# Would this get a pax to pay minimum surge for a longer ride?



## Asmedious (Jul 25, 2019)

Newbie here, so this might have been covered, but there's something I can't figure out. Let's say you pick up a pax in an area where there is a surge going on. Couldn't they simply get a ride just past where the surge is, paying the milage surge charge for a mile or two, and then order a new ride from that point on and continue on to a longer destination for the regular fee? Now with the newer flat surge charge, it's charged to them right from the get-go so they wouldn't be able to do that. The later would suck if pax didn't do the trick I mentioned at the beginning, but if they got wise to that than the new flat surge charge might actually be more beneficial to the driver, although it would be lower then if the pax took an entire longer trip under the original surge terms. Unless I'm missing something.


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## doyousensehumor (Apr 13, 2015)

Asmedious said:


> Unless I'm missing something.


Lets get 2 things straight. In most markets, pax pays percentage surge. Driver gets flat rate surge.

Pax sometimes do take short trips to dodge surge. But that is a good thing if you play it right.
Since you are getting flat rate surge, you would want short trips.

Example= Sat night bar rush with $10 surge means a driver would want to take as many SHORT rides possible. So I pick up at dive bars because pax typicly live in the neightborhood behind it.


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## Erin C Banning (Jul 3, 2018)

Asmedious said:


> Newbie here, so this might have been covered, but there's something I can't figure out. Let's say you pick up a pax in an area where there is a surge going on. Couldn't they simply get a ride just past where the surge is, paying the milage surge charge for a mile or two, and then order a new ride from that point on and continue on to a longer destination for the regular fee? Now with the newer flat surge charge, it's charged to them right from the get-go so they wouldn't be able to do that. The later would suck if pax didn't do the trick I mentioned at the beginning, but if they got wise to that than the new flat surge charge might actually be more beneficial to the driver, although it would be lower then if the pax took an entire longer trip under the original surge terms. Unless I'm missing something.


Of course, you've got to remember that the pax has no direct information about the surge zone -- they don't see it on their app, and so only if they are in the know (i.e, know a driver or have been a driver) and have been checking their fare estimates for awhile might they be able to figure out what's happening surge-wise in the moment. Might not be a bad idea in that situation for the driver to explain the situation to the passenger once they get in the car (though in my experience the juice often wouldn't be worth the squeeze, as pax in those high-surge situations are often, shall we say, cognitively impaired).


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## Seamus (Jun 21, 2018)

Erin C Banning said:


> Of course, you've got to remember that the pax has no direct information about the surge zone -- they don't see it on their app, and so only if they are in the know (i.e, know a driver or have been a driver) and have been checking their fare estimates for awhile might they be able to figure out what's happening surge-wise in the moment. Might not be a bad idea in that situation for the driver to explain the situation to the passenger once they get in the car (though in my experience the juice often wouldn't be worth the squeeze, as pax in those high-surge situations are often, shall we say, cognitively impaired).


Heavy Uber users have figured out several different ways to beat the surge proving humans are adaptable. Don't need to be a driver or ex driver if you use Uber frequently.


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## Erin C Banning (Jul 3, 2018)

Seamus said:


> Heavy Uber users have figured out several different ways to beat the surge proving humans are adaptable. Don't need to be a driver or ex driver if you use Uber frequently.


In NYC, I don't doubt it ... but not so much in lower-density markets where surges are rarer


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## Seamus (Jun 21, 2018)

Asmedious said:


> Newbie here, so this might have been covered, but there's something I can't figure out. Let's say you pick up a pax in an area where there is a surge going on. Couldn't they simply get a ride just past where the surge is, paying the milage surge charge for a mile or two, and then order a new ride from that point on and continue on to a longer destination for the regular fee? Now with the newer flat surge charge, it's charged to them right from the get-go so they wouldn't be able to do that. The later would suck if pax didn't do the trick I mentioned at the beginning, but if they got wise to that than the new flat surge charge might actually be more beneficial to the driver, although it would be lower then if the pax took an entire longer trip under the original surge terms. Unless I'm missing something.


The easiest and most common way pax try to beat the surge is to simply wait it out. There are SEVERAL other ways that I won't reveal here. On the occasion that I am a pax on the weekend nights I NEVER have paid a surge because there are a few simple tricks to get a flat rate fare at all times.



Erin C Banning said:


> In NYC, I don't doubt it ... but not so much in lower-density markets where surges are rarer


Lower density markets are easy to beat a surge. Just got to know the proper methods.


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## Erin C Banning (Jul 3, 2018)

Seamus said:


> The easiest and most common way pax try to beat the surge is to simply wait it out. There are SEVERAL other ways that I won't reveal here. On the occasion that I am a pax on the weekend nights I NEVER have paid a surge because there are a few simple tricks to get a flat rate fare at all times.


definitely agreed, I routinely advise passengers to wait it out if their fare estimate seems high. In my experience and in my area (SW florida), knowledge of the surges dynamics is almost nonexistent amongst passengers.


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## Thef9llowing (Aug 29, 2016)

Asmedious said:


> Newbie here, so this might have been covered, but there's something I can't figure out. Let's say you pick up a pax in an area where there is a surge going on. Couldn't they simply get a ride just past where the surge is, paying the milage surge charge for a mile or two, and then order a new ride from that point on and continue on to a longer destination for the regular fee? Now with the newer flat surge charge, it's charged to them right from the get-go so they wouldn't be able to do that. The later would suck if pax didn't do the trick I mentioned at the beginning, but if they got wise to that than the new flat surge charge might actually be more beneficial to the driver, although it would be lower then if the pax took an entire longer trip under the original surge terms. Unless I'm missing something.


They dont get charged flat surge rate... they still pay multiplier, only we get the fuxking flat $ amount


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## Desperada (Aug 23, 2019)

Asmedious said:


> Newbie here, so this might have been covered, but there's something I can't figure out. Let's say you pick up a pax in an area where there is a surge going on. Couldn't they simply get a ride just past where the surge is, paying the milage surge charge for a mile or two, and then order a new ride from that point on and continue on to a longer destination for the regular fee? Now with the newer flat surge charge, it's charged to them right from the get-go so they wouldn't be able to do that. The later would suck if pax didn't do the trick I mentioned at the beginning, but if they got wise to that than the new flat surge charge might actually be more beneficial to the driver, although it would be lower then if the pax took an entire longer trip under the original surge terms. Unless I'm missing something.


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## charmer37 (Nov 18, 2016)

Uber charge more than lyft in my market as a rider, I take short rides but I wait until the surge disappear and the price gets lower.


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