# I took an Uber as passenger today and made a HUGE discovery .



## Minneapolis uber captain. (Jan 9, 2015)

I travelled to Dallas , Had few Uber rides , I liked the convenience and not worrying about renting a car .. one of my Uber drivers I noticed was trying to play the OLD cabbie Game or TRICK of taking the LONGEST route to the destination , first thing I Noticed was he wasn't even USING app NAvigation or anything . He just drove , he knew the city well I figured .. Fine with me .. The SAD fella didn't realize ONe thing tho .. Regardless of how Long he makes this TrIp Uber was going to charge me the SAME.. so it was his loss I shut up and enjoyed the scenery as this fool wasted his time thinking he was going to milk the System but unknowingly hurting his OWN pocket . The reason I know he took the longest route was because I took an Uber to the same destination Last Night and it was a 7 -8 MiN ride .. the fella stretched that to 22 mins , no traffic Nothing .. end Trip Uber charged me 12 BUcks and that was the EStimate I got before I requested the ride . drivers beware of upront charging then u lose money by taking long routes ... I RATEd The DRiver 5 STARS . But I laugh at the situation .


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## DocT (Jul 16, 2015)

Driver still gets paid mileage and time, regardless of the pax's upfront fare.


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## Shangsta (Aug 15, 2016)

Minneapolis uber captain. said:


> The SAD fella didn't realize ONe thing tho .. Regardless of how Long he makes this TrIp Uber was going to charge me the SAME..


Actually, a totally inefficient route gets rid of the upfront fare. At that point you pay mileage and time.

I stopped at a QFC for a customer and waited 20 minutes back when I was a rookie. He complained to Uber when his cost changed.

They do this so you can get out of paying for a 30 minute wait if you stop at the grocery store or something.


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## Drive777 (Jan 23, 2015)

There's a point where too much extra time / distance results in changing the upfront fare. If your price stayed the same the driver was just earning as much as he could relative to your fixed price, since driver always gets paid for actual mileage.

Had he taken the shortest route possible, Uber would have kept the difference between the lower mileage rate and what you paid upfront. Uber is overcharging YOU the rider.


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## Minneapolis uber captain. (Jan 9, 2015)

DocT said:


> Driver still gets paid mileage and time, regardless of the pax's upfront fare.


The UPFRONT estimate Uber showed before the Begining of the Trip Stayed the same that is all am saying . I paid the amount they stated .. even tho I took another Uber the previous night to the same Destknation and it took the driver HALF the distance This fool travelled the fare was the same amount for both trips ....so 2 drivers one went short distance and got paid the same as idiot who went DOUBle the miles . And by The way am a driver myself too so i know how Uber works .. but just saying


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## dirtylee (Sep 2, 2015)

Minneapolis uber captain. 
Here in Dallas, we have upfront fare. Drivers are paid for ACTUAL mileage & time.

More like dude is a seasoned pro at working that upfront fare.

I always wonder what extra mileage/time will result in extra charges for pax. Is it an extra 20%, 35% or 50%? You let an important learning opportunity slip away.


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## Shangsta (Aug 15, 2016)

Minneapolis uber captain. said:


> The UPFRONT estimate Uber showed before the Begining of the Trip Stayed the same that is all am saying . I paid the amount they stated .. even tho I took another Uber the previous night to the same Destknation and it took the driver HALF the distance This fool travelled the fare was the same amount for both trips ....so 2 drivers one went short distance and got paid the same as idiot who went DOUBle the miles . And by The way am a driver myself too so i know how Uber works .. but just saying


 He got extra money out of a minimum fare trip. Smart fellow


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## FITS (Apr 24, 2016)

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think OP is trying to said that both driver drove the same distance/miles, but one took a shorter time to get there and the other took a longer time. For example. Both driver drove the same distance, but one driver took the highway and got to the destination faster while the other driver went through the suburban and took a longer time to arrive at the destination.

If that not the case then the other driver who drove double the distance would be pay more.


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## Jurisinceptor (Dec 27, 2016)

Minneapolis uber captain. said:


> I travelled to Dallas , Had few Uber rides , I liked the convenience and not worrying about renting a car .. one of my Uber drivers I noticed was trying to play the OLD cabbie Game or TRICK of taking the LONGEST route to the destination , first thing I Noticed was he wasn't even USING app NAvigation or anything . He just drove , he knew the city well I figured .. Fine with me .. The SAD fella didn't realize ONe thing tho .. Regardless of how Long he makes this TrIp Uber was going to charge me the SAME.. so it was his loss I shut up and enjoyed the scenery as this fool wasted his time thinking he was going to milk the System but unknowingly hurting his OWN pocket . The reason I know he took the longest route was because I took an Uber to the same destination Last Night and it was a 7 -8 MiN ride .. the fella stretched that to 22 mins , no traffic Nothing .. end Trip Uber charged me 12 BUcks and that was the EStimate I got before I requested the ride . drivers beware of upront charging then u lose money by taking long routes ... I RATEd The DRiver 5 STARS . But I laugh at the situation .


WRONG!! Did you tip??


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## Captain Obvious (Jul 25, 2016)

I had a ride recently w/ a loud group of college campus girls who were a major distraction. I'd rather chew on tin foil than take one of these trips.

Anyway, being distracted I forgot to start the trip & ended up driving a slightly longer route, based on the drunk girls directions. My total earning were $6.07 for that trip.

The rider complained to Uber about me milking the ride & received a fare adjustment for... " $1. "

I'm guessing she thought she'd be comped the whole trip. It was nothing more than one of those "I should have just canceled the ride moments".

Damn I hate snowflakes!!


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## Beur (Apr 14, 2015)

Minneapolis uber captain. said:


> so 2 drivers one went short distance and got paid the same as idiot who went DOUBle the miles . And by The way am a driver myself too so i know how Uber works .. but just saying


Apparently you don't know how upfront fares work Mr Uber driver. Uber calculates the fare a passengers pays based on the longest route, which you pay regardless of a driver taking the shortest route. Driver is not paid off the fare guarantee to the pax, they're paid based off miles and time.

The smart driver in this situation was driver number 2 who took the route that paid him based off the longer route Uber bases the fare on.


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## Another Uber Driver (May 27, 2015)

If anyone is curious, it is urban myth, literally and figuratively, that it pays a driver to take the scenic route. Be it in a cab or TNC car, the driver has the best return if he delivers his customer to his destination in the quickest, most efficient manner possible and moves on to his next customer. When you consider the princely sums that Uber and Lyft render in recompense, it goes double for a TNC driver that he must deliver his passenger quickly and efficiently.


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## steveK2016 (Jul 31, 2016)

FITS said:


> Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think OP is trying to said that *both driver drove the same distance/miles*, but one took a shorter time to get there and the other took a longer time.


Correction, you are wrong:



Minneapolis uber captain. said:


> so 2 drivers one went short distance and got paid *the same as idiot who went DOUBle the miles* . And by The way am a driver myself too so i know how Uber works .. but just saying


OP, this is how it went down:

Upfront Pricing says the trip will cost $10, for both of your trips.

Driver A drove how Uber wanted him to go, doing the trip in under 5 miles. He got paid $3.75 minimum fare. You paid $10.

Driver B drove the scenic route, doing the trip in 10 miles. He got paid $7.50 for the fare. You paid $10.

So Driver B is no idiot, he's just lucky that the Upfront Fee was high enough and he happened to only drive long enough without busting past the Upfront Fee which would have prompted you to submit a fare review.

You can still do a fare review, if you want to stick it to the driver. They'll review the trip and take back his extra $3.75 but you may or may not get some cash back.


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## Shangsta (Aug 15, 2016)

Another Uber Driver said:


> If anyone is curious, it is urban myth, literally and figuratively, that it pays a driver to take the scenic route. Be it in a cab or TNC car, the driver has the best return if he delivers his customer to his destination in the quickest, most efficient manner possible and moves on to his next customer. When you consider the princely sums that Uber and Lyft render in recompense, it goes double for a TNC driver that he must deliver his passenger quickly and efficiently.


It depends. If you are driving when it is slow the longer route does pay more. Imagine knowing you will only get one ping in an hour (common if you drive around noon ) you will want a 15 dollar over a 12 dollar fare knowing you might not get pinged for another hour.


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## LittleElmDriver (Feb 28, 2017)

Minneapolis uber captain. said:


> I travelled to Dallas , Had few Uber rides , I liked the convenience and not worrying about renting a car .. one of my Uber drivers I noticed was trying to play the OLD cabbie Game or TRICK of taking the LONGEST route to the destination , first thing I Noticed was he wasn't even USING app NAvigation or anything . He just drove , he knew the city well I figured .. Fine with me .. The SAD fella didn't realize ONe thing tho .. Regardless of how Long he makes this TrIp Uber was going to charge me the SAME.. so it was his loss I shut up and enjoyed the scenery as this fool wasted his time thinking he was going to milk the System but unknowingly hurting his OWN pocket . The reason I know he took the longest route was because I took an Uber to the same destination Last Night and it was a 7 -8 MiN ride .. the fella stretched that to 22 mins , no traffic Nothing .. end Trip Uber charged me 12 BUcks and that was the EStimate I got before I requested the ride . drivers beware of upront charging then u lose money by taking long routes ... I RATEd The DRiver 5 STARS . But I laugh at the situation .


Any Driver for Hire in the City of Dallas must have a permit. As part of the permit, the driver must follow Chapter 47A of the City Code which contains: You must take the most direct and expeditious route, unless your passenger tells you otherwise.


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## Greguzzi (Jan 9, 2016)

Minneapolis uber captain. said:


> The UPFRONT estimate Uber showed before the Begining of the Trip Stayed the same that is all am saying . I paid the amount they stated .. even tho I took another Uber the previous night to the same Destknation and it took the driver HALF the distance This fool travelled the fare was the same amount for both trips ....so 2 drivers one went short distance and got paid the same as idiot who went DOUBle the miles . And by The way am a driver myself too so i know how Uber works .. but just saying


The driver likely got 100 percent or more of what you paid. That man knows what he is doing. I do the same.



Another Uber Driver said:


> If anyone is curious, it is urban myth, literally and figuratively, that it pays a driver to take the scenic route. Be it in a cab or TNC car, the driver has the best return if he delivers his customer to his destination in the quickest, most efficient manner possible and moves on to his next customer. When you consider the princely sums that Uber and Lyft render in recompense, it goes double for a TNC driver that he must deliver his passenger quickly and efficiently.


LOL at the newbie.


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## luvgurl22 (Jul 5, 2016)

Minneapolis uber captain. said:


> I travelled to Dallas , Had few Uber rides , I liked the convenience and not worrying about renting a car .. one of my Uber drivers I noticed was trying to play the OLD cabbie Game or TRICK of taking the LONGEST route to the destination , first thing I Noticed was he wasn't even USING app NAvigation or anything . He just drove , he knew the city well I figured .. Fine with me .. The SAD fella didn't realize ONe thing tho .. Regardless of how Long he makes this TrIp Uber was going to charge me the SAME.. so it was his loss I shut up and enjoyed the scenery as this fool wasted his time thinking he was going to milk the System but unknowingly hurting his OWN pocket . The reason I know he took the longest route was because I took an Uber to the same destination Last Night and it was a 7 -8 MiN ride .. the fella stretched that to 22 mins , no traffic Nothing .. end Trip Uber charged me 12 BUcks and that was the EStimate I got before I requested the ride . drivers beware of upront charging then u lose money by taking long routes ... I RATEd The DRiver 5 STARS . But I laugh at the situation .


Being a driver you should know 2 things too.1.) you (pax) can always choose your own route 2.) There are several ways to get to a destination


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## jjfad (Jan 5, 2017)

luvgurl22 said:


> Being a driver you should know 2 things too.1.) you can always choose your own route 2.) There are several ways to get to a destination


Not Really. Remember you are an ant.


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## luvgurl22 (Jul 5, 2016)

jjfad said:


> Not Really. Remember you are an ant.


If the pax chose their route this wouldn't be the case


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## Shangsta (Aug 15, 2016)

jjfad said:


> Not Really. Remember you are an ant.


Totally wrong. When you use waze or maps and choose the longest route the pax isn't eligible for a fare adjustment since you simply followed the gps.

Most drivers who get fare adjustments deviated from gps or missed turns


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## jjfad (Jan 5, 2017)

Shangsta said:


> Totally wrong. When you use waze or maps and choose the longest route the pax isn't eligible for a fare adjustment since you simply followed the gps.
> 
> Most drivers who get fare adjustments deviated from gps or missed turns


I refused to take long local route. I took the freeway. 10 mile local or 14 freeway. No brainer.. Well unless you are an ant.


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## nickd8775 (Jul 12, 2015)

If the origin and destination are the same and the time+mileage fare minus Uber commission is less than 90% of the upfront fare, the passenger won't pay more if the driver goes the long way or gets stuck in traffic. The smart drivers will go the longest suggested route. If the freeway is 2 minutes and 5 miles longer, take that route rather than the surface streets. Driver gets paid more, passenger pays the same. People don't complain about the route as much because I take the long way most of the time and don't get fare adjustments or low ratings.


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## bobby747 (Dec 29, 2015)

DID U TIP THE DRIVERS (NO) 
u may pay a flat fee but ubers going to really earn it imho


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## Wardell Curry (Jul 9, 2016)

It always makes sense to take the longest route especially when that route takes less time. Because usually the extra miles give you more marginal value than the loss in minutes especially in markets like mine where the per mile rate is 5x the per minute rate. Uber will pay you based on the miles,minutes and base fare. Nothing more, nothing less.


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## Karen Stein (Nov 5, 2016)

The fare structure is biased in favor of miles. Running go the miles means more money.

Alas, our rates are so low it takes a LOT of driving to make much of a difference. 

One of the advantages to Uber is that the customer can ask for a fare review. Uber can simply look at the trip, as run, on a map. Then it's a simple matter to compare that to the route projected by GPS. 

Crooked driver? Lost driver? No matter. Uber will adjust the fare. There's no profit in doing laps around town when Uber can take back the extra fare.


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## louvit (Dec 30, 2016)

this is a bit confusing and drivers have different opinions. I do not know so I'll just keep reading. 

I know trips can take longer even for the same milage. I was stuck by a crossing long train the other day for 15 minutes with a pax in the car. Did the pax pay extra time or did I just get extra pay.


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## Elmo Burrito (Feb 3, 2017)

louvit said:


> this is a bit confusing and drivers have different opinions. I do not know so I'll just keep reading.
> 
> I know trips can take longer even for the same milage. I was stuck by a crossing long train the other day for 15 minutes with a pax in the car. Did the pax pay extra time or did I just get extra pay.


Check out the recent article on ride share guy about this. Might bring a little more clarity.


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## elelegido (Sep 24, 2014)

Another Uber Driver said:


> If anyone is curious, it is urban myth, literally and figuratively, that it pays a driver to take the scenic route. Be it in a cab or TNC car, the driver has the best return if he delivers his customer to his destination in the quickest, most efficient manner possible and moves on to his next customer. When you consider the princely sums that Uber and Lyft render in recompense, it goes double for a TNC driver that he must deliver his passenger quickly and efficiently.


You are confusing average trip speed with trip distance. Whether or not extending the trip distance is worth it for a driver depends on the day, the time of day, traffic levels, whether there are any surges nearby and how busy it is. It could be that taking a longer route would increase a driver's earnings, or it could decrease it. The key metric is revenue per hour. Some trip extensions will increase revenue per hour; some will decrease it.

The longer route would make sense if any of these is true:

- Average speed on the longer route is similar to or higher than the average speed of the shorter route
- It is a surge/boost ride
- Wait time between pings is long (it's not busy)

The longer route might not make sense if:

- Average speed on the longer route is much slower than the shorter route
- There is a surge near the drop off location
- Wait time between pings is short (it's busy)



Karen Stein said:


> There's no profit in doing laps around town when Uber can take back the extra fare.


Just like there's no point in criticizing advice that nobody has given. Nobody here is saying do laps around town.


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## Karen Stein (Nov 5, 2016)

Since the OP claims his driver took a deliberately long route, my pointing out that Uber will correct the fare is on point.


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## elelegido (Sep 24, 2014)

Karen Stein said:


> Since the OP claims his driver took a deliberately long route, my pointing out that Uber will correct the fare is on point.


I see my point about exaggeration went straight over your head. Never mind. Carry on.


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## louvit (Dec 30, 2016)

elelegido said:


> I see my point about exaggeration went straight over your head. Never mind. Carry on.


yes but only if the rider complains. I've been there, a rider I had for a mile and a half trip asked me to take him in the oppisite direction to a atm and then he realized he forgot his wallet so I had to repeat the wrong way trip, his phone was dead so he couldn't change the trip. a 4.00 trip turned into a 25.00 trip and he complained. Uber adjusted my pay until I explained and then reinstated m


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## elelegido (Sep 24, 2014)

louvit said:


> his phone was dead so he couldn't change the trip.


No destination change made by the pax, no destination change on my end either. Original destination or end trip; their choice. Not worth the hassle.


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## heyimjason (Nov 27, 2015)

Shangsta said:


> Totally wrong. When you use waze or maps and choose the longest route the pax isn't eligible for a fare adjustment since you simply followed the gps.
> 
> Most drivers who get fare adjustments deviated from gps or missed turns


If there is a fare adjustment, are you notified, or should I start writing down all of the details for each trip? I've had a few people ask me to make quick detours, which I didn't mind doing, especially because I have the audio and video of their requests. But I guess if Uber doesn't notify me of any adjustments I probably wouldn't even notice.


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## REX HAVOC (Jul 4, 2016)

Minneapolis uber captain. said:


> I travelled to Dallas , Had few Uber rides , I liked the convenience and not worrying about renting a car .. one of my Uber drivers I noticed was trying to play the OLD cabbie Game or TRICK of taking the LONGEST route to the destination , first thing I Noticed was he wasn't even USING app NAvigation or anything . He just drove , he knew the city well I figured .. Fine with me .. The SAD fella didn't realize ONe thing tho .. Regardless of how Long he makes this TrIp Uber was going to charge me the SAME.. so it was his loss I shut up and enjoyed the scenery as this fool wasted his time thinking he was going to milk the System but unknowingly hurting his OWN pocket . The reason I know he took the longest route was because I took an Uber to the same destination Last Night and it was a 7 -8 MiN ride .. the fella stretched that to 22 mins , no traffic Nothing .. end Trip Uber charged me 12 BUcks and that was the EStimate I got before I requested the ride . drivers beware of upront charging then u lose money by taking long routes ... I RATEd The DRiver 5 STARS . But I laugh at the situation .


I had some lady from out of town turn on waze with the volume up as soon as she got in the car. I guess she wanted to make sure I knew that she was watching me and to make sure I wasn't ripping her off.

Then when I made a turn that varied from the apps directions to get around some construction ahead she question me as to why I changed course. I told her why and she just said "oh". After that neither one of said a word until I dropped her off. I hate those kind of passengers. So annoying.


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## wk1102 (Dec 25, 2015)

Minneapolis uber captain. said:


> The UPFRONT estimate Uber showed before the Begining of the Trip Stayed the same that is all am saying . I paid the amount they stated .. even tho I took another Uber the previous night to the same Destknation and it took the driver HALF the distance This fool travelled the fare was the same amount for both trips ....so 2 drivers one went short distance and got paid the same as idiot who went DOUBle the miles . And by The way am a driver myself too so i know how Uber works .. but just saying


Actually this is a smart driver... he makes more, you pay the same. No reason for you to be upset, he got a few extra bucks.


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## DocT (Jul 16, 2015)

heyimjason said:


> If there is a fare adjustment, are you notified, or should I start writing down all of the details for each trip?


No. You, the driver, are not notified of any fare adjustments. You need to keep track of the trips (screenshot of waybill and completed trip details). Yeah, it sucks and a burden to all drivers.


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## Coolrider101nk (Jun 21, 2016)

With Lyft I always tell my customers to do the upfront pricing before they order. That puts them on the fixed fare. I as a driver am going to get the variable fare with time and distance. If they request a stop or change in destination I ask them to update the app so Lyft knows where I'm going to be available for the system to give me another ride and it ensures that we all agree where the trip goes. 

I keep seeing people complain about upfront pricing but I am being paid exactly what we agreed to. My focus, as I tell the riders is to focus on getting them out of the car. If Lyft can get someone to schedule 3 days in advance am lock I'm a 300% prime time and demand is low.... I did nothing to be entitled to that money. Upfront fares take the responsibility of the riders fare out of our control. Now, if we go far enough to flagLyft we may have an adjustment. 

Go through the tutorials on the Dashboard for details


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