# XL opt - in for Uber SUV drivers in Boston



## Rollo Tomassi (Aug 29, 2014)

Just got an email from Uber regarding a new proposal that gives Uber SUV drivers the option to sign up for XL rides. This program goes into effect today. I would strongly urge my fellow SUV drivers to resist the temptation to opt in. Any short-term increase in revenue will eventually be offset when riders realize they can get Uber’s best vehicles and drivers without paying Black/SUV rates. What incentive would any savvy rider have for requesting SUV or Black service in the future?


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## dominant7th (Jun 24, 2014)

Also, remember the 28% vig and make sure you don't pick up more than you have seatbelts for. It kept me busy, but after opting out, I'm making the same take home $$$ but spending less in fuel. It's the new drunk bus for really cheap college kids who will thrash your ride.


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## chi1cabby (May 28, 2014)

Good thinking!
Chicago UberBLACK drivers quickly realized this after signing up to do UberX during idle time. 
They also realized by accepting UberX rides they were missing out on UberBLACK rides.


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## Rollo Tomassi (Aug 29, 2014)

dominant7th said:


> ... It's the new drunk bus for really cheap college kids who will thrash your ride.


Really good point. We get enough of that already here in College Town, USA.


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## rtaatl (Jul 3, 2014)

Just like that UberX Livery crap they started here in Atlanta to get Black drivers to do X rides at crap fares. I hope XL doesn't come here. Just another way to send all drivers into welfare.


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## TrafficSlayer (Aug 16, 2014)

rtaatl said:


> Just like that UberX Livery crap they started here in Atlanta to get Black drivers to do X rides at crap fares. I hope XL doesn't come here. Just another way to send all drivers into welfare.


Speaking from an XL market. I love having uber XL. It means i can tell large groups to request an XL instead of try to break up the group and take a shit rating!


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## AMBUDRIVER03 (Jul 1, 2014)

I have 2 accounts an UberBLACK account with my Suburban on it and an UberX Account with my Passat as primary and the Suburban secondary. Since my corporation is me they'll let me put the Corp vehicle on a consumer account also.

I run 2 phones with black on all day. I turn the UberX account on for about a minute or two just to look at the heat maps...

Occasionally the UberX demand spills over into Black car demand, especially during high multiplier surge... _*(once you get to 3x surge on UberX, - or 2.5x on XL - it's actually cheaper to take a black car or SUV at base multiplier (no surge)*) _

I will only accept UberXL requests when the rate/time * surge multiplier > current rate on SUV.

So for LA/OC where XL is 1.85/mi + 3 base + $0.35/min ($7 minimum)
And SUV in OC is 4.30/mi + 15 base + $0.50/min ($25 minimum)​At 2.25x surge (or more) , it is profitable to take an XL fare over an SUV fare.
@ 2.25x surge UberXL is 4.16/mi + 6.75 base + $0.78/minute ($15.75 minimum)​Technically whole you're losing out on the higher base rate and slight lower per mile, your money maker is TIME. 50% better than your SUV rate.

You'd only really get hosed on a short minimum fare, in which case you still made about the same as if you'd received a minimum fare on UberBLACK, but you have the added bonus of being immediately available (probably while it's still surging).

The other night I booked an XL fare at 2.5x after only coming online once surge got above 3.

Ended up being a 45m 17mi ride for about $160


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## AMBUDRIVER03 (Jul 1, 2014)

I'm also kind of a dick... I'll sit in an area with no XL cars but tons of X and Blacks/SUVs and see if I get an XL ping, since I'm the only one around... Then I'll cancel the trip or not accept it and know definitively there is at least one potential SUV fare out there waiting... 

And even then I'll only fulfill it on XL once the price gets to 3x.


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## vish (Sep 2, 2014)

For the past two months, BLACK and SUV partners have had the option to accept uberX and uberXL trip requests by going online in their '+' vehicle. More than 1,000 partners have been using this option regularly and it has been a success: drivers who opt-in to receive uberX/XL trip requests make on average 35-50% more per hour after commission than those who do not, equivalent to $1,600 more per month or up to $20,000 per year in net revenue.
While there are additional costs associated with these extra trips, the results are clear: drivers who receive more trip requests make more money, even after accounting for any additional expenses.
Based on these results, starting now, all BLACK and SUV partners will automatically receive uberX / uberXL requests.

If you extrapolate the results we saw over the summer, partners earned the equivalent of an additional $20,000 annually!
Why?

This summer, partners who accepted X and XL trips were earning 35-50% more per hour after all deductions. In fact, these drivers are the highest per-hour earners on the Uber system.

uberX is now our fastest growing product, and we want all our partners to benefit from that growth.

Will I still get BLACK and SUV requests?

Yes - the majority of your trips will still be BLACK and SUV. As always, the driver closest to the request will get the trip.

What about my '+' Vehicle?

You no longer need to log in with your '+' vehicle to receive uberX / uberXL requests. For the time being, you will still see both vehicles listed.

I might make more money, but I'll spend more on gas if I take uberX trips.

Doing more trips will increase gas and other costs slightly for some partners, but our test this summer showed that higher earnings more than offset this cost.

What is the commission rate on uberX/XL?

Commission on uberX fares is only 20%, which is lower than the 25% on BLACK and 28% on SUV, so you're keeping more from each uberX trip! uberXL commission is the same as SUV.

QUESTIONS?

As always, Uber's goal is to ensure strong driver earnings and offer the best value to riders.

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to us directly at 
Thanks,
Uber NYC
Copyright © 2014 Uber Technologies, All rights reserved.
You are receiving this email because you are an Uber partner.

Our mailing address is:
Uber Technologies
301 Vermont St
San Francisco, CA 94103

Add us to your address book


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## vish (Sep 2, 2014)

so thats the email uber sent me last night. so if I dont accept the pings for uberx, my acceptance rate is going to decrease. what is this nonsense?


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## BOSsMAn (Aug 15, 2014)

XL customers must be a pain to deal with


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## Rollo Tomassi (Aug 29, 2014)

Wow! So, you're saying that Black and SUV drivers in NYC are now REQUIRED to participate in the X and XL segments? That is unbelievable! I have a LOT to say on this subject, particularly in regard to the email you posted, but I don't have time right now. For the moment I'll just say that, after they've all read that email, NYC "+" vehicle drivers will be farting smoke for weeks.


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