm sure I've lost some stars because of this but also save myself the trouble of having to clean up my car


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