# Uber will now let users book rides 30 days in advance and pick a favorite driver



## Lissetti (Dec 20, 2016)

Uber is rolling out a new feature this week that will let users reserve rides up to 30 days in advance and pick their favorite driver for the trip as the ride-hailing company seeks new ways to attract customers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The new option, called Uber Reserve, which will begin to show up on the app in the next week, is designed for users who want to book a ride at least two hours in advance. Uber said it will keep its current "schedule a ride" option for those trips that fall under that two hours in advance timeline.

"While saving you time lays at the heart of our service, we wanted to take this idea to the next level by building mobility features that more flexibly fit around your life," said Holley Beasley, operations lead at Uber.










Riders who use the Reserve feature will be shown their fare upfront and be matched to a driver ahead of the trip. The company has also folded in a "favorite driver" option. Riders can now add favorite drivers to their app. Once they select the Reserve features, riders will have the option to select one of their "favorite drivers." These favorite drivers will be offered to them first. Uber stressed that drivers aren't penalized for opting not to take the ride.

The ride-hailing company baked in two other perks, an additional 15-minute grace period if the rider is running late and an on-time guarantee that will give users $50 in Uber Cash if their driver is even a minute late to the ride they have scheduled. That Uber Cash will come directly from Uber, not the driver's earnings, the company told TechCrunch.

Uber said it's added protection for the drivers as well. If a Reserve ride is canceled within an hour of the trip, the driver will receive the full fare.

The feature was in development before COVID-19, according to Geoff Tam-Scott, a product manager at Uber. However, the company noticed that its existing scheduling feature was being used more frequently as COVID-19 took hold. By late spring, "we were all hands on deck to try to accelerate the development of this feature," Tam-Scott added.

Uber Reserve will launch initially in 20 U.S. cities and will start with premium Uber Black and Black SUV rides. The company said it will make the feature available to other ride options such as Uber X, "comfort" and XL by the end of the year. The initial launch cities include Atlanta, Austin, Charlotte, Charleston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, D.C., Fort-Myers / Naples, Houston, Las Vegas, Miami, Milwaukee, Nashville, New Jersey, New York City, New Orleans, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix and Seattle.

https://techcrunch.com/2020/11/10/u...ys-in-advance-and-pick-a-favorite-driver/amp/


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## Disgusted Driver (Jan 9, 2015)

Wow, this has dumb written all over it! What makes you think your favorite driver will be available and nearby? 
A simple feature might be to let you set up a favorites list and give the ride to the driver on the list IF they are nearby and available.


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## Another Uber Driver (May 27, 2015)

For Uber's garbage rates, I would not accept something like this as a driver.


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## mbd (Aug 27, 2018)

Lissetti said:


> View attachment 524728
> 
> 
> Uber is rolling out a new feature this week that will let users reserve rides up to 30 days in advance and pick their favorite driver for the trip as the ride-hailing company seeks new ways to attract customers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
> ...


Good move on Uber's side. Most of the Uber Black /Lux drivers will jump on this since the clientele is of a higher pecking order&#128514;
Airport SuV drivers don't like picking up disadvantaged pax from the outside.
Airport Lux + SUV guys also can be counted on for the pickup...They are all disciplined&#128077;


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## Judge and Jury (Oct 19, 2019)

Disgusted Driver said:


> Wow, this has dumb written all over it! What makes you think your favorite driver will be available and nearby?
> A simple feature might be to let you set up a favorites list and give the ride to the driver on the list IF they are nearby and available.


Seems this may be advantageous for drivers looking to secure off-app ride clientele.

If a client specifically requests a certain driver, said client may be amenable to private rides off-app. An exchange of phone numbers and you are now a limo contractor.

Don't see any downside to being a favorite driver. Decline offer or build your private contract book.



Another Uber Driver said:


> For Uber's garbage rates, I would not accept something like this as a driver.


Seems you are not realizing the implications.

Seems Uber is providing you leads for private rides. An exchange of phone numbers and you are starting to build a private clientele.

I have always believed that Uber was not an employer, but a lead generator.


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## Gone_in_60_seconds (Jan 21, 2018)

Another Uber Driver said:


> For Uber's garbage rates, I would not accept something like this as a driver.


...unless the repeat pax was a good tipper.


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## Illini (Mar 14, 2019)

15 minutes of wait time??
How is Uber going to get the driver to wait for 15 minutes?
If they're going to expect me to wait 15 minutes, they're going to have to pay me a lot more than 20 cents a minute.


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## Lissetti (Dec 20, 2016)

I'm thinking of the poor driver who wakes one morning to discover his annoying pax from the night before, has just decided that he is now the their faaaaaavorite driver.

You know, that pax who you didn't give 1 star to because you gave them the benefit of the doubt they were having a bad day....Now you are on their call list.

I see lots of Errand Ants in the future.


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## mbd (Aug 27, 2018)

Judge and Jury said:


> Seems this may be advantageous for drivers looking to secure off-app ride clientele.
> 
> If a client specifically requests a certain driver, said client may be amenable to private rides off-app. An exchange of phone numbers and you are now a limo contractor.
> 
> ...


They already do that .... one of the Airport ants did 150k and eventually Uber kicked him off the platform &#128077;


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## Young Kim (Jan 28, 2015)

Disgusted Driver said:


> Wow, this has dumb written all over it! What makes you think your favorite driver will be available and nearby?
> A simple feature might be to let you set up a favorites list and give the ride to the driver on the list IF they are nearby and available.


Indeed, this seems rather impossible. What if a rider wants to request a favorite driver and he/she is 30 miles away?


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## mbd (Aug 27, 2018)

Young Kim said:


> Indeed, this seems rather impossible. What if a rider wants to request a favorite driver and he/she is 30 miles away?


We are not talking 2.85$ runs and it only costs the driver 2.50$ In gasoline. Fav driver also means that pax will tip more to that particular driver, more than the 2.50$ gasoline expense.
What is private rides? Driver goes out of his way and drives 30 miles. XL drivers from the airport get private ride request from the pax( 1st time pax)
If the driver cannot do it, then next Ant does the job. Uber is giving 50$ to the pax if the driver doesn't show up, so these rides avg way higher than 50$, maybe closer to 75$ plus. Driver has plenty of time to get ready for the rider.


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## dauction (Sep 26, 2017)

I like the idea...


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## waldowainthrop (Oct 25, 2019)

Young Kim said:


> Indeed, this seems rather impossible. What if a rider wants to request a favorite driver and he/she is 30 miles away?


I'm guessing the driver gets the right to refuse and then the passenger gets the normal Uber experience instead, with the advantage of pre-scheduling.

Lots of people complain that they can't effectively pre-schedule a ride. I get it. The few times I've wanted an Uber as a passenger, I've been frustrated with on-demand scheduling. I don't have any trouble showing up at a spot at a certain pre-scheduled time. It's only the Uber app that can't do it. And I'm not even picky about drivers. There have actually been times that I've just not used an Uber at all because I knew the wait time would make it a waste of time.

I don't pre-order rides 15 minutes out because I know the driver usually gets there as fast as they can and I can't always pre-schedule that kind of urgency, and the app certainly isn't interested in my schedule. I hate making people wait for me, but the app can only provide a rough window of 0-30 minutes of when I'll actually get picked up, which isn't actually an improvement on public transit.

The "favorite driver" stuff is nice for everyone in the few cases it works, but a genuine scheduling feature would actually be a fundamental improvement in how the on-demand system works. If they can only get there by demanding that drivers wait 15 minutes, it's a pile of trash, though.

Keep in mind, I live in a smaller city. I know in larger cities that the wait is usually shorter and more predictable. But in my city, people need private transportation way more than they do in big cities. We don't even have trains here. Recently I decided to walk 30 minutes in the cold rather than wait 20+ minutes for a ride that might never come. It was no fun, but the bus didn't go there and I couldn't just hope that a driver would be available to drive me in the snow.


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## Disgusted Driver (Jan 9, 2015)

Judge and Jury said:


> Seems this may be advantageous for drivers looking to secure off-app ride clientele.
> 
> If a client specifically requests a certain driver, said client may be amenable to private rides off-app. An exchange of phone numbers and you are now a limo contractor.
> 
> ...


I see your point and yes, for full time drivers this could be a great thing. I actually shy away from recruiting privates because my schedule is so erratic, have a day job and don't want to have to be available when clients want me. I have a couple of arrangements with folks who are cool with you not being available sometimes, most of the rest, you don't hear back from after one or two times you tell them you aren't available.


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## Philly heretic (May 27, 2020)

I've already encountered this... rider paid $14 for a trip that would've only been $8 for a 6 block ride to the train station. I had to wait 7 minutes of the 15 minutes window and received a whopping $6 for myself. I just skip all of these trips from now on...

Exchanging phone numbers with the rider and risk deactivation or even worse get into an accident and get sued by the rider... just to make a private clientele.... be my guest.

This new feature means there is an oversatutation of drivers in your particular city if its available there.


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## SHalester (Aug 25, 2019)

um, I **** CAlif had this for a while now?

I educate my pax: scheduling rides does nothing and costs them more for that nothing.


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## Joe Saltucci (Oct 6, 2020)

Judge and Jury said:


> Seems this may be advantageous for drivers looking to secure off-app ride clientele.
> 
> If a client specifically requests a certain driver, said client may be amenable to private rides off-app. An exchange of phone numbers and you are now a limo contractor.
> 
> ...


Private rides require that either the passenger pay cash....which a great many do not like to do....or that you have a merchant account to process credit cards....which will take 3-6% of the total. I suppose, if it's arranged in advance, and you are willing to take a check, that could work, now that I think of it.


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## tohunt4me (Nov 23, 2015)

Lissetti said:


> View attachment 524728
> 
> 
> Uber is rolling out a new feature this week that will let users reserve rides up to 30 days in advance and pick their favorite driver for the trip as the ride-hailing company seeks new ways to attract customers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
> ...


Wow.
What if driver is not working that day ?


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## Lissetti (Dec 20, 2016)

tohunt4me said:


> Wow.
> What if driver is not working that day ?


That's what I'm trying to figure out. Are drivers expected to put their life on hold for Uber's Pax's needs?

_Riders can now add favorite drivers to their app. Once they select the Reserve features, riders will have the option to select one of their "favorite drivers." These favorite drivers will be offered to them first. _

What happens if the selected drivers can't commit to the request? I'm sure it will go to another driver but who? Any driver in the area or is Uber creating a queue of highly sought after drivers per area?

_Uber stressed that drivers aren't penalized for opting not to take the ride._

I don't believe that.

So many questions.


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## tohunt4me (Nov 23, 2015)

Lissetti said:


> That's what I'm trying to figure out. Are drivers expected to put their life on hold for Uber's Pax's needs?
> 
> _Riders can now add favorite drivers to their app. Once they select the Reserve features, riders will have the option to select one of their "favorite drivers." These favorite drivers will be offered to them first. _
> 
> ...


All this
AFTER
Uber would send requests of PAX 
Sitting in my car. . . .to other drivers !
After i had arranged
The Night before
To pick them up !


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## Amos69 (May 17, 2019)

I know quite a few that will be requesting me again!


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## stuber (Jun 30, 2014)

mbd said:


> We are not talking 2.85$ runs and it only costs the driver 2.50$ In gasoline. Fav driver also means that pax will tip more to that particular driver, more than the 2.50$ gasoline expense.
> What is private rides? Driver goes out of his way and drives 30 miles. XL drivers from the airport get private ride request from the pax( 1st time pax)
> If the driver cannot do it, then next Ant does the job. Uber is giving 50$ to the pax if the driver doesn't show up, so these rides avg way higher than 50$, maybe closer to 75$ plus. Driver has plenty of time to get ready for the rider.


Again, it's apples and orange. Running on appointments is different than on-demand. Rarely do drivers want both as an operational model. I'm all for UberReserve, if...they give me opportunities that work within my appointment-based service. We shall see.



SHalester said:


> um, I thought CAlif had this for a while now?
> 
> I educate my pax: scheduling rides does nothing and costs them more for that nothing.


Scheduled rides are taxi time calls. Appointments are driver specific, prearranged. Hard to do both prearranged and on-demand.



Disgusted Driver said:


> Wow, this has dumb written all over it! What makes you think your favorite driver will be available and nearby?
> A simple feature might be to let you set up a favorites list and give the ride to the driver on the list IF they are nearby and available.


A better idea would be to allow drivers to sign up as Reserve ONLY. Then those requests will go out to both "Favorites" and Reserve drivers. It would work like a bid board.


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## JaxUberLyft (Jan 9, 2019)

I'm in favor - I drive very early AM in search of long / airport rides. Uber Reserve could take the guesswork out of what rides I accept between 0400 - 0500.


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## mikes424 (May 22, 2016)

tohunt4me said:


> Wow.
> What if driver is not working that day ?


Drivers are not obligated to accept the trip.

I have one question I have not seen asked by anyone else and don't know the answer.

Assume you accept a trip scheduled for 1:00. At what time does Uber stop sending ride requests to you? Could you be in a situation where ride requests are stopped an hour ahead of the reserved time and you can possibly lose an hour of driving?


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## Cdub2k (Nov 22, 2017)

mikes424 said:


> Drivers are not obligated to accept the trip.
> 
> I have one question I have not seen asked by anyone else and don't know the answer.
> 
> Assume you accept a trip scheduled for 1:00. At what time does Uber stop sending ride requests to you? Could you be in a situation where ride requests are stopped an hour ahead of the reserved time and you can possibly lose an hour of driving?


I'm pretty sure that will be the case especially since they are guaranteeing that the driver will be there on time or they get $50. I'm pretty sure drivers who are booked on Uber Reserve will be flagged by the algorithm.


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## 34-Methoxyzacko (May 9, 2020)

This has been in my app for almost a month now, though it has not appeared functional. This indeed shares more insight into what is behind it all...


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## MondayMan (Apr 27, 2019)

This year’s news: pick your favorite drivers!

Next year’s news: class action racism lawsuit!


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## ntcindetroit (Mar 23, 2017)

Lissetti said:


> View attachment 524728
> 
> 
> Uber is rolling out a new feature this week that will let users reserve rides up to 30 days in advance and pick their favorite driver for the trip as the ride-hailing company seeks new ways to attract customers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
> ...


Ah, this is my favorite feature. I used to have clients want to book me as their favorite driver(s) even in an old Camry and/or Corolla. Too bad my account was wrongfully deactivated before I even have an opportunity to see how it works if I share riders with my MB's and BMW's.


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## Lissetti (Dec 20, 2016)

ntcindetroit said:


> Ah, this is my favorite feature. I used to have clients want to book me as their favorite driver(s) even in an old Camry and/or Corolla. Too bad my account was wrongfully deactivated before I even have an opportunity to see how it works if I share riders with my MB's and BMW's.


I also had customers who favored me. However I remember trying to "legitimately" link up with them was somewhat of a hassle. (Legitimate in the sense I was not going to take them off-app with a private payment.)

Sometimes you could be sitting right in front of the rider, and their request would go to another driver a couple of miles away.

Sorry other drivers for those odd request-cancel-request-cancel maneuvers by my pax trying to book me.&#128556;

At least this new feature would minimize that.


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## REX HAVOC (Jul 4, 2016)

I could see this work if drivers were on a set schedule but since we're supossedly independent contractors how are they going to get driverers to committ to those times. They should build a a "My Favotites" setting and allow the pax to save the drivers profile. Then when they request a ride if one of their favorites are in the area one could be requested for the ride.


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## Amsoil Uber Connect (Jan 14, 2015)

Lissetti said:


> What happens if the selected drivers can't commit to the request? I'm sure it will go to another driver but who? Any driver in the area or is Uber creating a queue of highly sought after drivers per area?


With Lyft, you can Accept a Scheduled trip the day b4, but yet if there is a closer driver, they get the ping instead. So accepting scheduled trips the day b4 are almost worthless. The last day I did 10 trips 3 of those came up as Scheduled trips. Makes me wonder if another driver accepted those yet I was closer.

I'm surprised it has taken uber so long to track pax's favorite drivers. As 5 stars is not enough.



Lissetti said:


> Sometimes you could be sitting right in front of the rider, and their request would go to another driver a couple of miles away.


Yes the requester needs to be 20-30 feet away, sometimes.



mikes424 said:


> Assume you accept a trip scheduled for 1:00. At what time does Uber stop sending ride requests to you? Could you be in a situation where ride requests are stopped an hour ahead of the reserved time and you can possibly lose an hour of driving?


If it's like Lyft, see above. You could on a trip and then a Scheduled one you accepted still goes to nearest driver.


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## goneubering (Aug 17, 2017)

Lissetti said:


> View attachment 524728
> 
> 
> Uber is rolling out a new feature this week that will let users reserve rides up to 30 days in advance and pick their favorite driver for the trip as the ride-hailing company seeks new ways to attract customers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
> ...


Why not LA? Hmm.


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## SHalester (Aug 25, 2019)

stuber said:


> Scheduled rides are taxi time calls


nope. Vast majority are with 'any' driver and said driver doesn't even know until just before pu. They do nothing and vast majority of pax have no idea. I educate them to not do it and save a few dollars.


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## _Tron_ (Feb 9, 2020)

This may be one of those ideas that look good on paper, but...

Actually, it doesn't even look that great on paper.

I applaud Uber though for trying to solve for pax who want to choose their driver.

I use my own system to solve for that and it works well for the whole triumvirate.


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## Dice Man (May 21, 2018)

Only once I got a favorite driver request.
10 miles away pickup and a short trip.
No thanks.
Add a $20 advanced tip, if you really think me and my car are special.


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## ANTlifebaby (Oct 28, 2018)

I know what's going to happen. Pax will get in the car and say, "Hey, just so you know, I added you as one of my favorite drivers." And then it's going to be that extremely awkward feeling where I have to tell them that I'm just not that into them, or play along and end up in yet another bad relationship.


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## Clothahump (Mar 31, 2018)

Illini said:


> 15 minutes of wait time??
> How is Uber going to get the driver to wait for 15 minutes?
> If they're going to expect me to wait 15 minutes, they're going to have to pay me a lot more than 20 cents a minute.


You get 20 cents a minute? Damn, I'd kill for that.


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## BradT50 (May 8, 2020)

Lissetti said:


> View attachment 524728
> 
> 
> Uber is rolling out a new feature this week that will let users reserve rides up to 30 days in advance and pick their favorite driver for the trip as the ride-hailing company seeks new ways to attract customers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
> ...


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## touberornottouber (Aug 12, 2016)

As a former taxi driver I have to say that this favorite driver thing doesn't necessarily benefit the driver. One thing I love about Uber is being able to go online or offline whenever I want and being able to work where I want. Having "personals" (as we called them) makes for a lot more hassles.

It can also potentially get awkward if someone tries to select you as their favorite driver (for some routine $3 trip) but you don't want them. Then when you next get them normally you will be left to explain why you declined.


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## rushbudgie (Nov 7, 2016)

I can only see it working if both parties agreed prior to schedule, with a clause to cancel with good reason of course. Probably wont include any cancellation fee when cancelled well before schedule. Here's hoping the app asks the driver 'available or unavailable', this way there's no awkwardness next time you meet.



touberornottouber said:


> As a former taxi driver I have to say that this favorite driver thing doesn't necessarily benefit the driver. One thing I love about Uber is being able to go online or offline whenever I want and being able to work where I want. Having "personals" (as we called them) makes for a lot more hassles.
> 
> It can also potentially get awkward if someone tries to select you as their favorite driver (for some routine $3 trip) but you don't want them. Then when you next get them normally you will be left to explain why you declined.


I get the feeling a tip may come being a 'favourite' (wishful thinking) from short trips and your next trip with them may even be long distance plus tip.


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## goneubering (Aug 17, 2017)

ANTlifebaby said:


> I know what's going to happen. Pax will get in the car and say, "Hey, just so you know, I added you as one of my favorite drivers." And then it's going to be that extremely awkward feeling where I have to tell them that I'm just not that into them, or play along and end up in yet another bad relationship.


Like the dude that got in my car and acted like we were best friends. I had to tell him I didn't remember who he was and he was crushed.

lol


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## Gone_in_60_seconds (Jan 21, 2018)

goneubering said:


> Like the dude that got in my car and acted like we were best friends. I had to tell him I didn't remember who he was and he was crushed.
> 
> lol


I usually don't remember customer who do NOT tip!!! :whistling: :whistling:


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## Soldiering (Jan 21, 2019)

Unless Im gonna have a NICE JUICY RACK in my face Im not picking up any pax that reserves a ride with me. I've already had a half dozen requests. I've ignored every one.
Gruber is the stupidest biz partner Ive ever HAD. Im in this too make revenue not friends.


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## Cvillegordo (Oct 30, 2019)

This is one of the things that many Uber users do not understand. You can reserve and schedule rides till the cows come home; but a driver still has to want to take the ride.


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## stuber (Jun 30, 2014)

Lordy...this appears even more idiotic than their usual standard idiocy. So the "plan" is to service prearranged trips using a driver pool that is generally disinclined to working in an appointment-based model. I see some fundamental problems here people. Limo (prearranged) and taxi/ride share (on-demand) are distinctly different animals, and thus the traditional transportation business has mostly kept the two separated.

Naturally, customers want appointments at on-demand prices, but that doesn't mean there will be a reliable supply of drivers willing to take such requests.

But the brain trust at Uber knows better, of course.

The sensible approach for this idea if Uber actually wants to venture into the world of limo (which is what this is) would be to create a pool of Uber Reserve drivers that ONLY service these prearranged requests. Sure, customers could have "favorite" drivers as well. Drivers could sign up at their discretion by setting up an Uber Reserve preference in their driver account.

That said, drivers would see the requests then select the assignments that work within their schedules. If the "favorite" Reserve driver dismisses the request, then the offer would be pushed out to other Reserve drivers on a bid board sort of system. Incidentally, there's already prearranged limo apps that work exactly in this manner.

These Uber Reserve drivers (most typically, commercial Uber Black drivers, but not necessarily) could easily work in this appointment-based manner with little difficulty. But mixing the two modes within the single Uber app is likely to produce a high failure rate (prearranged jobs that go unfulfilled.) If and when the feature is offered to X and XL drivers I would predict that the idea would fall apart because those trips are not priced high enough.

But what do I know? I've only been at this for 10 years.



MondayMan said:


> This year's news: pick your favorite drivers!
> 
> Next year's news: class action racism lawsuit!


Agreed. But at the same time, it's not Uber's role to police the bigots and enforce acceptance of trips. The Uber drivers are ICs, remember.


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## veblenrules (Jul 14, 2014)

stuber said:


> Lordy...this appears even more idiotic than their usual standard idiocy. So the "plan" is to service prearranged trips using a driver pool that is generally disinclined to working in an appointment-based model. I see some fundamental problems here people. Limo (prearranged) and taxi/ride share (on-demand) are distinctly different animals, and thus the traditional transportation business has mostly kept the two separated.
> 
> Naturally, customers want appointments at on-demand prices, but that doesn't mean there will be a reliable supply of drivers willing to take such requests.
> 
> ...


Uber is exploiting public gullibility yet again. They're resurrecting long standing limo service and acting like they invented the wheel. Well you know what they say about bright shiny objects. . .


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## jeanocelot (Sep 2, 2016)

The most important rides I need are the ones that get me to & from my airport 70 miles away , with the air trip being transcontinental, so I am not in the mood to put with the ant deciding to cancel me.  I use a canonical airport ground transportation to do this because I can completely depend on the ride, even if it costs a little more than U/L (almost $100 each way!). Something like this might make me consider a U/L ant, so long as U/L can do what it takes (i.e., give some other ant a very high rate) to service me in the proper time.



Lissetti said:


> That's what I'm trying to figure out. Are drivers expected to put their life on hold for Uber's Pax's needs?


Uh, I had always thought that "the customer is always right". 



Another Uber Driver said:


> For Uber's garbage rates, I would not accept something like this as a driver.


Agreed, for the most part, this only makes sense if the ant is getting something extra.

That said, I could attractive antesses building up a following where sexually frustrated men would naturally choose to have a favorite pool of antesses as the drivers, and indeed pay a premium for the pleasure.


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## veblenrules (Jul 14, 2014)

jeanocelot said:


> The most important rides I need are the ones that get me to & from my airport 70 miles away , with the air trip being transcontinental, so I am not in the mood to put with the ant deciding to cancel me.  I use a canonical airport ground transportation to do this because I can completely depend on the ride, even if it costs a little more than U/L (almost $100 each way!). Something like this might make me consider a U/L ant, so long as U/L can do what it takes (i.e., give some other ant a very high rate) to service me in the proper time.
> 
> 
> Uh, I had always thought that "the customer is always right".
> ...


Something about "you get what you pay for".


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## Lissetti (Dec 20, 2016)

jeanocelot said:


> Uh, I had always thought that "the customer is always right".


The rideshare platform was designed to be a flexible "side hustle" where the driver gets to set their own hours. No one signed up to any terms of service that puts them on a set schedule and unless Prop 22 is repealed, no driver is required to be at the customer's beck and call. They are still independent contractors. They still get to decide whether they will go online or not.


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## veblenrules (Jul 14, 2014)

Lissetti said:


> The rideshare platform was designed to be a flexible "side hustle" where the driver gets to set their own hours. No one signed up to any terms of service that puts them on a set schedule and unless Prop 22 is repealed, no driver is required to be at the customer's beck and call. They are still independent contractors. They still get to decide whether they will go online or not.


The rideshare platform was designed to make as much money as possible for the guys who thought it up. They knew that there was a huge market for service that was cheaper and more reliable than the existing taxi industry and they didn't sweat the small stuff when it came to existing regulations. The public and a lot of potential drivers were bedazzled by the app and with a huge bankroll available to them Uber and Lyft disrupted major markets before the taxi (and to some extent, the limo ) industry and the local pols knew what hit 'em. We now have a new monopoly which has a stranglehold on most local ground transportation. The problem is that there's such a large brick on Uber and Lyft that their road to actual profitability is still in doubt. When automated vehicles become viable the potential for new competitors increases. One thing you can depend on: when the ride shares are able to totally automate their operations they will and drivers will have all the flexibility they want to find another side hustle.


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## FLKeys (Dec 27, 2018)

mikes424 said:


> Drivers are not obligated to accept the trip.
> 
> I have one question I have not seen asked by anyone else and don't know the answer.
> 
> Assume you accept a trip scheduled for 1:00. At what time does Uber stop sending ride requests to you? Could you be in a situation where ride requests are stopped an hour ahead of the reserved time and you can possibly lose an hour of driving?


I'm guessing you won't have the option to select the trip. If you are in the area Uber will preselect you if you are a favorite and will just stop sending your ride requests when ever they want. You will never know you have been put on hold as a favorite.


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## jeanocelot (Sep 2, 2016)

veblenrules said:


> We now have a new monopoly which has a stranglehold on most local ground transportation. The problem is that there's such a large brick on Uber and Lyft that their road to actual profitability is still in doubt. When automated vehicles become viable the potential for new competitors increases. One thing you can depend on: when the ride shares are able to totally automate their operations they will and drivers will have all the flexibility they want to find another side hustle.


It's a "monopoly" because most investors don't care to compete to see who can lose the most money.

Yes, once driverless cars come about, the economic landscape will drastically change. U/L are essentially investing in having a leg up against the competition once this point arrives. I predict that the driverless taxi business will be brutally competitive, and the winners will be the ones that have the innovative yield systems (e.g., like what American Airlines was a leader in) and lowest overhead costs. I think U/L will become dinosaurs that will be swallowed up by one of the successful start-ups.


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## Kilroy4303 (Jul 31, 2020)

I think that drivers should have the option to deny the clients "favoring" of them to avoid any awkward situations. . . . other than that its all a matter of availability of driver etc. I don't really see a problem with it.


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## veblenrules (Jul 14, 2014)

jeanocelot said:


> It's a "monopoly" because most investors don't care to compete to see who can lose the most money.
> 
> Yes, once driverless cars come about, the economic landscape will drastically change. U/L are essentially investing in having a leg up against the competition once this point arrives. I predict that the driverless taxi business will be brutally competitive, and the winners will be the ones that have the innovative yield systems (e.g., like what American Airlines was a leader in) and lowest overhead costs. I think U/L will become dinosaurs that will be swallowed up by one of the successful start-ups.


I think we have a monopoly because the Uber and Lyft juggernauts can overwhelm potential competition. However when automatic vehicles are viable I could see a reasonably well funded operation in a single market being able to compete effectively, especially if they were able to offer lower rates, which could be quite possible without the debt load thatU/L carry. At that point the possiblity of a thousand mosquitos killing the elephant in many markets is a distinct prospect..


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## ANT 7 (Oct 14, 2018)

Kilroy4303 said:


> I think that drivers should have the option to deny the clients "favoring" of them to avoid any awkward situations. . . . other than that its all a matter of availability of driver etc. I don't really see a problem with it.


You do.

You can refuse the ping requests, or, turn off reservations in the app and you'll get none.

I would never activate this option (even though I've been asked hundreds of times if pax can do this) as you cannot be guaranteed you'll receive reasonable trips between the dispatch and pickup times.

I'll drive 20 minutes to get you if you're going 30 minutes away, but I won't drive 20 minutes for the reservation if you're going 5 minutes away.


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## RideShare_Hustler (Jun 18, 2020)

ANT 7 said:


> even though I've been asked hundreds of times if pax can do this


Oh yea? I've been asked thousands of times..how about that?

I'll let a few pax reserve you though, I don't wanna take all your business, I feel bad &#128518;


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## Wildgoose (Feb 11, 2019)

Lissetti said:


> View attachment 524728
> 
> 
> Uber is rolling out a new feature this week that will let users reserve rides up to 30 days in advance and pick their favorite driver for the trip as the ride-hailing company seeks new ways to attract customers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
> ...


If Uber pays for the dead miles, a lot of drivers would do.
Accepting scheduled ride will cause for a driver to miss a good trip.
Uber should also introduce a destination feature to get that schedule ride pick up location when program has found extra available time from drivers before reaching to the pick up point.
With their introduced feature, I won't do it.


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