# Do most drivers accept every ping?



## reg barclay (Nov 3, 2015)

I'm talking drivers in general, not just this forum. Most of the drivers I've encountered IRL didn't seem as savvy as the ones here. Do you think most of them just turn on their apps and accept everything that comes their way?


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## GreatWhiteHope (Sep 18, 2018)

reg barclay said:


> I'm talking drivers in general, not just this forum. Most of the drivers I've encountered IRL didn't seem as savvy as the ones here. Do you think most of them just turn on their apps and accept everything that comes their way?


good question

I'd say the more experienced ppl are more selective and vice versa


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## Lovelife (May 16, 2019)

reg barclay said:


> I'm talking drivers in general, not just this forum. Most of the drivers I've encountered IRL didn't seem as savvy as the ones here. Do you think most of them just turn on their apps and accept everything that comes their way?
> [/QUOTi
> I did when I first started. I don't accept a long ping unless it's 45+ minutes. I won't drive no more than 8 minute ping for regular ride. I was a lot more selective when I had uber pro.


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## pizzaladee (May 23, 2018)

Great question and one I’ve pondered myself. I think the answer is yes, most drivers accept every ping. I am not one of those people. Even before I found this forum I declined most pings. 

I have a friend who drives infrequently. He complained that his Lyft rating was close to deactivation. He also complained about being sucked into the hood and driving around there all night. I think he felt obliged to accept everything. I told him to drop off and get the hell outta there.

His rating has made quite a rebound.


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## waldowainthrop (Oct 25, 2019)

I met a new driver who accepted only 75%. He wanted to avoid a particular spot so he kept declining instead of repositioning. He seemed to want access to Uber Pro ride intel pretty badly but said he found it impossible to get and maintain 85%. The spot he was avoiding is a military base he doesn’t have access to, which is legitimate, but it’s definitely possible to sit outside the range of its pickups and get to 90% or so.

Other drivers here appear to accept almost anything. I do get access to pings that other drivers have clearly avoided, so all people here are definitely not at 100%. Market is Colorado Springs and Denver.

I am at 86-90% for the Uber Pro information and because declining 20%+ seems like a losing game in my market on many days. I could easily imagine accepting only 50% in Denver, however.


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## mch (Nov 22, 2018)

When my app is on. Yes

The key phrase being "when my app is on" I'm a lot more careful about when it's on now with pro.


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## GreatWhiteHope (Sep 18, 2018)

mch said:


> When my app is on. Yes
> 
> The key phrase being "when my app is on" I'm a lot more careful about when it's on now with pro.


bro what is your avatar pic


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## mch (Nov 22, 2018)

GreatWhiteHope said:


> bro what is your avatar pic


Its the old guy from that Post Malone song


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## Clarity (Sep 20, 2018)

I used to until I learned not to when I joined this site.


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## Johnny Mnemonic (Sep 24, 2019)

reg barclay said:


> I'm talking drivers in general, not just this forum. Most of the drivers I've encountered IRL didn't seem as savvy as the ones here. Do you think most of them just turn on their apps and accept everything that comes their way?


This is the first post on uberpeople that actually made me feel flattered!










I can't speak for other drivers, but I can say I have a 54% acceptance rate right now. Yes, if I had to guess (and I can only guess), I'd say half of all drivers just take whatever ping they get and don't even bother to look at what little information is offered to them.

I actually have lot of respect for the work ethic of the immigrant drivers who come here and work their tails off.

That being said, I wouldn't want to be in their shoes.


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## HonoluluHoku (Jul 2, 2019)

GreatWhiteHope said:


> bro what is your avatar pic


I'm case you haven't figured it out yet, that's a much younger Ozzy Osbourne. \m/


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## GreatWhiteHope (Sep 18, 2018)

HonoluluHoku said:


> I'm case you haven't figured it out yet, that's a much younger Ozzy Osbourne. \m/


Really?


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## HonoluluHoku (Jul 2, 2019)

GreatWhiteHope said:


> Really?


Yes.

Am I being whooshed?

"I'm the ****ing Prince of Darkness, Sharon! I need my tea!"


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## James012 (Aug 23, 2019)

If it says premium pick up possible/likely I won’t take it and if it’s a 45 minute plus ride I Absolutely won’t take it. My acceptance rate is 91% but I also only do it 2 nights a week usually Thursday And Saturday so it’s a lot of dinner and bar drop offs. Anything that’s 45 minutes plus is always nyc or an airport and I’m not getting stuck with the toll and dead miles back.


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## Coachman (Sep 22, 2015)

I accept most pings.

I've asked numerous times on this forum, for those drivers who say they decline many or most pings, how they know which pings are good and which are bad? Besides the "it's a 10+ minute pickup" or "it's behind me" I rarely get a good answer. Some will say "I only accept airport rides" and I'm like WTF? How do you know it's an airport ride? And how much dead time do you have sitting around waiting for that airport ride?

So for those who can discern between a good ride and a bad ride, who don't have Uber Pro, let me know what your secret is.


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## mrpjfresh (Aug 16, 2016)

I think some drivers literally think they _have_ to or they'll be in "trouble". I've literally read and heard this over and over throughout the years. What that trouble is in their minds, I do not know. Same driver who would take a stumbling drunk with puke on their shirt. I can't blame them as they aren't exactly trained or anything. One thing I am certain about is that it never lasts. They get bamboozled into driving 25 minutes for a minimum fare, get an expensive ticket for breaking a law, 1 stared for no reason by a worthless paxhole who should be walking, whatever. The idealism bubble pops and they adapt. Or they don't and join the 96%.


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## GreatWhiteHope (Sep 18, 2018)

Coachman said:


> I accept most pings.
> 
> I've asked numerous times on this forum, for those drivers who say they decline many or most pings, how they know which pings are good and which are bad? Besides the "it's a 10+ minute pickup" or "it's behind me" I rarely get a good answer. Some will say "I only accept airport rides" and I'm like WTF? How do you know it's an airport ride? And how much dead time do you have sitting around waiting for that airport ride?
> 
> So for those who can discern between a good ride and a bad ride, who don't have Uber Pro, let me know what your secret is.


Like if I'm in a certain area at a certain time of the day - I'm only taking 45+

it's highly situational


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## waldowainthrop (Oct 25, 2019)

Coachman said:


> I accept most pings.
> 
> I've asked numerous times on this forum, for those drivers who say they decline many or most pings, how they know which pings are good and which are bad? Besides the "it's a 10+ minute pickup" or "it's behind me" I rarely get a good answer. Some will say "I only accept airport rides" and I'm like WTF? How do you know it's an airport ride? And how much dead time do you have sitting around waiting for that airport ride?
> 
> So for those who can discern between a good ride and a bad ride, who don't have Uber Pro, let me know what your secret is.


I think some drivers don't know what they are missing. Selectivity can go too far.

I got a 4.71 today and he was easily one of the best riders I've ever driven, and tipped generously. I took the risk on a slow morning and I am pretty sure that two or three other drivers passed on it before I took it. 4.7 is something I normally don't prefer to take a risk on but the location and distance were good and the ride was as good as it gets on a slow weekday morning.

Why did he have a 4.71? Probably bigotry since he was an outstanding person.


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## ANT 7 (Oct 14, 2018)

reg barclay said:


> I'm talking drivers in general, not just this forum. Most of the drivers I've encountered IRL didn't seem as savvy as the ones here. Do you think most of them just turn on their apps and accept everything that comes their way?


Yes, I believe they do. I've had lots of rides as an Uber pax, and the majority of the driver's I talk to are clueless about the semantics of rideshare, that we discuss here on a daily basis. Most do not even know there is a pax rating visible in the ping for example......LOL.

Someone is accepting those 25 minute pickup pings that I ignore.


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## Mista T (Aug 16, 2017)

I imagine that most drivers with less than 6 months experience take all or most pings. But who really know...


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## oldfart (Dec 22, 2017)

I found UP right as I started this thing and I tried to implement the “be selective” strategy. What I discovered is that I don’t have have a crystal ball that works very well. There just wasn’t enough information at the ping to make any decision at all. 

So I developed a couple of general rules. 

1) I wouldn’t go anymore than 10 min for a pick up.I know that I missed some really good rides that would take me into good areas, but rules are rules; right?

2) At the airport I wouldn’t take anything except a long ride for my first 3 pings (I had to take the 4th no matter what) I knew I was missing out on some good rides But there is nothing worse than waiting 2 hours fo a $5 ride

I accept almost everything when I’m on the street so I can be selective at the airport

I haven’t had an airport ride under $25 since I could see the direction and time direction of the ride 

And On the street, i think I’m doing better taking everything than not


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## Coachman (Sep 22, 2015)

GreatWhiteHope said:


> Like if I'm in a certain area at a certain time of the day - I'm only taking 45+
> 
> it's highly situational


How long will you sit and decline pings until that 45+ comes along? In the DFW market I could wait all day.


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## GreatWhiteHope (Sep 18, 2018)

Coachman said:


> How long will you sit and decline pings until that 45+ comes along? In the DFW market I could wait all day.


I drive black/suv so it's different than x

But like between 3-5 on a Friday, and I know any decent trip will be 45+ I'm not taking anything but - sometimes u get shafted but sometimes u don't


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## UbaBrah (Oct 25, 2019)

I take virtually every ping. I've missed some by accident while beating out my mats on the side of the road or whatever, but in general my market is small enough that I really can't be picky. The only times I get close to guaranteed back to back pings are on Thursday/Friday/Saturday nights, and even then, there is often a little downtime here and there. Driving during the day is just not an option because I'll average something embarrassing like $8 an hour. So it's not always about savviness per se. Some of us just want the business and have to take what we can get.


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## Johnny Mnemonic (Sep 24, 2019)

ANT 7 said:


> Most do not even know there is a pax rating visible in the ping for example......LOL.


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## pizzaladee (May 23, 2018)

Coachman said:


> I accept most pings.
> 
> I've asked numerous times on this forum, for those drivers who say they decline many or most pings, how they know which pings are good and which are bad? Besides the "it's a 10+ minute pickup" or "it's behind me" I rarely get a good answer. Some will say "I only accept airport rides" and I'm like WTF? How do you know it's an airport ride? And how much dead time do you have sitting around waiting for that airport ride?
> 
> So for those who can discern between a good ride and a bad ride, who don't have Uber Pro, let me know what your secret is.


The most common pings I decline are:

Long pick ups (usually)
Dangerous neighborhoods
Low rated pax (I drive late at night so I am selective about ratings)
Certain streets that usually produce the obnoxious drunks
Low flat rate surge when they're charging 2-3x base
Hospitals, Walmart, or any fast food place. These pax are typically workers going to the aforementioned dangerous neighborhoods, and zero chance of a tip

My current acceptance rate on Uber is 27%, up from 6%, due mostly to the fact that they keep logging me out after a couple declines.


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## tohunt4me (Nov 23, 2015)

reg barclay said:


> I'm talking drivers in general, not just this forum. Most of the drivers I've encountered IRL didn't seem as savvy as the ones here. Do you think most of them just turn on their apps and accept everything that comes their way?


Uber is like a box of chocolates. . . .


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## Dekero (Sep 24, 2019)

A lot of the newer drivers I happen to talk with at the airport are amazed to hear how much I pick and choose rides.. most didn't know they had a choice without getting deactivated... Thus the new people have drank the koolaid Uber/Lyft have been passing out...

Imma pick and choose like an old woman at a swap meet full of baby clothes shopping for a grandson.


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## Gtown Driver (Aug 26, 2018)

Every driver accepts every ping. If not, they risk immediate deactivation.


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## RideshareUSA (Feb 7, 2019)

James012 said:


> If it says premium pick up possible/likely I won't take it and if it's a 45 minute plus ride I Absolutely won't take it. My acceptance rate is 91% but I also only do it 2 nights a week usually Thursday And Saturday so it's a lot of dinner and bar drop offs. Anything that's 45 minutes plus is always nyc or an airport and I'm not getting stuck with the toll and dead miles back.


You can always call the pax and ask for a return fee as compensation, say at least $40. If the answer is no, ok. They can cancel. You have nothing to lose.


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## Invisible (Jun 15, 2018)

I don’t accept every ping, nor did I when I did Eats or other delivery apps. I learned really fast with Grubhub want not to accept. I did some gigs for awhile before I ever came to this forum.

I went down to Gold because my cancel rate was 5%. I don’t care. I will not drive too far away., unless I’m in a rural area. Yesterday, 4 pings came in a row for riders 8-12 min away. I declined them all because it showed they were only going a few miles. But then I got one going 8 min away, and the guy tipped me $5, The algorithm owes me today!


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## 25rides7daysaweek (Nov 20, 2017)

mch said:


> Its the old guy from that Post Malone song


I thought to was an old pic of ozzy


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## Gtown Driver (Aug 26, 2018)

Invisible said:


> I don't accept every ping, nor did I when I did Eats or other delivery apps. I learned really fast with Grubhub want not to accept. I did some gigs for awhile before I ever came to this forum.
> 
> I went down to Gold because my cancel rate was 5%. I don't care. I will not drive too far away., unless I'm in a rural area. Yesterday, 4 pings came in a row for riders 8-12 min away. I declined them all because it showed they were only going a few miles. But then I got one going 8 min away, and the guy tipped me $5, The algorithm owes me today!


Yes. Fight against the system. Do not let the algorithm consume you.


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## Mr. Yuck (Jul 31, 2017)

I picked up a driver from Raleigh, an adjacent market, today and he was the first driver I've talked to IRL that reads this forum. Well, except the driver who told me about this forum 2.5 years ago. That guy has a limo and only did XL and developed his own client base and bailed. 

On Tuesdays I don't have a car during the day and wind up taking 1 Uber and 1 Lyft and talking shop. Only two of them had things figured out. 

Few even know the mileage rates. I have kids-I'm good at explaining things without making them feel bad about themselves. Many of them do take every ping. 

Pro started here in August and I was Diamond from the start because I'd already figured out how to not get bad pings. Now that I can see where pax are going, I'm doing more long pickups because I can tell good from bad. 

Yesterday I learned that 45+ 0 miles NS is a long roundtrip. 

Lyft? My AR and cancels are much worse. The app blows.

My market is very different than most of yours. YMMV.


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## Lovelife (May 16, 2019)

waldowainthrop said:


> I think some drivers don't know what they are missing. Selectivity can go too far.
> 
> I got a 4.71 today and he was easily one of the best riders I've ever driven, and tipped generously. I took the risk on a slow morning and I am pretty sure that two or three other drivers passed on it before I took it. 4.7 is something I normally don't prefer to take a risk on but the location and distance were good and the ride was as good as it gets on a slow weekday morning.
> 
> Why did he have a 4.71? Probably bigotry since he was an outstanding person.


I took a chance with a pax with 4.67 rating. We had a wonderful conversation and she tipped me. I should have asked her why she thought that she got low rating.


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## oleole20 (Apr 8, 2019)

reg barclay said:


> I'm talking drivers in general, not just this forum. Most of the drivers I've encountered IRL didn't seem as savvy as the ones here. Do you think most of them just turn on their apps and accept everything that comes their way?


When I first started 3.5 yrs ago, yes regardless of rating and pick up distance. Because at that time uber was my only income since I lost my job. Now I've got a full-time job and only driving on Fri-Sun, I can afford to be selective. I think if you're new, dependent on ridesharing income or leasing your vehicle you can't afford to be selective.


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## mch (Nov 22, 2018)

25rides7daysaweek said:


> I thought to was an old pic of ozzy


It is, but some of the younger crowd doesn't know who he is other than from a post Malone song


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## waldowainthrop (Oct 25, 2019)

Lovelife said:


> I took a chance with a pax with 4.67 rating. We had a wonderful conversation and she tipped me. I should have asked her why she thought that she got low rating.


I do ask 4.99s what they do to keep their high rating which they love to hear.

I am afraid of making the lower rated passengers feel bad about something that is mostly out of their control if they ride often. A close friend has a 4.82 and I could only suggest "tip cash upfront" or "ignore ratings, no driver is likely going to worry about a 4.8" which is not what most people want to hear.



mch said:


> It is, but some of the younger crowd doesn't know who he is other than from a post Malone song


I'm old enough to not know that song. I guess Congratulations are in order for Oz for staying current.


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## mch (Nov 22, 2018)

Pax ratings don’t mean much. I hardly pay attention to them anymore. So many drivers down rate pax for dumb stuff out of spite. I guess it makes sense with how powerless they are against Uber. Rating the pax gives at least the illusion that drivers are in control of something


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## New2This (Dec 27, 2015)

Not even close...










When I started I thought Uber behaved rationally. Rewarded good behavior etc. so I took every trip thinking it would even out. It doesn't.

Now I cherrypick like a mother****er and am happier.


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## Lovelife (May 16, 2019)

New2This said:


> Not even close...
> 
> View attachment 375029
> 
> ...


How are you NOT deactivated?


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## Uber_Yota_916 (May 1, 2017)

Here in CA, after ab5 goes live, drivers better have their numbers in order. See NYC about who can log in at any time vs. those who have to sign into a block.


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## waldowainthrop (Oct 25, 2019)

Lovelife said:


> How are you NOT deactivated?


Uber is contractually prevented from deactivating drivers who have highways named after them.


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## New2This (Dec 27, 2015)

Lovelife said:


> How are you NOT deactivated?


Uber now just sends me "get your cancellation rate down to enjoy Uber Pro" which make me laugh.


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## Mkang14 (Jun 29, 2019)

reg barclay said:


> I'm talking drivers in general, not just this forum. Most of the drivers I've encountered IRL didn't seem as savvy as the ones here. Do you think most of them just turn on their apps and accept everything that comes their way?


I went out driving friday and started being more picky. But my hourly average ended up being a lot less.

I feel like in the bay accepting every ride isn't as big of a deal. Pick up is always close.


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## Lovelife (May 16, 2019)

New2This said:


> Not even close...
> 
> View attachment 375029
> 
> ...


How do you make money accepting 7% trips and cancelling 35%?


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## R3drang3r (Feb 16, 2019)

Coachman said:


> I accept most pings.
> 
> I've asked numerous times on this forum, for those drivers who say they decline many or most pings, how they know which pings are good and which are bad? Besides the "it's a 10+ minute pickup" or "it's behind me" I rarely get a good answer. Some will say "I only accept airport rides" and I'm like WTF? How do you know it's an airport ride? And how much dead time do you have sitting around waiting for that airport ride?
> 
> So for those who can discern between a good ride and a bad ride, who don't have Uber Pro, let me know what your secret is.


 You asked the question that I have always looked for an answer to. Two pages later and I see no one has answered it.
Once you give up the additional benefit provided by Uber Pro there is no way of knowing. All you really have to go on is distance to pick up and the Pax rating.
I've been driving for a year now And honestly I have never looked at a pax's rating. Most people respond to the way that they're treated. Place a negative thought in your subconscious mind because somebody has a low rating. You'll manifest your own negative results.


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## New2This (Dec 27, 2015)

Lovelife said:


> How do you make money accepting 7% trips and cancelling 35%?


I average $25-$35/trip most weeks. I go for quality not quantity. That's without Quest/CTB etc.


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## waldowainthrop (Oct 25, 2019)

New2This said:


> I average $25-$35/trip most weeks. I go for quality not quantity. That's without Quest/CTB etc.


Also, DC. I am guessing <50% isn't viable in some markets.


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## Cassiopeia (Sep 2, 2019)

I'm often driving >>>> running Lyft and Uber >>>> by the time I see the screen I don't have time to evaluate the conditions of the pickup >>>> I take all pings >>>> If I started getting pings that were over ten minutes away then I would likely try to evaluate closer >>>> Doesn't really happen here during the shifts I'm driving >>>> If I talk to them on the phone or get a text and I don't like it I will cancel >>>> I don't see a correlation between what pops up as a request and profitability


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## Lovelife (May 16, 2019)

Cassiopeia said:


> I'm often driving >>>> running Lyft and Uber >>>> by the time I see the screen I don't have time to evaluate the conditions of the pickup >>>> I take all pings >>>> If I started getting pings that were over ten minutes away then I would likely try to evaluate closer >>>> Doesn't really happen here during the shifts I'm driving >>>> If I talk to them on the phone or get a text and I don't like it I will cancel >>>> I don't see a correlation between what pops up as a request and profitability


I do help with people who need help but this is a job and I am trying to pay bills. Once again, I don't expect tips from regular trips but if I go above and beyond to help pax then I do expect tips especially on short trips.


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## waldowainthrop (Oct 25, 2019)

I can see a seriously profitable ride a mile away. If I had my pick of 5 medium distance rides with just the information Uber gives me, I am pretty sure I could guess the most profitable one more than half the time. This is what cherry-picking is, except I don’t have the luxury to decline this many in my slow market unless it is a snowy day.


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## daveinlv (Jun 9, 2017)

The ONLY rides I decline, as a rule, are pool rides. Having said that I went online yesterday and found myself in this giant red cloud, with a $15 in the middle. I quickly went online and as luck would have it, I got the "+$15 on next ride"... WOOHOO!!
Unfortuantly, the "next ride" was a Pool and I realized I HAD to take it or lose the surge, so I decided to fall back on my old way of dealing with a Pool ride, that being to hit the "stop more rides".. Glad I did as this was a nearly 11 mile ride and I made $26.49 on it, with the surge...


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## Invisible (Jun 15, 2018)

mch said:


> It is, but some of the younger crowd doesn't know who he is other than from a post Malone song


I apparently need glasses because I thought that was your fiancée making a goofy face. ?. But in my defense, I don't really look at profile pics.


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## mch (Nov 22, 2018)

Mkang14 said:


> I went out driving friday and started being more picky. But my hourly average ended up being a lot less.
> 
> I feel like in the bay accepting every ride isn't as big of a deal. Pick up is always close.


You need to work events (games/concerts) and corporate rush hour business travel to make the low acceptance and high cancellation rates really work. That's what most of these guys who swear by this are doing. It also comes into play if youre out in the burbs where youre getting pinged for 5min rides 20 min away.


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## jlong105 (Sep 15, 2017)

UbaBrah said:


> I take virtually every ping. I've missed some by accident while beating out my mats on the side of the road or whatever, but in general my market is small enough that I really can't be picky. The only times I get close to guaranteed back to back pings are on Thursday/Friday/Saturday nights, and even then, there is often a little downtime here and there. Driving during the day is just not an option because I'll average something embarrassing like $8 an hour. So it's not always about savviness per se. Some of us just want the business and have to take what we can get.


you beat your meat on the side of the road??

oh nevermind


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## NOXDriver (Aug 12, 2018)

What, exactly are drivers filtering on? I only see rider rating, and time/distance to pickup. 

If you get to Pro I think you get to see location info??

I just started driving again after 6 months but want to start back up since fall/winter is where I usually make much more money. 

With Uber/Lyft and GH on I stay pretty busy.. GH is super easy to filter... buy Lyft/Uber I don't see much to base the decision on.


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## BCS DRIVER (Oct 25, 2018)

I accept all pings. Currently AR is 100%, CR is 0%. Pro Diamond. My market is the land of short rides. Relatively small metropolitan area with around 200K population and a major university with about 70K students. Small regional airport. I average $1.60 to $1.80 per mile which includes ALL miles driven. Hourly runs $31 to $35.























Rate card: $.90 mi/$.11 min. Driver for 2 years and 5 months.


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## JBinPenfield (Sep 14, 2017)

reg barclay said:


> I'm talking drivers in general, not just this forum. Most of the drivers I've encountered IRL didn't seem as savvy as the ones here. Do you think most of them just turn on their apps and accept everything that comes their way?


I can only speak for me. I only decline rides for low PAX ratings, pickups at places where people tend to have cartloads of grocery items in little bitty bags (unless its slow), and pickups in bad sections of town at night. I LIVE for long pickups because where and when I drive they are almost always in the outer ring of suburbs and want an even longer ride back into the city.



NOXDriver said:


> What, exactly are drivers filtering on? I only see rider rating, and time/distance to pickup.
> 
> If you get to Pro I think you get to see location info??
> 
> ...


The map also shows you the route to the pickup before you accept, which usually enough to tell if its in a bad part of town (bad), a high tip suburb (good), a local college campus (good or bad, depending on your point of view), a mega store where people want to fill half your car with crap (bad), etc. etc.


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## FLKeys (Dec 27, 2018)

Markets are different. I accept every ping when I am in my market. If I get taken out of my market I am selective or just turn the app off.


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## UStaxman (Aug 14, 2016)

reg barclay said:


> I'm talking drivers in general, not just this forum. Most of the drivers I've encountered IRL didn't seem as savvy as the ones here. Do you think most of them just turn on their apps and accept everything that comes their way?


Overall I accept 80 - 85%?of pings 
- Acceptance rate averages 85-90%
- Cancelation rate averages 5% 
- I keep both just above the 'Platinum' threshold as seeing the distance helps A LOT when determining whether it's worth it - especially when I have been brought outside the city and waiting for the right ride bringing me back in .... A balancing act to maximize rides and $$/ hour. Work smart based on your own market - Learning to predict the pings destination based on where they are comes from experience.
Work your market ..... the algorithm will be your friend after you know your market- after 3 years I find this balancing act allows me to maximize earnings.


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## goneubering (Aug 17, 2017)

reg barclay said:


> I'm talking drivers in general, not just this forum. Most of the drivers I've encountered IRL didn't seem as savvy as the ones here. Do you think most of them just turn on their apps and accept everything that comes their way?


That's the impression I have but I've never asked a driver that question.


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## Charbenji (Sep 9, 2019)

oldfart said:


> 2) At the airport I wouldn't take anything except a long ride for my first 3 pings (I had to take the 4th no matter what) I knew I was missing out on some good rides But there is nothing worse than waiting 2 hours fo a $5 ride


I've been meaning to try my hand on airport runs but have not gotten around to trying it out...I assume you can only do what you do if you have at least Uber Gold? Or are you calling pax, finding out if it's a $5 ride and cancelling on them if it is?


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## DriverMark (Jan 22, 2018)

Since a very high amount of drivers last only a few months, I'm going to say Yes.

Those that last past 6 months learn the tricks of the trade. But we are few.......


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## MiamiUberGuy5 (Feb 20, 2019)

pizzaladee said:


> Great question and one I've pondered myself. I think the answer is yes, most drivers accept every ping. I am not one of those people. Even before I found this forum I declined most pings.
> 
> I have a friend who drives infrequently. He complained that his Lyft rating was close to deactivation. He also complained about being sucked into the hood and driving around there all night. I think he felt obliged to accept everything. I told him to drop off and get the hell outta there.
> 
> His rating has made quite a rebound.


"sucked into the hood" ?


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## Youburr (Aug 22, 2019)

I’m a ping accepter. Had a sub-mile ping the other day... went there and posted for five minutes texting and finally the call... “where. are. you.” her words sending a chill down my spine. “I’ve been here...” “I’m over at so and so I’ve never heard of so and so”
And praise the L-rd, I had a moment of clarity, as if somehow inspired and replied “Let’s cancel” knowing full well the next ant will figure her out and earn that 1*.


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## rkozy (Apr 5, 2019)

mrpjfresh said:


> I think some drivers literally think they _have_ to or they'll be in "trouble".


Uber and Lyft certainly employ some guilt-inducing language in their admonitions. Lyft is particularly menacing in its enforcement of the "Thou Shalt Accept Every Ping We Give Ye" commandment, even though its clear that rejecting 99 of 100 pings will cause you no actual harm.

The psychological manipulation both platforms rely on is quite robust. I find myself holding in my pee if I think I'll miss out on a surge fare. These apps are designed to keep you logged on and hitting the accept button, in the hopes you'll score a big payout. It's like slot machines, but instead of tokens, you are paying for the game with endless wear-and-tear on your car, your health, and your sanity.


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## delaynomore (Jan 29, 2018)

reg barclay said:


> I'm talking drivers in general, not just this forum. Most of the drivers I've encountered IRL didn't seem as savvy as the ones here. Do you think most of them just turn on their apps and accept everything that comes their way?


i'll accept any request with at least a 4.5 rating and pool request that says 45 minutes plus rides.


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## TPAMB (Feb 13, 2019)

I do by default as I only run luxury rides.


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## nouberipo (Jul 24, 2018)

reg barclay said:


> I'm talking drivers in general, not just this forum. Most of the drivers I've encountered IRL didn't seem as savvy as the ones here. Do you think most of them just turn on their apps and accept everything that comes their way?


lmfao....I am in this to make money so of course I don't accept everything, or even close to it. The badges, subway sandwiches, 3 dollars for 3 ride promotions, etc. are a joke and do not pay the bills. The ONLY way to earn money with this gig is to be VERY selective, know your city including the ghettos, universities, and areas where you are likely to encounter millennials. I am lucky, nowadays, to have an AR above 20%. If you have an AR anywhere north of 50% I am confident you are losing money at this gig and taking rides that are non-surge which are ALL money losing endeavors (if you drive non-surge that means you are literally paying to drive the paxoles around.....you are losing money and there is no way around that fact)


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## Boston Bill (Jul 13, 2019)

My acceptance rate is 93% and currently have a 0% cancellation rate and I don't see the destination address. Also in my area I don't see any surge pricing, maybe because I don't do the late night crowd?


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## Amos69 (May 17, 2019)

mch said:


> Its the old guy from that Post Malone song


??????????????

That's OZZY
Mothe****in Osborne man

Though he is old now.


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## DeadEndRoad (Sep 9, 2019)

reg barclay said:


> I'm talking drivers in general, not just this forum. Most of the drivers I've encountered IRL didn't seem as savvy as the ones here. Do you think most of them just turn on their apps and accept everything that comes their way?


Especially if they have a low rating


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## BillC (Mar 5, 2017)

I currently have a 41% acceptance rating. It's been as low as 11%. When I started driving, I used to take every ping that came in. Then I discovered this place and found out you can accept as many or as few pings as you want.


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## TheDevilisaParttimer (Jan 2, 2019)

reg barclay said:


> I'm talking drivers in general, not just this forum. Most of the drivers I've encountered IRL didn't seem as savvy as the ones here. Do you think most of them just turn on their apps and accept everything that comes their way?


Well most drivers are < 1 year


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## crusoeatl (Apr 6, 2017)

daveinlv said:


> I got the "+$15 on next ride"... WOOHOO!!
> Unfortuantly, the "next ride" was a Pool and I realized I HAD to take it or lose the surge,


Yes, you HAVE TO accept the next ping with the sticky surge in order not to lose it.
However, you can cancel it and the sticky surge stays with you. Maybe up to 2 cancels - but Uber may log you off after 2 cancels and then you lose the sticky.


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## SHalester (Aug 25, 2019)

hell, I accept every ping. BUT I go offline a lot to avoid having to not accept a ping. Like with pool pax 1; once I accept i go offline to avoid 2nd pax. OR go offline just before the airport because I so don't want to drive around either of the 3 cities where there is a airport. Always back to home turf....offline....



ANT 7 said:


> 25 minute pickup pings


sheesh, longest I get is maybe 10 minutes and that is due to traffic lights, no miles. And those I get the 'logn' pu fee. You live in the boonies?


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## DrinkSoda (Apr 4, 2015)

In addition to driving I’m also a pax quite frequently. It seems like every time I’m a pax the driver will touch the screen the second it starts beeping and they don’t blink. I usually don’t say anything out loud but I do think to myself “why did you accept that trip request that’s 7 minutes away when you know you’ll get one that’s 3-4 minutes away”.

7 minutes away in high density city traffic = eternity in most instances.


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## ANThonyBoreDaneCook (Oct 7, 2019)

reg barclay said:


> I'm talking drivers in general, not just this forum. Most of the drivers I've encountered IRL didn't seem as savvy as the ones here. Do you think most of them just turn on their apps and accept everything that comes their way?





mrpjfresh said:


> I think some drivers literally think they _have_ to or they'll be in "trouble". I've literally read and heard this over and over throughout the years. What that trouble is in their minds, I do not know. Same driver who would take a stumbling drunk with puke on their shirt. I can't blame them as they aren't exactly trained or anything. One thing I am certain about is that it never lasts. They get bamboozled into driving 25 minutes for a minimum fare, get an expensive ticket for breaking a law, 1 stared for no reason by a worthless paxhole who should be walking, whatever. The idealism bubble pops and they adapt. Or they don't and join the 96%.


This answered your question perfectly.
They learn, adapt or quit or become a deactivation statistic.
That said, I'm still guilty of getting roped in at times.
I spend the majority of my shifts in constant DF mode headed to a specific spot. Every once in a while Uber will tempt me with the 3rd leg of a CT bonus while in an undesirable ride share area (cough, the hood, cough) and I'll end up dealing with a 1, several no car seat requests and other predictable inconveniences.

I think ants who owe the bank on a car loan are more likely to continuously play ball out of pressure, fear and desperation.



New2This said:


> I average $25-$35/trip most weeks. I go for quality not quantity. That's without Quest/CTB etc.


But, but how do you make money????

Bahahaha

Beautiful
I can relate


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## Amos69 (May 17, 2019)

ANThonyBoreDaneCook said:


> This answered your question perfectly.
> They learn, adapt or quit or become a deactivation statistic.
> That said, I'm still guilty of getting roped in at times.
> I spend the majority of my shifts in constant DF mode headed to a specific spot. Every once in a while Uber will tempt me with the 3rd leg of a CT bonus while in an undesirable ride share area (cough, the hood, cough) and I'll end up dealing with a 1, several no car seat requests and other predictable inconveniences.
> ...


@New2This and I operate in very similar manner despite the fact we are on opposite coasts. My average Gryft fare is around $28+ and Goober was at $27.32 YTD.

Every door!


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## ANThonyBoreDaneCook (Oct 7, 2019)

Amos69 said:


> @New2This and I operate in very similar manner despite the fact we are on opposite coasts. My average Gryft fare is around $28+ and Goober was at $27.32 YTD.
> 
> Every door!


Exactly


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## Johnny Mnemonic (Sep 24, 2019)

New2This said:


> Not even close...
> 
> View attachment 375029
> 
> ...


35% cancel rate???

There. Goes. My. Hero.

Watch him as he goes.


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## WindyCityAnt (Feb 24, 2019)

I accept most when on. No pools at all though. That way on busy weekend nights I can pick and choose more until below 85%. Then build it back up on the slower weekdays.

It's funny to see all the ants entering the lot with there apps on suppressing the actual surge that should be there.

We have 2 lots for Ohare and 1 for midway. I laugh as I drive past to the hotels and get a ride at base back downtown. So much easier than waiting for the tourist pax that has no clue what to do, or waiting for the ant hill to clear for a single surged ride you just waited an hour for.


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## Amos69 (May 17, 2019)

It's tough for me to get above 50%

So very many bad rides out there.


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## WindyCityAnt (Feb 24, 2019)

I’m sure different markets have different results also. Example a city like Baltimore prolly would be more picky than Miami. Miami has many more tourists and travelers. Baltimore has a lot of rough areas you prolly want to avoid at night. 

Here in Chicago, it’s a saturation thing, I pick up pax anywhere if it’s paying. Hood or not. The people respect that and are appreciative for the most part.


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## kaycee (Jun 23, 2017)

AR 22% CR 2%
10,000+ trips over 2.5 years

Why take base fare trips when in or near a surge area. 

I am convinced that many dont think or have any plan/strategy.


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## DexNex (Apr 18, 2015)

reg barclay said:


> I'm talking drivers in general, not just this forum. Most of the drivers I've encountered IRL didn't seem as savvy as the ones here. Do you think most of them just turn on their apps and accept everything that comes their way?


From what I have seen as a pax.....
Yes they do.


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## Omega 3 (Apr 4, 2019)

reg barclay said:


> I'm talking drivers in general, not just this forum. Most of the drivers I've encountered IRL didn't seem as savvy as the ones here. Do you think most of them just turn on their apps and accept everything that comes their way?


Hell to the no. For me about 60%. Rarely anything over 7 minutes unless there is a big surge that goes along with it.


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## simont23 (Jul 24, 2019)

All Uber drivers turn down a lot of work. That is why their competition do so well, and they need to work at other gig jobs to pay for their room.


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## Pegasus (Oct 27, 2018)

reg barclay said:


> I'm talking drivers in general, not just this forum. Most of the drivers I've encountered IRL didn't seem as savvy as the ones here. Do you think most of them just turn on their apps and accept everything that comes their way?


I accept only around one in three pings. The ones that are more than five minutes away, or are anywhere near McDonald's and such like, or are of minimum value are a waste of my time and fuel and are ignored. Any other short ride where the rider is not waiting for me on a very busy street with nowhere to stop and wait gets cancelled. I couldn't care less. This city is very busy so no loss.

KTBFFH ?


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## Clevername (Mar 28, 2019)

I'm at 98% acceptance. Sunday nights I have a regular who goes to O'Hare, my app pinged and I accepted only to see it wasn't him so I cancelled. My first cancel since June, about 1200 rides ago.


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## WindyCityAnt (Feb 24, 2019)

I have canceled many times. Tourist pax needing to be picked up lost on lower wacker. Those and navy pier tourist pax.who is clueless on the zoning. The airports are also a huge cancel rate as you can get $1000 ticket for it.


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## Invisible (Jun 15, 2018)

Clevername said:


> I'm at 98% acceptance. Sunday nights I have a regular who goes to O'Hare, my app pinged and I accepted only to see it wasn't him so I cancelled. My first cancel since June, about 1200 rides ago.


Did you get the O'Hare guy then Sun?


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## OldUncleDave (Apr 22, 2019)

reg barclay said:


> I'm talking drivers in general, not just this forum. Most of the drivers I've encountered IRL didn't seem as savvy as the ones here. Do you think most of them just turn on their apps and accept everything that comes their way?


I think it depends on the market.

I'm in the Inland Empire of Southern California, about 45-60miles East of Los Angeles. Not a lot of PAX during the day, too many drivers on weekends. I am mostly a full time ant, graveyard shift. I start around 8 PM, and might get home 6-7 AM. A couple of 30 minutes rests in there.

Now, the trips... I accept all unless it's time to rest. Maybe 5 trips a night are $3 short hops. Out here, the norm is 20-30 mile trips, and sometimes a 25 mile run to pick the PAX up. Yes, I make sure I get the Premium for the mileage.

Tonight, I had a 30 mile run for the pick-up, then a 25 mile trip with the pax. That put me 60 or so miles outside the city, where most of the work is. I sat for 10 minutes, nothing in, so I started back home, deadhead. 5 miles later got the ping that brought me back to the city, or close to it.


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## FLKeys (Dec 27, 2018)

OldUncleDave said:


> I think it depends on the market.


That's the thing, many markets are different. You need to treat markets different based on experiences.


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## DrinkSoda (Apr 4, 2015)

Clevername said:


> I'm at 98% acceptance. Sunday nights I have a regular who goes to O'Hare, my app pinged and I accepted only to see it wasn't him so I cancelled. My first cancel since June, about 1200 rides ago.


I generally hover around 85%. Which is threshold in which trip duration times are displayed in the trip request.

Early Monday mornings are the time in which my acceptance rate really tanks. No way I accept a base fare airport request that's eight minutes away when I know I can get a heavily surged airport request that's maybe four or less minutes away.

Weekends and during consecutive trip times is when I'll build my acceptance rate back up.


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## 64opel (Sep 4, 2017)

I accept 80ish percent


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## SHalester (Aug 25, 2019)

simont23 said:


> All Uber drivers turn down a lot of work.


nope, not all.


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## New Uber (Mar 21, 2017)

no


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## ANT 7 (Oct 14, 2018)

SHalester said:


> sheesh, longest I get is maybe 10 minutes and that is due to traffic lights, no miles. And those I get the 'logn' pu fee. You live in the boonies?


I stage myself in the AM on the outside corner of the city where we can get these 25+ minute pickups from a small town on the outskirts. I never take them.

My limit is 10 min max.


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## SHalester (Aug 25, 2019)

ANT 7 said:


> 25+ minute pickups from a small town


although I take all pings i have to say if it was 25 minutes I'd pass too.


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## simont23 (Jul 24, 2019)

SHalester said:


> although I take all pings i have to say if it was 25 minutes I'd pass too.


In my successful taxi company, if a driver is given a job, they bloody well go and do it, with stand downs and further punishments for repeat misbehaving. Look after the customers; every thing else will follow.... Except if you are part of the crooked dysfunctional crony capitalist USA system. Uber's biggest enemies are the customers and the drivers, as shown time and time again on this forum.


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## corniilius (Jan 27, 2017)

Not if the pickup will take longer than the actual ride.


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## nouberipo (Jul 24, 2018)

Coachman said:


> I accept most pings.
> 
> I've asked numerous times on this forum, for those drivers who say they decline many or most pings, how they know which pings are good and which are bad? Besides the "it's a 10+ minute pickup" or "it's behind me" I rarely get a good answer. Some will say "I only accept airport rides" and I'm like WTF? How do you know it's an airport ride? And how much dead time do you have sitting around waiting for that airport ride?
> 
> So for those who can discern between a good ride and a bad ride, who don't have Uber Pro, let me know what your secret is.


After three years I feel comfortable answering this question from my perspective. You need to consider I live in a city, Cleveland, that is very diverse in terms of areas with some areas being extremely dangerous. But, to answer your question. First thing I look at is the rating of the paxole. If it is below 4.9 I assume there is the chance of either trouble or they don't tip so I won't go fetch them. The second thing I look at is the location of the pick up. I know the city backwards and forwards AND just as importantly I know the city backwards and forwards in terms of times and places it is busy. If It is a busy time or place but not paying surge I don't go. The paxoles are being charged much higher prices than normal which tends to piss them off and then they don't tip. I drive to make money, not to support Uber investors. If a ping is at a Walmart, it is likely problems. If a ping has the word high school in it (which goes back to knowing the locations of your city and the time of day), I am not going to waste my time to drive there and then cancel. There tends to be a lot of traffic around schools when they get out and since I have to wait the 5 minutes to collect the cancel fee for the underage riders it no longer attracts me. I know riders who don't tip and I won't pick them up. After three years there are many repeat paxoles but all it takes is once for me to not tip and I will remember. I do have a good memory when it comes to things like this unfortunately. I never accept pings in the ghettos period and yes I know exactly where the ghettos are. I don't pick up at hospitals because most of the time you cannot get close enough to the ping so the clock doesn't start then many times after 5 minutes you are still waiting and not going to get your cancellation fee. Never, ever drive football games. The Cleveland Browns tends to have a major following and on game days when they play at home the people start drinking and partying at 7am. They want you to drive them into the crowded areas which I will no longer do. If I pick anyone up on a football day I ask first if they are going to the muni lot (most problematic place to get into and drop off) I tell them I cannot take them but will leave them off at a nearby spot that doesn't get me boxed in traffic for an hour. I don't do bar hours. Uber doesn't want to pay extra to pick up drunks during hours I should be sleeping then I am surely not going to do it. Plus they tend to rate low and cause the most problems. Hopefully this give you some insight. Good rides are far and few between which is why my ar is extremely low but it is also why my driving rating is very high, I make money on most of my trips through tips and surges, and why my stress level stays in check as when I go outside of my parameters for accepting riders I usually get burned badly for it.


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## uberdave2015 (May 8, 2018)

reg barclay said:


> I'm talking drivers in general, not just this forum. Most of the drivers I've encountered IRL didn't seem as savvy as the ones here. Do you think most of them just turn on their apps and accept everything that comes their way?


I have been driving for over 4 years and do pretty much accept every ping I get. But I drive in a city where almost every ride is only 5 to 7 miles long with the odd 20 mile trip thrown in a couple times a week. So here it is a matter of quantity over quality. If I tried to cherry pick I might only end up with about 5 rides in the 5 hours that I do and would have a lot of down time. I normally do about 13 rides a day in the 5 hours and rarely park up. Since I am retired and mainly do this for something to do, I would rather stay busy. I am also betting in my city most drivers no matter how long they have been driving probably accept most every ping.


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## Dice Man (May 21, 2018)

Only the new ones accept most Pings.
I did when I started.
Now my Lyft acceptance rate sometimes reaches 1% .


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## RideshareDog (Feb 25, 2019)

In my city a lot of drivers do cuz they think it's their job to. Then they complain in their local Facebook group oh some one made a false allegation against me or they were awful waaaa waaaa  well ya dumb ass it's not a job and when u pickup low rated pax that's what happens. Fools run around my city stupid fools.


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## oldfart (Dec 22, 2017)

Charbenji said:


> I've been meaning to try my hand on airport runs but have not gotten around to trying it out...I assume you can only do what you do if you have at least Uber Gold? Or are you calling pax, finding out if it's a $5 ride and cancelling on them if it is?


There was a time when I would call and ask the destination and then cancel. I stopped this when several guys I knew were banned for doing the same thing. 
What you quoted is what I did before Uber pro,

Now with Uber pro I see the time and direction of the ride (as long as I stay over 85% acceptance and below 4% cancel


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## Christinebitg (Jun 29, 2018)

simont23 said:


> Uber's biggest enemies are the customers and the drivers


As opposed to who??


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## Big man xl (Dec 21, 2016)

I don't


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## simont23 (Jul 24, 2019)

Christinebitg said:


> As opposed to who??


As opposed to "investors", fund managers, IPO experts, and people like that. They are the mates of the Uber bosses.



oldfart said:


> There was a time when I would call and ask the destination and then cancel. I stopped this when several guys I knew were banned for doing the same thing.
> What you quoted is what I did before Uber pro,
> 
> Now with Uber pro I see the time and direction of the ride (as long as I stay over 85% acceptance and below 4% cancel
> ...


On a 5 day week, that is 8 trips a day. Not enough turnover to make a living, let alone your share after costs are deducted.


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## SHalester (Aug 25, 2019)

simont23 said:


> Not enough turnover to make a living,


so my maybe 3-6 trips 4 days a week won't make me a living either Awwwww, that sucks :rollseyes:


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## NOXDriver (Aug 12, 2018)

kaycee said:


> Why take base fare trips when in or near a surge area.


What is this 'surge' you speak of?


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## SHalester (Aug 25, 2019)

NOXDriver said:


> What is this 'surge' you speak of?


think that is when the drivers' app has pretty colors and $ with numbers. Don't know for sure, never see them here in the burbs. Well, maybe near BART, but not as pretty as some of the pics I see on this forum.


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## LADryver (Jun 6, 2017)

Yup that's Ozzy. He always looked like that.


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## oldfart (Dec 22, 2017)

simont23 said:


> As opposed to "investors", fund managers, IPO experts, and people like that. They are the mates of the Uber bosses.
> 
> 
> On a 5 day week, that is 8 trips a day. Not enough turnover to make a living, let alone your share after costs are deducted.


No, it's not a living

8 trips a day

8x$30=240 x5= $1200

That works for me. We are a seasonal market in season I do better than that and off season I do worse. My average net is about $3000 a month. Add that to my social security and a little rent check I get, and I'm happy

When folks ask if I like Uber I answer "yes, it does what I need it to do"
If it didn't I'd do something else

I thought the topic of this thread was " do most drivers accept every ping.? I don't know most drivers and I don't accept them all either, but I do accept 85% or more. On an 8 trip day I accept 7


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## SHalester (Aug 25, 2019)

I'm glad uber does what I need it for and only 3-6 rides a day 4x a week. If I wanted to hussle I'd go back to a real job.


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## kaycee (Jun 23, 2017)

Surge lives - in Melbourne. Don't chase it from there.


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## EphLux (Aug 10, 2018)

pizzaladee said:


> Great question and one I've pondered myself. I think the answer is yes, most drivers accept every ping. I am not one of those people. Even before I found this forum I declined most pings.
> 
> I have a friend who drives infrequently. He complained that his Lyft rating was close to deactivation. He also complained about being sucked into the hood and driving around there all night. I think he felt obliged to accept everything. I told him to drop off and get the hell outta there.
> 
> His rating has made quite a rebound.


In my 55 years, and having been raised in East Coast projects and escaped them, I can assure you that people who live in the ghetto are also people of low character and low vices. And I'm black. Dont service ghetto people.


----------



## dauction (Sep 26, 2017)

Uber_Yota_916 said:


> Here in CA, after ab5 goes live, drivers better have their numbers in order. See NYC about who can log in at any time vs. those who have to sign into a block.


Yep , you got that right !

I'm in a College Town..(100,000 people ..and 60 miles for Minneapolis) Have Lyft/Uber both open and it's rather amusing these days because the Algos on both KNOW I have both apps on and if they want me to work they need to stack rides ....(which is how you need to make money in my market..keep moving)

In MY MARKET Uber and Lyft are still battling for Market share . Lyft is more dominant, so If Uber wants to fill waiting rides they need to keep stacking rides on me ..if they don't have another ride lined up then Lyft will immediately send me a ride and start stacking..

Uber and Lyft pay roughly 76 cents a mile and longest rides in town are 15 miles , so all rides are between $4-$13 ....you are not going to decline 3 short rides waiting for 1 good ride ..

I take everything (just a couple Apts that I decline because they are always drunker than crap at 5:30am, not trouble , just that they just them forever to get into the Car and then they always change destinations.. )

When what happened in NYC and happening in CA starts spreading across the Country I want to be prepared .."have my numbers in order" as you say .. 4.97 + rating and 96% acceptance rate + on both platforms.


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## peteyvavs (Nov 18, 2015)

reg barclay said:


> I'm talking drivers in general, not just this forum. Most of the drivers I've encountered IRL didn't seem as savvy as the ones here. Do you think most of them just turn on their apps and accept everything that comes their way?


Newbies do, but after a few days they either realize that they're getting screwed or quit.


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## simont23 (Jul 24, 2019)

oldfart said:


> No, it's not a living
> 
> 8 trips a day
> 
> ...


In my taxi company i accepted every job given, to avoid punishment, and turned over $2500 week, $10000 a month, on 5 shifts a week. This is much more than Uber could ever offer. Please provide facts if you wish to argue with me. Also, my company only had me, and a company manager who needed money off my work. No other layers stealing money off my labour to enrich themselves.


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## WallyBBLues (Nov 8, 2019)

reg barclay said:


> I'm talking drivers in general, not just this forum. Most of the drivers I've encountered IRL didn't seem as savvy as the ones here. Do you think most of them just turn on their apps and accept everything that comes their way?


I turn on the app and when i get ping Im on my way you never know where the ride gonna take you


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## oldfart (Dec 22, 2017)

simont23 said:


> In my taxi company i accepted every job given, to avoid punishment, and turned over $2500 week, $10000 a month, on 5 shifts a week. This is much more than Uber could ever offer. Please provide facts if you wish to argue with me. Also, my company only had me, and a company manager who needed money off my work. No other layers stealing money off my labour to enrich themselves.


I'm not arguing, I don't even know the point you are trying to make or what I said upsets you

I'm answering the ops question. Specifically I'm taking almost 85% of my pings

The money I make is enough for my needs
And I don't care how much you make. Gotta wonder though; that if you can make $120000 a year, why you bother with Uber


----------



## Clevername (Mar 28, 2019)

.


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## UberLAguy (Aug 2, 2015)

Uber_Yota_916 said:


> Here in CA, after ab5 goes live, drivers better have their numbers in order. See NYC about who can log in at any time vs. those who have to sign into a block.


Can you elaborate ?


----------



## Big man xl (Dec 21, 2016)

UberLAguy said:


> Can you elaborate ?


In NYC they have to reserve a time block to work. Drivers who are platinum generally can reserve the most hours to work. Drivers who are blue generally get locked out so they can't go on line unless the area is busy.


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## simont23 (Jul 24, 2019)

oldfart said:


> I'm not arguing, I don't even know the point you are trying to make or what I said upsets you
> 
> I'm answering the ops question. Specifically I'm taking almost 85% of my pings
> 
> ...


My point, and it is obvious why it escaped you, is that by being forced to look after my customers, I did perfectly well, and my company got a good name for looking after it's customers, which meant return business and goodwill for us. When Uber turned up, it did surprisingly badly as it had, and has, well run local competition against it. We have well trained, uniformed, disciplined, neat and tidy, pleasant, well groomed, friendly drivers, with compulsory high standard vehicles to match. Uber has none of those, from my own experiment/experience with them.


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## Christinebitg (Jun 29, 2018)

simont23 said:


> Uber has none of those, from my own experiment/experience with them.


Which just goes to show that people make their decisions on the basis of price. Call it good, bad, or indifferent, but that's why.

Same thing with the airlines. People love to complain about service, but they still decide which airline to fly on based on price.


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## Alantc (Jun 15, 2018)

With uber most of the time they pay better and tips are better. With the new pro I know not to drive 12 miles for a 4 mile trip.


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## blasian1246 (Aug 13, 2019)

I will take a ping as long as it makes sense. I’m at 86% acceptance. If it’s along my route, I’ll do short trips. I will not go 8-10 mins out of the way for a 4 min drive. If it’s surging, I’ll decline short trips (for the most part—if dtown is surging due to rain, I’ll take all short trips and decline long trips). Other then that, and the market I’m in, you kinda have to accept most trip request.


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## mch (Nov 22, 2018)

No, the smart savvy people sit around and decline short unprofitable rides (1-44 min trips) so they can take a long (45min+) unprofitable ride. Then they come on UP.net and talk about how stupid the Uber Pro folks are :tongue smile:.


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## melusine3 (Jun 20, 2016)

reg barclay said:


> I'm talking drivers in general, not just this forum. Most of the drivers I've encountered IRL didn't seem as savvy as the ones here. Do you think most of them just turn on their apps and accept everything that comes their way?


Probably because they're new and haven't figured out the scam, once they do they quit. Sluber relies on this type of naivete - it's their business model.



HonoluluHoku said:


> I'm case you haven't figured it out yet, that's a much younger Ozzy Osbourne. \m/


I thought it was someone in drag.



HonoluluHoku said:


> I'm case you haven't figured it out yet, that's a much younger Ozzy Osbourne. \m/


I thought it was someone in drag.


Coachman said:


> I accept most pings.
> 
> I've asked numerous times on this forum, for those drivers who say they decline many or most pings, how they know which pings are good and which are bad? Besides the "it's a 10+ minute pickup" or "it's behind me" I rarely get a good answer. Some will say "I only accept airport rides" and I'm like WTF? How do you know it's an airport ride? And how much dead time do you have sitting around waiting for that airport ride?
> 
> So for those who can discern between a good ride and a bad ride, who don't have Uber Pro, let me know what your secret is.


You can see by the location if it's a local grocery store (nope), any school (absolutely not) or college (I don't think so), wrong ends of town. I did position myself in areas where people were for the most part decent and respectful. If I accidentally accepted a ping that was in those areas, I'd just cancel.


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## Christinebitg (Jun 29, 2018)

Why d


melusine3 said:


> college (I don't think so)


Why don't you pick up at colleges?


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## Mista T (Aug 16, 2017)

I pick up at colleges.

College bars, on the other hand, I avoid like the plague.


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## Son of the Darkness (May 8, 2015)

mch said:


> Its the old guy from that Post Malone song


Look like Ozzy hahaha


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## Johnny Mnemonic (Sep 24, 2019)

Mista T said:


> I pick up at colleges.
> 
> College bars, on the other hand, I avoid like the plague.


I often work the area around UC Berkeley on weekends.

The Northside of campus is where I hang to pick-up engineering students and nice college girls going to church on Sunday morning.

The Southside, on Telegraph, is where all the sloppy drunks, FratBro's, Sorority tramps, and homeless schizophrenics are, and I dead-mile it out of there ASAFP.

#qualityoverquantity


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## Chorch (May 17, 2019)

I take all of them. Or at least most of them.

And I’m pretty sure most of the drivers in this forum take all of them too. They just say they don’t to sound more important. But they do.


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## Son of the Darkness (May 8, 2015)

Johnny Mnemonic said:


> Nice college girls going to church on Sunday morning.


I literally spit soda through my nose reading that :roflmao:


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## Johnny Mnemonic (Sep 24, 2019)

Son of the Darkness said:


> I literally spit soda through my nose reading that :roflmao:


Well, of course some of the college girls I pick-up Sunday morning look like this.









Uber might have killed the "walk of shame", but I'm the beneficiary.


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## Son of the Darkness (May 8, 2015)

Johnny Mnemonic said:


> Well, of course some of the college girls I pick-up Sunday morning look like this.
> View attachment 377865
> 
> 
> Uber might have killed the "walk of shame", but I'm the beneficiary.


Do you know the difference between a married woman and a $300/hour escort? One's a pro. Ice cream? &#127846;


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## Lovelife (May 16, 2019)

EphLux said:


> In my 55 years, and having been raised in East Coast projects and escaped them, I can assure you that people who live in the ghetto are also people of low character and low vices. And I'm black. Dont service ghetto people.


You must be a racist lol.


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## HonoluluHoku (Jul 2, 2019)

Son of the Darkness said:


> Do you know the difference between a married woman and a $300/hour escort? One's a pro. Ice cream? &#127846;


Jesus. What f***ing century is this?

Honey, maybe your wife/dream date/blowup doll is wearing pearls and high heels while posing with a vacuum cleaner 8 hours a day, but if so, you're the only one living in that sexist male's fantasy world. The rest of us have jobs, and in some cases run the company you troglodytes work for.

So kindly piss off with that bulls***. It's long past its use-by date, it's neither funny nor accurate, and we're sick of hearing it.

Smooches!



melusine3 said:


> I thought it was someone in drag.


That's what I said: It's Ozzy Osbourne.

Not really drag, just a bit of eyeliner for drama.


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## Son of the Darkness (May 8, 2015)

HonoluluHoku said:


> Honey..


Honey??


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## Buck-a-mile (Nov 2, 2019)

reg barclay said:


> I'm talking drivers in general, not just this forum. Most of the drivers I've encountered IRL didn't seem as savvy as the ones here. Do you think most of them just turn on their apps and accept everything that comes their way?


Some places I will not go, mostly due to lack of cell coverage.

Other places are not safe. You may get a drop off to a nasty area, just drop off and run back to more comfortable territory.


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## NotMe (Sep 5, 2017)

daveinlv said:


> The ONLY rides I decline, as a rule, are pool rides. Having said that I went online yesterday and found myself in this giant red cloud, with a $15 in the middle. I quickly went online and as luck would have it, I got the "+$15 on next ride"... WOOHOO!!
> Unfortuantly, the "next ride" was a Pool and I realized I HAD to take it or lose the surge, so I decided to fall back on my old way of dealing with a Pool ride, that being to hit the "stop more rides".. Glad I did as this was a nearly 11 mile ride and I made $26.49 on it, with the surge...


You did big mistake by "hitting stop more rides" with +$15 on first rider. With pool and +$15 you can get +$15 for every new rider on this trip.


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## Christinebitg (Jun 29, 2018)

Son of the Darkness said:


> Do you know the difference between a married woman and a $300/hour escort?


Wives do it for household appliances.

Been there, done that. Totally worth it.


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## pizzaladee (May 23, 2018)

nouberipo said:


> After three years I feel comfortable answering this question from my perspective. You need to consider I live in a city, Cleveland, that is very diverse in terms of areas with some areas being extremely dangerous. But, to answer your question. First thing I look at is the rating of the paxole. If it is below 4.9 I assume there is the chance of either trouble or they don't tip so I won't go fetch them. The second thing I look at is the location of the pick up. I know the city backwards and forwards AND just as importantly I know the city backwards and forwards in terms of times and places it is busy. If It is a busy time or place but not paying surge I don't go. The paxoles are being charged much higher prices than normal which tends to piss them off and then they don't tip. I drive to make money, not to support Uber investors. If a ping is at a Walmart, it is likely problems. If a ping has the word high school in it (which goes back to knowing the locations of your city and the time of day), I am not going to waste my time to drive there and then cancel. There tends to be a lot of traffic around schools when they get out and since I have to wait the 5 minutes to collect the cancel fee for the underage riders it no longer attracts me. I know riders who don't tip and I won't pick them up. After three years there are many repeat paxoles but all it takes is once for me to not tip and I will remember. I do have a good memory when it comes to things like this unfortunately. I never accept pings in the ghettos period and yes I know exactly where the ghettos are. I don't pick up at hospitals because most of the time you cannot get close enough to the ping so the clock doesn't start then many times after 5 minutes you are still waiting and not going to get your cancellation fee. Never, ever drive football games. The Cleveland Browns tends to have a major following and on game days when they play at home the people start drinking and partying at 7am. They want you to drive them into the crowded areas which I will no longer do. If I pick anyone up on a football day I ask first if they are going to the muni lot (most problematic place to get into and drop off) I tell them I cannot take them but will leave them off at a nearby spot that doesn't get me boxed in traffic for an hour. I don't do bar hours. Uber doesn't want to pay extra to pick up drunks during hours I should be sleeping then I am surely not going to do it. Plus they tend to rate low and cause the most problems. Hopefully this give you some insight. Good rides are far and few between which is why my ar is extremely low but it is also why my driving rating is very high, I make money on most of my trips through tips and surges, and why my stress level stays in check as when I go outside of my parameters for accepting riders I usually get burned badly for it.


Same city and mostly the same strategy for me.

I drive late so I DO drive the bar hours, but I am very picky as to where I pick up. Certain streets produce the most obnoxious drunks and most likely pukers, so any pings from there are a decline.

After Browns games I won't accept any ping that will take me into the heart of the chaos and be stuck for an hour trying to get out. I will only pick up on the outer streets where the smart pax have walked to get a ride easier.

I won't accept ghetto rides, Walmart, hospitals, or any fast food places. I pay attention to pax rating and the threshold is much higher at bar close.

Long pick ups are a big no without surge and long trip notice unless it's in the direction I'm heading anyway.

I try to be smart about where/when I drive to maximize my earning potential. The benefits of Uber Pro do not entice me to take every ping.


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## Warbishop (Nov 15, 2019)

reg barclay said:


> I'm talking drivers in general, not just this forum. Most of the drivers I've encountered IRL didn't seem as savvy as the ones here. Do you think most of them just turn on their apps and accept everything that comes their way?


I take every ping. My acceptance rate is 100 percent. Been driving going on 3rd year and my rating is 4.93. My lowest rating ever was 4.92.


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## SHalester (Aug 25, 2019)

I feel like I accept all pings. But have 90% AR. So maybe not. 🤤


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## b00man83 (Nov 17, 2019)

I just started driving for lyft, working in a small city like corpus, i feel like i need to get as many rides as i can get. But i have gotten a fee ride request where i ended up regretting accepting the request because the pay out was really small.


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## goneubering (Aug 17, 2017)

reg barclay said:


> I'm talking drivers in general, not just this forum. Most of the drivers I've encountered IRL didn't seem as savvy as the ones here. Do you think most of them just turn on their apps and accept everything that comes their way?


I had a driver last week who confirmed he accepts every ping. He might change after talking with me though.


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## NauticalWheeler (Jun 15, 2019)

reg barclay said:


> I'm talking drivers in general, not just this forum. Most of the drivers I've encountered IRL didn't seem as savvy as the ones here. Do you think most of them just turn on their apps and accept everything that comes their way?


Im glad you're back to the Verve singer instead of toadstool


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## oldfart (Dec 22, 2017)

When Im on the street, I accept everything, to keep my acceptance rate up, so when Im at the airport I can see the distance and direction of the ride. I reject short rides and anything into beach traffic,


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## Young Kim (Jan 28, 2015)

reg barclay said:


> I'm talking drivers in general, not just this forum. Most of the drivers I've encountered IRL didn't seem as savvy as the ones here. Do you think most of them just turn on their apps and accept everything that comes their way?


These days I accept less than 50% of what comes to me.


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## Benjamin M (Jul 17, 2018)

I used to accept just about everything. Then came the pandemic, social unrest, and a surge in random shootings - including a motorist caught in the crossfire. 

Pings went from eight minutes or less away to 20+, often just for a minimum fare, and / or in areas that I have always avoided. Eats pings went from a generous tip (for a while, $5 to $10) to $1 or none at all. 

My AR and CR went down drastically. I came to the conclusion two days ago that it's just not worth it anymore in my market. Last time I was out, after about $20 in expenses (gas and EZ Pass) I basically worked for free.


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## Alantc (Jun 15, 2018)

I do for uber not lyft, if I forget to turn uber off or get a lyft ping, then uber pings I'll cancel lyft and take uber


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## goneubering (Aug 17, 2017)

reg barclay said:


> I'm talking drivers in general, not just this forum. Most of the drivers I've encountered IRL didn't seem as savvy as the ones here. Do you think most of them just turn on their apps and accept everything that comes their way?


Yes for the typical driver.


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## Young Kim (Jan 28, 2015)

peteyvavs said:


> Newbies do, but after a few days they either realize that they're getting screwed or quit.


Very well put. New ants will feel somehow it is the "right thing to do" to accept most all of the pings. It is just the nature of a newbie. And you said it best... either they will quit or they will realize Uber is screwing them over and over.


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## oldfart (Dec 22, 2017)

Young Kim said:


> Very well put. New ants will feel somehow it is the "right thing to do" to accept most all of the pings. It is just the nature of a newbie. And you said it best... either they will quit or they will realize Uber is screwing them over and over.


Its not that its the "right thing to do" Its that even newbees understand that the only way to make a buck doing this thing, is to have paying passengers in the car.

No question that some rides turn out to cost us money, rather than make us money, but I dont look at this thing one ride at a time. That long pickup for a short ride, may put me in position for the next rider that turns out to be a big tipper taking a long ride


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## Christinebitg (Jun 29, 2018)

oldfart said:


> Its not that its the "right thing to do" Its that even newbees understand that the only way to make a buck doing this thing, is to have paying passengers in the car.
> 
> No question that some rides turn out to cost us money, rather than make us money, but I dont look at this thing one ride at a time. That long pickup for a short ride, may put me in position for the next rider that turns out to be a big tipper taking a long ride


You're being entirely too logic. 

I get that a person should decline a trip that's likely to be unprofitable.

But something that pays poorly (but more than break-even) should be accepted. I'm just sitting in a my car anyway, right?

If you have reason to think waiting will give you a Goldilocks trip, then wait for that trip.

Too many drivers are worried about "being taken advantage of." They should just give up and get a job at the local convenience store. They'd be better off financially.


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## UberUKdriver (Sep 10, 2015)

reg barclay said:


> I'm talking drivers in general, not just this forum. Most of the drivers I've encountered IRL didn't seem as savvy as the ones here. Do you think most of them just turn on their apps and accept everything that comes their way?


I don't let anyone in my car who has a rating under 4.75 stars. I don't care how much the fare is. I put my personal safety first.


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## W00dbutcher (Jan 14, 2019)

38% accept rate....


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