# Is there an "Uber shortage" in your market?



## #1husler (Aug 22, 2017)

Pax have been whining to me about a so called "Uber shortage" in Tucson, reporting significantly longer wait time or simply "no cars available", and surge pricing, all of which I've seen on my end too, where my app goes bonkers with requests the moment I log on to when I log off.

I'm guessing that with the raising cost of gas at the pump that drivers in the Tucson market are content to stay off the road, sit at home and collect their weekly UI "cheese", and await another stimulus check.

Is there an "Uber shortage" in your market too?


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## Volvonaut (May 1, 2016)

I believe the highest driver turnover occurs at the start of the year. Difficult to tell here because of the ice storm throwing everything off but I am detecting excessive waits recently and enjoying a little spillover on XL.


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## NicFit (Jan 18, 2020)

I think there is a driver shortage, I got this offer today which I've never seen before, and I'm in the Bay Area. Kinda surprising but not really. Don't think most drivers want to work right now, between the free cheese, low demand and covid Uber is having a tough time


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## bone-aching-work (Jul 12, 2020)

It's night and day difference when the cheese is available. Nonstop requests through the end of July. My competition reluctantly returned in August and I had to wait between rides, earnings took a dive. Now I'm constantly busy again.


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## Ski-U-Uber (Feb 2, 2020)

I drive in Denver and Boulder and yes we have a major driver shortage. I noticed it when phase 2 of PUA started.


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## dmoney155 (Jun 12, 2017)

#1husler said:


> Pax have been whining to me about a so called "Uber shortage" in Tucson, reporting significantly longer wait time or simply "no cars available", and surge pricing, all of which I've seen on my end too, where my app goes bonkers with requests the moment I log on to when I log off.
> 
> I'm guessing that with the raising cost of gas at the pump that drivers in the Tucson market are content to stay off the road, sit at home and collect their weekly UI "cheese", and await another stimulus check.
> 
> Is there an "Uber shortage" in your market too?


No, but we had that last year.... it was great... all the drivers at home enjoying free money... it was best 2.5 months ever. Sadly once money ran out, they were all back on the streets.


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## Another Uber Driver (May 27, 2015)

It seems to be periodic on F*ub*a*r*, as surges do happen. It seems to be more frequent on Gr*yft*. I have been doing far more Gr*yft* than I used to do, mostly because I am getting consistent ride and streak bonuses. It has gotten to the point that I do not even bother logging ON to F*ub*a*r* unless Gr*yft* is not showing me some sort of bonus.

There seems to be far less competition on Gr*yft*.

My accept rate on Gr*yft* hovers between three and twenty per-cent and has for some time, now. I used to get one "Important Update About [My] Driver Account" weekly and a text infrequently. I now get at least one "Important Update" daily and at least one text nastygram daily about my declining jobs.


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## Trafficat (Dec 19, 2016)

Ever since surge was eliminated in my area a lot of pax tell me they cannot get rides, especially when it snows. No surprise here. I stay off the road when it snows. Who wants to drive at base rates at half speed on dangerous ice? There is no profit in that.


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## W00dbutcher (Jan 14, 2019)

It doesn't help when average pick up times are 18 minutes...... Somehow know matter where you are at its always around 18 minutes


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## wallae (Jun 11, 2018)

#1husler said:


> Pax have been whining to me about a so called "Uber shortage" in Tucson, reporting significantly longer wait time or simply "no cars available", and surge pricing, all of which I've seen on my end too, where my app goes bonkers with requests the moment I log on to when I log off.
> 
> I'm guessing that with the raising cost of gas at the pump that drivers in the Tucson market are content to stay off the road, sit at home and collect their weekly UI "cheese", and await another stimulus check.
> 
> Is there an "Uber shortage" in your market too?


I don't care (unless they pay a surge)
But all rights there should be a shortage at the pay rate


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## #1husler (Aug 22, 2017)

W00dbutcher said:


> It doesn't help when average pick up times are 18 minutes...... Somehow know matter where you are at its always around 18 minutes


Oh yes...I forget to mention THAT as a key indicative of the so-called "Uber shortage" that Tucson pax are grousing about...I KNOW its only me (and perhaps a few others) plying this city's low grade/beaten up roads when I'm both FUber and Gyft dash me a series of insanely non-sensical rides (ie, 22 mins away, 25 mins away)...all of which I decline, get booted of Uber a few times, get Grfyt's comical, crocodile tears "bad for the community..." texts and emails, until I get something a few mins away, check that its NOT a multi-stop, then go for it!


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## W00dbutcher (Jan 14, 2019)

#1husler said:


> Oh yes...I forget to mention THAT as a key indicative of the so-called "Uber shortage" that Tucson pax are grousing about...I KNOW its only me (and perhaps a few others) plying this city's low grade/beaten up roads when I'm both FUber and Gyft dash me a series of insanely non-sensical rides (ie, 22 mins away, 25 mins away)...all of which I decline, get booted of Uber a few times, get Grfyt's comical, crocodile tears "bad for the community..." texts and emails, until I get something a few mins away, check that its NOT a multi-stop, then go for it!


I've Declined 20 minutes worth of 18+ minute pick up to only get one 1 mile away that's been sitting 25 mi utes.


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## #1husler (Aug 22, 2017)

W00dbutcher said:


> I've Declined 20 minutes worth of 18+ minute pick up to only get one 1 mile away that's been sitting 25 mi utes.


I've had UP folks say that I think "I'm cool" for labeling FUber "FUber"....and yet your experience demonstrates that...in actually FUber's algo and AI systems really go fubar, making no sense whatsover, perhaps the system "thinks" FUber would profit by sending you 18 mins into the wilderness rather than doing a nearby PU?, but in my market, we dont get paid for mileage to the PU, so FUber gets the same cut regardless, so that's not the case, it just seems like randomness from a confused system.


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## Atom guy (Jul 27, 2016)

Last week during a snow storm I parked my car and waited for the surge. It never came on the driver app, but the trip I kept checking on the passenger app went up $5 and said "no cars available." I ended up just going home since no surge was forthcoming for the driver.



#1husler said:


> Oh yes...I forget to mention THAT as a key indicative of the so-called "Uber shortage" that Tucson pax are grousing about...I KNOW its only me (and perhaps a few others) plying this city's low grade/beaten up roads when I'm both FUber and Gyft dash me a series of insanely non-sensical rides (ie, 22 mins away, 25 mins away)...all of which I decline, get booted of Uber a few times, get Grfyt's comical, crocodile tears "bad for the community..." texts and emails, until I get something a few mins away, check that its NOT a multi-stop, then go for it!


Meanwhile there are drivers on the other side of town are getting the same long distance pick ups. Sometime it seems like Uber and Lyft have us driving past each other to the pick ups.


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## #1husler (Aug 22, 2017)

Atom guy said:


> Last week during a snow storm I parked my car and waited for the surge. It never came on the driver app, but the trip I kept checking on the passenger app went up $5 and said "no cars available." I ended up just going home since no surge was forthcoming for the driver.
> 
> 
> Meanwhile there are drivers on the other side of town are getting the same long distance pick ups. Sometime it seems like Uber and Lyft have us driving past each other to the pick ups.


I dont drive by anyone for a PU because I decline anything less than 5 mins away...neither FUber nor Gyft can deactivate me for "just saying no", so I tend to decline between 10-15 ride requests (get booted, log back on, etc) until I get something in my strike zone to work with..my acceptance rate is less than 50%, with a ton of cancellations too (if I arrive and the PU doesnt make financial sense, I cancel and bounce), but that's just how I roll as per the so called "Uber Shortage"...


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## wallae (Jun 11, 2018)

Atom guy said:


> I ended up just going home since no surge was forthcoming for the driver.


Maybe you could get Young Kim to move to your city
He takes charity cases and holds the pay low &#128517;


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## #1husler (Aug 22, 2017)

wallae said:


> Maybe you could get Young Kim to move to your city
> He takes charity cases and holds the pay low &#128517;


Yes, with a specialization in PUs for the most drunk and disorderly... so it'd have to be city with a BIG time drinking problem....I'd suggest Tucson, Arizona...he'd even get a lot of druggies at night, too.


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## wallae (Jun 11, 2018)

#1husler said:


> Yes, with a specialization in PUs for the most drunk and disorderly... so it'd have to be city with a BIG time drinking problem....I'd suggest Tucson, Arizona...he'd even get a lot of druggies at night, too.


Well I hope the rides are real spread out there
I would not want him to feel in adequate by only being able to take 10 and 15 minute pick ups


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## Fusion_LUser (Jan 3, 2020)

#1husler said:


> Pax have been whining to me about a so called "Uber shortage" in Tucson, reporting significantly longer wait time or simply "no cars available", and surge pricing, all of which I've seen on my end too, where my app goes bonkers with requests the moment I log on to when I log off.
> 
> I'm guessing that with the raising cost of gas at the pump that drivers in the Tucson market are content to stay off the road, sit at home and collect their weekly UI "cheese", and await another stimulus check.
> 
> Is there an "Uber shortage" in your market too?


There is certainly a Lyft shortage in my area. Uber yes and no, depending on the time. During the day there are enough ants to cover our city as it gets later the ants go home and the ones that stay out cherry pick big time and many of the long pickup (8+ minutes) short rides go unanswered.


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## teh744 (Apr 14, 2018)

I noticed that last summer. Lyft doesn’t do prime time pricing anymore where I’m at. I was getting 25-30 min pings. Screw that! Uber had a $10-15 surge going on....I will take that!

Some pax were complaining to me on fact that there are few Lyft drivers. I told them that I was getting unprofitable rides from them(25 min away, 4 min trip, no prime time). So I quit taking rides from them. Most drivers where I’m at, usually drive for both. With a $10-15 surge going on, I can make a lot more. Most saw where I was coming from. Some felt I was cheating the system. I told them it was basic economics... $20 for a 5 min ride(Uber) or $5 for a 20 min ride(Lyft).


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## #1husler (Aug 22, 2017)

wallae said:


> Well I hope the rides are real spread out there
> I would not want him to feel in adequate by only being able to take 10 and 15 minute pick ups


ohhhh, Tucson has an "uber shorage" but....NO shortage of 25-30 min pings, only that during daylight hours he'd be competing for them with the legions of elderly male snowbird hobby drivers who get a few hours out of the house to score a decaf and a donut, and do a few "anywhere, any place, anyone type of PUs" for a couple hours in their old gas gazzling SUVs (perhaps breaking even on "good days") . As soon as the sun set though, they clear off the road and one has to aggressively weed through a torrent of rubbish rides (which get left on the table, as hobby drivers are all home) to find those few diamonds in the RS rough (so to say).


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## Westerner (Dec 22, 2016)

Uber/Lyft was never my primary source of income. I do have to say I'm tired of the pay cuts. I'm done beating up my car for what rideshare pays. I've driven very little in the last year and not at all since the beginning of Nov.. If people want the convenience of a car being there within a couple of minutes then it's time to start paying for it or I won't be back....hell, I probably won't be back at all.


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## Fusion_LUser (Jan 3, 2020)

teh744 said:


> I noticed that last summer. Lyft doesn't do prime time pricing anymore where I'm at. I was getting 25-30 min pings. Screw that! Uber had a $10-15 surge going on....I will take that!
> 
> Some pax were complaining to me on fact that there are few Lyft drivers. I told them that I was getting unprofitable rides from them(25 min away, 4 min trip, no prime time). So I quit taking rides from them. Most drivers where I'm at, usually drive for both. With a $10-15 surge going on, I can make a lot more. Most saw where I was coming from. Some felt I was cheating the system. I told them it was basic economics... $20 for a 5 min ride(Uber) or $5 for a 20 min ride(Lyft).


Cheating the system? Let me guess you are cheating by not taking that 25+ minute away $3.50 ride they requested, right???


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## Illini (Mar 14, 2019)

The last few weeks, I've been getting constant stacked pings on Lyft. Riders are complaining about not being able to get rides.
This week, Lyft started giving out multiple Streak bonuses virtually all day long. Anywhere from $6 to $18 for 3-ride streaks.
As expected, the number of Lyft drivers around have increased significantly as a result.


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## teh744 (Apr 14, 2018)

Fusion_LUser said:


> Cheating the system? Let me guess you are cheating by not taking that 25+ minute away $3.50 ride they requested, right???


LoL! I take the ride that will make me the most...


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## Atom guy (Jul 27, 2016)

teh744 said:


> I noticed that last summer. Lyft doesn't do prime time pricing anymore where I'm at. I was getting 25-30 min pings. Screw that! Uber had a $10-15 surge going on....I will take that!
> 
> Some pax were complaining to me on fact that there are few Lyft drivers. I told them that I was getting unprofitable rides from them(25 min away, 4 min trip, no prime time). So I quit taking rides from them. Most drivers where I'm at, usually drive for both. With a $10-15 surge going on, I can make a lot more. Most saw where I was coming from. Some felt I was cheating the system. I told them it was basic economics... $20 for a 5 min ride(Uber) or $5 for a 20 min ride(Lyft).


It's funny passengers play Uber vs Lyft and pick the lowest fare, but they somehow think it's wrong for drivers to do the same and work for whichever app is paying better.


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## #1husler (Aug 22, 2017)

Atom guy said:


> It's funny passengers play Uber vs Lyft and pick the lowest fare, but they somehow think it's wrong for drivers to do the same and work for whichever app is paying better.


What's even funnier is the pax sense of "entitlement", they feel entitled to the cheapest fare...and the pax who pays the least fare, for the worse ride, is complaining the loudest about Tucson's so called "Uber shortage".

Tonight I pulled a "Young Kim", by (accidentally) "rescuing" a hapless couple, stranded outside a grocery store after it had closed...they were indignant about being stuck there, and having a series of drivers "cancel on them", and yet...they had a full cart of groceries were only going 1.3 miles (of course drivers will cancel that if they have other options).

I didn't cancel because it was a Destination Filter ride, and I'm chasing a "Quest"... I did tell them that they'd have to start thinking about finding other ways to get their groceries home next time, because no driver is gonna pick their ride during the "Uber shortage"...I suggested they consider instead using the bus or arranging for a low income ride with the county, etc....they just kinda looked at me like "huh?", as if...drivers HAVE to ferry them and their groceries 1.3 miles for princely $2.25. With that said, they generously tipped me, so it was kinda worth it for me.


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## Atom guy (Jul 27, 2016)

#1husler said:


> What's even funnier is the pax sense of "entitlement", they feel entitled to the cheapest fare...and the pax who pays the least fare, for the worse ride, is complaining the loudest about Tucson's so called "Uber shortage".
> 
> Tonight I pulled a "Young Kim", by (accidentally) "rescuing" a hapless couple, stranded outside a grocery store after it had closed...they were indignant about being stuck there, and having a series of drivers "cancel on them", and yet...they had a full cart of groceries were only going 1.3 miles (of course drivers will cancel that if they have other options).
> 
> I didn't cancel because it was a Destination Filter ride, and I'm chasing a "Quest"... I did tell them that they'd have to start thinking about finding other ways to get their groceries home next time, because no driver is gonna pick their ride during the "Uber shortage"...I suggested they consider instead using the bus or arranging for a low income ride with the county, etc....they just kinda looked at me like "huh?", as if...drivers HAVE to ferry them and their groceries 1.3 miles for princely $2.25. With that said, they generously tipped me, so it was kinda worth it for me.


Generous tippers don't exist in my world


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## Kilroy4303 (Jul 31, 2020)

I work in the Seattle/Tacoma area. The majority of the passengers have said that there is a shortage of r/s drivers.


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## Beninmankato (Apr 26, 2017)

Definitely is a shortage of Lyft drivers in Minnesota.


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## Fusion_LUser (Jan 3, 2020)

Whatever driver shortage we may have had over the past month or so was not the case last Friday evening! There was as least 12 Lyft ants sitting around waiting for a ride in a 15 mile range! Many of them were not Uber/Lyft drivers so with the usual 6-8 Uber ants my usual haunt was oversaturated with ants big time! I guess the free cheese is not coming as fast here in CA! I gave up after an hour with no pings even at 1.0x!


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## 101Uber (May 18, 2021)

Yes, Phoenix is actually a train wreck right now. No money, no rides and no hope so I gave up!


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## actsholy (Jul 3, 2018)

#1husler said:


> Pax have been whining to me about a so called "Uber shortage" in Tucson, reporting significantly longer wait time or simply "no cars available", and surge pricing, all of which I've seen on my end too, where my app goes bonkers with requests the moment I log on to when I log off.
> 
> I'm guessing that with the raising cost of gas at the pump that drivers in the Tucson market are content to stay off the road, sit at home and collect their weekly UI "cheese", and await another stimulus check.
> 
> Is there an "Uber shortage" in your market too?


 I don't think there's a shortage I think that there's enough suckers out there to drive for Uber. Put a carrot in front of a jackass and watch him run.


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## actsholy (Jul 3, 2018)

They always throw stuff at driver's surge bonuses then take them away. And Drivers come here and do all the complaining. But Driver's love pain I'll give them that. My car has a hundred thousand miles on it in one year I gotta put new rotors and pads, I got sick and don't know what to do while that Dara guy is telling me to kiss his hindside. I need me a driving job bubba. Don't tell me....your a independent contractor making thousands of dollars every week. Hard to feel sorry for people that refuse to educate themselves enough to see the are being used. Look at the CEO making multi millions every year and call drivers mathematically challenged. And he'd be correct.


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## SpinalCabbage (Feb 5, 2020)

Nationally, Uber is putting $250 million into incentives, bonuses, guarantees, etc., to get drivers back on the road.









Uber announces $250 million stimulus to bring back drivers


The company said that the incentives will help welcome back existing drivers and "ensure first-time drivers do well as they learn the ropes."




www.cnbc.com


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## Woohaa (Jan 15, 2017)

I ditched Uber when they stopped allowing drivers to set their own rates.


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## Alantc (Jun 15, 2018)

#1husler said:


> Pax have been whining to me about a so called "Uber shortage" in Tucson, reporting significantly longer wait time or simply "no cars available", and surge pricing, all of which I've seen on my end too, where my app goes bonkers with requests the moment I log on to when I log off.
> 
> I'm guessing that with the raising cost of gas at the pump that drivers in the Tucson market are content to stay off the road, sit at home and collect their weekly UI "cheese", and await another stimulus check.
> 
> Is there an "Uber shortage" in your market too?


Yes and I love it


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## Lissetti (Dec 20, 2016)

Appears to be so in my city. I mean over the holiday weekend with the amount of drivers I saw at the airport, I assumed it was back to normal. But once the holiday traffic died down, it seems it's once again difficult to find a car. I guess a lot of drivers came back only briefly to cash in on our massive holiday travel rush. No wonder I saw so many pissed off cab drivers on 4th of July weekend. 🤣


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## rkozy (Apr 5, 2019)

SpinalCabbage said:


> Nationally, Uber is putting $250 million into incentives, bonuses, guarantees, etc., to get drivers back on the road.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


A temporary fix. Uber is buying flowers for the spouse it physically abuses. It works for a little bit, but the cold reality eventually sinks back in.

My market has always had a shortage of drivers, going back before the pandemic. That's what happens when you only pay 46 cents per mile and 11 cents per minute.


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## rkozy (Apr 5, 2019)

Lissetti said:


> I guess a lot of drivers came back only briefly to cash in on our massive holiday travel rush. No wonder I saw so many pissed off cab drivers on 4th of July weekend. 🤣


Uber was floating a bonus in my market that extended just past the Fourth of July holiday. I cashed in on it, and haven't done a single Uber ride since. I might log in towards the end of this month to see how far business has dropped off. That week I was driving, it seemed fairly steady (no long gaps between pings) so even the big bonuses weren't really bringing out an oversupply of drivers.

Uber and Lyft are going to have to change their compensation model. Bonuses won't work in the long-term. They've burned through all the goodwill that existed pre-pandemic, and now the bottom of the barrel is nearly gone.


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## SpinalCabbage (Feb 5, 2020)

rkozy said:


> A temporary fix. Uber is buying flowers for the spouse it physically abuses. It works for a little bit, but the cold reality eventually sinks back in.


Yup.

Grab some while the grabbing is good.


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## W00dbutcher (Jan 14, 2019)

Tried to do the 50.60 weekend bonus.... But there where so many out I didn't complete the bonus. I was waiting 20 to 25 minutes between calls.

Weekday bonuses are close to null....... no drivers all day airport capped at $4.75 or close to it.


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## Terrapin Bound (Mar 4, 2019)

SpinalCabbage said:


> Yup.
> 
> Grab some while the grabbing is good.


As I mentioned in another thread, I am satisfied with the current state of affairs. Averaged $40/hr last week during the witching hours. (I don't mind driving the drunks around; overall the lovely lass to stupid ass ratio is tolerable). Since March it's been mid 30s. I can live with that. I'm in a touristy area and hoping this will last until fall. Then college returns so if I strategize right I can keep the wages up and still only drive 10-12 hours a week. 

At some point the driver floodgates may open, so when things change, I'll re-evaluate.


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## Classified (Feb 8, 2018)

When I get these emails, I know there’s a shortage


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## DonnieBrasco (Oct 4, 2021)

*I LOVE GETTING DOUBLE AND TRIPLE ORDERS IT REALLY HELPS THE BOTTOM LINE AND USUALLY GET A ORDER BACK TO MY SPOT…*


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## ANT 7 (Oct 14, 2018)

I think there may be where I drive, as I've been passing on a lot of 10+ minute pickups as of late. Also, regular trips are quite plentiful again, and I'm hitting my targets a lot earlier in the day than I did before.


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