# Surge Notifications



## uberrate (Apr 24, 2015)

Disclaimer; I am a developer not a driver, so please excuse any glaringly obvious questions I ask. 

Are there any apps/services you use that notify you of surge pricing?
Would you be interested in a way of inputting a list of areas and having surge notifications via SMS/push/email?
Would you pay for this (a small monthly subscription, this would likely only be to cover SMS charges)?


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## Bart McCoy (Nov 4, 2014)

i think every driver would want this
however not too sure about the paying part

there are already similar apps out now though, but none that are the equivalent to opening the driver app and see where all surges and prices are at


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## DrJeecheroo (Feb 12, 2015)

I think the surges in Baltimore would be interesting. I know there are some geo fenced areas. I'm sure if there are, the city regulators will order uber/lyft and others to cease on that.


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## limepro (Mar 7, 2015)

I Just want an app that notifies me if it surges in the area I'm at when not logged in say while I'm at home without having to log into the driver app constantly.


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## AltaClip (Feb 12, 2015)

SMS alerts for surge area/rate would be something I'd pay one time small app fee for but not ongoing subscription.

As noted above it must be something that works driver offline.

Also hopefully low memory requirements


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## limepro (Mar 7, 2015)

Even if it were an app I could open and see pretty much what I see when in driver mode but have ads and like $1.99 fee along with SMS for surge in my current area I would do that. Maybe I should start developing it lol.


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## kwamep (Apr 23, 2015)

limepro said:


> Even if it were an app I could open and see pretty much what I see when in driver mode but have ads and like $1.99 fee along with SMS for surge in my current area I would do that. Maybe I should start developing it lol.


I actually do build apps - I continue to see demand for this type of app, I may have to take a stab at it.


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## ylneo (Aug 25, 2014)

i like the idea and i will pay it for it.


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## kwamep (Apr 23, 2015)

Ok - here we go. I've created an app which shows the surge zones in real-time without opening the Driver Partner app. WhereMySurgeApp.com - check it out and let me know what you think! (Currently testing in Washington, DC area)


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## limepro (Mar 7, 2015)

kwamep said:


> Ok - here we go. I've created an app which shows the surge zones in real-time without opening the Driver Partner app. WhereMySurgeApp.com - check it out and let me know what you think!


I like what I see but I can only see one city which isn't mine and it won't let me see the pro, nothing happens when I click it.


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## kwamep (Apr 23, 2015)

Hi, Limepro. I'm currently adjusting for the zones to cover most of the cities. The "pinned" cities you'll be able to click on get the statistics (whether they/the surrounding area is currently surging, when the last surge occurred, etc.) The Pro is a paid subscription - the SMSs and other real-time services come into play. I've been testing for several weeks to ensure the accuracy; it's pretty spot on. Here's one from earlier today (attached).


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## limepro (Mar 7, 2015)

I'm on my phone it worked in safari but not Firefox, I have noticed my firefox messes up a lot of websites though.


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## kwamep (Apr 23, 2015)

limepro said:


> I'm on my phone it worked in safari but not Firefox, I have noticed my firefox messes up a lot of websites though.


Hmm.. Odd. Which platform (Apple?) I ran it across pretty much all of the combos but maybe this one snuck by. Here's my Firefox from just now (Droid/Nexus 5):


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## limepro (Mar 7, 2015)

Droid

Should add nexus 6, I think its my Firefox because other websites mess up on it too.


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## Nick3946 (Dec 12, 2014)

How can I get this... I'm in.


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## kwamep (Apr 23, 2015)

Nick3946 said:


> How can I get this... I'm in.


What's up, Nick3946. You've already got it, Brother.  The base functionality is free - if you're in the Metro DC area just goto WhereMySurgeApp.com and it will mirror the Driver Partner app with a fairly high degree of accuracy (see image above) - no login or anything necessary. The Pro is paid subscription which will SMS you when the surges occur. There are other features and I'm updating it again, but will be good by Monday (I currently use it!). I'll write up a more formal overview, but for the meantime, if you click on the green "Pro Features" button - it'll tell you more. I'll follow up with everyone, but feel free to contact me anytime.


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## MrBrightside (Jan 16, 2015)

Amazing. Can you add Miami to the list!


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## kwamep (Apr 23, 2015)

MrBrightside said:


> Amazing. Can you add Miami to the list!


MrBrightside, most definitely - Miami will be added next week!


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## ubercurious (Dec 24, 2014)

G'day kwamep ... is there any geographic limitations on this ... how about Perth WA ?


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## kwamep (Apr 23, 2015)

What's up, Ubercurious! Well initially I limited to home area for the BETA and then by driver-partner demand and "density." I have a queue now that I'll be releasing for next week, so I'll add Perth, WA. I'm going to create a thread to formally introduce the app and then allow "city requests". I appreciate the interest - I built the app but use it, as well (plenty of surge out now, but I'm back in from airport runs this morning). Here's a comparison from just now (no login required!).


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## ubercurious (Dec 24, 2014)

Had a look and the Pro has some very good features -

Main one being that I can run it on my Android phone whilst Uber Partner App (UPA) is offline - so I 
a) don't count as a nearby car 
and
b) avoid accepting non surge pings - 
thereby increasing the chances of a surge occurring due to high demand - low driver availability 

S*MS notifications when a surge occurs in any of your desired locations.*
This Pro feature seems to indicate that I need to be at one or more predetermined location/s to get SMS notified .... or am I misreading that feature - is there anyway to notify me at a location that I ama not normally in ...e.g. if I am on my way back from a trip to the burbs ....and I have my UPA off because I dont want to get pinged to potentially do a $10 Bottle shop run ....

*Daily notifications on potential event surge areas and opportunities.*
Good thought - our local UberMinions sometimes provide a rudimentary snapshot of upcoming events but their info is not as consistent or comprehensive as your side bar appears to be...


*Weekly reports utilizing historical data and our predictive analysis algorithms to help you maximize your earnings. Surge demand analysis includes factors such as time, location, weather, and more.*
Now that would be handy - but seems kinda like a perpetual motion machine ... good to start with but how do you keep it ahead of the curve ...? i.e. is it going to become redundant and/or less effective if/when more drivers use the app to position themselves in the same locations at the same time..based on the app info ...? 

*Auto-Surge Detection™*
Sounds good - what is it? 

*Charts and graphs showing peak times surge occurs for cities in Metro DC region (coming soon).*
This would be helpful in planning when to turn the app on and where to position yourself but - as above - what happens when you sell 1000's of these apps into the same geographic area...?

I look forward to seeing it in action !
Cheers


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## kwamep (Apr 23, 2015)

ubercurious said:


> Had a look and the Pro has some very good features -
> 
> Main one being that I can run it on my Android phone whilst Uber Partner App (UPA) is offline - so I
> a) don't count as a nearby car
> ...


Hi, Ubercurious.

Most definitely! Yes, I built it to lessen any dependence on a particular platform or device - as long as you have Internet access, you can open and use it. You hit it dead-on-the-head, the "fake" availability of cars will be reduced - your points A and B, exactly.

*SMS notifications... *No - the SMS push notification will come to you anywhere. I'm updating it now; say for example you want push notifications on "Tysons Corner, VA" - if there's a surge you'll get said notification. But customers are going to want, say, 10 different locations to receive Surge SMSs from and I have to factor that into the cost of the "Pro" paid service, so initially it'll be from 1 or 2 locations to ensure that the pricing is synced with the cost of using it.

*Daily notifications on potential surge areas and opportunities *- There are a lot of opportunities with this. Being a Driver-Partner we need more info than once-a-"week-ish" - I will ensure that this happens (our incomes depend upon it!)

*Weekly reports utilizing...* - I'm building out the algorithms for this, but the bottom line is that we have historical data, but I want us to know the future. Period. I can't share all of it right now, but it's definitely going to build upon pieces that I'm integrating now.

*Auto-Surge Detection* - I'm fleshing this out - essentially this relates to how the app updates the Driver-Partner in real-time. It's under "Pro" and DPs have been most interested in current Surge view so far, so I'll have an update after the one next week.

*Charts and graphs showing...* Driver-Partners logging into the app will _not_ affect the results (Schrodinger Cat phenomenon?) - this is one of the many ways where you know the person building it is using the darn thing too! 

Yes, I'm simultaneously building it and using it, so either I get requests/feedback from great folks like you, or I see/experience it myself. I created a new thread, so we can start posting there so I don't miss anything and only notify folks that are interested in the technology/app. Thanks again and I'll def keep you posted.

Herb.


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## kwamep (Apr 23, 2015)

Ok, I created a new thread underneath the "Technology" section ("WhereMySurgeApp!"); you can follow there for updates or @WhereMySurgeApp on Twitter.


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## ROBERT BRAZELTON (Mar 29, 2015)

Yes, I would pay for this. I like the idea.


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## kwamep (Apr 23, 2015)

ROBERT BRAZELTON said:


> Yes, I would pay for this. I like the idea.


Hi, Robert. Thanks for your support! If you are in the DC area, it's already available basically for free (push notifications and charts are in paid version). It looks as if you're in LA (?), so I'll add city to the queue and notify you (or you can follow @WhereMySurgeApp). Actually I'll probably highlight through Twitter through "New City Added" tweets to ensure I don't forget anyone. (There's also a thread for voting on new cities and other information, also)


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## McGyüber (Jun 27, 2016)

Link to thread please?
thanks


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## McGyüber (Jun 27, 2016)

ylneo said:


> i like the idea and i will pay it for it.


I like this too & would also pay a one time fee for it BUT looks like it's not in my market, Roanoke, VA
So,
Are there any apps which do this for smaller markets too?


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## Guest (Aug 28, 2016)

When will this app be up and running again? Website is down?


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## Lance A (Aug 13, 2016)

McGyüber said:


> I like this too & would also pay a one time fee for it BUT looks like it's not in my market, Roanoke, VA
> So,
> Are there any apps which do this for smaller markets too?


Look at Surge in the apple app store


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## McGyüber (Jun 27, 2016)

Lance A said:


> Look at Surge in the apple app store


Surge isn't made for android & I don't drink apple kool-aid


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## Lance A (Aug 13, 2016)

McGyüber said:


> Surge isn't made for android & I don't drink apple kool-aid


I certainly do after my android experience. It was awful. I was told by the phone people that it wasn't really Android being buggy, it was my phone. I had an HTC Amaze. 6 hours of battery life. It was re-boot twice a day or flaky things started to happen, so I dumped it and went Apple. Might of turned out different if I'd went with the Samsung though.


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