# I allowed a rider to smoke in my car



## nickd8775 (Jul 12, 2015)

Halloween night I pick up this group going 25 miles on a 3x surge. As I am crossing a bridge 5 miles into the ride someone rolls down the window and I smell smoke. I said nothing because I want the big surge fare. 
I drop them off and go back to the city. I couldn't smell the smoke residue thankfully. 
If it was not a surge fare, I would have stopped on the bridge and kicked them out right there. No warning, you know you are not allowed to smoke so out you go. They could walk on the sidewalk or jump off, I don't care. 
But smoking is one thing I would let slide on a big surge fare. 
Would you kick out a smoker if they're going far on surge?


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## Uber Kraus (Jun 10, 2015)

nickd8775 said:


> Halloween night I pick up this group going 25 miles on a 3x surge. As I am crossing a bridge 5 miles into the ride someone rolls down the window and I smell smoke. I said nothing because I want the big surge fare.
> I drop them off and go back to the city. I couldn't smell the smoke residue thankfully.
> If it was not a surge fare, I would have stopped on the bridge and kicked them out right there. No warning, you know you are not allowed to smoke so out you go. They could walk on the sidewalk or jump off, I don't care.
> But smoking is one thing I would let slide on a big surge fare.
> Would you kick out a smoker if they're going far on surge?


Yup. They put it out or they can take a hike.


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## Another Uber Driver (May 27, 2015)

I do not mind smoke. I used to smoke. I smoked from 1968-1998. Girlfriend still smokes. It really does not bother me. Many people fuss about it because it is fashionable to do so.

That stated, let us remember who is paying the bills. Yup, you guessed it, these people who fuss about cigaret smoke. If I want people to use my service, I must, among other things, see to it that they are as comfortable as I can reasonably be expected to make them. For this reason, I must keep away the smell of burned tobacco, as much as possible. Thus, in the cab and UberXmobile, I do not allow smoking: not tobacco, not reefer, not opium, not hashish, not pole, not jimson weed, not K-W, nor crack. GF actually understands that I will not let even her smoke in either. She can smoke in the Grand Marquis or the Desoto, but not the cab or UberXmobile.

The one thing about which you can not do much, Y-E-T, at least, is those customers who have just put out a cigaret, stogie or pipe. They do smell up the car. In fact, I once received a nastygram from Uber about an UberX passenger's one-star experience. It seems that I picked up this guy who had just put out a stogie. I saw that he had thrown it into the sewer before he got in. Needless to state, the smell of stogie was all over him and, subsequently, all over the car. I took him where he was going, discharged him, sprayed the de-stinkifier spray, did my bookwork. Upon completion of the bookwork, another ping came immediately. The customer got in and began to complain about the smell of spray and tobacco. I advised her that the last passenger had put out a stogie just before he had boarded the UberXmobile, consequently, he had stunk up the car. I added that I had done my best to deal with it by spraying the de-stinkifier. She told me that I should have refused to carry him. I replied that Uber would have frowned upon that, as he was not smoking in the car. That did not satisfy her.

Surge, or no surge, I would have told them not to smoke. Yes, you get the immediate surge money, but the one stars that you receive subsequent to that are not worth the surge. If it were a matter of only one or two low ratings, allright, but, as it is fashionable to be anti-tobacco, you will receive more than a few low ratings over it.


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## DieselkW (Jul 21, 2015)

It's not "fashionable" to be anti-tobacco, it's common sense. It stinks. It causes cancer. It damages upholstery. Did I mention it stinks? A smoker in my car is about as welcome as a fart in the kitchen.

I hate smelly pax. Certain cultures are not accustomed to bathing daily as Americans do, and picking up those pax - or worse - a group of them.... can really funk up your interior. I'm talking about breathing through my shirt funky B.O. stench. Open the roof hoping to avoid a persistent leftover stank. 

Smokers are worse than that. Find another car cancer man, this one's not for you.


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## Another Uber Driver (May 27, 2015)

Yes,, it is fashionable to be anti-tobacco. These same people who are smoking reefer start the cough and choke histrionics when someone lights a cigaret. Reefer smoke stinks. Reefer smoke and residue gets on the windows, in the carpet and on the cloth that covers the seats. Oh, did I forget to mention that reefer smoke stinks? 

Reefer, however, is fashionable. Smoking reefer is allright.

One of my brothers fusses about cigarets all the time. He has since he was in high school. He could have married any one of three women. He chose the only one who smoked.


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## Turbo (Sep 20, 2015)

I had a honeymoonish couple in the back become quiet and frisky and then smoky, or so I thought. Couldn't be sure but that's what it smelled like. Afterward, no evidence of a cigarette or anything. The most worrisome part is imagining that they just flung it out the window and I could have been pulled over for that.


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## Turbo (Sep 20, 2015)

You can be ticketed, and at night it lights up bright when it hits the road.


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## limepro (Mar 7, 2015)

I am a smoker and I don't allow smoking in my vehicles, what I do to myself is my choice, what my kids have to endure is not yours.


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## Another Uber Driver (May 27, 2015)

LBCPriusC said:


> really? everybody flings their cigarette out all over socal. never thought it was an issue.


In some jurisdictions, they will issue you a summons for it. Try it in the Shenandoah Hills in the summer time or in the California Sierras in the summer time and you will be pilloried for it.


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## D Town (Apr 8, 2015)

I would have stopped the car and told them its either their cigarette or them that was leaving my vehicle. That's about as much leeway as they'd get. Without a surge it would just be, "Get out." MAYBE I'd slow down as they tucked and rolled...


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## FlDriver (Oct 16, 2015)

YOU might not mind smoke, but smoke stinks up the car for long after the ride ends, and future riders will smell it and be turned off.

I can sometimes smell the smoke residue when a smoker rides in my car without smoking in it, because they smoked before getting in. Even then, the smell still lingered for a while.


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## Fuzzyelvis (Dec 7, 2014)

I h


nickd8775 said:


> Halloween night I pick up this group going 25 miles on a 3x surge. As I am crossing a bridge 5 miles into the ride someone rolls down the window and I smell smoke. I said nothing because I want the big surge fare.
> I drop them off and go back to the city. I couldn't smell the smoke residue thankfully.
> If it was not a surge fare, I would have stopped on the bridge and kicked them out right there. No warning, you know you are not allowed to smoke so out you go. They could walk on the sidewalk or jump off, I don't care.
> But smoking is one thing I would let slide on a big surge fare.
> Would you kick out a smoker if they're going far on surge?


I have severe asthma. I sometimes have to use my inhaler ftom the third hand smoke just because a smoker gets in my car. It would be too dangerous to me to ignore it. All the windows would immediately be down and I would stop so they could put it out or themselves. Then we'd drive the rest of the way with all the windows down.

No surge they would be out period.

If you smoke on a bus you get kicked off. So...seriously? In my car without asking? They KNOW that's not ok.


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## Another Uber Driver (May 27, 2015)

FlDriver said:


> YOU might not mind smoke, but smoke stinks up the car for long after the ride ends, and future riders will smell it and be turned off.
> I can sometimes smell the smoke residue when a smoker rides in my car without smoking in it, because they smoked before getting in. Even then, the smell still lingered for a while.


I do not know if you directed this at me, but if you did, I did state that such is the reason why I will not allow smoking in either the cab or the UberXmobile---not even for GF.

I, too have noticed that the smell gets into the car when a passenger throws out his cigaret then boards.

Whatever I think of people who fuss about tobacco is irrelevant when it comes to business. These tobacco haters, be their distaste for tobacco real or imagined, are paying the bills. Here we have an illustration of "The customer is always right".

I used to smoke. I gave it up sometime back. I am glad that I did, if for no other reason than "Have you seen how much those things cost?"


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## fat cat (Oct 20, 2015)

How about vapes?


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## Jose_A (Jul 5, 2015)

I'll allow it if he's really well behaved and asks nicely. I've had people ask me if they can smoke outside the window, and the answer is always every time hell no. If they get pissy, I cancel. OTOH, I dip but not with a pax in the car, usually at the end of the night on the drive home.


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## grayspinner (Sep 8, 2015)

When I first started, a young couple got in that stank like excellent weed. I was running the a/c on recirculation & the smell permeated the vents or something because that lingered for DAYS. It was very frustrating. 

Typically febreeze takes car of smoke odors from pax who stink. 

I don't let people smoke on my car no matter the surge. I've got asthma and breathing is important to me


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## Bob Reynolds (Dec 20, 2014)

I don't allow any form of smoking, tobacco or vaping in my vehicle no matter what.


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## D Town (Apr 8, 2015)

grayspinner said:


> ...breathing is important to me


That's going on a tee shirt.


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## Realityshark (Sep 22, 2014)

I like to fart in the car whenever I am driving more than 1 passenger. I fart in elevators too.


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## Mr. T (Jun 27, 2015)

I let them do it all the time. I just roll all the windows down and no smell is left.


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## Fuzzyelvis (Dec 7, 2014)

fat cat said:


> How about vapes?


That's a problem for my asthma too. Found that out when someone surreptitiously was doing in my car. I didn't even know what it was. Thought they had some horrendous body spray. I opened all the windows and would have kicked them out if I'd known. Had to use my inhaler. I figured it out later when someone was doing it waiting for me and,asked if they could bring it in the car. I said no because I'd heard of it and figured it would be an issue but then when they got in I realised what the other pax had been doing.


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## mopapa (Aug 15, 2015)

It's all fine until one of them burns your seat, does not tell you and later fights the clearing fee.


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## sellkatsell44 (Oct 25, 2015)

DieselkW said:


> It's not "fashionable" to be anti-tobacco, it's common sense. It stinks. It causes cancer. It damages upholstery. Did I mention it stinks? A smoker in my car is about as welcome as a fart in the kitchen.
> 
> I hate smelly pax. Certain cultures are not accustomed to bathing daily as Americans do, and picking up those pax - or worse - a group of them.... can really funk up your interior. I'm talking about breathing through my shirt funky B.O. stench. Open the roof hoping to avoid a persistent leftover stank.
> 
> Smokers are worse than that. Find another car cancer man, this one's not for you.


I'm on the fence about this.

If the smoker rolls down the window--and blows out, that's probably the main reason you can't smell it despite a 5 mile run.

On the other hand, I always think it is a courtesy to ASK before anything.

But,

I've also had uber drives with STINKY (not smoke or weed) cars. Also where they're STINKY.

How could I be rude and say, hey, Imma cancel this ride and find another b/c you smell and I can't stand it?


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## kmartinez3218 (Sep 26, 2015)

No smoking allowed in my cars. I used to smoke and as a smoker never did I light up in my own vehicle, I also never smoked in my house. If I don't do it a pax ain't doing it. 

I don't allow vapes either for this reason. Do we really know what's in that stuff? 2ndly when I quit smoking I got a vape, for a week or 2 all was fine it helped me kick smoking cigs. But my ankles started swelling up tingling also present in my feet by the end of the night my calves were swollen. Went to doctor they did all kinds of tests, I even told them I vaped, which was met by " oh that will not cause this swelling" swelling went on about 2 months and I thought the only thing I did new was quit smoking and start vaping, so I put the vape down within a week all leg swelling was gone and swelling has never came back since I threw that vape away. So there is something in the liquid that I am allergic to. Imo vapes are like smoking unknown crap in them that's just not good for the body.


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