# Always get pinged as I'm almost home...



## pizza guy (Jul 23, 2015)

Does Uber know when you are almost home and about to logoff and give you priority to keep you driving? 
My dead time logged on is spent at home doing anything from working my other job to doing laundry to playing PS4. I get a ping (often closer than the walk to my car) and work from the customers destination to my home taking the most fuel efficient route that takes me close to pax hot spots. 30% of my pings come from that last mile before I reach home. This seems very suspicious to me.


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## JimS (Aug 18, 2015)

You must live close to a hot spot. Sit in your easy chair and wait for the pings to flow!

Other ways of almost always guaranteeing a ping:

- Go to a restroom, any restroom. #2 reduces the time to ping by 50%

- Go into a store to buy something. Be careful because you won't get a ping until you actually start to check out.

- Sit down for coffee

- Sit down for food

- Get drive through

- Get out to buy gas

- Make or receive an important phone call you can't dismiss

- Make it just past a hot spot on a one way street with no turn around for 1/2 mile

- Be across the state line where you aren't approved to drive yet

- Stand 15 seconds away from your phone

- Fall asleep

- And, as the OP mentioned, be almost home after a particularly slow night

I'm sure there are others...


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## pizza guy (Jul 23, 2015)

I do live in a hot spot at certain times. No problem with other residents in the area camping and reaping the rewards. As a courtesy we often log off until the other gets something. I do have a problem with Uber drivers who don't live in the area and don't pay rent or association fees sitting in the area cutting my ping area in half. Do I put up with it or do I be a dick and have them move increasing my ping area by 30%?


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## JimS (Aug 18, 2015)

This isn't West Side Story. Your dues and rent don't extend to the public streets. If they are trespassing, that's another story, but it didn't sound like it.

Don't start a turf war. Not worth it for the pennies.


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## TwoFiddyMile (Mar 13, 2015)

pizza guy said:


> I do live in a hot spot at certain times. No problem with other residents in the area camping and reaping the rewards. As a courtesy we often log off until the other gets something. I do have a problem with Uber drivers who don't live in the area and don't pay rent or association fees sitting in the area cutting my ping area in half. Do I put up with it or do I be a dick and have them move increasing my ping area by 30%?


That's insane.
Whoever is closest gets the job. I'd never log off to let another driver get a job first, he's not gonna pay my mortgage. 
Daddy needs a new pair of shoes.


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## LEAFdriver (Dec 28, 2014)

pizza guy said:


> 30% of my pings come from that last mile before I reach home. This seems very suspicious to me.


LOL I've noticed the same thing! And I definitely do not live in a HOT SPOT! There is a good 5 miles between me and any Hot Spots.....so usually, when I am about 4.9 miles from those hot spots...and within a mile from home....I get another ping....after I've been sitting IN THE MIDDLE of those hot spots for an hour or more with NO PING. 

JimS list also seems to work if you find yourself 'pingless'.


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## pizza guy (Jul 23, 2015)

TwoFiddyMile said:


> That's insane.
> Whoever is closest gets the job. I'd never log off to let another driver get a job first, he's not gonna pay my mortgage.
> Daddy needs a new pair of shoes.


Most Chicago area Uber drivers treat each other well. My other work is almost as flexible as Uber. Logging off for an hour without interuption can be very valuble to me when it is unlikely I get a a ping anyway. I sure hope I never have to count on Uber for a mortgage.


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## JimS (Aug 18, 2015)

Best ways to NOT get a ping while online:

- Sit in the hottest nightspot in the area

- Chase a surge

- Chase a heat map


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## pizza guy (Jul 23, 2015)

JimS said:


> Best ways to NOT get a ping while online:
> 
> - Sit in the hottest nightspot in the area
> 
> ...


Best ways for me to get a ping:

Preheat oven, start a pot of coffee, any Cubs game I get through antenna (dead during cable games I want to be in car listening to radio), the day after White Castle.
If you log on to make some extra money while leaving town every pax will take you in the wrong direction.


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## Another Uber Driver (May 27, 2015)

JimS said:


> Other ways of almost always guaranteeing a ping:
> 
> - Go to a restroom, any restroom. #2 reduces the time to ping by 50%
> 
> ...





JimS said:


> Best ways to NOT get a ping while online:
> 
> - Sit in the hottest nightspot in the area
> 
> ...





pizza guy said:


> Best ways for me to get a ping:
> 
> Preheat oven, start a pot of coffee, any Cubs game I get through antenna (dead during cable games I want to be in car listening to radio), the day after White Castle.
> If you log on to make some extra money while leaving town every pax will take you in the wrong direction.


The short version of all of the above quoted messages is: Murphy rides Uber.


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## Gretzky (Aug 1, 2015)

Haha happens to me every time I try to go home for lunch


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## Fuzzyelvis (Dec 7, 2014)

JimS said:


> This isn't West Side Story. Your dues and rent don't extend to the public streets. If they are trespassing, that's another story, but it didn't sound like it.
> 
> Don't start a turf war. Not worth it for the pennies.





pizza guy said:


> I do live in a hot spot at certain times. No problem with other residents in the area camping and reaping the rewards. As a courtesy we often log off until the other gets something. I do have a problem with Uber drivers who don't live in the area and don't pay rent or association fees sitting in the area cutting my ping area in half. Do I put up with it or do I be a dick and have them move increasing my ping area by 30%?


"Have them move?" How does THAT work?


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## Fuzzyelvis (Dec 7, 2014)

pizza guy said:


> Does Uber know when you are almost home and about to logoff and give you priority to keep you driving?
> My dead time logged on is spent at home doing anything from working my other job to doing laundry to playing PS4. I get a ping (often closer than the walk to my car) and work from the customers destination to my home taking the most fuel efficient route that takes me close to pax hot spots. 30% of my pings come from that last mile before I reach home. This seems very suspicious to me.


Uber doesn't want you to go home. You're supposed to stay in your car.


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## Another Uber Driver (May 27, 2015)

Fuzzyelvis said:


> Uber doesn't want you to go home. You're supposed to stay in your car.


It is just the same amoung all those people who try to hail my cab when I am going home. My top light can show *OFF DUTY*, I can have ten *OFF DUTY* signs in the various windows and on the dashboard and people *still *will not back off. They seem to think that I have nothing else to do.


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## clwilla (Sep 1, 2015)

Something similar happened to me tonight.

In the middle of a 3.x surge and nothing. It's been a long day because today was the college football game home opener in a newly rebuilt stadium (University of Kentucky), and I'm tired so I start to head home despite a huge surge. About 10 miles away from the hot spots, PING! And just after the surge briefly ended. I'm sure I was the closest driver (the PAX was only a minute or so away, and my guess is that she was waiting for the surge to end). Then after a nearly 10 mile drive with no surge that was bringing me well away from home, I get ANOTHER Ping (again well away from any hot spots). These guys wanted to go . . .

back to the downtown hotspots where I had left 40 minutes prior with the full intention of going home. While there there was a 3.6x surge but since the game just ended and I had been dealing with game nonsense all day I decided to turn the app off and start my way home. A little ways down the road I turn it back on (well away from the stadium) while on my way back home and leave it on because 3.8x surge, and PING! To a PAX's marker . . .

which was 3 miles away from where the PAX was.

Cancel trip.

Turn off app.

Go home.

Turn on app to get the numbers I need for my spreadsheet and 4.2x surge.


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## Amsoil Uber Connect (Jan 14, 2015)

Took me 4 times friday to get my Iced coffee at J n B. At least I was able to pee on one of those.


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## JimS (Aug 18, 2015)

Don't pee on your coffee.


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## Chicago-uber (Jun 18, 2014)

If I decided to go home, I turn off the app. Never leave it on when driving home. Because you'll always get a ping when you're almost home. Uber wants you to work 24/7


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## Uberest (Jul 29, 2015)

My sympathies... It is always a huge gamble to stay online while on the way home or on the way to any place you want to be. I just turn the app off and relax. Yes you could be "leaving money on the table". But tomorrow's another day. If I am tired I am not driving... Risks go way up....


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## Yugotrobbed (Aug 24, 2015)

JimS said:


> You must live close to a hot spot. Sit in your easy chair and wait for the pings to flow!
> 
> Other ways of almost always guaranteeing a ping:
> 
> ...


Every one of these has happened to me. Spot on.


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## JimS (Aug 18, 2015)

And it still happens to me. Saturday night, I tried going home at 11:30. Ping. Drop off, get 2 miles closer to home. Ping. Repeat. Repeat. 2 more miles closer, go into grocery store, buy milk and eggs, leave, get two more miles and now I'm on a viaduct that's two miles long without a turnaround. As soon as I get past the point of no return, PING. Right next to the grocery store. Finally turned off my app, got home at 1:30 AM.

Uber on!


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## Larry-AMS (Feb 24, 2015)

I have gotten some of my best pings at 4:10am, when a block away from home! Like a trip to the airport getting a $20 tip, or military guy needing to get back to base before roll call, also getting a contact as a tip...never know when you might need a jarhead or a grunt!


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## python134r (Jul 24, 2015)

That happens to me all the time I live smack dab where it busy in the south palm beach area. If its slow I go home, punch the numbers to the gate of my subdivision and bam a ping, or get in my apt, relax and bam another ping.


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## goldy (Sep 16, 2015)

Last night, pinged a mile from home to take the guy 45 min and 28 miles in opposite direction. Yea.


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## Trebor (Apr 22, 2015)

pizza guy said:


> I do live in a hot spot at certain times. No problem with other residents in the area camping and reaping the rewards. As a courtesy we often log off until the other gets something. I do have a problem with Uber drivers who don't live in the area and don't pay rent or association fees sitting in the area cutting my ping area in half. Do I put up with it or do I be a dick and have them move increasing my ping area by 30%?


I would walk up to their car and say it is a private street, but they can have access for $10/day. (Paid to you)

Either they will pay, or they will move.


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## Nuhtzzzz (Sep 24, 2015)

When I'm done and I'm on the way home, or taking lunch, I turn off the app. I'm new, and I may be leaving money on the table, but we need our down time for mental health.


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## Trebor (Apr 22, 2015)

Nuhtzzzz said:


> When I'm done and I'm on the way home, or taking lunch, I turn off the app. I'm new, and I may be leaving money on the table, but we need our down time for mental health.


Down time is the time between rides.

No, its good to turn it off. You may never get home, or eat in peace.


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## Uberest (Jul 29, 2015)

I have learned that you have to turn the app off if you want to be somewhere by a specific time. You just have to. Unless and until, UBER provides a way to filter pings by direction.


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## LyftMurph (May 19, 2015)

Driver destination is coming according to the San Diego team, they let us know at an appreciation event yesterday.

So you can put in where you're going and get pings on your route. It is not uber pool/lyft line.

Great for me if it comes out and I end up in downtown and want to head home to Fallbrook.


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## BigSlick (Apr 15, 2015)

Why would you leave the app open if you don't want to take any more rides?


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## LyftMurph (May 19, 2015)

BigSlick said:


> Why would you leave the app open if you don't want to take any more rides?


It's an addiction


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## Fuzzyelvis (Dec 7, 2014)

clwilla said:


> Something similar happened to me tonight.
> 
> In the middle of a 3.x surge and nothing. It's been a long day because today was the college football game home opener in a newly rebuilt stadium (University of Kentucky), and I'm tired so I start to head home despite a huge surge. About 10 miles away from the hot spots, PING! And just after the surge briefly ended. I'm sure I was the closest driver (the PAX was only a minute or so away, and my guess is that she was waiting for the surge to end). Then after a nearly 10 mile drive with no surge that was bringing me well away from home, I get ANOTHER Ping (again well away from any hot spots). These guys wanted to go . . .
> 
> ...


If you REALLY dont want a trip then log off. If you weren't up for a 3x surge why take a NO surge?


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## ReviTULize (Sep 29, 2014)

I usually press the "go offline" button when I don't wanna take rides


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## Fuzzyelvis (Dec 7, 2014)

BigSlick said:


> Why would you leave the app open if you don't want to take any more rides?


To make the miles tax deductible. But you better be willing to take some of them.


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## pizza guy (Jul 23, 2015)

BigSlick said:


> Why would you leave the app open if you don't want to take any more rides?


After I drop off a pax I try to drive home via a fuel efficient route that also takes me by the most hotspots. You never know when you may get a really good ride. I may still want to make more money that day, but if the current rush is over its a great time to go home, eat, nap or whatever until the next rush. Also, I have almost 5,000 people in my apartment complex and routinely get easy trainstation pickups with dropoffs a block from home. Its part game, part addiction, and the risk of ending up an hour from home also make it part masochism.


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