# Surge is a marketing tool...



## ptuberx (Jun 28, 2016)

It is a balance between rider and driver demand when it is legit, but in most cases, it pops up to keep drivers "hopeful" and interested in driving, especially new ones. A 1.5x pops up for no reason, new drivers get excited and flood the zone. A legit 2.8x-3.8x pops up, experienced drivers take notice. Then you get maybe a few trips out of it, and the bubble pops.

I've had a few intuitive riders ask me about this and suggested an alternative: They were willing to pay double the rates all the time if the surge went away. Now, on face value, THIS makes sense. But it also keeps low-valued drivers from dropping out.

So, the surge exists for a reason, to keep baiting drivers, and to easily weed out the bad ones. Yes, it is all about money at the end of the day with Uber, but they monitor the metrics of the surge like there is no tomorrow.


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## 2Cents (Jul 18, 2016)

That should tell you the type of company this is when they're willing to trick their "valued partners" in to driving in to an area that has a deficiency of drivers by posting non existing surges just to get drivers to cover that area.


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## AllanJ (Jun 30, 2016)

I am always amused when I kill the surge. 

I never "drive for surge", but if I am going that direction anyway, I will take a minor detour. Fascinating to watch as my car cleans out the surge in that immediate area. 

And as I move on, it closes in behind me.

Real surges exist, of course, but for the most part, they are a convenient thing to have been heading into anyway.


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## nickd8775 (Jul 12, 2015)

Surge should be rare, bad weather, bar close, big events, etc. instead it's common. Passengers hate it when drivers cancel on them when the surge goes up but we have to do it to make it worthwhile. Raise the rates and make surge rare


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## Pipoy (Oct 12, 2016)

Second time that happen to me that they did not include the surge!!!!


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## Pipoy (Oct 12, 2016)

Ok Uber replied and made the adjustment on the pay. If you feel cheated on the surge you have all the right to complain.


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## steveK2016 (Jul 31, 2016)

ptuberx said:


> They were willing to pay double the rates all the time if the surge went away.


I've had similar but not regarding surge. Many long time Uber riders would pay older rates to get the same reliability they used to get with Uber. Better cars, better drivers, less cancellations, less impatient drivers... etc.


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## Sita (Oct 16, 2016)

Ha! I was beginning to think uber hated me! 'Makes sense now! Every time it's surging and I'm literally 2 min away from that area, as soon as I get there my whole screen turns white! I don't even chase surges anymore!!


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