# Please tell me your destination!



## Nautilis (Apr 16, 2014)

One of my pet peeves is riders who do not give me their destination (or only give me a vague idea of where they are heading). 

I had a passenger who refused to tell me where she was going. She said it was her parent's house "in a private area." She sat in the back seat, turned on her GPS, cranked up the volume and had me follow directions from her phone.

I've had numerous passengers tell me to just drive to a general area. I give them my usual "Can I have the address so I can enter it into Waze? This way I'll know of any traffic conditions ahead" line. No dice. I've encountered riders who refuse to tell me the address more frequently these days. WTF?

I'm trusting a complete stranger to sit in my own personal vehicle and the passenger can't trust me enough with an address? It doesn't make much sense to me. Give me their neighbor's house # or something.

Thank you for letting me rant. That felt good


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## Mika (Apr 23, 2014)

That is the most asinine behavior I've heard in a long time. She's an idiot, if the destination she's going to is so private, restricted, and exclusive she should drive her f%#king self---I would've put her azz out of my car.


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## SoCal_Uber (May 2, 2014)

Its a strange and growing trend. Even the nicest passengers are in fear or paranoid of some latent digital evidence of where they're headed.
I picked up cool guy in Santa Monica and as usual I asked for the destination address for the GPS ( Waze ). He insisted that he "guide me".

"Head down Santa Monica Blvd"
"Take a left on Doheny"
"Take a right on Sunset"

By this time I'm expecting a secret lair he's headed to in a gated compound,
turns out his destination was the Sunset Towers Hotel!?! Huh?

Maybe he had an illicit rendezvous at the hotel? But his receipt as well as our Uber dashboard would still have a hard stamp/map of where he exited the vehicle.

Not having a destination plotted adds undue stress on the driver....
NO destination.....NO Ride!


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## Joanne (May 7, 2014)

I think that they think it's easier or faster for them to direct you.


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## Sydney Uber (Apr 15, 2014)

Joanne said:


> I think that they think it's easier or faster for them to direct you.


They generally have the attention span of a puppy and forget a turn, if you're lucky it could add a mile to a trip.


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## The Geek (May 29, 2014)

Many FUber riders are control freaks - old news. Had a guy today the same thing til I told him due to some massive bad traffic this afternoon in LA that if I knew the drop-off point my mind could work on contingencies in the meantime. No sooner than I said that construction blocked *his* way so instant validation. It's like trust is eroding and we don't know the ins & outs for bypass work.

Looking forward to starting for Lyft soon.


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## remy (Apr 17, 2014)

Lol! Picked up a rider and I asked where you going? She gave me an address that was 4 houses down to where she actually lives. So paranoid that she was waiting me to leave. I was only cleaning the floor cuz it was dirty. Hahaha! "Stalker me?"...I got better things to do!


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## SoCal_Uber (May 2, 2014)

remy said:


> Lol! Picked up a rider and I asked where you going? She gave me an address that was 4 houses down to where she actually lives. So paranoid that she was waiting me to leave. I was only cleaning the floor cuz it was dirty. Hahaha! "Stalker me?"...I got better things to do!


Considering all of last week's negative news, everyone probably thinks Uber drivers are all convicted felons on work release through ride-share.


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## remy (Apr 17, 2014)

Hahaha! Ya probably. Riders asking me where I used to work. I'm getting interviewed! Rider asked me where I went to school? I said school of Hard knox. Oh? Where is that?...at the pen! Lmao!


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## remy (Apr 17, 2014)

That was a joke guys.


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## SoCal_Uber (May 2, 2014)

remy said:


> That was a joke guys.


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## SunSmith (Apr 20, 2014)

remy said:


> Lol! Picked up a rider and I asked where you going? She gave me an address that was 4 houses down to where she actually lives. So paranoid that she was waiting me to leave. I was only cleaning the floor cuz it was dirty. Hahaha! "Stalker me?"...I got better things to do!


Because it appears to freak riders out when I hang around after dropping them off I often drive a block and then park and wait for the ping.


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## mp775 (Jun 26, 2014)

remy said:


> Hahaha! Ya probably. Riders asking me where I used to work. I'm getting interviewed! Rider asked me where I went to school? I said school of Hard knox. Oh? Where is that?...at the pen! Lmao!


Whenever a rider brings up the background checks, I mention that they can't be all that thorough since I got in anyway .


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## mp775 (Jun 26, 2014)

I had a rider tell me he was going "just around the corner" instead of an address, then give me turn by turn directions for a mile and half, only to arrive at a destination a half mile from the starting point.


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## Chicago-uber (Jun 18, 2014)

Gotta love when a rider says a name of an establishment (restaurant, hotel) and then gets upset if you ask for an address. I know chicago pretty well, but there's no way I know where everything is..


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## Just Some Guy (Jun 10, 2014)

Ironically enough, I see this far more often with male riders than I do with females. So I'm inclined to think it's a control thing more than a paranoia anti-stalker thing. That's my experience anyway, maybe some of you others just give the ladies the wrong vibe.


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## Just Some Guy (Jun 10, 2014)

Chicago-uber said:


> Gotta love when a rider says a name of an establishment (restaurant, hotel) and then gets upset if you ask for an address. I know chicago pretty well, but there's no way I know where everything is..


Luckily Google Maps knows where _everything_ is, just say the name of any business, and away you go...


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## Nautilis (Apr 16, 2014)

Just Some Guy said:


> Luckily Google Maps knows where _everything_ is, just say the name of any business, and away you go...


Waze too! Be careful if there is more than one location (i.e. chain restaurants). Enter the name and the city and confirm back to the rider "Pizzeria Uno's on Beacon Street?" from the list before driving there.


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## mp775 (Jun 26, 2014)

Also be careful if something changed names (especially in Rhode Island, where natives tend to use archaic names all the time). I had someone ask to go the Westin hotel, which became the Omni a year and a half ago. Of course, I also had someone ask to go to the Omni, and my initial instinct was to head for the Biltmore, because that was the Omni in the 1980s...


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## u_no_me (Jun 27, 2014)

SunSmith said:


> Because it appears to freak riders out when I hang around after dropping them off I often drive a block and then park and wait for the ping.


I never know whether it is polite to make sure a single (alone) female passenger makes it into the gate/door OK before driving off, or whether they think that makes me creepy?


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## Nautilis (Apr 16, 2014)

u_no_me said:


> I never know whether it is polite to make sure a single (alone) female passenger makes it into the gate/door OK before driving off, or whether they think that makes me creepy?


I've dropped off a rider in a "sketchy" area or where there are people hanging around and I've said to them "I'll stick around to make sure you make it inside ok, cool?" Otherwise I drop 'em and Uber on!


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## The Geek (May 29, 2014)

u_no_me said:


> I never know whether it is polite to make sure a single (alone) female passenger makes it into the gate/door OK before driving off, or whether they think that makes me creepy?


I always TELL them I make sure they get indoors safely w/ no creepy vibe.


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## grams777 (Jun 13, 2014)

The Geek said:


> I always TELL them I make sure they get indoors safely w/ no creepy vibe.


I think it does usually work better when you tell them rather than ask.

When I ask, they almost always decline even though they may really want you to wait, so then you are sort of a creeper.

Better to tell them (nicely). Then they don't feel the need to decline so much. When you say it that way, it is sort of asking, but more firmly stated.

I personally had a male, handicapped rider who was beaten up and had his house robbed just outside his gate after being dropped off. It wasn't a ride by me, he told me on a later ride. They did it to get into his house and rob him of his pain meds. They had stalked him out. So this is real, and you can use this story if you want to justify yourself.


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## u_no_me (Jun 27, 2014)

grams777 said:


> ...had a male, handicapped rider who was beaten up and had his house robbed just outside his gate after being dropped off. It wasn't a ride by me,


Bet that uber driver had no idea why he got the 1. But seriously, what a nasty thing, makes you think.


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## u_no_me (Jun 27, 2014)

The Geek said:


> I always TELL them I make sure they get indoors safely w/ no creepy vibe.


I'm just concerned that it seems some deliberately ask to be dropped several doors down, as if they don't want you to know exactly where they live... which I guess can make sense if you have the wrong driver.


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## SoCal_Uber (May 2, 2014)

u_no_me said:


> I'm just concerned that it seems some deliberately ask to be dropped several doors down, as if they don't want you to know exactly where they live... which I guess can make sense if you have the wrong driver.


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## Sydney Uber (Apr 15, 2014)

u_no_me said:


> I never know whether it is polite to make sure a single (alone) female passenger makes it into the gate/door OK before driving off, or whether they think that makes me creepy?


Yes, good intentions can so easily be misunderstood. Giving rise to a bad rating from a rider.

In black cars with our own regulars its a given that at the very least a driver waits till a passenger enters their house before leaving. Taking bags to the door or inside is common for our regulars.

Try and offer those civilised courtesies to a UBER client and they may well be creeped out by the offer.

It's a tough call to make these days, you need to gauge each job differently - but we all make mistakes in judgements, hope it doesn't cost us.


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## Grace A. (Jun 30, 2014)

I usually drive at night so I fool around with the phone for a second until they get in. If they look at me, I'm looking at my phone, not them.
I had a girl who left her keys at the bar one time but lived in an apartment complex. Since I had no way to know that she got to her apartment I drove off after a minute. I learned from another driver that she had locked herself out and accidentally moved the pin and got another driver even though I was just a block away. I still don't wait much longer at apartment complexes, but if I can tell that they made it in.

I had a passenger one time who said he was staying at a hotel on South Tryon. Tryon is the only street in the city that doesn't change names every mile so it is about 15 miles long, but parallels I-77 pretty well. Instead of telling me the hotel name or cross streets I drove on Tryon (35 mph) instead of I-77 (55 mph) for the whole ride.


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## rtaatl (Jul 3, 2014)

Haha! Grace...I recently moved from Charlotte...yeah how Tyvola changes to Fairview then to Rama to Sardis and finally Idlewild...go figure. Or better yet Queens runs into Queens at Queens Rd West. Driving here in Atlanta I had a this pickup where this lady used her account to take her drunk friend home. She just shoved the friend in the car and gave me a number to call after I dropped the passenger off. Now did either one of them know the exact address to where we're going....not a clue. I then realized the key to getting information from drunk people is to act drunk yourself. I guess this builds some rapport, lol! Then ask simple questions like "can you tell me where they send your mail?" Now we're getting somewhere. After a few drives around downtown I finally found the place. Made sure she made it to the elevator, even if she stumbled a little.


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## SCdave (Jun 27, 2014)

Was wondering if Uber could add a "I'm drunk off my Ar$e" button to Uber. Not small but basically takes up the whole Uber App Screen. Client preregisters their Home Address. At bar/pub they just hit the "I'm drunk off my Ar$e" Big A$$ Button and honorable Uber Driver gets ping and destination is automatically entered for us. We can respond with "I will be taking you to your registered home address of XXXX Street, XX City" to cover us. I'm just being sarcastic...or not.


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## Just Some Guy (Jun 10, 2014)

SCdave said:


> Was wondering if Uber could add a "I'm drunk off my Ar$e" button to Uber. Not small but basically takes up the whole Uber App Screen. Client preregisters their Home Address. At bar/pub they just hit the "I'm drunk off my Ar$e" Big A$$ Button and honorable Uber Driver gets ping and destination is automatically entered for us. We can respond with "I will be taking you to your registered home address of XXXX Street, XX City" to cover us. I'm just being sarcastic...or not.


Maybe they could add voice activation as well... just say "I'm drunk, take me home" and it automatically sends an Uber request (with an additional surcharge of course) with your home address input as the destination.


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## DriverX (Aug 5, 2015)

Take a screen shot of the route map and txt it to him.


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## DriverX (Aug 5, 2015)

Chicago-uber said:


> Gotta love when a rider says a name of an establishment (restaurant, hotel) and then gets upset if you ask for an address. I know chicago pretty well, but there's no way I know where everything is..


I'd rather have the restaurant name, its easier to enter into waze. or do you have apple, ewww


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## Fuzzyelvis (Dec 7, 2014)

SoCal_Uber said:


> Considering all of last week's negative news, everyone probably thinks Uber drivers are all convicted felons on work release through ride-share.


 you'd think they would tip so as not to piss us off


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## Oh My (Dec 26, 2014)

Chicago-uber said:


> Gotta love when a rider says a name of an establishment (restaurant, hotel) and then gets upset if you ask for an address. I know chicago pretty well, but there's no way I know where everything is..


And things change bi-weekly in Chicago. Honey Butter Fried Chicken might be all the rage this half of the month, then it's never heard of again by the 1st of the next month.......then they're on to Kaitlyn's Deep Fried Kale Kafe'. Then you discover that's the same place where the skinny jeans outlet was last winter that they were all flocking too because they read about it in the Red Eye.


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## Fuzzyelvis (Dec 7, 2014)

Had a pax tell me "Just take me to Whataburger." (Was in the middle between at least 2 of them).

Me: How about the one in Sugar Land? (about 22 miles from where we were)
I was going to make you the last trip of the night and that'll put me right by my house!

Pax: But I don't want to go to the one in Sugar Land!

Me: Oh. (Said nothing else. Car not moving).

Pax: I want to go to the one on W Holcombe in the med center. (This works for me and even if you didn't know it you could find the address easily).

Me: Specific destinations are good or who knows where you'll end up.

Sure you don't want to go to Sugar Land though?


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## Bart McCoy (Nov 4, 2014)

im not sure what the big deal is. its no different than you asking the pax if they have a preferred route, they say yeah, and then you follow their instructions....
so explain to me why you need a destination? I guess yall dont ask if pax wants to go a preferred route. Because the only way for you to know their preferred route is for them to give you the directions.... And if they are giving you the directions there's really no need for you to punch it in your phone. I sorta like the pax to give directions that way you cant make any wrong turns. Nothing to figure out. Just turn left/right where they say


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## DexNex (Apr 18, 2015)

SunSmith said:


> Because it appears to freak riders out when I hang around after dropping them off I often drive a block and then park and wait for the ping.


same here.


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## Jam Val (May 14, 2015)

Grace A. said:


> I usually drive at night so I fool around with the phone for a second until they get in. If they look at me, I'm looking at my phone, not them.
> I had a girl who left her keys at the bar one time but lived in an apartment complex. Since I had no way to know that she got to her apartment I drove off after a minute. I learned from another driver that she had locked herself out and accidentally moved the pin and got another driver even though I was just a block away. I still don't wait much longer at apartment complexes, but if I can tell that they made it in.
> 
> I had a passenger one time who said he was staying at a hotel on South Tryon. Tryon is the only street in the city that doesn't change names every mile so it is about 15 miles long, but parallels I-77 pretty well. Instead of telling me the hotel name or cross streets I drove on Tryon (35 mph) instead of I-77 (55 mph) for the whole ride.


I'm in Charlotte too. I don't know if it's just locals or what but they never want me to take the highway! I want fast, they want lights.


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## DriverX (Aug 5, 2015)

Bart McCoy said:


> im not sure what the big deal is. its no different than you asking the pax if they have a preferred route, they say yeah, and then you follow their instructions....
> so explain to me why you need a destination? I guess yall dont ask if pax wants to go a preferred route. Because the only way for you to know their preferred route is for them to give you the directions.... And if they are giving you the directions there's really no need for you to punch it in your phone. I sorta like the pax to give directions that way you cant make any wrong turns. Nothing to figure out. Just turn left/right where they say


Because unless the pax is like a minute away a $4 trip isn't worth my time. uber gets a dollar and then I'm paying at least a dollar in gas/mileage leaving me $2 for what could take easily 15-20 minutes of my time. That's how you kill your hourly rate right their. The reality is that no contractor should ever accept a trip that ends up costing them money, this is NOT how you run a business and as a contractor you are running a business. Therefore you are obligated to know if the job you are taking is going to make you a profit or not. It's very simple uber can't expect us to drive for free or at a loss so they can IPO at 51 billion dollars. |

NEW DRIVERS BEWARE! Don't just blindly accept everything. accept and contact the rider and ask them where they are going. IF it's not profitable then make an excuse like not enough gas or can't get their quickly enough..... and ask them to please cancel.

If drivers do what uber wants them to do which is be ignorant of their contractor rights you will not make money.


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## Bart McCoy (Nov 4, 2014)

DriverX said:


> Because unless the pax is like a minute away a $4 trip isn't worth my time. uber gets a dollar and then I'm paying at least a dollar in gas/mileage leaving me $2 for what could take easily 15-20 minutes of my time. That's how you kill your hourly rate right their. The reality is that no contractor should ever accept a trip that ends up costing them money, this is NOT how you run a business and as a contractor you are running a business. Therefore you are obligated to know if the job you are taking is going to make you a profit or not. It's very simple uber can't expect us to drive for free or at a loss so they can IPO at 51 billion dollars. |
> 
> NEW DRIVERS BEWARE! Don't just blindly accept everything. accept and contact the rider and ask them where they are going. IF it's not profitable then make an excuse like not enough gas or can't get their quickly enough..... and ask them to please cancel.
> 
> If drivers do what uber wants them to do which is be ignorant of their contractor rights you will not make money.


wait....so u complaining about not knowing the pax destination based simply on if they are going far or not (to know that you'll make money)????????????????????


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## DriverX (Aug 5, 2015)

Bart McCoy said:


> wait....so u complaining about not knowing the pax destination based simply on if they are going far or not (to know that you'll make money)????????????????????


Yes I'm running a business. It's my duty to run it at a profit!


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## Bart McCoy (Nov 4, 2014)

DriverX said:


> Yes I'm running a business. It's my duty to run it at a profit!


ah okay. i can agree with that, and would love to know the destination myself,but that wasnt the point I was trying to make in my reply


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## DriverX (Aug 5, 2015)

Bart McCoy said:


> ah okay. i can agree with that, and would love to know the destination myself,but that wasnt the point I was trying to make in my reply


I don't get your point then. Hopefully the lawsuit will force uber to give us the pickup and destination locations up front. This is how the Taxi business operates. I've talked to cabbies and they know where the destination is before they take the job. The dispatcher alewasy asks the client where they are going so they can pair them with a cabbie that works those areas if possible. THere system allows them to communicate with the dispatcher directly. we just have an app that is set up to keep us in the dark. Drivers should ban together and not be afraid to ask for destinations.  It's the only way to make this profitable. We have to be able to plan our work area or we get screwed.


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## Bart McCoy (Nov 4, 2014)

DriverX said:


> I don't get your point then. .


how about you read OPs first post in this thread
my point is on topic
yours is off on a tangent
OP is NOT talking about what you are talking about (knowing an address before you pick pax up)


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## DriverX (Aug 5, 2015)

EZ Bart I never said you were off topic. I read the title: *Please tell me your destination! 
lol *


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## OCBob (Jan 20, 2015)

Mika said:


> That is the most asinine behavior I've heard in a long time. She's an idiot, if the destination she's going to is so private, restricted, and exclusive she should drive her f%#king self---I would've put her azz out of my car.


I think some do not want to give you the exact address they live but they are not bright enough to just give a random neighbor's address or just the street. Whatever the reason, I don't like it and sitting in traffic at these rates isn't worth it for drivers. I want to get them to their destination asap.


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