# Furious San Francisco commuters accuse Uber and Lyft of taking advantage



## Ca$h4 (Aug 12, 2015)

7X Boost. Disaster Capitalism.

Commuters in Oakland and San Francisco who were slugged with massive prices from Uber and Lyft on Monday morning have blasted the ride-sharing services.

The cost of getting across the bay skyrocketed by as much as 700 per cent after a power line fell on in West Oakland and caused significant delays and some cancellations to BART services using the Transbay Tube.

The public transport system tweeted out that services were being interrupted shortly after 8:30am, and almost immediately people trying to get to work pulled out their smartphones and tried to make other arrangements.

However, many were instantly met with huge increases due to surge pricing that pushed the price of a one-way trip across the bridge to between $60 and $110.

*http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...co-commuters-hit-Uber-Lyft-surge-pricing.html*


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## Jesusdrivesuber (Jan 5, 2017)

So they forgot taxis existed?


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## Ride-Share-Risk-Manager (Mar 16, 2017)

I don't think there was a single SF passenger who thought that the 8-10 times surge pricing was fair or reasonable. A pox on both Uber and Lyft houses. They should put a cap on their surges when these events occur. Nobody comes out of this looking good, especially the drivers who might have rushed to try and make a quick buck.


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## Jesusdrivesuber (Jan 5, 2017)

Ride-Share-Risk-Manager said:


> I don't think there was a single SF passenger who thought that the 8-10 times surge pricing was fair or reasonable. A pox on both Uber and Lyft houses. They should put a cap on their surges when these events occur. Nobody comes out of this looking good, especially the drivers who might have rushed to try and make a quick buck.


They could cap the surge to 2x and double normal rates but hey, I am no Travis Kalanick, enterprise genius.


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## Another Uber Driver (May 27, 2015)

Jesusdrivesuber said:


> So they forgot taxis existed?


Once UberX hits 1,6-1,8 in this market, it is about the same as a taxi. Uber even offers taxis in the Capital of Your Nation. It used to in SF, but I do not know if it does, any more. It does not show on Uber's website any more, but some SF Uber drivers have told me that Uber does still offer taxis there.

Further, in SF they have BART, the Muni and the Southern Pacific. If you do not want to pay the surge rates, try something else.


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## entrep1776 (Nov 3, 2016)

Ride-Share-Risk-Manager said:


> I don't think there was a single SF passenger who thought that the 8-10 times surge pricing was fair or reasonable.
> 
> especially the drivers who might have rushed to try and make a quick buck.


Mmmm isn't that the intent of surge pricing? to get drivers to rush to try to make a quick buck?


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## observer (Dec 11, 2014)

75 dollars to cross the bridge? It costs less than that to fly from OAK to LAX.



Another Uber Driver said:


> Once UberX hits 1,6-1,8 in this market, it is about the same as a taxi. Uber even offers taxis in the Capital of Your Nation. It used to in SF, but I do not know if it does, any more. It does not show on Uber's website any more, but some SF Uber drivers have told me that Uber does still offer taxis there.
> 
> Further, in SF they have BART, the Muni and the Southern Pacific. If you do not want to pay the surge rates, try something else.


If I remember correctly, BART is a regional service. Muni operates only in SF so you have to take BART there or drive and I don't remember Southern Pacific.


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## Red Leader (Sep 4, 2016)

The surge was because a new BART line was down. But....

Who cares what they think? They think the extremely low rates are acceptable. Somemin SF have even said drivers make way too much money.

So....I for one, don't care what they think.


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## Aztek98 (Jul 23, 2015)

I agree. They will use pool and abuse drivers day after day with crappie fares then the one chance drivers have to have a good day they complain and moan.


Screw them.


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## Ride-Share-Risk-Manager (Mar 16, 2017)

In NYC quite a few cabs have become Ubers. Uber has encountered a lot of problems with attracting and retaining quality drivers in NYC due to the TLC requirements. 

My point about surges is that nobody could.es out looking good when they surge to 5 or more times normal rates. We had a number of incidents like this in NYC recently and it helped nobody, especially the drivers who took the brunt of the abuse from passengers.


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## heynow321 (Sep 3, 2015)

Aztek98 said:


> I agree. They will use pool and abuse drivers day after day with crappie fares then the one chance drivers have to have a good day they complain and moan.
> 
> Screw them.


exactly. Sorry asshole millennial, you're not getting a private ride for a grand total of $6.50. These events should remind people that we are IC with a tiny business, not an alternative to the bus. if there is a ton of demand for our services, prices will go up. nobody if forcing you to use us.


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## REX HAVOC (Jul 4, 2016)

It funny how the same people that tout Uber and Lyft as models of capitalism and love how they have brought down taxi fares in their town are the same people that complain when supply and demand force prices up in high demand situations.


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## heynow321 (Sep 3, 2015)

REX HAVOC said:


> It funny how the same people that tout Uber and Lyft as models of capitalism and love how they have brought down taxi fares in their town are the same one's that complain when the forces of supply and demand force prices up in high demand situations.


yup. people are self interested hypocrites.


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## REX HAVOC (Jul 4, 2016)

I would like to see Uber and Lyft survey their passengers in each market and ask them, "If we were to permanently remove surge pricing from our business model how much would you be willing to pay per mile / minute for an Uber / Lyft knowing that the cabs in your area charge X for the same" and then see what they say.


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## osii (Aug 21, 2014)

I used to think surge pricing wasn't fare until it dawned on me that "surge" pricing is everywhere. Try renting a room in PHX this weekend. Try catching a plane somewhere right now. Try buying groceries in San Francisco. Try buying a house in San Francisco (now that's some serious surge pricing). Concert tickets, sports tix. It's everywhere. Stop your whining or just walk.


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## REX HAVOC (Jul 4, 2016)

Bay Area gas prices.


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## Strange Fruit (Aug 10, 2016)

Not enough cars, you get to pay more for privileged access to one. Or just do whatever you did before 2014 when Bart goes down. 
And there was no disaster. Don't misuse Naomi Klein's nomenclature for something much more disgusting.


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## Noneya damn business (Feb 17, 2017)

Another Uber Driver said:


> Once UberX hits 1,6-1,8 in this market, it is about the same as a taxi. Uber even offers taxis in the Capital of Your Nation. It used to in SF, but I do not know if it does, any more. It does not show on Uber's website any more, but some SF Uber drivers have told me that Uber does still offer taxis there.
> 
> Further, in SF they have BART, the Muni and the Southern Pacific. If you do not want to pay the surge rates, try something else.


You obviously didn't read the article or live in the bay area. There was a downed PowerLine on Bart that stopped all service at morning rush hour. Also rates here are .85 on uberx and .75 for pooland .10 a minute plus you still need to take out uber fee in the eastbay. Everyone was trying to get from east bay to San Francisco. Taxis here start at 2.53 a mileplusmall .55 a minute. So it would have to be 3.6x surge to be the same as a taxi. there is no reason to cap surge it's a supply and demand business. If the demand is there than they must pay the price. They don't get a discount just because public transportation broke down. Also it was one of the few days that driving for Uber would have been profitable.


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## 2Peaks (Sep 19, 2016)

I imagine you don't Net much more $$ for the day anyway. Everyone heading East to West, longer time with just one rider. Then you are stuck on the other side of the bay with all the other drivers that drove the surge or dead heading back East.

Unless it's Natural Disaster related, or, human tragedy (deaths) related ... Riders should Stop Whining. It's not price gouging. Even then, if it takes more $$ money to get a driver there, so be it.


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## Mars Troll Number 4 (Oct 30, 2015)

2Peaks said:


> I imagine you don't Net much more $$ for the day anyway. Everyone heading East to West, longer time with just one rider. Then you are stuck on the other side of the bay with all the other drivers that drove the surge or dead heading back East.
> 
> Unless it's Natural Disaster related, or, human tragedy (deaths) related ... Riders should Stop Whining. It's not price gouging. Even then, if it takes more $$ money to get a driver there, so be it.


_https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Price_gouging
*Price gouging* is a pejorative term referring to when a seller spikes the prices of goods, services or commodities to a level much higher than is considered reasonable or fair, and is considered exploitative, potentially to an unethical extent._

Ooh let's come up with a few more, how about...

_https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Profiteering_(business)
*Profiteering* is a pejorative term for the act of making a profit by methods considered unethical.[1][page needed]

Business owners may be accused of profiteering when they raise prices during an emergency (especially a war).[2][page needed] The term is also applied to businesses that play on political corruption to obtain government contracts.

Some types of profiteering are illegal, such as price fixing[3][page needed] syndicates, for example on fuel subsidies (see British Airways price-fixing allegations), and other anti-competitive behaviour. Some are restricted by industry codes of conduct, e.g. aggressive marketing of products in the Third World such as baby milk (see Nestlé boycott)._

How about price fixing..
_https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Price_fixing
*Price fixing* is an agreement between participants on the same side in a market to buy or sell a product, service, or commodity only at a fixed price, or maintain the market conditions such that the price is maintained at a given level by controlling supply and demand.

_
Your sort of wrong there bro...


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## 2Peaks (Sep 19, 2016)

Mears Troll Number 4 said:


> _https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Price_gouging
> *Price gouging* is a pejorative term referring to when a seller spikes the prices of goods, services or commodities to a level much higher than is considered reasonable or fair, and is considered exploitative, potentially to an unethical extent._
> 
> Ooh let's come up with a few more, how about...
> ...


Not your bro.

Not wrong at all. Even by your oh so qualified Wikidictionary. Look around some legal texts. You will see something like

"act of retailers increasing prices when no alternative is available."

A ride is not a human necessity such as water or shelter. And TNC's are not the sole providers of transportation. Plus, There are at least two options of TNC, Uber and Lyft.

Consider "reasonable or fair". By past history, Uber and Lyft increase rates with demand. That is common knowledge. So, it is reasonable to expect to pay more when demand is high. That is normal operation of their business. Is it "fair"? Hell yes if I am willing to pay more than you are.

However, if Uber or Lyft quickly and deliberatively manipulated their algorithm because of the event, or, collude to surge, that could probably be considered exploitive.


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## osii (Aug 21, 2014)

Here's an idea . . . look up from your phone and maybe begin a real live conversation with a stranger who is going the same way and utter these words, "hey buddy if we can get two more people to share an Uber, we can get across the bridge for $25 each." Then call an Uber and get to work.

And don't forget to tip your driver.


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## Adieu (Feb 21, 2016)

Jesusdrivesuber said:


> So they forgot taxis existed?


Surge is a BIDDING WAR between customers for a commodity in limited supply, namely transportation HERE AND NOW

Taxi would've either all logged into U & L, or simply pulled up U&L passenger app quotes and showed em to people

Anyway, what about demand-exceeds-supply pricing don't you people understand??????

Few cars, gazillion stranded commuters...some NEED to get to life changing job interviews big court cases and whatnot and pay premium to GET a car, others call work and tell em they're stranded IF they can get away with it

At low prices, first come first serve, random people would get across for pennies --- and people who couldn't AFFORD to miss their appointments no matter what missed them due to no cars anywhere...

Some of em probably losing out on potential incomes of MILLIONS or incurring huge losses just cuz they got stuck. Whoops.


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## ganerbangla (Mar 4, 2017)

All year long you used cheap ride. You saved lot of money. Now spend the money 1 trips.


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## 2Peaks (Sep 19, 2016)

osii said:


> Here's an idea . . . look up from your phone and maybe begin a real live conversation with a stranger who is going the same way and utter these words, "hey buddy if we can get two more people to share an Uber, we can get across the bridge for $25 each." Then call an Uber and get to work.
> 
> And don't forget to tip your driver.


Back in the day it was two feet and a thumb.


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## Taxi Driver in Arizona (Mar 18, 2015)

People are always saying how they love the free market. Turns out people actually hate free markets and prefer government regulation.


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## Lebowskii (Oct 27, 2016)

Jesusdrivesuber said:


> They could cap the surge to 2x and double normal rates but hey, I am no Travis Kalanick, enterprise genius.


No for uber x 2x is not enough cap on special events those who pay should have priority and by capping an already too cheap uber x rate would eliminate that priority status. Needs to be 3-3.5 maybe 2x for select/xl/black


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## Trebor (Apr 22, 2015)

Ride-Share-Risk-Manager said:


> They should put a cap on their surges when these events occur. Nobody comes out of this looking good, especially the drivers who might have rushed to try and make a quick buck.


How the hell is Uber supposed to know a power line fell that quickly?

In disasters and mass shootings, Uber does cap the surges off, but they find out just as fast as the average joe.

The drivers who made a quick buck were just following procedure.. If you see surge, go to it.


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## REX HAVOC (Jul 4, 2016)

Most Pax will do anything to avoid paying surge pricing. A common strategy is to take pool or use lyft when the surge or boost is to high.The people that complained most likely were desperate to get somewhere and couldn't wait for surge prices to die down. Now they're hoping if they complain enough they'll be offered a fare reduction or credit by uber or lyft.


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## Tim In Cleveland (Jul 28, 2014)

If you limit the surge, you will LIMIT THE RESPONSE. Fewer drivers will pop on to come to the rescue. I will never get over the complaints of price gouging when there was an armed gunman nearby. WHY THE FRIG do you think Uber drivers want to RISK THEIR LIVES to go get you? Uber needs to increase the price until drivers respond or you walk. It's that simple.


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## Karen Stein (Nov 5, 2016)

Simple market economics.

Unlike taxis, the ride share companies have not sought to restrict competition. No licensing, limits on numbers of drivers, etc.

Surge pricing happens when there is high demand. Why should I not transport someone who's willing to pay more? 

Sometimes a customer has extra value in that they are proven to be good customers. That is, they know what they want, pay promptly, and - most important - are a reliable source of business. The BART customers, by contrast, are one-time customers. If I upset them, so what? It's not like I'll lose future business. 

The usual "solutions" only make things worse by restricting entry and reducing availability.


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## CelebDriver (Feb 25, 2017)

The phrase "price gouging" only applies when people need transportation to save their lives. Not when they will be late for work.


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## NorthNJLyftacular (Feb 2, 2017)

Ride-Share-Risk-Manager said:


> In NYC quite a few cabs have become Ubers. Uber has encountered a lot of problems with attracting and retaining quality drivers in NYC due to the TLC requirements.
> 
> My point about surges is that nobody could.es out looking good when they surge to 5 or more times normal rates. We had a number of incidents like this in NYC recently and it helped nobody, especially the drivers who took the brunt of the abuse from passengers.


Looking good stopped mattering a while back. It went out the window with the water and the mints once they lowered the fares to < .5 of a taxi.

I agree with those who say screw 'em. They don't care to even understand how the fares work when they're getting dirt cheap rides.


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## MadTownUberD (Mar 11, 2017)

Adieu said:


> Surge is a BIDDING WAR between customers for a commodity in limited supply, namely transportation HERE AND NOW
> 
> Taxi would've either all logged into U & L, or simply pulled up U&L passenger app quotes and showed em to people
> 
> ...


Exactly. Price elasticity prevents shortages in scarce resource situations, in other words it's our friend because it allocates the resources to those who truly need them (as evidenced by their willingness to pay).


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## swingset (Feb 26, 2017)

Supply and demand, whiny liberals, so sorry.


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## UberKevPA (May 14, 2016)

Boo hoo. Every now and then it's time to pay the piper for what is otherwise an underpriced commodity.


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## 2Peaks (Sep 19, 2016)

Likely, it was Uber HQ employees doing the most complaining. 

In NoCal, the elites will draft a law making it mandatory every Uber Driver get out on the road to drive.


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## crazytown (Nov 13, 2016)

Who cares!!! Pay up or walk cry babies!!!


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## Michael - Cleveland (Jan 1, 2015)

Mears Troll Number 4 said:


> _https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Price_gouging
> *Price gouging* is a pejorative term referring to when a seller spikes the prices of goods, services or commodities to a level much higher than is considered reasonable or fair, and is considered exploitative, potentially to an unethical extent._
> 
> Ooh let's come up with a few more, how about...
> ...


are you suggesting that the economics of supply & demand are unethical?
Keep in mind, that the surge goes away as soon as there are enough drivers to meet the demand - even if the 'disaster' continues. 
That's not price gouging - that's free-market enterprise in it's purest form.


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## roadman (Nov 14, 2016)

go ahead and walk then. or take the bus. or buy your own car and drive yourself. bicycle. skateboard. catch a ride with a friend. good ole taxi. schedule with private car service. take a helicopter. get your canoe out and go by water.


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## Buckiemohawk (Jun 23, 2015)

I dont' feel sorry for any of those San francisco commuters who had to pay more. You reap what you sow


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## PrestonT (Feb 15, 2017)

So let me get this straight. They want to pay, what, $15 to get over the bridge. And if there is an event that causes BART to go down and the bridge is already more congested, they want drivers to go out of their way to rush to them and take them over the bridge for....$15? They are fortunate to have Uber to fall back on and surge pricing to incentivize that driver to come get them. Maybe they should just call out from their $500/Day job to save that $100 they are being "gouged" with.


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## TurnUpT (Oct 22, 2016)

Ride-Share-Risk-Manager said:


> I don't think there was a single SF passenger who thought that the 8-10 times surge pricing was fair or reasonable. A pox on both Uber and Lyft houses. They should put a cap on their surges when these events occur. Nobody comes out of this looking good, especially the drivers who might have rushed to try and make a quick buck.


If drivers were not paid pennies to lug ungrateful passengers around then perhaps when things like this happen there would not be such a spike in surge.

Yes, we do rush to catch rides when something like this happens because it's our rare chance to actually make money.

Cap the surge and passengers can wait!!

Why should we drive for unfair low wages?

Things like this cause nightmare traffic that drivers have to suffer through but you expect us to accommodate and rush you to work for a few dollars. Nope, sorry!

How about all you cheap passengers start tipping your drivers. And how about Uber raising the rates so that we drivers can earn more than $2 something on minimum fares.

If you don't like the surge, take a bus, cab or walk!


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## ratethis (Jan 7, 2017)

osii said:


> Here's an idea . . . look up from your phone and maybe begin a real live conversation with a stranger who is going the same way and utter these words, "hey buddy if we can get two more people to share an Uber, we can get across the bridge for $25 each." Then call an Uber and get to work.
> 
> And don't forget to tip your driver.


Finally someone's thinking logical !!! Totally agree... free thinking, cost nothing... so few do it now.


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## I_Like_Spam (May 10, 2015)

Mears Troll Number 4 said:


> _https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Price_gouging
> *Price gouging* is a pejorative term referring to when a seller spikes the prices of goods, services or commodities to a level much higher than is considered reasonable or fair, and is considered exploitative, potentially to an unethical extent._
> ..


"Price gouging" is also a specific legal term, and in California where this came down, it doesn't exist unless the president or governor declared an "disaster" because of these downed power lines.

No, its perfectly legal, but I think the public still isn't going to like it.

https://oag.ca.gov/consumers/pricegougingduringdisasters


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## Jermin8r89 (Mar 10, 2016)

There are places all over the country that have alot of surge at different times. SHUT UP SAN FRAN LEFTIST! If you dont want surge then how about perminently raiseing all prices the equal things out so there would be no surge.


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## Prius13 (Mar 29, 2017)

Ride-Share-Risk-Manager said:


> In NYC quite a few cabs have become Ubers. Uber has encountered a lot of problems with attracting and retaining quality drivers in NYC due to the TLC requirements.
> 
> My point about surges is that nobody could.es out looking good when they surge to 5 or more times normal rates. We had a number of incidents like this in NYC recently and it helped nobody, especially the drivers who took the brunt of the abuse from passengers.


Oh yeah it's the drivers fault. Not.


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## Andre Benjamin 6000 (Nov 11, 2016)




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## UBER66 (Feb 7, 2017)

Complaints = ⭐


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## eyewall (Sep 6, 2015)

I suspect a lot of drivers are going to be hit with losses after fare adjustments.


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## Max Weber (Mar 4, 2015)

If there wasn't surge pricing they would complain that there wasn't any cars available. Surge pricing pushes low priority riders out of the way so people who really need the ride can still get it quickly. No disruption in service if you are willing to pay more than other passengers.


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## JasonB (Jan 12, 2016)

Gawd, there are SO many options here...

Call in sick, call a friend, tell your boss you will be in a bit late bc of Bart shutdown, 
work remotely for the day, call a cab, catch a ride with a coworker, get a ride with 
a family member and have them rearrange their schedule, etc etc etc...

Of course the only option they choose is to take Uber at a huge multiplier,
then ***** and moan about it after the fact.

What does this whole thing really prove?

Pax will EASILY pay $2+/mile for UberX, which is where rates should be.

Instead, drivers continue to eat it at .90/mile.


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## Lee239 (Mar 24, 2017)

They live in a place where a $500 studio rents for $3K what do they expect. Go back to riding buses like before Uber.


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## Demon (Dec 6, 2014)

osii said:


> I used to think surge pricing wasn't fare until it dawned on me that "surge" pricing is everywhere. Try renting a room in PHX this weekend. Try catching a plane somewhere right now. Try buying groceries in San Francisco. Try buying a house in San Francisco (now that's some serious surge pricing). Concert tickets, sports tix. It's everywhere. Stop your whining or just walk.


There's a distinct difference between a price increase because an event is coming up and a price increase because there's an emergency. One is understandable and the other is illegal.


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## Adieu (Feb 21, 2016)

Demon said:


> There's a distinct difference between a price increase because an event is coming up and a price increase because there's an emergency. One is understandable and the other is illegal.


Electricity and train service aint basic human rights

Neither is getting subsidized bandit cab rides with smartphones

Don't like it? WALK / SWIM / STAY HOME


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## DeplorableDonald (Feb 16, 2017)

No one held a gun to the little snowflakes heads and made them order an Uber. They cry at the drop of a hat.

I wish we had that kind of surge when Metro breaks down...


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## Uber Uber (Jun 27, 2015)

Ride-Share-Risk-Manager said:


> I don't think there was a single SF passenger who thought that the 8-10 times surge pricing was fair or reasonable. A pox on both Uber and Lyft houses. They should put a cap on their surges when these events occur. Nobody comes out of this looking good, especially the drivers who might have rushed to try and make a quick buck.


They should put a cap? Are you crazy man?

It's simple supply and demand and 99% of the time DRIVERS ARE BEING SHAFTED BECAUSE OF EXCESS SUPPLY.

Let drivers profit for their time and effoer for once, RIDERS SHOULD SACRIFICE THEIR TIME, and wait for the Bart to get back up. Take the bus or call a stinky cab who will demand cash and provide bad service.

You need a reality check.


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## Amsoil Uber Connect (Jan 14, 2015)

Tuff Do Do. Call it pay back for all those min trips.


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## itsablackmarket (May 12, 2015)

There is a point in which increasing the surge doesn't add on new drivers, it just makes Uber and Lyft wealthier. They are both very greedy companies. This is the society people are embracing so they must live with it or learn to reject the standards Uber/Lyft have set, which are trash.


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## sellkatsell44 (Oct 25, 2015)

I kinda wanted to stay mum but then I can't let igorance go unexplained at the very least. If you don't want to read or open up your mind then that's fine.

As a rare (think unicorn) person living in San Francisco; I have the pleasure of NOT having to cross the bay bridge or ride Bart from east bay / Oakland area. Those folks that you're saying



Lee239 said:


> They live in a place where a $500 studio rents for $3K what do they expect. Go back to riding buses like before Uber.


Understand that those folks are the average folks (mostly) who work with minimum wage being $12, to maybe $30 a hour max. They're not your techies. They're your students. They're your service folks. And let's drop the tip argument for one sec.

They are living over in Oakland / east bay because they've been forced out / outpriced (by those same techies that actually live in sf and wasn't affected by this at all) so yes, they may take pool or x on the occasion because they simply don't have the budget otherwise.

Even in the east bay it's still pricy to rent. Not as crazy as sf, but it gets there.

I'm not saying that Uber's usual prices (non surge) is fair to uber drivers as well. But there's a difference between riding because you choose to (e.g. Other methods are available e.g. Bart) and riding because you have no other option. Employers/employees relations at California is at will. It doesn't mean that one call in sick is going to get you fired right away. But it does hurt.


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## UberNdallas (Oct 11, 2016)

Most riders still don't even understand what surge is

Some tollways do the same thing. It's supply and demand. It snowed a couple months back here in dallas and one of the txpress lanes was like $30.


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## UStaxman (Aug 14, 2016)

Red Leader said:


> The surge was because a new BART line was down. But....
> 
> Who cares what they think? They think the extremely low rates are acceptable. Somemin SF have even said drivers make way too much money.
> 
> So....I for one, don't care what they think.


In the 'Uber-Left' progressive world of San Fransico anyone who earn enough to be self sufficient and not on government handouts 'earn to much'


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## 2Peaks (Sep 19, 2016)

itsablackmarket said:


> There is a point in which increasing the surge doesn't add on new drivers, it just makes Uber and Lyft wealthier. They are both very greedy companies. This is the society people are embracing so they must live with it or learn to reject the standards Uber/Lyft have set, which are trash.


True. But if there are no more drivers then people aren't paying that surge rate, are they? No drivers - no rides. Now how are you going to get to work? 


sellkatsell44 said:


> I kinda wanted to stay mum but then I can't let igorance go unexplained at the very least. If you don't want to read or open up your mind then that's fine.
> 
> As a rare (think unicorn) person living in San Francisco; I have the pleasure of NOT having to cross the bay bridge or ride Bart from east bay / Oakland area. Those folks that you're saying
> 
> ...


Boo boo. Face it, employers don't fire good employees because they are late for work one day a year, and that reason was BART. They will fire someone who already has abused the tardy standards, or, are simple placeholders anyway. If someone lost their job they were already in a progressive counseling program.

Yes, I feel for people who miss important appointments. BUT what did they do in the days before TNC?


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## Tedgey (Jan 29, 2016)

swingset said:


> Supply and demand, whiny liberals, so sorry.


Stupid comment


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## Jacob THE DRIVER (Dec 4, 2016)

Ca$h4 said:


> 7X Boost. Disaster Capitalism.
> 
> Commuters in Oakland and San Francisco who were slugged with massive prices from Uber and Lyft on Monday morning have blasted the ride-sharing services.
> 
> ...


Funny taxi rates back in the day never surged or changed because of demand lol you cant have it both ways . Remember cause and effect well tbere you go besides everyone in the bay area dont mind paying ridiculously high rents to live why shouldn't you pay ridiculously high prices for a updated taxi ride ......


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## steveK2016 (Jul 31, 2016)

Ride-Share-Risk-Manager said:


> I don't think there was a single SF passenger who thought that the 8-10 times surge pricing was fair or reasonable. A pox on both Uber and Lyft houses. They should put a cap on their surges when these events occur. Nobody comes out of this looking good, especially the drivers who might have rushed to try and make a quick buck.


Without the surge, those drivers wouldn't have rushed out there to fulfill the demand that the city clearly needed. So you either pay the surge or wait an hour for the next available driver to get close enough to you... or pay 4x surge for a cab.


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## Red Leader (Sep 4, 2016)

UStaxman said:


> In the 'Uber-Left' progressive world of San Fransico anyone who earn enough to be self sufficient and not on government handouts 'earn to much'


You obviously do t live in SF.


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## Wedgey (Feb 14, 2017)

crazytown said:


> Who cares!!! Pay up or walk cry babies!!!


Abieu agrees.


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## SurgeWarrior (Jun 18, 2016)

Ca$h4 said:


> 7X Boost. Disaster Capitalism.
> 
> Commuters in Oakland and San Francisco who were slugged with massive prices from Uber and Lyft on Monday morning have blasted the ride-sharing services.
> 
> ...


Where was the outrage when Uber slashed its fare prices....yeah thats what i thought!


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## Gung-Ho (Jun 2, 2015)

I find it hard to totally blame the greed head ride share services when I also have to fault the idiots for paying those prices.


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## tohunt4me (Nov 23, 2015)

Ca$h4 said:


> 7X Boost. Disaster Capitalism.
> 
> Commuters in Oakland and San Francisco who were slugged with massive prices from Uber and Lyft on Monday morning have blasted the ride-sharing services.
> 
> ...


They don't mind Robbing Drivers 97% of the REST OF THE TIME !

Uber MUST PAY ITS FULL TIME DRIVERS A FAIR RATE ALL OF THE TIME !


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## brendon292 (Aug 2, 2016)

I wonder how many 100-200k earning tech workers trying to make it to their Bay area jobs whined about surge. It is perfectly okay for them to earn $500-$1000 a day but if an Uber driver has the chance to make that even _one day _out of 356, whoa boy!


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## Gooberlifturwallet (Feb 18, 2017)

What do you mean it's $75 to cross the bridge? Who's in charge of this Mickey Mouse outfit? You are sir... Oh, uh...


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## ChortlingCrison (Mar 30, 2016)

Tedgey said:


> Stupid comment


Ducks are neither liberals or conversative, they duckativerals .. that covers religion too.


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## Mars Troll Number 4 (Oct 30, 2015)

Becoming a regular customer of uber is like signing a deal with a devil, when you need to get somewhere and it's like a 30X surge, that's the devil coming to collect.


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## Buckpasser (Sep 30, 2015)

Live by Technology die by Technology these clowns have ruined a one time great city (SF) High rise residential buildings clutter the downtown it gets worse every day Mindless Uber/Lyft drivers roam the Bay area roads in Unsafe vehicles


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## mghtyred (Apr 14, 2016)

Ride-Share-Risk-Manager said:


> I don't think there was a single SF passenger who thought that the 8-10 times surge pricing was fair or reasonable. A pox on both Uber and Lyft houses. They should put a cap on their surges when these events occur. Nobody comes out of this looking good, especially the drivers who might have rushed to try and make a quick buck.


Bla bla bla. We all suffer due to Fuber's price slashing. Let us make some $ every once in a while. This isn't a charity, it's our livelihood.


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## EnjoyEnJan (May 18, 2016)

Another Uber Driver said:


> Once UberX hits 1,6-1,8 in this market, it is about the same as a taxi. Uber even offers taxis in the Capital of Your Nation. It used to in SF, but I do not know if it does, any more. It does not show on Uber's website any more, but some SF Uber drivers have told me that Uber does still offer taxis there.
> 
> Further, in SF they have BART, the Muni and the Southern Pacific. If you do not want to pay the surge rates, try something else.


People would rather ***** & complain.

Supply and demand. The whole point of surge & Primetime is that without it there would be no rides at all available when things get busy. The whole point is that if you really really need a ride you can pay extra and have one. Otherwise you get nothing at all which is exactly what you could choose to get if you feel the price is too high. But if that's the case then at least with Serge you still have the option.

Also if more people use Lyft line & pool pool there would be a reduction in surge pricing.

As more people use the car pooling services it gets more streamlined. More passenger miles are done per hour. Drivers have to go less far out of their way to get to passengers when there is a larger pool to match up from. This would correspond to a reduction in congestion on the roads as well as an increase in safety and air quality.


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## UberXking (Oct 14, 2014)

Another Uber Driver said:


> Once UberX hits 1,6-1,8 in this market, it is about the same as a taxi. Uber even offers taxis in the Capital of Your Nation. It used to in SF, but I do not know if it does, any more. It does not show on Uber's website any more, but some SF Uber drivers have told me that Uber does still offer taxis there.
> 
> Further, in SF they have BART, the Muni and the Southern Pacific. If you do not want to pay the surge rates, try something else.


Bull Quit spreading miss information.


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## UberXking (Oct 14, 2014)

Noneya damn business said:


> You obviously didn't read the article or live in the bay area. There was a downed PowerLine on Bart that stopped all service at morning rush hour. Also rates here are .85 on uberx and .75 for pooland .10 a minute plus you still need to take out uber fee in the eastbay. Everyone was trying to get from east bay to San Francisco. Taxis here start at 2.53 a mileplusmall .55 a minute. So it would have to be 3.6x surge to be the same as a taxi. there is no reason to cap surge it's a supply and demand business. If the demand is there than they must pay the price. They don't get a discount just because public transportation broke down. Also it was one of the few days that driving for Uber would have been profitable.


Part of your post is correct. Most taxis in the bay charge $3.00 a mile. Taxi drivers make more in tips (20% of fare) than Uber driver in most of the SFBA earn after Uber takes their cut. Now take those gross earnings and pay for your gas, insurance, depreciation, maintenance etc. and tell me why anyone in their right mind would be on the east side of the bay bridge.

With that said for over 4 years everyday is profitable with Uber.... if you know what you are doing. 
Remember we set the price, work where and when we want.
Never accept pool requests even when surge. Thank every single pax for not choosing pool or line and explain why...if you don't know quit driving park your MBZ or beamer till you find out.
Hopefully you are driving many surge trips and telling every pax how much a taxi is compared to their surge price. Funny 99 % of the time it is lower than the taxis in your area. We offer a safer and more enjoyable experience that is worth much more than our competition is charging. Try to find that in any other industry. More and better is not available anywhere for less.
Compliment your pax on how smart they are to have the app on their phone and mention those poor people who are stuck, stranded and or late 'cuz they're not quite as bright.
Pro's know the Taxi rate and the Uber rate in every city and pax don't. 
Be proud and not afraid to engage the pax with conversation... point out that we drive for free to the pax location .....
show them the traffic on your route back etc
Ignore this 1.1-1.3 boost. You can't lower the fares 40% in 2015-16 and tell me your going to boost me 1.1 - 1.3. especially during the hours after 6 p.m., graveyard or weekends when you should be earning 1.5 to double time.


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## TwoFiddyMile (Mar 13, 2015)

So taxis suck...But Uber is only good when they are undercutting taxis?

Sounds about right. These same pax don't know how to unlock their car when the battery dies.


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## Remy Hendra (Nov 18, 2014)

Yea I say let it surge 10x!....till people do the #deleteuber crap. Surge means more earnings for their partners right?


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## UberXking (Oct 14, 2014)

EnjoyEnJan said:


> People would rather ***** & complain.
> 
> Supply and demand. The whole point of surge & Primetime is that without it there would be no rides at all available when things get busy. The whole point is that if you really really need a ride you can pay extra and have one. Otherwise you get nothing at all which is exactly what you could choose to get if you feel the price is too high. But if that's the case then at least with Serge you still have the option.
> 
> ...


Hold o....n sounds like you're pro line and pool
1. it's a bad deal from the start. Why should a pax get a discount even if no other rider?

then everything you stated is bad for the driver

why would anyone accept a pool or line request?


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## luvgurl22 (Jul 5, 2016)

Ca$h4 said:


> 7X Boost. Disaster Capitalism.
> 
> Commuters in Oakland and San Francisco who were slugged with massive prices from Uber and Lyft on Monday morning have blasted the ride-sharing services.
> 
> ...


Serves the "cheapskates" right.I just wish I had gotten a piece of the "short lived" pie


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## EnjoyEnJan (May 18, 2016)

UberXking said:


> Hold o....n sounds like you're pro line and pool
> 1. it's a bad deal from the start. Why should a pax get a discount even if no other rider?
> 
> then everything you stated is bad for the driver
> ...


Discount because when that happens often, there become other riders.. two halves equal a whole. It's good because less congestion is safer, cleaner and cost effective.

Although i did notice on lyft that when a friend requested a ride from me he paid 24 for the ride. The other line pax paid about the same because they both went about the same distance n time. Now i only got about 24 or something in ride payments.. so where did the extra money go? I love lyft but that looks like fraud.


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## JSM0713 (Apr 25, 2015)

entrep1776 said:


> Mmmm isn't that the intent of surge pricing? to get drivers to rush to try to make a quick buck?


IF one believes that surge pricing is a result of simple supply and demand economic forces, this is a fair system. Why the hell would an Uber driver jump out of bed to put in extra time if there were no surge? The whole thing is controlled by computer programs based on simple ratios of demands for rides vs/ available Uber drivers. People pay obscene prices for housing in the Bay Area, do they not? To expect a driver and car ON DEMAND to show up at your door and pay as little as they do for rides to me is obscene. At times like that, they need to DRIVE their own car (pay obscene prices for gas and parking), call a TAXI, take a bus, buy a scooter, ride a bike or even walk! Nobody's putting a gun to their head to use UBER/LYFT.... One doesn't like the surge pricing, don't use the service.... period. And, from a driver's perspective, I will go the those areas that will PAY ME the most favorable rate. Why is that so freaking hard for people to understand?



Tim In Cleveland said:


> If you limit the surge, you will LIMIT THE RESPONSE. Fewer drivers will pop on to come to the rescue. I will never get over the complaints of price gouging when there was an armed gunman nearby. WHY THE FRIG do you think Uber drivers want to RISK THEIR LIVES to go get you? Uber needs to increase the price until drivers respond or you walk. It's that simple.


I tried to explain surge pricing to a Pax who, in a time when there was a torrential downpour in Miami, needed a ride, but the area was surging at 7x. She picked up her iPhone, got to the Uber App and requested a ride and expected someone to show up at her door and pay regular Uber rates of $0.85 per mile.... Roads were flooded, traffic was impossibly gridlocked, driving was outright dangerous.... She got her Uber at 6.6x and complained the whole way about how she was getting ripped off!!! My response to her was "Would you like to get out and stop the ride?" Of course not! She STFU. The expectations that people have are insane and are part of the problems we're having in the world today. I have no sympathy for riders, none. I do this to get PAID!



mghtyred said:


> Bla bla bla. We all suffer due to Fuber's price slashing. Let us make some $ every once in a while. This isn't a charity, it's our livelihood.


Couldn't have said it any better myself..... I remember all the times I broke my butt in traffic, stressful rides, gave great service and NO TIP!!! Any sympathy I have for these riders is long gone, LONG gone. My attitude is SHUT UP and PAY UP!


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## Demon (Dec 6, 2014)

luvgurl22 said:


> Serves the "cheapskates" right.I just wish I had gotten a piece of the "short lived" pie


There's nothing cheap about paying full price.


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## luvgurl22 (Jul 5, 2016)

Demon said:


> There's nothing cheap about paying full price.


What are you talking about? I'm talking about the peanuts they "regularly" pay.Its good to finally see them spend actual money even though it's short lived.You sound like you enjoy less than minimum wage


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## IHmechanic (Jan 2, 2016)

Max Weber said:


> If there wasn't surge pricing they would complain that there wasn't any cars available. Surge pricing pushes low priority riders out of the way so people who really need the ride can still get it quickly. No disruption in service if you are willing to pay more than other passengers.


This is exactly what happened at the Raleigh-Durham airport during the ice storm in Jan. Uber refused to surge at the airport but it surged everywhere else. So drivers refused to pick up all the arriving passengers and students coming back from Christmas break. It was a mess. The airport authority complained that Uber wasn't giving drivers an incentive to pick up there.


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## TwoFiddyMile (Mar 13, 2015)

IHmechanic said:


> This is exactly what happened at the Raleigh-Durham airport during the ice storm in Jan. Uber refused to surge at the airport but it surged everywhere else. So drivers refused to pick up all the arriving passengers and students coming back from Christmas break. It was a mess. The airport authority complained that Uber wasn't giving drivers an incentive to pick up there.


A living wage rate would be incentive enough.


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## autofill (Apr 1, 2016)

Blah blah blah.... pax will always complain but they'll go and wait in line all day long when Apple release their next iPhone no problem. Supply and demand. Time is money right?


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## PrestonT (Feb 15, 2017)

Mears Troll Number 4 said:


> Becoming a regular customer of uber is like signing a deal with a devil, when you need to get somewhere and it's like a 30X surge, that's the devil coming to collect.


Nice hyperbole. Try 3.5X max on a normal ultra busy Friday-Sat late night Las Vegas Strip rush. That prices us about with dirty cabs driven by rude, long-hauling aholes, and that surge typically lasts 10 minutes at a time, for a grand total of about an hour a week all combined. If riders don't want to pay that price, they can wait 10 minutes before ordering. Or they can walk over to the cab stand and pay surge rates 24/7/365 for a cab driver who speaks only enough English to demand a tip.


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## TwoFiddyMile (Mar 13, 2015)

PrestonT said:


> Nice hyperbole. Try 3.5X max on a normal ultra busy Friday-Sat late night Las Vegas Strip rush. That prices us about with dirty cabs driven by rude, long-hauling aholes, and that surge typically lasts 10 minutes at a time, for a grand total of about an hour a week all combined. If riders don't want to pay that price, they can wait 10 minutes before ordering. Or they can walk over to the cab stand and pay surge rates 24/7/365 for a cab driver who speaks only enough English to demand a tip.


Yasss...
Mearstroll4 and I are EXTREMELY English challenged individuals. As for surge, no...we never surge.


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## Cableguynoe (Feb 14, 2017)

If I walk into a grocery store and I see that prices are way more expensive than they should be, I don't complain to the manager. I walk out and head to another store where I know the prices will be better.
If Uber is too expensive, take the bus. Call a taxi. Call a friend. Deal with it!


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## PrestonT (Feb 15, 2017)

TwoFiddyMile said:


> Yasss...
> Mearstroll4 and I are EXTREMELY English challenged individuals. As for surge, no...we never surge.


Your rates are always surge, that's the point.


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## TwoFiddyMile (Mar 13, 2015)

PrestonT said:


> Your rates are always surge, that's the point.


No. Your rates are usually below market.
I don't expect you to ever understand this.


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## PrestonT (Feb 15, 2017)

TwoFiddyMile said:


> No. Your rates are usually below market.
> I don't expect you to ever understand this.


I don't expect you to ever understand that market is what customers are willing to pay, not what a monopoly arbitrarily sets it to be. This is why you are losing MARKET share to Uber at such an alarming rate, and why so many cabbies, at least in Vegas, are jumping ship to drive rideshare.

Set up a monopoly.
Gouge customers for decades.
When free market comes to compete with you, cry and beg politicians to make them go away.


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## 2Peaks (Sep 19, 2016)

TwoFiddyMile said:


> Yasss...
> Mearstroll4 and I are EXTREMELY English challenged individuals. As for surge, no...we never surge.


Actually two, haven't seen the mears troll since I schooled him on English language. 
However, your cabbie perspective is appreciated.


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## jfinks (Nov 24, 2016)

Ride-Share-Risk-Manager said:


> In NYC quite a few cabs have become Ubers. Uber has encountered a lot of problems with attracting and retaining quality drivers in NYC due to the TLC requirements.
> 
> My point about surges is that nobody could.es out looking good when they surge to 5 or more times normal rates. We had a number of incidents like this in NYC recently and it helped nobody, especially the drivers who took the brunt of the abuse from passengers.


They could always walk I suppose.



PrestonT said:


> I don't expect you to ever understand that market is what customers are willing to pay, not what a monopoly arbitrarily sets it to be. This is why you are losing MARKET share to Uber at such an alarming rate, and why so many cabbies, at least in Vegas, are jumping ship to drive rideshare.
> 
> Set up a monopoly.
> Gouge customers for decades.
> When free market comes to compete with you, cry and beg politicians to make them go away.


From the pax perspective who uses Uber all the time/daily, sometimes they get a deal on the ride, and sometimes they pay more than "market". It all averages out far less than a cab ride, is faster/easier to get, and generally is a nicer vehicle than a cab. Not always, but generally.

The under 40ish people are starting to forget that cabs still exist at all. Times are a changing all the time.


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## Strange Fruit (Aug 10, 2016)

SF commuters aren't furious anymore. The ire lasted a few hours, then life went on. It's only continuing here, where people from _other_ places have opinions about a thing the effected parties have all forgotten about. God bless America.


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## corniilius (Jan 27, 2017)

Supply and demand. Nobody is making them use either service.


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## dnlbaboof (Nov 13, 2015)

Ca$h4 said:


> 7X Boost. Disaster Capitalism.
> 
> Commuters in Oakland and San Francisco who were slugged with massive prices from Uber and Lyft on Monday morning have blasted the ride-sharing services.
> 
> ...


They dont whine when they pay a 2 dollar pool fare and make the driver pick them up at a bus stop LOL........ohand uber is offering subscription rides in some cities........20 bucks a month for 30 pool rides anywhere!!!!!!!


----------



## Uberdriver2710 (Jul 15, 2015)




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## Trump Economics (Jul 29, 2015)

Ca$h4 said:


> 7X Boost. Disaster Capitalism.
> 
> Commuters in Oakland and San Francisco who were slugged with massive prices from Uber and Lyft on Monday morning have blasted the ride-sharing services.
> 
> ...


I don't understand why this even became a story by anyone in the press? This happens every single holiday, with people posting screenshots of $400 rides for just a couple of miles. Happy New Year, everyone.


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## RedoBeach (Feb 27, 2016)

Karen Stein said:


> Simple market economics.
> 
> Unlike taxis, the ride share companies have not sought to restrict competition. No licensing, limits on numbers of drivers, etc.
> 
> ...


Strange Fruit , it's your favorite elusive character straight from the offices of snifferooni behavior... And all this time I just thought she was a figment of imaginative discussion! Any word, Goat love?


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## PrestonT (Feb 15, 2017)

dnlbaboof said:


> They dont whine when they pay a 2 dollar pool fare and make the driver pick them up at a bus stop LOL........ohand uber is offering subscription rides in some cities........20 bucks a month for 30 pool rides anywhere!!!!!!!


They don't pay a $2 Pool fare. You GET a $2 Pool fare, but they pay more than that.


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## Another Uber Driver (May 27, 2015)

observer said:


> I don't remember Southern Pacific.


I am showing my age. Now they call it CalTrans, CalTrain or something like that. Southern Pacific was the name of the railroad that ran the SF Peninsula commuter trains for years. I used to ride it to Bellarmine in San Jose; train #112, often called the Schoolbus on Rails, as many students of St. Francis in Mountain View and Bellarmine in San Jose rode it to school.



Noneya damn business said:


> You obviously didn't read the article or live in the bay area.
> 
> There was a downed PowerLine on Bart that stopped all service at morning rush hour.
> 
> ...


I did read the article and I do not live in the SF Bay Area any longer. I have not lived there for years.

I missed the downed power line part.

You rates on Uber and cabs are different from ours. Here, let me use your own words and phrasing, with a few appropriate changes: "You obviously didn't read the post" I posted (and you quoted): Once UberX hits 1,6-1,8 _*in this market*_. My market is the Capital of Your Nation. I did make reference to the SF Market with language that should imply that the SF Market is not mine.

In reality, the numbers look nice on paper but do not often play out empirically. What I do is compare final UberX fares (what the user pays to Uber) to final cab fares. I can do that due to experience.

I never stated that anyone should cap a surge nor would I advocate such a thing. In addition to the cab, I do drive UberX. The surges during the last World Cup were the best. Further, if I am driving the cab that day, the more that UberX surges, the more people that it drives to Uber Taxi. Uber Taxi does not use surge pricing. Those "regulations" that everyone (including the riding public, these days) so roundly damns prohibit it.

I never stated that anyone should receive a discount because public transportation broke down; in fact, I missed that part (something that I have stated, already)



Karen Stein said:


> Unlike taxis, the ride share companies have not sought to restrict competition. No licensing, limits on numbers of drivers, etc.


Perhaps what you state is the case in other markets, but in the Capital of Your Nation, there is no Big Taxi. Further, we have had an Open Entry market in practice from the days of the horse and buggies until 1999. Anyone who could pass the test and meet requirements (FBI background and fingerprint check, mental and physical health requirements and the like) and was willing to pay the fees could secure a hack licence. They did put in a cab school requirement in 1989, but again, if you were willing to go to the school and meet the other requirements, you could obtain a hack licence. Further, if you could patch a four door hoopty through inspection, you could put it onto the streets as a cab. Complying with the rules was the only restriction. There was no age limit, restrictions as to make or anything else. From 1931-2008, we did not have meters, even.

There was a period between 1999 and 2014 where there were on and off moratoria on the issuance of hack licences and vehicle licences. On paper, the market was still open entry, but in practice it was restricted. To be honest, this was due _*partially*_ to complaints from the drivers, companies and even the government that the streets were choked with taxicabs, many of them driven by unlicenced drivers (the vehicle actually was legitimate, it was the driver who was not). Further considerations for the licencing of drivers also played a major part. There were instances where hack licences were being sold out the back door of the Taxicab Commission, the tests were compromised as well as filled with errors and the school syllabus was somewhat less than adequate. Through part of this, I was a company official and worked with the Taxicab Commission on correcting some of these problems.

The now Department of For Hire Vehicles (former DCTC) is issuing hack licences, again. The school is offered periodically.

In addition, there was pressure from the EPA, HHS and other Federal Government agencies to do something about: A. The automobile pollution of the air, here and B. The lack of accessible taxicabs. To deal with this as well as the hoopty and illegals problems, the Taxicab Commission stopped issuing new vehicle licences. Existing licences were renewed, but new licences were not issued.

Uber solved much of the problem with the illegals. Every once in a while, the wrong person boarded a cab driven by an illegal. The illegal driver did what illegals do, so there was a fuss and the Police and Hack Inspectors had to go after the illegals. When Uber showed up, the illegal thought "why risk it? I can drive Uber with no licence; no problem". Any one who could get financing for a black car, went with Uber (Uber Black was the only Uber, at the time). When UberX showed up, the illegal problem vanished overnight. The Buy Here/Pay Here lemon lots are full of six to eight year old Camrys and will finance anyone who can frost a mirror. In fact that is the "credit check". The salesman hold a mirror to your face, tells you to breathe on it, if there is frost, you pass the "credit check".

Now, you can secure a new vehicle licence, but you must have an accessible or pure electric. There are grants available for an accessible. In fact, Uber, Lyft and VIA pay to the District of Columbia a one per-cent tax to finance the grants for accessible taxicabs. This is one reason why Uber addresses the demand for its services from the wheelchair bound through the Uber Taxi platform, here. There is no Uber Access or Uber Assist, here. If you need an accessible, you use Uber Taxi. I can not state that I blame Uber for that. If Uber is paying for the vehicles, it wants some use out of them. If you receive one of these grants, you must affiliate with at least one "dispatch" service. Uber Taxi is one of the "approved" "dispatch" services. Further, if you accept one of the grants, you have a quota of accessible requests that you must fulfill.



UberXking said:


> Bull Quit spreading miss information.


No, your post is [solid waste from a male bovine]. I am spreading no misinformation. Read the post. Start with the part about "this market". I am not in the SF Bay Area. I have made that clear on these Boards more than once. You are misinformed, but not by me.



TwoFiddyMile said:


> As for surge, no...we never surge.


In fact, I beat the UberX surge yesterday by using Uber Taxi to get from the Nationals Opening Day to my home. UberX was over three times, thus it would have been over forty bananas, or more, to get home. I paid just over twenty on Uber Taxi. Sadly, there were no Uber Taxis available near my home to go to the game, so I had to use UberX on a 1,7 surge. It was about the same as a taxi. What is really funny is that the UberX car, a Prius (and I do not know why everyone complains about passenger room in a Prius, it was fine for GF and me), was filthy, smelled and the driver smelled. The Uber Taxi was a Camry of the same approximate model year, was clean, as was the driver. Both drivers were polite, though.



PrestonT said:


> what a monopoly arbitrarily sets it to be.
> 
> Gouge customers for decades.
> 
> When free market comes to compete with you


We never had Big Taxi in the Capital of Your Nation. We had an open entry market for years. No "monopoly" set the rates, the Taxicab Commission and its predecessors set the rates. We did not even have meters from 1931-2008. The rates were, in some cases, artificially low.

No one is gouging customers, although the TNCs are gouging the drivers. What is funny is that the drivers allow it. Cab rates are what they are for a reason. A Michelin costs the same one hundred fifty dollars on a private car that it costs on a TNC car or a cab. A brake job costs the same three hundred dollars on all three. Gasolene is the same two dollars and change a gallon for all three. In the cabs, we cover our seats and floors. It is much easier to clean half a loaded burrito off a seat covered in vinyl than it is on a cloth seat. A little Spray Nine, a paper towel and minimal elbow grease and there is not even the stain that half the loaded burrito leaves on a cloth seat (I will pass over the smell). All of this costs money. Cab rates are what they are for a reason.

Perhaps you have not read the comments on various topics on these Boards about how drivers can not afford to fix their cars or even wash them on what Uber and Lyft pay. I suspect that this would explain the more than a few Uber Hoopties that I have both seen and ridden in the Capital of Your Nation.

The TNC prices are wonderful when TNC drivers argue against taxis. They _*ain't none too wunnerful*_ when the drivers look at their bank account or debit card account deposits, now are they?



jfinks said:


> The under 40ish people are starting to forget that cabs still exist at all.


Somebody forgot to tell that to the "under 40ish" people and even those much-maligned-by-TNC driver millenials and kollidge stoodintz that I pick up in the cab, here, all the time. Funny, in the Capital of Your Nation, people are from everywhere else. Hmmmmmmm......................


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## Another Uber Driver (May 27, 2015)

PrestonT said:


> They don't pay a $2 Pool fare. You GET a $2 Pool fare, but they pay more than that.


Many TNC drivers seem to forget that, especially when they try to compare TNC rates to cab rates. The customers are aware of it, here, at least. This is why some TNC drivers here seem to think that UberX customer pays thirty-five to fifty-five per-cent of what the cab customer pays. The driver might RECEIVE only thirty-five to fifty-five per-cent of what the cab driver receives for the same trip, but the customer pays at least sixty per-cent of what he pays to the cab driver, often more, and these are only on BASE rates, mind you. Further, do keep in mind that this applies to the Capital of Your Nation. SF might be different.


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## UberXking (Oct 14, 2014)

Mears Troll Number 4 said:


> Becoming a regular customer of uber is like signing a deal with a devil, when you need to get somewhere and it's like a 30X surge, that's the devil coming to collect.


We went from 7x to 8-10x now you're saying 30x. Chances are 
we can't get 5 people here to post a 7x surge from S. F. that day. We probably can't get 5 people here to post a 7x surge or greater from anywhere on any day. My point is the rideshare system is set up to take advantage of the driver for the benefit of the rider always. The system doesn't care how far the driver must go, how long it will take or the time of day. 
Any driver except the drivers who where lucky enough to be at the GEE spot of the surge with their phone off would have had to drive through traffic on their own dime and canceled or ignored many requests to come close to a 7x surge The median price was below the cab rate in the area.



Another Uber Driver said:


> Once UberX hits 1,6-1,8 in this market, it is about the same as a taxi. Uber even offers taxis in the Capital of Your Nation. It used to in SF, but I do not know if it does, any more. It does not show on Uber's website any more, but some SF Uber drivers have told me that Uber does still offer taxis there.
> 
> Further, in SF they have BART, the Muni and the Southern Pacific. If you do not want to pay the surge rates, try something else.


Sorry, let me use teeny tiny words. 
DON'T Spread misinformation. I did read your post. It was a reply to a comment concerning high surge in SF. Everyone reading your comment would have understood 
'' this area'' to be SAN FRANCISCO. 
Even if you were expecting fellow drivers to read your mind the $2.16 pet mile charged by taxi's in D. C. 
IS more than 2x the $1.02 per mile UberX rate in D. C.


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## Cableguynoe (Feb 14, 2017)

UberXking said:


> Chances are
> we can't get 5 people here to post a 7x surge from S. F. that day. We probably can't get 5 people here to post a 7x surge or greater from anywhere on any day. .












Challenge accepted!


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## Strange Fruit (Aug 10, 2016)

RedoBeach said:


> Strange Fruit , it's your favorite elusive character straight from the offices of snifferooni behavior... And all this time I just thought she was a figment of imaginative discussion! Any word, Goat love?


Ms Stein Fanboy


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## UberDez (Mar 28, 2017)

I hate these articles about people thinking they're being taken advantage of . Noone is forcing you to take the uber to work , maybe not show and maybe that gets you fired . Maybe if they didn't add the surge there wouldn't be a driver available to take your dumbass to work . Get over it , lifes a *****


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## Another Uber Driver (May 27, 2015)

UberXking said:


> DON'T Spread misinformation. I did read your post. It was a reply to a comment concerning high surge in SF. Everyone reading your comment would have understood
> '' this area'' to be SAN FRANCISCO.
> Even if you were expecting fellow drivers to read your mind the $2.16 pet mile charged by taxi's in D. C.
> IS more than 2x the $1.02 per mile UberX rate in D. C.


Obviously, you did not read the first or the second post or any post that I have made to this topic. You are trying to apply laboratory conditions (quoted per-mile rates) to what actually happens on the street. I post from my experience of what actually happens on the street, not what some "official" cyberpublication states. I have posted more than once on these Boards, and at least once to this topic that I draw from experience, not the laboratory. Drawing from the laboratory gets you bees that do not fly.

Please understand that I drive both a cab and UberX. I know what a cab fare from point A to point B should be from something called experience. I know what the UberX fare from point A to point B should be from something called experience. I know what the surge fares are on the various multipliers from something called experience. I see what Uber pays for for a 1,8 surge from point A to point B. I know how to extrapolate ( a mathematical operation likely no longer taught in public school) so that I can add Uber's to what I receive. I see what a meter reads after I carry a street hail (or an Uber Taxi user) from the same point A to point B. In my experience, which is extensive, the bottom line, that which the customer pays, is the same on both UberX and a taxicab when the UberX surge is 1,8. I had a 1,8 to-day. It was a shortie, from Scott Circle to close to Chinatown. The user paid eight bananas and change. The cab fare in the same traffic is about the same. As the crow flies, I doubt that it is even a mile. As The Capital of Your Nation has rectangular and regular block arrangement, I would doubt that it is even two miles by streets. Still, Uber charged the customer eight dollars and change. The cab meter in the same traffic for the same trip would read the same eight dollars and change. I can rattle off examples of this all day, every day, time and half on Saturday and double on Sunday.

_*I ain't spreadin' no Miss Infermayshinn*_. If you were to draw strictly from your laboratory figures, you, Sirrah, would be the one spreading misinformation. It is similar to why Samuel Langhorne Clemens told you that if you read the newspapers, you are misinformed. You are going only on what the "publications" tell you and not what experience shows.


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## Pardalian (Dec 2, 2015)

Jesusdrivesuber said:


> So they forgot taxis existed?


you said it well "existed"


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## corniilius (Jan 27, 2017)

Cableguynoe said:


> View attachment 110160
> 
> 
> View attachment 110160
> ...


 Daaaaaaaaamn!!! Talk about more money than brains.


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## ChortlingCrison (Mar 30, 2016)

Another Uber Driver said:


> Obviously, you did not read the first or the second post or any post that I have made to this topic. You are trying to apply laboratory conditions (quoted per-mile rates) to what actually happens on the street. I post from my experience of what actually happens on the street, not what some "official" cyberpublication states. I have posted more than once on these Boards, and at least once to this topic that I draw from experience, not the laboratory. Drawing from the laboratory gets you bees that do not fly.
> 
> Please understand that I drive both a cab and UberX. I know what a cab fare from point A to point B should be from something called experience. I know what the UberX fare from point A to point B should be from something called experience. I know what the surge fares are on the various multipliers from something called experience. I see what Uber pays for for a 1,8 surge from point A to point B. I know how to extrapolate ( a mathematical operation likely no longer taught in public school) so that I can add Uber's to what I receive. I see what a meter reads after I carry a street hail (or an Uber Taxi user) from the same point A to point B. In my experience, which is extensive, the bottom line, that which the customer pays, is the same on both UberX and a taxicab when the UberX surge is 1,8. I had a 1,8 to-day. It was a shortie, from Scott Circle to close to Chinatown. The user paid eight bananas and change. The cab fare in the same traffic is about the same. As the crow flies, I doubt that it is even a mile. As The Capital of Your Nation has rectangular and regular block arrangement, I would doubt that it is even two miles by streets. Still, Uber charged the customer eight dollars and change. The cab meter in the same traffic for the same trip would read the same eight dollars and change. I can rattle off examples of this all day, every day, time and half on Saturday and double on Sunday.
> 
> _*I ain't spreadin' no Miss Infermayshinn*_. If you were to draw strictly from your laboratory figures, you, Sirrah, would be the one spreading misinformation. It is similar to why Samuel Langhorne Clemens told you that if you read the newspapers, you are misinformed. You are going only on what the "publications" tell you and not what experience shows.


I've never heard of a Labatory condition. I learn something new every day. PS. What happened to tweety bird?


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## Uberdoggy (Nov 10, 2016)

Ride-Share-Risk-Manager said:


> I don't think there was a single SF passenger who thought that the 8-10 times surge pricing was fair or reasonable. A pox on both Uber and Lyft houses. They should put a cap on their surges when these events occur. Nobody comes out of this looking good, especially the drivers who might have rushed to try and make a quick buck.


PUH-leeze!!!!! Like passengers are sooooooo effin innocent and don't take advantage of us? Do they really think when they buy that $30 pool pass they AREN'T doing it to the driver's detriment?

They should have been charged MORE. The way rideshare works is that as demand exceeds supply, prices go up. Period.

Big dummies. SMH. Grow the eff up.


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## JimS (Aug 18, 2015)

This was neither a disaster or a crisis. It was an inconvenience. An inconvenience that allowed the public to circumvent with he who had the fattest wallet.

Here's the deal. You can a) Drive your own happy butt to work and home again. b) Take public transportation and hope it all works out for ya. c) Commute by UberPool everyday and hope it never surges. When all hell breaks loose, you can either a) Take your car home, b) wait for return to service, c) Pay 7x and UberPool your way back home in style because you KNOW there ain't gonna be a cab anywhere near you for hours.

St. Patrick's Day weekend, I had a $340 fare that was less than 20 miles on a 7.7x surge on XL. Pax knew. I'm sure pax complained. I'm sure Uber paid them back some. They didn't dock me anything. It was a fantastic ride and they would have been stuck for an hour before the rates returned to Earth.

It's not capitalism exploding. It's capitalism working. But it does show that passengers are willing to pay WAY more for Uber. Double the base rates, reduce the surging.


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## UberIsAllFubared (Feb 24, 2016)

Ride-Share-Risk-Manager said:


> I don't think there was a single SF passenger who thought that the 8-10 times surge pricing was fair or reasonable. A pox on both Uber and Lyft houses. They should put a cap on their surges when these events occur. Nobody comes out of this looking good, especially the drivers who might have rushed to try and make a quick buck.


Why on earth would a driver go through the trouble of driving in that mess with a cap surge? I wouldn't have done it for anything under 5x. They have a choice, they don't have to use uber to get there.


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## Dback2004 (Nov 7, 2015)

I agree. It's supply & demand. The whole TNC market was built on that, and when you decide to use it for your transportation needs, you accept those terms. Most of the time it works in pax favor, but once in a while it's not and they need to accept that. Not whine about "capping" prices and "more regulation" which they don't want the other 364 days of the year. For example, last year my friends held a going-away party until bar close at 2am. A friend from Chicago was here and freaking out over 10x surge at 1:55am. As a driver, I know that's typical for this area and I (try to) explain supply and demand. A thousand drunk people are trying to go home at the same time on 50-100 Ubers. Two options - go home at 1:40 before the surge takes off, or take a walk at 2am and request an Uber at 2:30 when fares are lower. Supply and demand. Surge is for those who are willing to pay to go RIGHT NOW. The rest of the people can wait until supply increases/demand decreases and go at a lower cost. Economics 101.

My community is half a million people on two sides of a massive river. We have 5 bridges, 1 of which is almost always under construction. A single accident during rush hour can shut down an entire bridge. Here hardly anybody relies on public transit (option 1: don't want to deal with BART outages, don't live in an area where you're dependent on someone else for transportation). So if a bridge delays traffic, most employers are sympathetic to the fact and life moves on. (option 2: Call your employer tell them BART is shutdown and you're going to be late). Around here if you absolutely cannot be late you leave early just in case of a bridge closure and most days you get to work early (option 3: Find an alternative or suck it up and pay the price).


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## Anong (Dec 27, 2016)

Jesusdrivesuber said:


> So they forgot taxis existed?


This. When surge gets over a certain price, it's time to start calling a taxi.

I'm still surprised that these taxi services don't have their own app. Talk about living in the stone ages but then again these people who didn't order a taxi pretty much forgot the stone ages existed.

Bart isn't your only way to get to point a to point b. There's a reason why the roads still have cars on them. People expect the transit system to always work and that's just not the case.


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## TwoFiddyMile (Mar 13, 2015)

Anong said:


> This. When surge gets over a certain price, it's time to start calling a taxi.
> 
> I'm still surprised that these taxi services don't have their own app. Talk about living in the stone ages but then again these people who didn't order a taxi pretty much forgot the stone ages existed.
> 
> Bart isn't your only way to get to point a to point b. There's a reason why the roads still have cars on them. People expect the transit system to always work and that's just not the case.


If you did a little research you would know that 80% of taxis are now app dispatched.
Google before you type lol.


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## Anong (Dec 27, 2016)

TwoFiddyMile said:


> If you did a little research you would know that 80% of taxis are now app dispatched.
> Google before you type lol.


Lol! Then that's even worse! Taxis have an app and these people didn't use it.


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## TwoFiddyMile (Mar 13, 2015)

Anong said:


> Lol! Then that's even worse! Taxis have an app and these people didn't use it.


Lol. I grossed $168.50 in 4 hours Saturday from 17:30 to 21:45, my last job was a 1 hour extravaganza which ended with a $100 bill in my hand.

Momma always said you were special...


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## JSM0713 (Apr 25, 2015)

It amazes me how utterly ignorant people have become. Uber prices, being a function of supply and demand REQUIRE surging to attract drivers to high demand areas. The same passengers who enjoy and obscenely low rate for Uber's on-demand service, now have to cough up extra $$$ under certain conditions. Them's the breaks. These same passengers could have driven their cars into work, burning up gas, sitting in traffic and then pay huge parking rates... no? To any passengers reading this.... STFU and live with it. IF Uber offers no surge, no self-respecting driver is going to go to the affected area, it's as simple as that. Too hard to understand? I guess in Left-wing SF most feel that should send storm-troopers to all registered Uber drivers to force them to work and tell them where to go....


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## MonkeyTOES (Oct 18, 2016)

Surges shouldn't be capped at all. Pax can choose either to pay that much, take the effing taxi or bus. Don't complain after when you agreed to pay that price. The pax that complains about it should be banned.


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## UberXking (Oct 14, 2014)

Another Uber Driver said:


> Obviously, you did not read the first or the second post or any post that I have made to this topic. You are trying to apply laboratory conditions (quoted per-mile rates) to what actually happens on the street. I post from my experience of what actually happens on the street, not what some "official" cyberpublication states. I have posted more than once on these Boards, and at least once to this topic that I draw from experience, not the laboratory. Drawing from the laboratory gets you bees that do not fly.
> 
> Please understand that I drive both a cab and UberX. I know what a cab fare from point A to point B should be from something called experience. I know what the UberX fare from point A to point B should be from something called experience. I know what the surge fares are on the various multipliers from something called experience. I see what Uber pays for for a 1,8 surge from point A to point B. I know how to extrapolate ( a mathematical operation likely no longer taught in public school) so that I can add Uber's to what I receive. I see what a meter reads after I carry a street hail (or an Uber Taxi user) from the same point A to point B. In my experience, which is extensive, the bottom line, that which the customer pays, is the same on both UberX and a taxicab when the UberX surge is 1,8. I had a 1,8 to-day. It was a shortie, from Scott Circle to close to Chinatown. The user paid eight bananas and change. The cab fare in the same traffic is about the same. As the crow flies, I doubt that it is even a mile. As The Capital of Your Nation has rectangular and regular block arrangement, I would doubt that it is even two miles by streets. Still, Uber charged the customer eight dollars and change. The cab meter in the same traffic for the same trip would read the same eight dollars and change. I can rattle off examples of this all day, every day, time and half on Saturday and double on Sunday.
> 
> _*I ain't spreadin' no Miss Infermayshinn*_. If you were to draw strictly from your laboratory figures, you, Sirrah, would be the one spreading misinformation. It is similar to why Samuel Langhorne Clemens told you that if you read the newspapers, you are misinformed. You are going only on what the "publications" tell you and not what experience shows.


Boy you write a lot. 
Guess I should believe what you write instead of the city regulated rates.
Taxis are way overpriced everywhere. 
You aren't calculating the 20% tip that the other cab drivers get.
Uber calculates actual miles.
I hope you consider this your nation too.


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