# New surge: ants earn more, smart drivers earn less



## nickd8775 (Jul 12, 2015)

The new surge format incentivizes the ants because they will actually earn more. Right now, it helps us to be proactive and know when to anticipate a surge and figure out if it's worth chasing. It also incentivizes going offline to trigger surges. The new surge system pays a surge to anyone who chases it. The ants who do no research will earn more because they'll get in on every surge. They just have to drive through the surge zone and it's applied to their next trip. 
Contrast that with upfront pricing. That actually is a fare increase for smart drivers who know their market well


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## Mole (Mar 9, 2017)

I'm willing to bet if this new surge gets in my area I will never see this type of payout ever again.


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## kdyrpr (Apr 23, 2016)

Mole said:


> View attachment 237052
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> I'm willing to bet if this new surge gets in my area I will never see this type of payout ever again.


Not unless they have a plus $40 zone


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## Mole (Mar 9, 2017)

kdyrpr said:


> Not unless they have a plus $40 zone


Do you really think uber is going to help us make more money? The only reason uber is doing this is to capture more funds from the passengers and drivers for thier upcoming IPO.


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## nickd8775 (Jul 12, 2015)

You would get an extra $10 and three ants will also get an extra $10 on rides that the passenger didn't pay a surge on. 
Seems like Uber will pay out about 75% of the surge it pays now, but will distribute it among more drivers. The beneficiaries will be dumb drivers who chase surges without understanding why there's a surge.


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## hulksmash (Apr 26, 2016)

I’ve said this as well. In order to keep more drivers they have to increase their earnings. It helps the ants who are used fo driving for base rate as they will earn more without having to strategize. They really want to level the playing field so the hardest workers and not the smartest are rewarded, since Uber benefits more from drivers taking every ping than from those who sit and wait for the big fish.


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## 404NofFound (Jun 13, 2018)

hulksmash said:


> I've said this as well. In order to keep more drivers they have to increase their earnings. It helps the ants who are used fo driving for base rate as they will earn more without having to strategize. They really want to level the playing field so the hardest workers and not the smartest are rewarded, since Uber benefits more from drivers taking every ping than from those who sit and wait for the big fish.


How can you tell if a ping is a big fish?


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## Stevie The magic Unicorn (Apr 3, 2018)

nickd8775 said:


> You would get an extra $10 and three ants will also get an extra $10 on rides that the passenger didn't pay a surge on.
> Seems like Uber will pay out about 75% of the surge it pays now, but will distribute it among more drivers. The beneficiaries will be dumb drivers who chase surges without understanding why there's a surge.


No... i'm betting uber will SAY That surges are getting distributed more to everyone, while in reality $2.00-$4.00 surges will result in lower (yet still existing) profit margins on short fares while they take 80%+ of long fares.


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## 404NofFound (Jun 13, 2018)

Please direct me to the "How to not be an ant" lessons. I have figured out that we are not supposed chase a surge. We let the ants have the crumbs. If the crumbs are getting bigger then I can see the temptation especially for those who haven't figured out how to work the system or join the feeding frenzy out of ignorance, instinct, or desperation. And if the ants cannot be held back and are growing in numbers then we will all be turned into ants. I don't claim to know. I'm speculating.


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## heynow321 (Sep 3, 2015)

Mole said:


> View attachment 237052
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> I'm willing to bet if this new surge gets in my area I will never see this type of payout ever again.


 You are correct. You won't


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## Mista T (Aug 16, 2017)

404NofFound said:


> Please direct me to the "How to not be an ant" lessons.


You do what makes smart business sense for YOU, not for U/L.

What that means varies from driver to driver and market to market. Advice that may prove beneficial in SF may be idiotic in Kansas City.

Example: My market is big in Lyft, the pax tip more often and are friendlier. In (anywhere east of Denver) the opposite seems to true.


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## Trump Economics (Jul 29, 2015)

nickd8775 said:


> The new surge format incentivizes the ants because they will actually earn more. Right now, it helps us to be proactive and know when to anticipate a surge and figure out if it's worth chasing. It also incentivizes going offline to trigger surges. The new surge system pays a surge to anyone who chases it. The ants who do no research will earn more because they'll get in on every surge. They just have to drive through the surge zone and it's applied to their next trip.
> Contrast that with upfront pricing. That actually is a fare increase for smart drivers who know their market well


Where are you located? How long have you been driving?


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## kdyrpr (Apr 23, 2016)

Mole said:


> View attachment 237052
> 
> 
> I'm willing to bet if this new surge gets in my area I will never see this type of payout ever again.


All I see is 2015 base fare of $1.65. That's the real travesty of the whole rideshare industry. The sytematic reduction of the base fare.


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