# How to Opt Out of Uber Pool



## elelegido (Sep 24, 2014)

Especially since the last round of pay cuts in which Pool pay was pushed even lower than UberX pay, there have obviously been a lot of complaints on here by drivers who understandably don't want to do Pool. It's evident that drivers believe that they are obligated to do Pool because Uber says so. Not so. There are also some questions on here regarding, "what is the procedure involved in opting out of Pool?". Simple, just tell them that you're not going to do it.

Here's what I did. If you don't like Pool then you can do the same. There will be pushback from Uber, with them lying and claiming that they "cannot opt drivers out from Pool at this time". But persevere and they eventually get the message - no means no.

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Hey Uber!

Just to let you know that the new UberPool rate of $1.05 per mile and $0.15 per minute is too low for me! That's around a 30% cut. Ouch - doesn't work for me... at all!

I'll still do UberX, for now, but I'll be declining UberPool requests - it's just not an attractive enough pay offer from you.

If you decide to increase your offer then please let me know and I'll be happy to reconsider my position.

Uber on!

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Hi Elelegido,

Thanks for getting in touch about this.

The beauty of uberPOOL is that it can both lower costs for riders and raise overall earnings for drivers. Right now on a normal uberX trip, you pick up and drop off your first rider, and then you wait for a second pickup to begin. With uberPOOL, you will be getting paid for that time you spend on your way to pick up the second rider.

If an uberPOOL trip is not matched, fares are exactly the same as a normal uberX trip. If the trip is matched, those two riders can save 20-50% by sharing the cost. The driver receives the sum of the two individual trip fares, minus the same commission, as usual.

We have extended the opportunity to accept uberPOOL requests to all uberX drivers, so you'll receive both uberX and uberPOOL requests. We believe uberPOOL will increase your earnings and open up Uber to an entirely new group of riders. To learn more about uberPOOL and how it works, watch the video here: blog.uber.com/uberpooldriver.

We currently don’t offer an option for opting out of POOL requests. We will let driver-partners know if there is a way to opt out of uberPOOL requests in the future. We encourage partners to accept their uberPOOL requests, since uberPOOL enables partners to earn money during trips & on their way to picking up additional passengers. In other cities that have uberPOOL, drivers who accept most of their uberPOOL requests earn up to 15% more than drivers who don't.

This is an important topic, and one that we have thought a lot about with careful analysis. It’s important to know that Uber is only successful if you are successful, and our rates are set with your business in mind.

With more low-cost options, we want to ensure we have competitive prices and that all riders can get affordable and reliable rides. While we’re confident in our rates, we want to assure you that we closely and regularly monitor the impact of our rates on your earnings. Our goal is to make you busier and make your time online more valuable so that you can make more in the long run.

Uber highly values the feedback of its partners and riders. I have noted this issue with our team working on uberPOOL, though, and we take what you're saying very seriously. As a growing company, we are constantly seeking ways to better enhance the Uber experience from both drivers' and riders' perspectives. We appreciate your thoughtfulness and taking the time to write to us. We will evaluate your feedback internally.

Thank you for your professionalism and understanding regarding this matter. Please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any other questions or concerns. I'm here to help.

Joanna
help.uber.com

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Hey Uber!!!!!!

"The beauty of uberPOOL is that it can..."

Oh, I agree, UberPool is an exceptionally beautiful thing. It is a true modern art rideshare masterpiece. The Mona Lisa, for example, while a pretty object, has nothing on UberPool in terms of sheer, dumbfounding, indescribable beauty.

Anyway, like I say, raise the rates back up to a reasonable level and I will consider accepting UberPool ride offers.

Uber on!

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Hey Elelegido,

Roberta here with Uber Support. Your email was escalated to me for further assistance. Thanks for reaching out!

At this time, we are unable to opt-out partners individually from UberPOOL. All uberX partners will receive UberPOOL as well.

Please note that we do require a certain acceptance rate in order for your account to remain active on the Uber platform with any of our products (uberX, UberPOOL, etc). Declining specific UberPOOL requests can potentially lead to your account becoming deactivated.

With matched UberPOOL trips, you are making at least 1.5x what you would have made with one single trip on uberX as these trips are extending the time and distance of each trip you complete.

Let me know if you have any other questions or if I can help with anything else.

Best,

Roberta
help.uber.com
-----

No. I will not accept UberPool trips - the rates on offer from you simply are not attractive enough for me. Remember that Uber purchases driving work from external suppliers - in this case, me - and I am not willing to provide my services at rates which are unattractive.

Anyway, thanks for your responses and if you have any other questions, please let me know.

-----

And then... crickets... and no more Pool requests. They only try to push drivers around because drivers let them - all drivers who don't want to do this crap should tell them the answer is no.


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## Nikncarlo (Dec 25, 2015)

Thanks. I got the same mechanical response as well. I've just responded in a similar fashion. I will not accept any pool requests sorry.


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## Flarpy (Apr 17, 2016)

elelegido said:


> Remember that Uber purchases driving work from external suppliers - in this case, me - and I am not willing to provide my services at rates which are unattractive.


Good letters, though the above statement is technically incorrect. Actually, drivers are the ones purchasing from Uber. You, as an independent contractor, contract with your clients (riders). Uber/Lyft provide a platform and network by which to do so. So Uber is sort of a vendor/service provider and biller on your behalf. Uber's clients are the drivers.

One major issue that won't be hashed out since the California litigation was settled, is: Is someone truly an independent contractor if he can't set his own contract price? The network provider is also setting the contract prices of all the supposed "independent" contractors on the network!

Imagine if you were a dog washer, and you posted on Craigslist your dog washing service, and Craigslist told you what you would be charging for that service, and you couldn't charge any other amount. Sounds insane doesn't it?

One of the basic tenets of being an independent contractor is the ability to independently set one's own price.


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## TomP (May 3, 2015)

Flarpy said:


> Good letters, though the above statement is technically incorrect. Actually, drivers are the ones purchasing from Uber. You, as an independent contractor, contract with your clients (riders). Uber/Lyft provide a platform and network by which to do so. So Uber is sort of a vendor/service provider and biller on your behalf. Uber's clients are the drivers.
> 
> One major issue that won't be hashed out since the California litigation was settled, is: Is someone truly an independent contractor if he can't set his own contract price? The network provider is also setting the contract prices of all the supposed "independent" contractors on the network!
> 
> ...


Related to this, Uber is being sued for price-fixing in Manhattan under anti-trust laws. See http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/legal-problem-could-crash-uber_us_5718d485e4b0479c59d714f6

"If Uber were to become a transportation company and employ drivers, it would be free to compete with other companies using its pricing algorithm," the complaint reads. "But Uber has refused to become a transportation company. Consequently, drivers using the app are independent firms, competing with each other for riders. They should compete on price &#8230; Instead, they have agreed to Kalanick's scheme to fix prices among direct competitors using Uber's pricing algorithm. Uber's price fixing is classic anticompetitive behavior."​


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## Flarpy (Apr 17, 2016)

Does that suit also name all Uber drivers in that area? Because, from a legal perspective, all the drivers are colluding with each other and with Uber.


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## TomP (May 3, 2015)

Flarpy said:


> Does that suit also name all Uber drivers in that area? Because, from a legal perspective, all the drivers are colluding with each other and with Uber.


The suit is against Travis Kalanick although the suit mentions the drivers as co-conspirators. I haven't read the whole thing. It is available online at https://s3.amazonaws.com/pacer-documents/119/451250/127117551855.pdf


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## elelegido (Sep 24, 2014)

Flarpy said:


> Good letters, though the above statement is technically incorrect. Actually, drivers are the ones purchasing from Uber.


Again, not an issue. If I'm purchasing from Uber then I will look at the basket of products/services they have to offer and then I will pick and choose the ones I would like to purchase and decline the ones that don't interest me. I don't let people tell me what I must buy.


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## NuberUber (Dec 28, 2015)

elelegido said:


> Especially since the last round of pay cuts in which Pool pay was pushed even lower than UberX pay, there have obviously been a lot of complaints on here by drivers who understandably don't want to do Pool. It's evident that drivers believe that they are obligated to do Pool because Uber says so. Not so. There are also some questions on here regarding, "what is the procedure involved in opting out of Pool?". Simple, just tell them that you're not going to do it.
> 
> Here's what I did. If you don't like Pool then you can do the same. There will be pushback from Uber, with them lying and claiming that they "cannot opt drivers out from Pool at this time". But persevere and they eventually get the message - no means no.
> 
> ...


Thanks for sharing this! I am super annoyed at the part of the email that states "If an uberPOOL trip is not matched, fares are exactly the same as a normal uberX trip." This has not been the case in my limited experience with Pool!

I always get such a paltry sum for pool rides and 99% of the time they are unmatched. I just want out of the pool! I will email, with persistence.


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## Woooww (Mar 22, 2016)

Hey there! I really want to do exactly what you did elelegido . I just want to make sure you're not joking as I do not want to be deactivated. Thanks!


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## wk1102 (Dec 25, 2015)

No hes not joking, they'll tell you there is no opt out, tell tjem you do not want pool rides, as an independent contractor you will refuse tjem because you lose money. The pool pings will magically stop.


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## FAC (Mar 27, 2016)

elelegido said:


> Especially since the last round of pay cuts in which Pool pay was pushed even lower than UberX pay, there have obviously been a lot of complaints on here by drivers who understandably don't want to do Pool. It's evident that drivers believe that they are obligated to do Pool because Uber says so. Not so. There are also some questions on here regarding, "what is the procedure involved in opting out of Pool?". Simple, just tell them that you're not going to do it.
> 
> Here's what I did. If you don't like Pool then you can do the same. There will be pushback from Uber, with them lying and claiming that they "cannot opt drivers out from Pool at this time". But persevere and they eventually get the message - no means no.
> 
> ...


I'm so going to do this. Thanks for sharing! Only had one uberpool exeperience and it was a grumpy cheep pax who was running late and too cheap to request uberX. He complained the whole time bc i had to pick someone else up who ended up being a no show. I politely recommended in the future he take uberX if he's running late. My fare $2.58. Got a 1* drive part time so the 1* dropped my rating big time. Then got a notice of unprofessional behavior for starting an altercation with him. I love your post and so doing what you did!


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## MR5STAR (May 18, 2015)

Uber pool is a joke and they rin promos to further push it onto the customer... Why does it allow u to pool to airports? Makes 0 sense.


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## MarcG (Feb 12, 2016)

wk1102 said:


> No hes not joking, they'll tell you there is no opt out, tell tjem you do not want pool rides, as an independent contractor you will refuse tjem because you lose money. The pool pings will magically stop.


I received this reply this morning. 
------
Thank you for taking the time to write in and for letting us know. Happy to assist you.

I'm sorry to hear about your frustration over this price reduction issue. I know how hard it is for you and for all the partners relying on their earnings with Uber. If I were in your position, I would also feel the same way, and I just want to let you know that Uber has your back on this sensitive issue.

Price changes increase the number of riders and pickup requests in your city. With more requests for rides coming in, you'll spend more time online driving and earning, and less time waiting for your next ride request. We feel the new per mile price, combined with the higher per minute price, will have the biggest impact on demand.

You have our full support while this happens. As we monitor how these price changes impact your earnings, please let us know how things are going. Uber highly values the feedback of its partners and we take what you're saying very seriously. We appreciate your thoughtfulness and taking the time to write to us. We will evaluate your feedback internally.

*However, it doesn't mean that the present price/ rates will be the permanent. If we find any adverse effect in the earning of the partners, we will take surely a second look in this issue. Uber highly values the feedback of its partners and we take what you're saying very seriously. As a growing company, we are constantly seeking ways to better enhance the Uber experience from both drivers' and riders' perspectives. So I already circulated your suggestion to my higher department. Hope they will be consider it seriously.*

*If you don't want to accept any pool request in future, you can let us know. We can go ahead and arrange it for you, so that you will never get any pool request at all.*

Let me not miss the moment to appreciate you, I have reviewed your account and found that you're doing a wonderful job. We greatly value your association with Uber and your overall rating clearly shows that you have been taking amazing care of our Riders. Uber is honored to have partners like you.Let me know, if you have any additional concern. Have a lovely day ahead.

Regards,

*Utsav Roy*
help.uber.com


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## wk1102 (Dec 25, 2015)

Awesome...so, did you let them know?


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## ChortlingCrison (Mar 30, 2016)

"Price changes increase the number of riders and pickup requests in your city. With more requests for rides coming in, you’ll spend more time online driving and earning, and less time waiting for your next ride request. We feel the new per mile price, combined with the higher per minute price, will have the biggest impact on demand." 



They'll keep using this canned response even if the rates go down to .10/mile. And some drivers will be gullible enough to believe it.


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## MarcG (Feb 12, 2016)

wk1102 said:


> Awesome...so, did you let them know?


Yes I did. Haven't received a poo request since


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## janewalch (Jan 8, 2016)

(Deleted)


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## Bart McCoy (Nov 4, 2014)

NuberUber said:


> Thanks for sharing this! I am super annoyed at the part of the email that states "If an uberPOOL trip is not matched, fares are exactly the same as a normal uberX trip." This has not been the case in my limited experience with Pool.


Can you post the email that said this? Because if it did, then indeed they would


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## NuberUber (Dec 28, 2015)

Bart McCoy said:


> Can you post the email that said this? Because if it did, then indeed they would


Look up!! It is in the first email response the OP received back from Uber:
"If an uberPOOL trip is not matched, fares are exactly the same as a normal uberX trip. If the trip is matched, those two riders can save 20-50% by sharing the cost....."


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## Bart McCoy (Nov 4, 2014)

NuberUber said:


> Look up!! It is in the first email response the OP received back from Uber:
> "If an uberPOOL trip is not matched, fares are exactly the same as a normal uberX trip. If the trip is matched, those two riders can save 20-50% by sharing the cost....."


The CSR is probably wrong. If not, then clearly you can use that statement to get reg fare since you said you didn't

My market they say "feels the same". Again, the CSR is wrong: they surely don't say we get the sum of both fares in my market. No driver in any US gets paid like that


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## elelegido (Sep 24, 2014)

> Look up!! It is in the first email response the OP received back from Uber:
> "If an uberPOOL trip is not matched, fares are exactly the same as a normal uberX trip. If the trip is matched, those two riders can save 20-50% by sharing the cost....."


This is where it is confusing - with Pool, driver pay is not the fare (paid by the pax) less safety fee less commission. It's incorrect for Uber to claim that on unmatched trips, "fares are exactly the same as a normal uberX trip".


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## elelegido (Sep 24, 2014)

TomP said:


> Related to this, Uber is being sued for price-fixing in Manhattan under anti-trust laws. See http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/legal-problem-could-crash-uber_us_5718d485e4b0479c59d714f6
> 
> "If Uber were to become a transportation company and employ drivers, it would be free to compete with other companies using its pricing algorithm," the complaint reads. "But Uber has refused to become a transportation company. Consequently, drivers using the app are independent firms, competing with each other for riders. They should compete on price &#8230; Instead, they have agreed to Kalanick's scheme to fix prices among direct competitors using Uber's pricing algorithm. Uber's price fixing is classic anticompetitive behavior."​


This case has no merit.

There is no anticompetitive behaviour, "classic" or non- classic. Pax make the contract to ride with Uber, not the individual subcontractor whom Uber subcontracts to. The internal pricing agreements between Uber and its drivers are irrelevant, in the same way as are Uber's agreements with any other supplier, such as its electricity supplier, or the landlords at the offices it rents.

Also, there is no direct link between the price a customer pays and the pay a driver gets for the ride. Some drivers keep 80%, some 75%, some 72% and others 70%. Then there's UberPool, in which the loose indirect link between pax fare and driver pay becomes even looser.

There would only be price fixing if Uber colluded with its (exernal) competitors such as Lyft or taxis. Maybe it does collude with Lyft to fix prices given that both conpanies mirror each other in this respect, but if so then this has nothing to do with drivers.

This case is very confused - it concentrates instead on the internal market of drivers competing for jobs dished out by Uber. It claims that drivers should compete with each other and presumably submit bids for jobs to Uber to try to win work from Uber. An interesting idea, but neither drivers nor Uber want such a structure and, unless the plaintiff in the suit is either a driver or Uber, the job allocation system and the pricing within it does not concern them.

I can see where the plaintiff is trying to go with this suit - vaguely in the direction of consumer protection, but trying to do it by focussing on the internal pricing between Uber and its drivers is like trying to squeeze lemons in order to get orange juice: quite misguided.


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## TomP (May 3, 2015)

elelegido said:


> This case has no merit.
> 
> There is no anticompetitive behaviour, "classic" or non- classic. Pax make the contract to ride with Uber, not the individual subcontractor whom Uber subcontracts to. The internal pricing agreements between Uber and its drivers are irrelevant, in the same way as are Uber's agreements with any other supplier, such as its electricity supplier, or the landlords at the offices it rents.
> 
> ...


Uber has claimed in another case (in Edmonton, Canada) that it is not not the transportation provider; that it is a "transportation network company that connects passengers to alternate transportation providers". See https://www.scribd.com/doc/260721828/Edmonton-City-v-Uber-Canada-Inc-2015. So how can Uber claim in this case that "Pax make the contract to ride with Uber"?


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## os2wiz (Sep 30, 2015)

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I seem to remember in the TOS that Uber is a "lead" provider. The drivers are paying Uber for prospects for transportation. So wouldn't that mean that the drivers can choose whether or not to use these leads, and wouldn't these leads purchased from Uber be the driver's customers? Therefore drivers should be able to negotiate prices with their customers, shouldn't they? It's very convoluted.


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## wk1102 (Dec 25, 2015)

MarcG said:


> I received this reply this morning.
> ------
> Thank you for taking the time to write in and for letting us know. Happy to assist you.
> 
> ...


Are you still not getting pool requests?


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## MarcG (Feb 12, 2016)

I haven't received any pool requests since this email.


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## manuella (Sep 18, 2015)

Anyone have any success with this lately ? I have been emailing back and forth but I'm not getting anywhere.


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## angryuberman (May 11, 2016)

uber used to say pool on the request and i would not accept it.... now they no longer put pool there so they are trying to trick me into accepting ... i only want to accept uber x.... i am not out there to break even.... between brakes ... gas... wear and tear on my car and i mean those customers in vegas just destroy your car... i cannot do pool.... there is no symbol or anything identifying it as uber pool... pretty evil on ubers part


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