# Newbie Question on Declined Requests



## Yellowdog (Jul 31, 2017)

So, probably a newbie question, but I have a question on declining Lyft (and probably Uber) ride requests.

I've about given up on Lyft, but this week they sent out a guaranteed hourly rate promo which I opted in. I decided to turn off Uber and use Lyft exclusively for my Friday and Saturday night.

Let me preface this by stating I'm in a rural/small city area and not driving in a larger city. So, it's not uncommon to have to drive 10 minutes or more for a pickup.

The promo states I need to keep a 90% acceptance rate. I was doing great, getting a lot of rides since there was a big wedding going on in the area. The last pax I took me out about 30 minutes out. I drove back with no requests... and then I got pinged for a request back past where I just was - so it would be about 30 minutes to get there. I skipped this one because I knew where I was, I could get a few more rides in from the wedding.

Then it pings me again, I skip it, and then it pings me AGAIN. At this point, I go offline. I check to see the area the request is coming from using the passenger app and there are about 8 cars within 5-10 minutes of the request. There is no way I'm the closest driver (again, at least 30 minutes away).

I check my acceptance rate, and of course, it took a massive hit and I'm down to 78% just like that.

So, what’s the deal with this? I've NEVER declined a pax request with Lyft before. Is this normal that they just keep sending the same ride request multiple times to the same driver? I thought it was supposed to roll over to the next available driver?

Call me a conspiracy theorist, but is this Lyft's way of not having to pay me my guaranteed rate by trashing the acceptance rate?

This is coming off of a previous week where I accepted a ride that was 30 minutes away (with Lyft) - contacted the pax and stated that to make sure they were OK with waiting. They said no problem. I drive out and I'm within 2 miles they cancel the ride. Pissed, I turn back around expecting my cancellation fee but guess what. Lyft declined it stating the passenger said I didn't make it within the estimated time which was BS.


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## chitown73 (Jul 18, 2017)

To be honest I've only done a few rides with Lyft but it definitely wouldn't surprise me if this was Lyfts way of trying to make sure you don't get the incentive. As many have said before, both Uber and Lyft pull the same b*s. All the incentives, PDB and quests are just their way of manipulating drivers with they're bs.


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## Uberana (Feb 2, 2016)

I think the request that that you declined may have gone to the next available driver but maybe he/she declined also so it got bounced back to you. Whenever I decline a request, I immediately go offline and stay offline for a bit.

Lyft/Uber needs to suppress requests that require the driver to travel long distances for a pick up. Especially since we do not know where the rider is going. It really leaves a bad taste in my mouth whenever I drive 10 to 15 minutes to the pick up, wait a few mins the rider and then only drive the lazy-ass less than a mile.

I wonder, at what point the does the rider app show "no drivers available"?


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## Cableguynoe (Feb 14, 2017)

I don't usually go after quests since I'm a part time driver. 
One week I thought it was reachable. So I accepted pool rides. 
I got 8, yes I said 8, straight pool rides with only one rider. That's never happened to me before and it was the only time I wanted those other riders.


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## Kevin4163 (May 22, 2016)

Can't you accept the request and then just sit there (or keep heading where you wanted to go) and wait for the rider to cancel?

I'm not a quest chaser, bit if I was that's probably what I would do to avoid taking the hit to my acceptance rate. Especially if the pax keeps submitting the ride request when there isn't a driver nearby.


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## JimKE (Oct 28, 2016)

I don't know whether Lyft is messing you up intentionally, nor does anyone else here...although it's a popular theory.

However, you really have to read the fine print with guaranteed _anything_ from either Lyft or Uber. I have never earned one penny of Primetime, PDB, hourly guarantees, or any other incentive with Lyft. I find that their promotions in my market are either impossible to complete, or not worth doing. For example, we often have a whopping 10% boost but you have to drive all the way across town and it's only for 1-2 hours. I'm not driving 20 miles for the privilege of earning 10% more on 1-2 rides!

Guarantees are usually structured one of two ways. In either case, *if the guarantee works as planned, the company pays nothing.*

With Lyft, I think they are usually structured so that you *will not achieve* the target. They want your Uber app OFF. At least that has been my experience here in Miami. You also have to be aware that Lyft counts your tips toward the guarantee amount -- so tips on the app actually hurt you and help Lyft. If you're working a Lyft guarantee, be sure to suggest cash tips to avoid that trap.

With Uber, hourly guarantees in my market are usually structured so that you will *exceed* the target. For example, New Years Eve weekend, I exceeded the guarantee 11 out of 13 hours I worked the guarantee zones, and I fell short only a few dollars on the two hours where I collected. I think I made a total of something like $18 in guarantee money. At least in our market, Uber has not used hourly guarantees since New Years, I believe. They've been using Boost instead...which I like better anyway.

My attitude about guarantees is that I view them as _company expectations_ of areas where they expect heavy demand -- nothing more, nothing less.


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## Yellowdog (Jul 31, 2017)

Kevin4163 said:


> Can't you accept the request and then just sit there (or keep heading where you wanted to go) and wait for the rider to cancel?


I sure will at this point going forward.


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## Coachman (Sep 22, 2015)

Cableguynoe said:


> I don't usually go after quests since I'm a part time driver.


I don't usually do them because they're pointless. "Do 45 rides in the next 72 hours!" What? The only way to do this is to a) work a lot more hours or b) cram a lot of short rides into my schedule. Neither is a really good option.


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## Yellowdog (Jul 31, 2017)

Thank you all for your responses. The excitement of being a new driver is rubbing off and I'm seeing how both these companies operate and treat their drivers.


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## JimKE (Oct 28, 2016)

Yellowdog said:


> Thank you all for your responses. The excitement of being a new driver is rubbing off and I'm seeing how both these companies operate and treat their drivers.


I have never had an issue regarding pay with either company, and don't expect to.

I actually see a *LOT more transparency* and ethical treatment *from* *Uber* than Lyft. When Uber offers something, it's understandable and if you meet the requirements, you get what was promised. And Uber requirements are usually doable. If you don't meet the requirements (I missed one hourly guarantee literally by 3 SECONDS of online time), you don't get paid. But they do what they say they will do.

I agree with Coachman on Lyft -- do 45 rides in the next 72 hours. Really? I have just over 200 Lyft rides in NINE MONTHS!

And anything out of the ordinary with Lyft is an adventure -- even simple things like getting Plus fares where pax scam a regular ride for 6 people.


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## Johnydoo (Jul 25, 2017)

Yellowdog said:


> I sure will at this point going forward.


Pax caught up to this game. They can take screenshots of your progress driving in the opposite direction, and use it against you. Same if your car is not moving.

Best if you use airplane mode, neither uber/lyft or pax can prove chit, have not been canceling trips since May, airplane mode works every time.


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## mrpjfresh (Aug 16, 2016)

When you look at things as a whole, you will see that these are all games and gimmicks. The rating system, incentives and guarantees, surge - they are all _designed_ to manipulate and more often than not pit driver against rider. It is a shame but that's the way things currently are. You either learn to play the game and make things work for you or get played. Or the third option, of course, is to stop playing entirely.

I'm sorry you got burned and did not mean to sound callous. The sooner you see things for what they are, the sooner you can make a truly informed decision. All the best!


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## Dchap08 (Jul 29, 2017)

Skip the guaranteed hourly rates. It's garbage. You have to be online for 50 minutes per hour. You can get more rides from uber in the same period and make more money.
As for those ridiculously long pick ups, it's kind of a losing simituation. My theory is that lyft puts those out there so you will decline them and take the acceptance rate hit, or go offline after that request and miss out on being online for 50 minutes. 

Welcome to Lyfts shady practices..


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## ShinyAndChrome (Aug 18, 2017)

I had a 27 min lyft request. I ignored it (get real!), I got pinged at least two more times by the same guy immediately and it trashed my acceptance rating.

I prefer lyft because it pays better but there are few enough drivers around here I get lots of long requests I have to ignore. Until oft tells me the payout from the trip I won't accept these.


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## Kevin4163 (May 22, 2016)

Johnydoo said:


> Pax caught up to this game. They can take screenshots of your progress driving in the opposite direction, and use it against you. Same if your car is not moving.
> 
> Best if you use airplane mode, neither uber/lyft or pax can prove chit, have not been canceling trips since May, airplane mode works every time.


So if you accept the ride and go into airplane mode for a few minutes, the algo will cancel the ride because you've disappeared? Or, does the rider have to manually cancel because it looks like you're not moving? Has the algo ever thought that you were still en route to the pickup location when you came out of airplane mode?


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## Fuzzyelvis (Dec 7, 2014)

Accept and keep driving...make pax cancel...what did you expect?

(Call and tell them you have to get gas first and looking for a station fir which you have a credit card...but if they'd like to cancel and get another driver you'll understand. Most will cancel).


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## KK2929 (Feb 9, 2017)

Fuzzyelvis said:


> Accept and keep driving...make pax cancel...what did you expect?
> 
> (Call and tell them you have to get gas first and looking for a station fir which you have a credit card...but if they'd like to cancel and get another driver you'll understand. Most will cancel).


Not necessary to call and tell them anything or to lie to them. Just accept and dont go. They will cancel. Your acceptance rate stays where it should be - 100%


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## Another Uber Driver (May 27, 2015)

I live in the Capital of Your Nation, so this never has happened to me on UberX; even in the exurbs. It has happened on Uber Taxi. My solution is:
\/ \/ \/ \/ \/ \/ \/ \/ \/ \/ \/ \ / \/ \/ \/ \/ \/ \/


Uberana said:


> Whenever I decline a request, I immediately go offline and stay offline for a bit.


^^^^^^^^THIS^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

I do not often decline an Uber Taxi request, but on the odd one that I have, this is what I do. I decline far more UberX.

As a rule, in this market, it is not necessary to go OFF LINE if you decline an UberX request, as , usually, there are a hundred other ants around, one of which will eventually accept it.

If I think of it, I will do similar on Lyft, but half the time, I forget. I had something curious happen on Lyft, one time. I declined the Lyft Line, as I always do (I also decline Uber Pools), Less than a minute later, a regular Lyft request comes in. It is the same address and the same guy. Even though it wad in the City, mine was the only Lyft car on line in that area. The guy calls me and starts to berate me for not accepting his Lyft Line request. Rather than tell Mr. Cheapskate just what I thought of him, I simply hung up, cancelled the request and went off-line. Let him summon Uber or hail a cab (the latter is fairly easy to do at Tenleytown METRO, where he was). Because of that, I try to go off line when I decline a Lyft request, but I do not always remember to do so.


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## Johnydoo (Jul 25, 2017)

Kevin4163 said:


> So if you accept the ride and go into airplane mode for a few minutes, the algo will cancel the ride because you've disappeared? Or, does the rider have to manually cancel because it looks like you're not moving? Has the algo ever thought that you were still en route to the pickup location when you came out of airplane mode?


Entiteled pax are very impatient, you are forcing them to cancel since they can not call you. I do that for every short trip I get. The algo will notify you that you've lost contact with the platform bla bla bla.

You will have to log back in, but IF pax does not cancel,( happened once) the trip will still be there, that's when I switch to uber until they cancel.

Watch your cancelation rate, they WILL deactivate your account if you cancel too many trips.


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