# Does Uber Screw Drivers On Surge Trips



## vesolehome (Aug 2, 2015)

I was out last night, in a 2.0 Surge. I've got the Uber app open, my vehicle is in the red surge area. I get pinged, drive, pick up, take the guy home. Nice trip. 5 star. Look and it wasn't paid surge pricing. 
I contact Uber and they say I wasn't in a surge. 
WTF! It was RED 2.0 when I was pinged. My vehicle, on their app, was dead center in the surge area. Does this happen?


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## Another Uber Driver (May 27, 2015)

Faux surge: they are legion, here.


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## DocT (Jul 16, 2015)

That sux! Screwed by FUber again!


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## Uberest (Jul 29, 2015)

As has been discussed elsewhere quite a bit.... being in an area showing surge pricing is not a guarantee of getting a surge ping. The pax app shows surge pricing when ride is requested (with option to be notified when surge subsides); the driver app syncs but is delayed by a few seconds latency. Which means the surge could disappear for pax but still show red on the driver app.


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## Disgusted Driver (Jan 9, 2015)

Uberest said:


> As has been discussed elsewhere quite a bit.... being in an area showing surge pricing is not a guarantee of getting a surge ping. The pax app shows surge pricing when ride is requested (with option to be notified when surge subsides); the driver app syncs but is delayed by a few seconds latency. Which means the surge could disappear for pax but still show red on the driver app.


What Uberest said!

It tells you on the ping whether it's surge or not, can also check the clipboard after you accept to see what rate.


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## BramasoleATX (Aug 10, 2015)

This has been covered numerous times. If you are in a surge area and a ping comes in be sure to check the bottom of the circle to see if it shows the surge amount, otherwise feel free to skip that one and wait for one with a surge. Just because you are in a surge zone does not mean every single job coming in will have a surge rate.
Pass on the non surge ping and let some other driver grab it, increasing your odds of getting the next one with hopefully a surge on it.


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## Uberest (Jul 29, 2015)

Correct...you can check and cancel a non-surge ping if you want. Sometimes the next ping will be surge....but, sometimes not.


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## Nagodesi (Aug 20, 2015)

I take snapshots of the surge i'm picking up in the red area last time i did a run.. emailed Uber and then a few days later did a price correction.. They are faking these surges so more people go there and there are no surges..


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## Uberest (Jul 29, 2015)

Personally I think its less likely to be intentional faking and more likely technical issues/glitches. I suppose though that we should now do this everytime we get a non-surge ping and we are in a surge area!!!!! Well done.


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## BramasoleATX (Aug 10, 2015)

This has been gone over numerous times. People have even posted replies from Uber tech-support - they do not guarantee that just because you are in a surge zone that the customer is in a surge zone. You have to look at the ping coming in and make your decision. Uber Will not pay you a surge just because you're sitting in a surge zone. You have to make sure the job you accept has a surge rate at the bottom of the circle because what really matters is if the customer accepted the job with a surge, not where you are sitting.


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## rbalaji5 (Sep 4, 2015)

if you trip charges shows $50.00 for a rider you drive
Uber will take 20% $10
Safe drive charge $1.00
You get $39.00
Less : Income tax 30% ($8.70)
Less : Gas ($5.00)
Less : Return Gas Miles ($5.00)
Car Maintenance @ 20% ($8.00)
Cell Phone - data,phone charges ($0.50)
(to charge $50 - you need drive for atleast 2 hours) 11.8
on Average you make $6.00
(considering the time, your health maintenace - this is nothing..)
Uber making more money on your car/time/gas/effort - not you..


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## Disgusted Driver (Jan 9, 2015)

rbalaji5 said:


> if you trip charges shows $50.00 for a rider you drive
> Uber will take 20% $10
> Safe drive charge $1.00
> You get $39.00
> ...


I think you are a little off topic on this one. In addition, while I appreciate and agree with the sentiment, your analysis of the earning is off base at best.
$50 - $1 srf = 49.00 - 20% = $39.20 Deduct mileage at .57 per mile before considering tax. If you drove 30 miles each way, you have almost no taxable income. Each car is different but I've found mine costs about .43 per mile to operate and I would hope I take enough calls that my data charge doesn't work out to .50 per call I receive. Whatever the case, you have a laughable amount of income unless you have a return trip.


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## BramasoleATX (Aug 10, 2015)

Don't even humor him with a reply


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## JMBF831 (Aug 13, 2015)

***ATTENTION FOR EVERYONE***

It does not matter where you are, it only matters where your customer pings from. You can be sitting in a red zone 2.0 Surge in California but if the pax ping comes from Nevada (where there is no surge) then you don't get surge.

Surge only matters where your customer pings from, not where you are.

So, this is why it is stupid to chase a surge. All you are doing is being manipulated by Uber to spread out and thus kill the surge and then no one gets surge pricing.

Do NOT chase surge. Stay where you are, because if you drive to Surge then you will cut it off and no driver will get it. At least this way if you stay put and don't chase at least SOMEONE will get surge pricing.


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## vesolehome (Aug 2, 2015)

BramasoleATX said:


> This has been covered numerous times. If you are in a surge area and a ping comes in be sure to check the bottom of the circle to see if it shows the surge amount, otherwise feel free to skip that one and wait for one with a surge. Just because you are in a surge zone does not mean every single job coming in will have a surge rate.
> Pass on the non surge ping and let some other driver grab it, increasing your odds of getting the next one with hopefully a surge on it.


Thanks for the reply. I'm newer to Uber and the Surge has been a joke in my area. I see an area I'm in go red for only a few minutes. I'll Look at the Uber User app and see other drivers racing to that surge and it's gone. There's no point in my area for passing up a ride in a Surge area with some many drivers coming and and knocking out the Surge anyway. I'm starting to think the whole Uber platform is a joke and the Surge is a tool to get people to think they can earn more money when they can't. Seems like Uber treats the Surge like the Lottery. A few people win but the majority that play don't. See a Surge and still don't get paid for it. What a joke! Especially after TWO different Uber support people tell me the same BS that I wasn't in a Surge clearly when I was in a red surge area when the Ping game in. I'll keep this part time gig on a short leash. $9 and $15 local rides aren't making it worth while.


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## JMBF831 (Aug 13, 2015)

vesolehome said:


> Thanks for the reply. I'm newer to Uber and the Surge has been a joke in my area. I see an area I'm in go red for only a few minutes. I'll Look at the Uber User app and see other drivers racing to that surge and it's gone. There's no point in my area for passing up a ride in a Surge area with some many drivers coming and and knocking out the Surge anyway. I'm starting to think the whole Uber platform is a joke and the Surge is a tool to get people to think they can earn more money when they can't. Seems like Uber treats the Surge like the Lottery. A few people win but the majority that play don't. See a Surge and still don't get paid for it. What a joke! Especially after TWO different Uber support people tell me the same BS that I wasn't in a Surge clearly when I was in a red surge area when the Ping game in. I'll keep this part time gig on a short leash. $9 and $15 local rides aren't making it worth while.


It's mostly used to manipulate drivers to spread out. Obviously they wouldn't want every single driver in the same spot. That is bad for business. I just wish all of the new drivers weren't so stupid and just stayed put when a surge popped up. Having said that, keep your head up. I got a random 2.9 last night.


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## ddjboomer (Sep 5, 2015)

vesolehome said:


> I was out last night, in a 2.0 Surge. I've got the Uber app open, my vehicle is in the red surge area. I get pinged, drive, pick up, take the guy home. Nice trip. 5 star. Look and it wasn't paid surge pricing.
> I contact Uber and they say I wasn't in a surge.
> WTF! It was RED 2.0 when I was pinged. My vehicle, on their app, was dead center in the surge area. Does this happen?


Always check the surge in the riders information. If it does not show the number rate surge then it is not going to be a surge. This when I cancel the ride. I have gotten screwed in a 6.5x surge before. It might read a surge when you accept it, but again check to confirm.


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## Disgusted Driver (Jan 9, 2015)

I think you also need to learn which surges are "real" and which are fleeting. You can tell the real ones from history. For example, we get a light surge friday night at last call, a heavy surge Sat. night at last call, occasionally a surge between 11PM and midnight for people going to the bars, a small surge before football games and a quick surge after major events like games or concerts. Anything else is fleeting at best and not worth going to.


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## Visitor (Aug 29, 2015)

JMBF831 said:


> ***ATTENTION FOR EVERYONE***
> 
> It does not matter where you are, it only matters where your customer pings from. You can be sitting in a red zone 2.0 Surge in California but if the pax ping comes from Nevada (where there is no surge) then you don't get surge.
> 
> ...


I stopped chasing colors weeks ago. It is always a waste of gas & time.


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## JMBF831 (Aug 13, 2015)

It's weird when I get a 2.8 or 2.9 surge when the Partner app is showing:

SURGE PRICING 1.OO-1.50

Uber on! lol


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## juju (Aug 10, 2015)

DocT said:


> That sux! Screwed by FUber again!


I love your cat driving the uber car....Team CATS


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## Desert Driver (Nov 9, 2014)

vesolehome said:


> I was out last night, in a 2.0 Surge. I've got the Uber app open, my vehicle is in the red surge area. I get pinged, drive, pick up, take the guy home. Nice trip. 5 star. Look and it wasn't paid surge pricing.
> I contact Uber and they say I wasn't in a surge.
> WTF! It was RED 2.0 when I was pinged. My vehicle, on their app, was dead center in the surge area. Does this happen?


Phantom surges are a means for Uber to get drivers off the couch and into their cars. There's really nothing drivers can do about it because there's no actual record available to the driver of when/where the surge was.


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## ddjboomer (Sep 5, 2015)

Desert Driver said:


> Phantom surges are a means for Uber to get drivers off the couch and into their cars. There's really nothing drivers can do about it because there's no actual record available to the driver of when/where the surge was.


Ya there is a way. When u accept a ride, check the rider profile to see if the surge is there. If it is not,....well, I cancel and wait for another hit that honors the surge on my app. I only work suge because that is he only way to make a little$.


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## Desert Driver (Nov 9, 2014)

ddjboomer said:


> Ya there is a way. When u accept a ride, check the rider profile to see if the surge is there. If it is not,....well, I cancel and wait for another hit that honors the surge on my app. I only work suge because that is he only way to make a little$.


You are gaming the system to increase your profit margins. Kudos to ya. This is exactly the sort of thing I'm talking about when I explain to newbies that the only way to make money is to game the system.


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