# Another newbie surge question



## bmwfann (May 9, 2015)

First post so please take it easy on me. 
My surge doesn't seem to work properly. 8 out of 10 times when I'm in a surge area and get a call it ends up being non surge. I click on info and don't see the surge symbol. Both myself and call are within surge boundaries. I stare at my screen to make sure surge area doesn't change right before the call comes in. Also, I noticed the opposite a couple of times, where I will be in a non surge area and I see surge pricing when I click on info. Am I doing something wrong? Does anyone else see this? Could it be a sync issue with Uber app?
Do you guys check info button to ensure you're getting surge pricing when you should?
I emailed support several times and they replied with a generic response about how surge works and constantly changes. I could see it change right before I get the call but not 8 out of 10 times. 
Frustrated in LA.


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## UberFrolic (Sep 18, 2014)

It's happened to me definitely But not often. 

Just cancel and move on to the next quick so u don't miss the surge.

It's possible you're right on the border of a surge zone and non surge and you keep Gettin the calls other drivers are ignoring from the non surge zone. Don't know.


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## elelegido (Sep 24, 2014)

The general consensus here is that Uber operates fake surges. There is plenty of evidence of the driver app showing a surge and the pax app showing no surge at the same place and time.

Also very common is for drivers to have a red surge zone turn to orange (no surge) zone at the exact moment their vehicle enters the zone. Drivers assume that each surge zone is the same for all drivers and all pax. However, it would be extremely simple for Uber to operate each surge zone on a per-driver basis. I.e. a driver is outside a zone in which more cars are needed, so they display that zone on his app as red, then change it to orange for him when he enters it.

There are lots of other examples of surges being one value on the driver app and a lesser value on the pax app. Occasionally it also happens that no surge is indicated on the driver app but a ping comes through as a surge fare. 

Rule of thumb - surge areas mean very little. If you get a surge fare then great, but don't count on it and certainly don't chase them.


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## UberFrolic (Sep 18, 2014)

Oh and there's a delay between driver app and rider app.

The delay is about 10-20 seconds.


The driver app will always be older by 20 seconds. always check the rider app, ALWAYS.


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## Kalee (Feb 18, 2015)

bmwfann said:


> First post so please take it easy on me.
> My surge doesn't seem to work properly. 8 out of 10 times when I'm in a surge area and get a call it ends up being non surge. I click on info and don't see the surge symbol. Both myself and call are within surge boundaries. I stare at my screen to make sure surge area doesn't change right before the call comes in. Also, I noticed the opposite a couple of times, where I will be in a non surge area and I see surge pricing when I click on info. Am I doing something wrong? Does anyone else see this? Could it be a sync issue with Uber app?
> Do you guys check info button to ensure you're getting surge pricing when you should?
> I emailed support several times and they replied with a generic response about how surge works and constantly changes. I could see it change right before I get the call but not 8 out of 10 times.
> Frustrated in LA.


This is due to the most recent of the tech company's trickery against drivers. The tech company will surge an area and all of the newbs will burn fuel to drive across town to get there. The surge will increase to get as many drivers there. The tech company will keep surging until it has enough customers that have selected the "notify me when surge ends" button. Then, at the precise moment that the tech company ends the surge, they release all of the queued up customers and all drivers get a non-surge ping.

The tech company has but yet again implemented more trickery.


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## D Town (Apr 8, 2015)

Kalee said:


> This is due to the most recent of the tech company's trickery against drivers. The tech company will surge an area and all of the newbs will burn fuel to drive across town to get there. The surge will increase to get as many drivers there. The tech company will keep surging until it has enough customers that have selected the "notify me when surge ends" button. Then, at the precise moment that the tech company ends the surge, they release all of the queued up customers and all drivers get a non-surge ping.
> 
> The tech company has but yet again implemented more trickery.


This sounds paranoid, bitter, and a little crazy but most of all you sound correct. I've seen too many surge areas vanish as I drove into them for me NOT to at least suspect this. I don't even try any more. I have places I go where I know I'll get decent fares and I go to them.


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## Kalee (Feb 18, 2015)

D Town said:


> This sounds paranoid, bitter, and a little crazy but most of all you sound correct. I've seen too many surge areas vanish as I drove into them for me NOT to at least suspect this. I don't even try any more. I have places I go where I know I'll get decent fares and I go to them.


Trust me, it's 100% spot on accurate. I've been watching this behavior for approx. 2 weeks. It's definitely the latest tech company slight-of-hand.


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## Kalee (Feb 18, 2015)

The rate of the surge increases by how many customers are in queue to be notified once the surge ends. The more customers waiting, the higher the surge goes. Then, once the surge has hit it's climax ... BAM ... it ends. Doesn't decrease gradually, it just ends. And the tech company has programmed it to where the driver doesn't have a chance to go offline as the surge ends. They dump the queued up customers at the exact time the surge is manually shut off.


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## Fauxknight (Aug 12, 2014)

Kalee said:


> The rate of the surge increases by how many customers are in queue to be notified once the surge ends. The more customers waiting, the higher the surge goes. Then, once the surge has hit it's climax ... BAM ... it ends. Doesn't decrease gradually, it just ends. And the tech company has programmed it to where the driver doesn't have a chance to go offline as the surge ends. They dump the queued up customers at the exact time the surge is manually shut off.


Umm, no. The rides aren't queued up at that point, the rider receives the notification that the surge has dropped then has to queue their request. Riders see the surge drop before drivers do and send the request in before the driver realizes the surge has dropped.

On the other hand you can get a surge request when you didn't see any area surging because riders forced the system not surge and made further requests before the driver gets the update.

It does work both way, but is more likely to work in favor of the because riders prefer usually to not pay surge.

The system works, there is no conspiracy going on here, take off the tinfoil hats. The trick is to ignore surge areas unless you are certain it will last awhile, like a big home football game going on or the like. If you are the type to only take surge requests then simply do not accept non surged pings...


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## Desert Driver (Nov 9, 2014)

bmwfann said:


> First post so please take it easy on me.
> My surge doesn't seem to work properly. 8 out of 10 times when I'm in a surge area and get a call it ends up being non surge. I click on info and don't see the surge symbol. Both myself and call are within surge boundaries. I stare at my screen to make sure surge area doesn't change right before the call comes in. Also, I noticed the opposite a couple of times, where I will be in a non surge area and I see surge pricing when I click on info. Am I doing something wrong? Does anyone else see this? Could it be a sync issue with Uber app?
> Do you guys check info button to ensure you're getting surge pricing when you should?
> I emailed support several times and they replied with a generic response about how surge works and constantly changes. I could see it change right before I get the call but not 8 out of 10 times.
> Frustrated in LA.


Excellent question. What's happening is you're getting caught in fake surges. Uber frequently will create a surge as a means to get more drivers on the street or to balance the load of drivers if too many are concentrated in one area. Drivers then race to the surge area only to find out there is no surge at all, but Uber has successfully rebalanced the available drivers in a given area. Don't feel bad. Uber dupes all of us. If you get a surge, great. But don't ever count on a surge.


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