# Sitting in a parking lot or driving around?



## Aceves (Dec 30, 2014)

Does it matter if am sitting in a parking lot or is it best to drive around to get more pings?


----------



## UberHammer (Dec 5, 2014)

If you're in a bad spot, then move to a good one. Other than that, don't drive empty miles. It eats up what little profit there is from billable miles.


----------



## Superunknown (Nov 15, 2014)

You are no more likely to get pinged by driving around than sitting in a parking lot. With that in mind, save your gas not to mention unnecessary wear and tear on your car.


----------



## UberXtraordinary (Dec 13, 2014)

As a plus driver, you may need to go fishing... I cruise slowly in ECO Mode to burn the minimum fuel. I have found places that ping plus and have had some success staking out in those neighborhoods. For safety reasons I do no park and wait alone for too long while online. There are some highly motivated people out there that hate us, and are trolling the app to locate isolated drivers. I can not find the article right now, but there was a driver in LA that was victimized this way.


----------



## Aceves (Dec 30, 2014)

Thanks for the advice and salty tip.


----------



## Josho (Nov 27, 2014)

If I'm know I'm in a busy area, I will wait until I get a ping

Otherwise if area is slow or I'm not sure how busy the area is I will wait like 10-15 mins before driving to busier area


----------



## Elmoooy (Sep 3, 2014)

Hey! - I have a spot where I wait. It has been good to me. It also has free wifi so Im not eating up my data plan on my phone!


----------



## Desert Driver (Nov 9, 2014)

Aceves said:


> Thanks for the advice and salty tip.


Never sit for more than, say, 20 minutes. Also, keep an eye on the pax app to see how many other Ubes are in the area. If after sitting in the Target parking lot for 20 minutes with no pings, move to the mall or a crowded sports bar. When you set your limit of how long you'll wait, stick to it. Don't tell yourself, "Just five more minutes..." If no pings have come in 20 minutes, simple statistics will tell you than you're not likely to get in ping after 25 minutes. Also, pick your drive times carefully. Don't drive when no one needs a ride (e.g. Sunday night.)


----------



## UberFrolic (Sep 18, 2014)

If I don't get something in 10 min in a busy area, move along to a different corner.


----------



## Desert Driver (Nov 9, 2014)

Elmoooy said:


> Hey! - I have a spot where I wait. It has been good to me. It also has free wifi so Im not eating up my data plan on my phone!


You don't have an unlimited data plan on your phone?


----------



## Elmoooy (Sep 3, 2014)

Desert Driver said:


> You don't have an unlimited data plan on your phone?


No I don't and I never go above 2 GB anyways. also I require wifi for my phone calls. I use video relay since I am deaf and that alone can really kill my limits real quick.


----------



## Desert Driver (Nov 9, 2014)

UberXtraordinary said:


> As a plus driver, you may need to go fishing... I cruise slowly in ECO Mode to burn the minimum fuel. I have found places that ping plus and have had some success staking out in those neighborhoods. For safety reasons I do no park and wait alone for too long while online. There are some highly motivated people out there that hate us, and are trolling the app to locate isolated drivers. I can not find the article right now, but there was a driver in LA that was victimized this way.


Ya know, I'm half hoping a


Elmoooy said:


> No I don't and I never go above 2 GB anyways. also I require wifi for my phone calls. I use video relay since I am deaf and that alone can really kill my limits real quick.


Well done!
I have to use an unlimited data plan. Between my businesses and all the family members I have on my plan, we use over 100GB per month. Goddamn teenagers!


----------



## cyb3rpunk (Oct 6, 2014)

It depends, back in the day i didn't have to sit around because pings were non-stop, nowadays i'll sit around for a while after a ride as long as i'm not in a obscure sh*thole neighborhood/city.


----------



## drivingstories (Nov 18, 2014)

I tried looking for the article that I read on that very subject, but I couldn't find it to link it.

Article said Uber science guys did a study of a simulated city. Study assumed 3 types of drivers: 1) those who drove around looking for riders, 2) those who stayed parked until they found a driver, and 3) those who kept driving back to high-demand areas. Drivers in the first category did the least well. Drivers in the second and third did better, but with maybe (I didn't find the article to be totally clear on this) a slight edge to drivers who stayed parked after dropping off a passenger.

This study is fine and dandy, but you have to use your judgment if a rider takes you out of the city into a suburb. Do you sit in the suburb or do you drive back into the more densely populated city? If the suburb is right outside of the city, do you hope for longer rides from riders who want to go into the city, or do you go back into the city immediately for those short fares? Experiment for the right formula.


----------



## UberHammer (Dec 5, 2014)

drivingstories said:


> I tried looking for the article that I read on that very subject, but I couldn't find it to link it.
> 
> Article said Uber science guys did a study of a simulated city. Study assumed 3 types of drivers: 1) those who drove around looking for riders, 2) those who stayed parked until they found a driver, and 3) those who kept driving back to high-demand areas. Drivers in the first category did the least well. Drivers in the second and third did better, but with maybe (I didn't find the article to be totally clear on this) a slight edge to drivers who stayed parked after dropping off a passenger.
> 
> This study is fine and dandy, but you have to use your judgment if a rider takes you out of the city into a suburb. Do you sit in the suburb or do you drive back into the more densely populated city? If the suburb is right outside of the city, do you hope for longer rides from riders who want to go into the city, or do you go back into the city immediately for those short fares? Experiment for the right formula.


What did the study measure? Fares? Driver's net after Uber's cut? Driver's profit after car costs?

If it was just fares, 3 will produce more than 2. But 2 could produce more profit even with less fares than 3.


----------



## drivingstories (Nov 18, 2014)

Mmmm, can't recall exactly. Still, a greater total fare equals great driver's net. As for car costs, I assume the less you drive the less it costs to drive.


----------



## TeleSki (Dec 4, 2014)

I do all of the above. If I drop in a busy area, I'll remain there, unless it is flooded with drivers. A lot of variables, though. Time of day being one. If it's 8-10 at night, I'll go back to neighborhood areas where people will be heading out for the night. If it's more midnight to two, I'll hang out around the bars more. After 2-230, I'll start cruising back towards home, try to get a hit from someone heading home from someones house, after sobering up a bit. Some of my best fares have been heading home at 2-3 in the morning getting a ping driving down the freeway and getting a pick-up at a house. In general, I probably spend too much time driving around searching for pings, but I hate just sitting around.


----------



## Johnny 99 (Dec 17, 2014)

Desert Driver said:


> Never sit for more than, say, 20 minutes. Also, keep an eye on the pax app to see how many other Ubes are in the area. If after sitting in the Target parking lot for 20 minutes with no pings, move to the mall or a crowded sports bar. When you set your limit of how long you'll wait, stick to it. Don't tell yourself, "Just five more minutes..." If no pings have come in 20 minutes, simple statistics will tell you than you're not likely to get in ping after 25 minutes. Also, pick your drive times carefully. Don't drive when no one needs a ride (e.g. Sunday night.)


 Totally agree. 20 minutes is my "move" time. I'm always watching where the other Ubes are and make sure I'm in an area where there is no more than one other car nearby. Where I start to play mind games with myself is the question of "do I stay in the city or head to the 'burbs and hope for a ride into the city??...???" $20 dollar fares are so much nicer than those $6 city fares where you tend to waste more time in traffic than finding new pax.


----------



## UberHammer (Dec 5, 2014)

drivingstories said:


> Mmmm, can't recall exactly. Still, a greater total fare equals great driver's net.* As for car costs, I assume the less you drive the less it costs to drive.*


Hence why 2 could be more profitable. 1 and 3 both produce a lot of deadhead miles.


----------



## Desert Driver (Nov 9, 2014)

UberHammer said:


> What did the study measure? Fares? Driver's net after Uber's cut? Driver's profit after car costs?
> 
> If it was just fares, 3 will produce more than 2. But 2 could produce more profit even with less fares than 3.


And 3 plus 4 makes 7.


----------



## Ubermanpt (Dec 23, 2014)

I use a combination. I usually start by driving to an area close to me and park and wait for the first ride. From there, I'll either park again if it is a hot area or I'll drive towards a hit area. My best nights have been when I took pings driving after a pick up towards a hot area, it just kept repeating itself. But when it's slow I think it's better to just park and not waste money on gas


----------



## Alanp613 (Dec 29, 2014)

Does the uber app tell you where the busy spots are? Or is there another app you guys are talking about


----------



## fork2323 (Aug 27, 2014)

Desert Driver said:


> Never sit for more than, say, 20 minutes. Also, keep an eye on the pax app to see how many other Ubes are in the area. If after sitting in the Target parking lot for 20 minutes with no pings, move to the mall or a crowded sports bar. When you set your limit of how long you'll wait, stick to it. Don't tell yourself, "Just five more minutes..." If no pings have come in 20 minutes, simple statistics will tell you than you're not likely to get in ping after 25 minutes. Also, pick your drive times carefully. Don't drive when no one needs a ride (e.g. Sunday night.)


I make bank Sunday night! all back to back pings all over town. my favorite night to work. but this is LA and only amateurs party Friday and Saturday, by Sunday the real drug addicts and freaks have rested for 2 days and now are ready to party again now that all the weekend warriors are gone.


----------



## Desert Driver (Nov 9, 2014)

fork2323 said:


> I make bank Sunday night! all back to back pings all over town. my favorite night to work. but this is LA and only amateurs party Friday and Saturday, by Sunday the real drug addicts and freaks have rested for 2 days and now are ready to party again now that all the weekend warriors are gone.


Yeah, that's one way to look at it.


----------



## TeleSki (Dec 4, 2014)

I actually have done pretty well on Sunday nights, too. I've only been driving about a month, and on a couple of those Sundays, 80% of my fares were going/coming to company Christmas parties, so we'll see how it is other times of the year. I always debate about driving Sunday night, or getting up at 400 Monday to try and snag a couple rides before I go to work. So far, I've driven Sunday nights.


----------



## CNJtrepreneur (Mar 25, 2015)

There's no clear answer. If you drop off in a relatively busy area (downtown, bars, shopping center), then it's better to sit & wait (keeping in mind Desert Driver's advice of limiting the wait time to 20 minutes).

But if you drop off in the suburbs / industrial area, you've got to ask yourself, what are the chances?


----------



## CincyPhil (May 25, 2015)

OK this is the wisdom of my three weeks experience, I am really interested what others think.

Minimizing driving without a customer in the car is critically important. The higher percentage of miles I drive, the lower my expenses, the higher the profit. With that in mind:

I always turn my pinger on at home, generally when I am ready to run out but I also have stuff to do at home until that first ping. Sometimes it's two minutes sometimes it's 20. But that way my first miles are to a known pickup.

I often (not always) end my day when a trip takes me close to home, again with the idea of minimizing dead miles.

I resist the urge to chase surges. When I am in the right place right time that's great but driving more than a couple miles seems like an investment that doesn't pay off.

After a drop off I generally stay put until I ping. I use the pax app to see the other cars in the area, and I may move depending on what I see. But generally I stay put and wait.

As others have noted waiting is tough. I now have a book with me.

I generally accept 100% of the fares. Yes I run the risk of driving 17 minutes for a small fare. But sometimes I get huge fares as well. And it's good for business.

But I will decline or cancel if I see my pickup is in bad neighborhood and the customer rating is less than 5. I am not going to a war zone to pick up someone who has given another driver issues.


----------



## Another Uber Driver (May 27, 2015)

As a long time urban cab driver, it is a habit to keep moving. Even though I have always done some form of "dispatch"
(I use the term loosely, here), I have always preferred hacking the streets. That stated, I have gotten used to doing some sitting, here and there, as technically, at least UberX can not accept street hails. Uber even will send us Washington drivers e-Mails telling us not to accept street hails (there _is_ a way to do it, but, some other time......). I like hanging around Georgetown. I always have. Thus, I usually head there if I am in the City. After leaving home for the day, rarely do I turn on my UberX until I arrive in Logan Circle. If there is a surge indicated there, I will sit ten minutes. If no ping, I head to Georgetown. Always, I get "picked off" before I make it to Georgetown. If I get something into Virginia, I will head either for Crystal City or Clarendon. Crystal City has many short trips and they usually come fast and furious. I have never waited more than five minutes for a ping in Crystal City. Funny, though, to-day I dropped off at National, went to Crystal City, got a ping after two minutes and it went out to Prince George's County, Maryland. I do not like to go there, because I do not know the streets there very well. Sure enough, Uber's GPS was unclear and confusing. I did manage to find the passenger's destination, though.

Uber has worked out its difficulties with Maryland on the Uber Black, but not on UberX. I am very careful what I accept on UberX in Maryland.

If I am on Uber Taxi (supposed to be back on that by Friday ) In addition to Uber, I am accepting customers from other sources (the street, my own company's "dispatch" and My Taxi, if it ever gets going, again). Thus, I keep moving. Rarely will I sit on a taxi stand, unless I am bored and want to take a nap or read the newspaper. As I drive a District of Columbia taxi, I can not wait for customers in Virginia or Maryland. I can go to the Pentagon or the line at National Airport, but neither is really worth my time. We can pick up in Montgomery County, Maryland or anywhere in Virginia in response to a telephone call or previous arrangement (I would expect that response to an electronic summons is the equivalent of response to a telephone call). In fact, now that the Uber application has a field for a destination, I have been after Local Uber Management to allow Uber users in Virginia or Montgomery County, Maryland to choose Uber Taxi if they enter a District of Columbia address in the destination field. The response from Uber Local has been somewhat less than enthusiastic. I suspect that much of it has to do with wanting to pump UberX. Only Prince George's County, Maryland licenced taxis can pick up there, so that one is out. No big deal for me, I do not like going to Prince George's County, anyhow, as I do not kn ow the streets there very well.

My Taxi will accept summonses from anywhere in the Washington Metropolitan Area and give them to any taxi that has subscribed to the application. Everything that I have gotten from it in the suburbs has gone back to the City, but a couple of other guys who are on it have told me that it has given them trips in Virginia that stayed there. That is illegal, but as there is only one Hack Inspector in Arlington and only two in Alexandria.................


----------



## Clifford Chong (May 3, 2015)

Usually, I'll drive around a little if the drop off place was in a local area full of activity.

If the place was residential or in a parking lot, then I wait. Albeit I'll drive just a few blocks away to respect the passenger's privacy.


----------



## Desert Driver (Nov 9, 2014)

Aja said:


> It is easy to make money in rush hours or weekends, but off peak hours make the difference. Top drivers keep making good money at that time frame.


If only, right?


----------



## FWAdriver (Jun 5, 2015)

CincyPhil said:


> OK this is the wisdom of my three weeks experience, I am really interested what others think.
> 
> Minimizing driving without a customer in the car is critically important. The higher percentage of miles I drive, the lower my expenses, the higher the profit. With that in mind:
> 
> ...


I'm driving in a new market, just one month old. One thing driving me crazy so far are the drivers that go online from inside their house. I'm parked at hot spots downtown but they are picking up rides in the burbs just sitting on the couch. My hope is that people notice the wait time is longer for these guys and they rate lower, but so far the honeymoon is over for me. Also I've heard I'm one of the only guys in town with an uber sticker in the window.


----------



## Desert Driver (Nov 9, 2014)

FWAdriver said:


> I'm driving in a new market, just one month old. One thing driving me crazy so far are the drivers that go online from inside their house. I'm parked at hot spots downtown but they are picking up rides in the burbs just sitting on the couch. My hope is that people notice the wait time is longer for these guys and they rate lower, but so far the honeymoon is over for me. Also I've heard I'm one of the only guys in town with an uber sticker in the window.


Just curious, by why on earth do you have the Uber sticker displayed?


----------



## FWAdriver (Jun 5, 2015)

Desert Driver said:


> Just curious, by why on earth do you have the Uber sticker displayed?


People around here expect to see it, make being identified easier, also when I'm picking up from venues parking attendants and cops don't bother me when they see the sign.


----------



## berserk42 (Apr 24, 2015)

FWAdriver said:


> I'm driving in a new market, just one month old. One thing driving me crazy so far are the drivers that go online from inside their house. I'm parked at hot spots downtown but they are picking up rides in the burbs just sitting on the couch. My hope is that people notice the wait time is longer for these guys and they rate lower, but so far the honeymoon is over for me. Also I've heard I'm one of the only guys in town with an uber sticker in the window.


I am a firm believer in Ubering from the couch. It works well for me when I'm ready to go at moment's notice and not out yet trolling the late night crowd. Sometimes I'll get a fare to downtown Seattle from my area, then I'll just ride the wave of constant fares there. I do not use the uber sticker. Certainly it can also induce harassment from cops depending on your area.


----------



## Desert Driver (Nov 9, 2014)

FWAdriver said:


> People around here expect to see it, make being identified easier, also when I'm picking up from venues parking attendants and cops don't bother me when they see the sign.


'Round these parts no one would dare ID their car that way.


----------



## CNJtrepreneur (Mar 25, 2015)

Yeah, most of the time the Uber sticker / window thingy is more of a pain than any kind of advantage.

The rider has your car model, color, and license plate - that should be enough to ID you.

Unfortunately, many of us are in places where showing off that you're Uber is enough to get harassed (Newark Airport), or get a ticket if the cop sees you picking up people (Hoboken), or get a ticket if a cop even sees you dropping people off (Belmar).


----------



## FlDriver (Oct 16, 2015)

I usually park and take a break while riding, unless I'm in an area where I think it's slow. I often get out and walk around, phone in hand and Uber app still online.

It doesn't make sense to drive around randomly- you could be driving toward a rider or away from them.

Today I parked in a lot a mile after dropping someone off and got a ping from someone in the building I was parked next to. The rider was shocked how fast I got there. I had another one while parked that was only 2 blocks away.


----------



## SECOTIME (Sep 18, 2015)

Park it. 

Once I'm parked everytime I get impatient and move away I end up getting a ping and having to drive back where I just came from.

Parking it saves gas, mileage and wear/tear.


----------



## Excel90 (Oct 26, 2015)

Desert Driver said:


> Never sit for more than, say, 20 minutes. Also, keep an eye on the pax app to see how many other Ubes are in the area. If after sitting in the Target parking lot for 20 minutes with no pings, move to the mall or a crowded sports bar. When you set your limit of how long you'll wait, stick to it. Don't tell yourself, "Just five more minutes..." If no pings have come in 20 minutes, simple statistics will tell you than you're not likely to get in ping after 25 minutes. Also, pick your drive times carefully. Don't drive when no one needs a ride (e.g. Sunday night.)


I've had some good Sunday nights. It depends on area you live. If there are clusters of bars in an area, or an event (concert, etc.) it can be a very good night esp since there may be a shortage of drivers on a Sunday night. IMO.


----------



## Desert Driver (Nov 9, 2014)

Excel90 said:


> I've had some good Sunday nights. It depends on area you live. If there are clusters of bars in an area, or an event (concert, etc.) it can be a very good night esp since there may be a shortage of drivers on a Sunday night. IMO.


That is true, but there aren't typically events on Sunday. There need to be things like playoff football games going on.


----------



## Excel90 (Oct 26, 2015)

Desert Driver said:


> That is true, but there aren't typically events on Sunday. There need to be things like playoff football games going on.


Agreed. At least where I live, doesn't have to be a playoff game per se. Lots of clusters of bars around the OC, business travelers, etc. Location is key for Ubering.


----------



## FBM (Oct 30, 2015)

In my area. Its slow during the week generally. I typically hang out in my town. Kick back in my house and wait for the first ping. Average is about 30 min before my first ping. On this type of typical day. I may do about 4 trips. Mostly locally. Usually not more than 50 miles for the day. BUT sometimes I only do a couple trips. Because, I get bored always being "on a look out" only not to be pinged for more than an hour. So in that case, I may go offline for a while. Because, believe it or not. It can be "tiring" to be constantly "waiting". 
SO. This is my experience as for "Sitting in a parking lot" in my area anyway. 
I live 60 miles away from Los Angeles CA. That town is where the "work" is at. There are times, I really want to do a good few trips. So I have the idea to actually drive to L.A. (drive around for more pings). So I go for it. I GO ONLINE on the way to L.A. I get several pings before getting a chance to get to L.A. So, it does seem, I get better luck "driving around". On these days, I end up making twice as much than sitting around my house in my "slow area". But it's not so much "driving around" is better luck. *It's being where the busy area is at!*


----------



## xciceroguy (Aug 10, 2015)

I look where everybody else is. If other drivers have me surrounded I will move to an area that has me between my competition and the place I feel calls are most likely to come from.


----------



## IckyDoody (Sep 18, 2015)

My two cents: Whatever you do, don't drive aimlessly. Also, not all dead miles are the same. Freeway miles are much easier on fuel and on your car in general, therefore they are cheaper. So If you are gonna deadhead, do it with purpose.


----------



## Really! (Oct 28, 2015)

Aceves said:


> Does it matter if am sitting in a parking lot or is it best to drive around to get more pings?


One time I waited by avalon Hollywood for an hour on a Saturday night. Went inside to see what was crackin, next thing I know I'm "Rollin" outta there at 2:30 am with a bunch of people went to someone's hotel where the party tolled until 8am!!!...........

So stay where you are


----------

