# Uber's Clever, Hidden Move: How Its Latest Fare Cuts Can Actually Lock In Its Drivers



## chi1cabby (May 28, 2014)

*Uber's Clever, Hidden Move: How Its Latest Fare Cuts Can Actually Lock In Its Drivers*
*
Ellen Huet
http://www.forbes.com/sites/ellenhu...e-how-fare-cuts-actually-lock-in-its-drivers/*


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## chi1cabby (May 28, 2014)

*The hidden cost of being an Uber driver and why fare cuts really do hit their bottom line*







BY MICHAEL CARNEY


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## grams777 (Jun 13, 2014)

chi1cabby said:


> *The hidden cost of being an Uber driver and why fare cuts really do hit their bottom line*
> 
> 
> 
> ...


_[Uber Chicago regional manager Andrew] Macdonald says Uber won't be guaranteeing driver earnings forever. "In some cities, you may see driver productivity jump so quickly that in four weeks they're already doing 30 percent more trips per hour." Macdonald says that at that point Uber would likely eliminate the guarantee because drivers were making plenty of money without it.
_​
So if you start consistently seeing one extra ride about every two hours (e.g. go from 3 to 4 trips per two hours = 33% increase), look for the guarantee to be eliminated.


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## chi1cabby (May 28, 2014)

*Can Uber offer low fares and still pay drivers enough?*
Tim Fernholz 
http://qz.com/323997/can-uber-offer-low-fares-and-still-pay-drivers-enough/


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## Markisonit (Dec 3, 2014)

*Uber and Lyft Expansions: Locations and Services*

http://www.investopedia.com/article...nd-lyft-expansions-locations-and-services.asp


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## Bill Feit (Aug 1, 2014)

I worked 7 hours today, had 5 rides and one rider cancel...did not make the 1/hr average to make the driver bonus. Here in North County San Diego that is going to be a frequent event...I even drove south to get 3 of the 5 rides and had to drive home 38 miles empty...I should have went off line an hour earlier rather than staying on line driving home and getting no pings.. I think my Uber days are over as I can't take another 20% cut and make it.


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## Luberon (Nov 24, 2014)

"If that’s the goal, Uber picked the right cities to do battle in: 39 of the 48 cities also have Lyft. And considering that Lyft is only in 60 cities, all in the U.S., this could be a direct attempt to suck away its driver base."
Anyone that does not see through Uber guarantees is exactly the kind of math challenged driver they want. Total hogwash is what they are like everything else that comes from Travis. Fool me once shame on you...


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## observer (Dec 11, 2014)

All drivers with twitter accounts should follow these jounalists and retweet their stories.


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## Worcester Sauce (Aug 20, 2014)

chi1cabby said:


> *Uber's Clever, Hidden Move: How Its Latest Fare Cuts Can Actually Lock In Its Drivers*
> **
> *Ellen Huet*
> *http://www.forbes.com/sites/ellenhu...e-how-fare-cuts-actually-lock-in-its-drivers/*


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## cybertec69 (Jul 23, 2014)

chi1cabby said:


> *Uber's Clever, Hidden Move: How Its Latest Fare Cuts Can Actually Lock In Its Drivers*
> **
> *Ellen Huet*
> *http://www.forbes.com/sites/ellenhu...e-how-fare-cuts-actually-lock-in-its-drivers/*


I posted this "the same situation what this reporter is writing about" a long time ago when Uber started the fair cuts and guarantees in NYC when Lyft came to town last June, this is old news.


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## Spanky (Jun 28, 2014)

They didn't do it in Los Angeles and SF because they are oversaturated with drivers and would have to pay out too much in these cities from their end in guarantees.


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## Worcester Sauce (Aug 20, 2014)

chi1cabby said:


> *Uber's Clever, Hidden Move: How Its Latest Fare Cuts Can Actually Lock In Its Drivers*
> **
> *Ellen Huet*
> *http://www.forbes.com/sites/ellenhuet/2015/01/09/ubers-clever-hidden-move-how-fare-cuts-actually-lock-in-its-drivers/*[/QUOTE]
> ...


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## Worcester Sauce (Aug 20, 2014)

chi1cabby said:


> *Uber's Clever, Hidden Move: How Its Latest Fare Cuts Can Actually Lock In Its Drivers*
> **
> *Ellen Huet*
> *http://www.forbes.com/sites/ellenhu...e-how-fare-cuts-actually-lock-in-its-drivers/*


What I can't figure out is what Uber is REALLY up to. Uber may be the anti-Christ to us drivers....but Uber is NOT stupid.
When Uber drops rates it is also dropping it's incremental profit by 20% right off the top. I could see Uber's logic with past rate cuts (increase ride volume and drive a spike in the heart of the competition. But Lyft is barely breathing and increased ride volume (this time) may not be enough to offset Uber's loss of commission revenue (this time). So, rhetorically speaking.....what is Uber up to???


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## cybertec69 (Jul 23, 2014)

Uber is using US the drivers to kill off the enemy, they did the same thing when Lyft came to NYC last June, sending us all the famous email that they would be cutting the rates due to the summer season slow down, which we all knew was BS, the reason was that Lyft was finally able to operate in NYC, and then we got those incentives, but they would only kick in if you accepted 90% of the fares and you kept the app on 50 out of 60 minutes per hour, which pretty much made the Lyft app useless "and Uber knew that". I brought this up when they initially started doing this in one of my older posts.

I posted this September 25th of 2014

Ever since Lyft came to town, they know that many Uber drivers like myself have joined to drive with Lyft, here is a way they have been trying to kill Lyft, by sending all the UberX drivers these hourly incentive deals, especially on the weekends to keep the radio on from 4PM to 2AM on Fridays and Saturdays and Sunday from 4 PM to 9 PM, so for the driver to keep the Uber radio constantly on and the Lyft radio off. There is days where I keep both on and whichever one dispatches me "beeps first" I turn the other one off until I drop off the customer and then turn both back on, what Uber is trying to do is to make sure you keep the Lyft radio off. The other sneaky thing is the $40 and hour gross is before they take their comission, they calculate their comission in the $40 Gross, another snake in the grass move.

What do you guys think of this.

























MAKE $40/HOUR THIS WEEK, GUARANTEED!

THIS WEEK IS GOING TO BE VERY BUSY!
WORK ANY OF THE HOURS BELOW AND WE'LL GUARANTEE YOU $40/HOUR!

GUARANTEE HOURS

Monday September 15th: 7AM-10AM & 5PM-8PM
Tuesday September 16th: 7AM-10AM & 5PM-8PM
Wednesday September 17th: 7AM-10AM & 5PM-8PM
Thursday September 18th: 7AM-10AM & 5PM-8PM
Friday September 19th : 7AM-10AM & 5PM-8PM

GUARANTEE CRITERIA

COMPLETE AT LEAST 1 TRIP PER HOUR
You must be online for the full hour(s)
Accept at least 90% of trip requests
Position yourself in busiest areas of the city (see coverage area) to be eligible for the guarantee
For each hour you're online, we'll guarantee you earn at least $40/hr in gross fares. If you earn less than that in gross fares, we'll make up the difference!









cybertec69, Sep 25, 2014EditDeleteReport
#51+ QuoteReply


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## Markisonit (Dec 3, 2014)

As a driver you are simply a tool.


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## Luberon (Nov 24, 2014)

Worcester Sauce said:


> What I can't figure out is what Uber is REALLY up to. Uber may be the anti-Christ to us drivers....but Uber is NOT stupid.
> When Uber drops rates it is also dropping it's incremental profit by 20% right off the top. I could see Uber's logic with past rate cuts (increase ride volume and drive a spike in the heart of the competition. But Lyft is barely breathing and increased ride volume (this time) may not be enough to offset Uber's loss of commission revenue (this time). So, rhetorically speaking.....what is Uber up to???


Safe rides fee is the key


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## Worcester Sauce (Aug 20, 2014)

Luberon said:


> Safe rides fee is the key


Perhaps you are right. $1 for every ride can't all go to insurance costs. Some of that $1 must go to Uber's bottom line


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## observer (Dec 11, 2014)

Worcester Sauce said:


> Perhaps you are right. $1 for every ride can't all go to insurance costs. Some of that $1 must go to Uber's bottom line


Drivers on this forum may know that but other drivers and the general public may not know. Like I said earlier, it would be a good idea if we showed journalists some support by retweeting their stories. They will be more open to writing further stories later.


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## Luberon (Nov 24, 2014)

Worcester Sauce said:


> Perhaps you are right. $1 for every ride can't all go to insurance costs. Some of that $1 must go to Uber's bottom line


More rides, especially the shorter ones mean increase in Safe Rides fee which could potentially offset any dip in revenue. Besides "safe rides" is just a compelling name to market a tack on fee like banks have been doing for decades. In one blow Ubeer gains market share, forces Lyft out of the market while revenue remains flat or even ticks slightly up all at the expense of drivers.
It is brutal aggressive short term play.. all you drivers be damned!


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## elelegido (Sep 24, 2014)

chi1cabby said:


> *The hidden cost of being an Uber driver and why fare cuts really do hit their bottom line*
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thanks for posting this, chi1cabby.

Finally, a journalist who runs his own numbers and does his own fact checking in the course of writing his article, as opposed to those who simply regurgitate the spin released to the press by Uber while adding in a few untruths of their own i.e. gigaom, Fox "News", TechCrunch etc


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## Gemgirlla (Oct 16, 2014)

chi1cabby said:


> *Uber's Clever, Hidden Move: How Its Latest Fare Cuts Can Actually Lock In Its Drivers*
> **
> *Ellen Huet*
> *http://www.forbes.com/sites/ellenhu...e-how-fare-cuts-actually-lock-in-its-drivers/*


It seems she said uber cut its commission from 20% to 5% when they previously cut rates. Did I read this wrong? Didn't they do the opposite?


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## Gemgirlla (Oct 16, 2014)

Luberon said:


> More rides, especially the shorter ones mean increase in Safe Rides fee which could potentially offset any dip in revenue. Besides "safe rides" is just a compelling name to market a tack on fee like banks have been doing for decades. In one blow Ubeer gains market share, forces Lyft out of the market while revenue remains flat or even ticks slightly up all at the expense of drivers.
> It is brutal aggressive short term play.. all you drivers be damned!


Lyft certainly could do the same and force drivers to make a choice re which platform to drive.


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## elelegido (Sep 24, 2014)

Gemgirlla said:


> It seems she said uber cut its commission from 20% to 5% when they previously cut rates. Did I read this wrong? Didn't they do the opposite?


They did reduce their commission temporarily to avoid driver kick-back during one of their fare/wage cuts.


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## Gemgirlla (Oct 16, 2014)

elelegido said:


> They did reduce their commission temporarily to avoid driver kick-back during one of their fare/wage cuts.


She should emphasize that it was temporary and back to 20%. This is a bit misleading.


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## elelegido (Sep 24, 2014)

Gemgirlla said:


> She should emphasize that it was temporary and back to 20%. This is a bit misleading.


She says at the end that the Ubercut is now 20% or 25% at the end of the article; it'd be better if she had said the fee went down to 5% and then back up to 20 or 25 soon afterwards.

But overall this gal is one of the very few journalists to filter out the Uberhype and present a truer picture.


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## Gemgirlla (Oct 16, 2014)

elelegido said:


> She says at the end that the Ubercut is now 20% or 25% at the end of the article; it'd be better if she had said the fee went down to 5% and then back up to 20 or 25 soon afterwards.
> 
> But overall this gal is one of the very few journalists to filter out the Uberhype and present a truer picture.


I will have to read the entire article on my computer instead of iPhone. I'm glad someone gets it. I've read so many articles/blogs by journalists that are inaccurate.


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## frndthDuvel (Aug 31, 2014)

Spanky said:


> They didn't do it in Los Angeles and SF because they are oversaturated with drivers and would have to pay out too much in these cities from their end in guarantees.


Those cities did not get in on the recent cuts either though did they?


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## cybertec69 (Jul 23, 2014)

frndthDuvel said:


> Those cities did not get in on the recent cuts either though did they?


If they cut them any more, the drivers would be paying Uber and the Pax to operate.


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## frndthDuvel (Aug 31, 2014)

cybertec69 said:


> GUARANTEE CRITERIA
> 
> COMPLETE AT LEAST 1 TRIP PER HOUR
> You must be online for the full hour(s)
> ...


This guarantee is a bit different than the one that went out yesterday, at least here in SD. I wrote and asked for clarification, it is average 1 per hour here. This one says "complete 1 per hour." There was also no mention about being in a certain area (busy) to get the guarantee. I did 2 hours this afternoon between 3-5. In the area that usually generates the most rides. Downtown,South Park,North Park,Normal heights etc. A whopping 2 pings. Thankfully the last one came in at 4:06. I made sure to turn my app off, about 5:02 when I got home to make sure I did not get another hour added to my time that might mess up the guarantee from those 2 whopping hours. Perhaps those 2 minutes did? I'll turn the app on about an hour before I plan on heading out and either will get a ride, or hope to get enough rides to cover that hour. But the threat I might miss the guarantee by being on too many hours, kind of goes opposite of providing UBER service in some of the areas less served.


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## Bill Feit (Aug 1, 2014)

Spanky said:


> They didn't do it in Los Angeles and SF because they are oversaturated with drivers and would have to pay out too much in these cities from their end in guarantees.


Remember last Summer reduction in LA? If I remember they went down to .90 base rate and $1 mile back then. SD just going down now. No room to reduce further in LA...we all hope!


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## Markisonit (Dec 3, 2014)

cybertec69 said:


> What do you guys think of this.
> 
> GUARANTEE CRITERIA
> 
> ...


I think it's a great idea. I also would like to have a bonus for staying online and at it for 10 hours with only a 10 minute break. Mother nature does call.


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## UberFrolic (Sep 18, 2014)

The most cleverest move of all is advertising 1500/week, 5000 a month and people jumped at that shit and bought a new car through uber lease or finance and trusted uber thinking rates would stay the same after awhile.

I am sure uber were keeping tally of the "full time" drivers working 50+ hours and they figured... "Ok we have enough full time drivers that are financially dependent on us, CUT THE RATES NOW! they are now locked as slaves MU HAHA!"


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## lu181 (Nov 3, 2014)

Luberon said:


> "If that's the goal, Uber picked the right cities to do battle in: 39 of the 48 cities also have Lyft. And considering that Lyft is only in 60 cities, all in the U.S., this could be a direct attempt to suck away its driver base."
> Anyone that does not see through Uber guarantees is exactly the kind of math challenged driver they want. Total hogwash is what they are like everything else that comes from Travis. Fool me once shame on you...


I would say the drivers in those 39 cities should only work for Lyft once the customers see large wait times and surge pricing on uber they will go to lyft it will take some time but eventually the passengers would adopt lyft as primary app if i were part of lyft marketing i would be doing something to fetch those unhappy drivers


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## cybertec69 (Jul 23, 2014)

Markisonit said:


> I think it's a great idea. I also would like to have a bonus for staying online and at it for 10 hours with only a 10 minute break. Mother nature does call.


Uber robots do not urinate or do a number 2. When I first started I used to almost piss in my pants on many nights, and that is the truth, once I had a pax, got a dispatch from midtown around 4:30 PM to go to JFK "worst time of the day",rush hour, a JFK trip usually take 30 minutes but at this time it can take 1.5- 2 hours, I had to go before I picked her up, well three quarters there it became obvious to me that my bladder could not hold it anymore, at one point even unbuckling my seat belt and holding it with my hand because the belt was putting extra pressure on my bladder, and yes I did leak "LOL", had no choice or an accident was about to happen. For the next too days I was having serious issues when going for a leak "burning in the urinal tract", did some temporary damage, thank God it was not more serious, never again. Oh and she was of course cutting it close for her flight, I got her there in time, and it took us 1.5 hours which felt like eternity, and in time for me to drive to the cell phone lot "where all FHV drivers are allowed to wait for dispatched by the airport", jumped out of the car and just pissed right next to it, and I never urinate in public.


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## Worcester Sauce (Aug 20, 2014)

chi1cabby said:


> *Uber's Clever, Hidden Move: How Its Latest Fare Cuts Can Actually Lock In Its Drivers*
> **
> *Ellen Huet*
> *http://www.forbes.com/sites/ellenhu...e-how-fare-cuts-actually-lock-in-its-drivers/*


Good info (again) Chi1. I am interested to know what you feel the "end game" strategy is here. I can not figure out where Uber is going with this latest move.


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## ReviTULize (Sep 29, 2014)

Lyft should have been the one to drop rates and become the "value" rideshare company. Uber should have remained the classier option.

They have really cheapened their brand


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## elelegido (Sep 24, 2014)

ReviTULize said:


> Lyft should have been the one to drop rates and become the "value" rideshare company. Uber should have remained the classier option.
> 
> They have really cheapened their brand


Now if any f**ker asks for a free bottle of water I won't be responsible for my actions.


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## cybertec69 (Jul 23, 2014)

elelegido said:


> Now if any f**ker asks for a free bottle of water I won't be responsible for my actions.


So you will still be driving, Uber knows this, that's why no matter what cuts they throw upon us, they know that the drivers will complain and then slowly crawl in their cars and go make Uber more millions, I said Uber not the Uber drivers.


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## elelegido (Sep 24, 2014)

cybertec69 said:


> So you will still be driving, Uber knows this, that's why no matter what cuts they throw upon us, they know that the drivers will complain and then slowly crawl in their cars and go make Uber more millions, I said Uber not the Uber drivers.


I'm not in a city affected by this round of cuts. I got out of San Diego months ago; I could see what was coming and could see it already in my wages back in September. Cuts will be coming to where I am now; I'm just saving as much as possible to be out of this game in a few months' time. I've got my exit planned.


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## chi1cabby (May 28, 2014)

Worcester Sauce said:


> Good info (again) Chi1. I am interested to know what you feel the "end game" strategy is here. I can not figure out where Uber is going with this latest move.


From the thread:
https://uberpeople.net/threads/uber-vs-lyft-whats-really-going-on.2948/

*This is an amalgamation of two posts I'd made in another thread:
https://uberpeople.net/threads/forced-to-accept-uberx-on-blackcar.2876/page-3*

*Guys guys guys!
Please put on your UberThinking caps!
This has to do with Lyft Lyft Lyft!
At this particular moment All UBER POLICIES raison d'etre is LYFT!

In NYC Lyft just entered over a month ago. Their biggest problem from the get go was having enough drivers available on the platform. Lyft was offering upto $10,000 in bonuses for new drivers!*

http://skift.com/2014/08/01/lyft-needs-new-york-city-drivers-so-badly-it-is-giving-them-10000-each/

*So now by mandating UberBLACK and UberSUV also fill UberX orders, Uber is seeking to improve it's already significant advantage in average time to pickup and also enhance the the quality of vehicle mix that is available to a rider requesting a UberX ride in NYC!

Now what is the ultimate goal of this Uber vs Lyft war? KILL LYFT!!

In March and April when Lyft raised $250M, it was valued at $700M and operated in 30 markets. One of the investors was Chinese internet giant Alibaba. (Alibaba IPO is slated for mid Sept, and will be the BIGGEST IPO EVER IN HISTORY!) Around this time Uber was valued at $3.5B. Now Uber's valuation is $18B and I will guess Lyft's to be $3B conservatively. (Lyft is in 60 markets now.)

http://m.us.wsj.com/articles/BL-DGB-33410

http://m.us.wsj.com/articles/two-tech-upstarts-plot-each-others-demise-1407800744?mobile=y

After the news of Operation Slog broke, Uber made a statement that Lyft investors had pressured Uber to buyout Lyft! But Uber does not think it needs to pony up $3B in cash & stock when it can just KILL LYFT by choking it off Riders & Drivers!

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/0...i_war_apps_accuse_each_other_of_dirty_tricks/

So now we have the Uber rate cuts designed specifically to undercut Lyft, aggressive campaign to recruit Lyft drivers to also drive for Uber, and now adding UberBLACK & UberSUV as available UberX vehicles at UberX prices! Is it starting to make sense to anyone?

The only objective of ALL UBER POLICIES IS: KILL LYFT!*


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## chi1cabby (May 28, 2014)

In other words, Uber wants complete market domination...over taxis, over livery & Lyft.


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## cybertec69 (Jul 23, 2014)

EXACTLY, and they are using the poor Uber drivers to do it, at any cost, just like chess, uber drivers are like the pawns at the front line, at the mercy of the King and Queen.


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## Uberslop (Dec 29, 2014)

i never fell into this guarantee scam. i turn off the app on weekend to enjoy my time with my little girl.


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## elelegido (Sep 24, 2014)

Uberslop said:


> i never fell into this guarantee scam. i turn off the app on weekend to enjoy my time with my little girl.


Good call. Enjoy that time when they're little. It's gone before you know it.


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## oneubersheep (Nov 27, 2014)

Ive never fallen for guarantees. I quit taking rides further than 6 minutes away and will always check with nav how long it really is til pick up. I saw through Ubers shite early on but after it was too late.

I wish there was a way to communicate with all these newer drivers that gladly (sadly) and blindly drink the uber Koolade. Maybe i can put a sticker Uberpeople.Net on my front windshield that says " educate yourself".


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## prdelnik666 (Sep 17, 2014)

Good articlee although no one is going to be "locked in". The guarantees are unatainable not to mention they don't pay them even if driver qualifies. Those who choose to slave for peanuts are still better off working for both or all three.


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## Just_in (Jun 29, 2014)

A Great Article Must Read.

https://hbr.org/2015/01/investors-fawning-over-uber-should-recall-aols-stumbles


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## Sydney Uber (Apr 15, 2014)

Worcester Sauce said:


> What I can't figure out is what Uber is REALLY up to. Uber may be the anti-Christ to us drivers....but Uber is NOT stupid.
> When Uber drops rates it is also dropping it's incremental profit by 20% right off the top. I could see Uber's logic with past rate cuts (increase ride volume and drive a spike in the heart of the competition. But Lyft is barely breathing and increased ride volume (this time) may not be enough to offset Uber's loss of commission revenue (this time). So, rhetorically speaking.....what is Uber up to???


If we assume there is an IPO planned somewhere in UBER's future, then some of the pieces fall together.

About the only truthful corporate utterance that UBER repeats is that they are a technology company and not a transportation company.

Any prospect thinking of buying into UBER and managing it needs to be shown there is plenty of upside left in the Company.

If UBER can still show decent revenues on 75c - $1.20 per mile (rates that send drivers broke but are supported by lemming like drivers being on-boarded), then a transportation company that is very interested in UBER's IP and Software (which is ALL Uber really has), will do its numbers on $1.50-$2.00 per mile in years to come.

A real transportation company will implement REAL driver vetting to get the very best to stay on rather than UBER's race to the bottom.

UBER ignores many markets - potentially larger than where they've decided to fight with Lyft. Upside in the Pre-booking, cash, non-smartphone, corporate nominated chauffeur markets is huge. Untapped by UBER that probably have a "technology" solution ready to go but no transportation savvy to implement.


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## Worcester Sauce (Aug 20, 2014)

Sydney Uber said:


> If we assume there is an IPO planned somewhere in UBER's future, then some of the pieces fall together.
> 
> About the only truthful corporate utterance that UBER repeats is that they are a technology company and not a transportation company.
> 
> ...


well thought out...intriguing prospect.


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## BlkGeep (Dec 7, 2014)

The end game is about the paper financials, something they're doing with their accounting on paying us out is being skewed. On paper the fare is collected, then paid, so there is a ledger somewhere that shows us as expenses, they are showing lower expenses via partner payment while still using the growth and increase in new riders to cover the decreases made by the lower fare. Investors get paid out this time of year, then are asked to reinvest, so some numbers on paper matter. Most companies end their financial year at the end of January or February. It's always about the paper! Someone in an investors meeting will be able to say we are increasing revenue and decreasing expenses. Basically what you have to do for every business, that's why Wal-Mart has no staff, fifty years of lowering expenses by cutting staff. All things go to zero. Hide increases by expanding. Make billions. I think they should call it Capitalism!


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## Berliner (Oct 29, 2014)

Worcester Sauce said:


> Perhaps you are right. $1 for every ride can't all go to insurance costs. Some of that $1 must go to Uber's bottom line


The SRF has nothing to do with the insurance.
They declare it as a fee for background- and motor vehicle checks, drivers education and so on.

https://support.uber.com/hc/en-us/articles/201950566-What-is-the-Safe-Rides-Fee-

Every ping is one dollar for uber. The 20 % are only cream on the top....


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## Worcester Sauce (Aug 20, 2014)

Berliner said:


> The SRF has nothing to do with the insurance.
> They declare it as a fee for background- and motor vehicle checks, drivers education and so on.
> 
> https://support.uber.com/hc/en-us/articles/201950566-What-is-the-Safe-Rides-Fee-
> ...





prdelnik666 said:


> Good articlee although no one is going to be "locked in". The guarantees are unatainable not to mention they don't pay them even if driver qualifies. Those who choose to slave for peanuts are still better off working for both or all three.


correct


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## Lidman (Nov 13, 2014)

"It’s unclear whether Uber will end up paying for a lot of these guarantees." I think it pretty clear that UBEr will find a way to get out of paying most of the guarantees.

I laughed when I heard about the recent rate cuts. They're eventually going to run that business into the ground, and all kings horses (google, goldman sachs etc) and all the kings men won't be able to put UBER back together again!!!


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## Markisonit (Dec 3, 2014)

Gemgirlla said:


> She should emphasize that it was temporary and back to 20%. This is a bit misleading.


They could cut their commission to 5% and still make a fortune


cybertec69 said:


> Uber robots do not urinate or do a number 2. When I first started I used to almost piss in my pants on many nights, and that is the truth, once I had a pax, got a dispatch from midtown around 4:30 PM to go to JFK "worst time of the day",rush hour, a JFK trip usually take 30 minutes but at this time it can take 1.5- 2 hours, I had to go before I picked her up, well three quarters there it became obvious to me that my bladder could not hold it anymore, at one point even unbuckling my seat belt and holding it with my hand because the belt was putting extra pressure on my bladder, and yes I did leak "LOL", had no choice or an accident was about to happen. For the next too days I was having serious issues when going for a leak "burning in the urinal tract", did some temporary damage, thank God it was not more serious, never again. Oh and she was of course cutting it close for her flight, I got her there in time, and it took us 1.5 hours which felt like eternity, and in time for me to drive to the cell phone lot "where all FHV drivers are allowed to wait for dispatched by the airport", jumped out of the car and just pissed right next to it, and I never urinate in public.


I know the sensation as I have just about been ready to stop to pee and boom, here comes a ping. God forbid you miss accepting a ping.


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## chi1cabby (May 28, 2014)

*Uber Touts Chicago as a Case Study on How Lower Fares Can Equal Higher Driver Pay*
Jim Dallke 
http://chicagoinno.streetwise.co/20...gs-guarantee-uses-chicago-price-cut-as-guide/


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## centralFLFuber (Nov 21, 2014)

BlkGeep said:


> The end game is about the paper financials, something they're doing with their accounting on paying us out is being skewed. On paper the fare is collected, then paid, so there is a ledger somewhere that shows us as expenses, they are showing lower expenses via partner payment while still using the growth and increase in new riders to cover the decreases made by the lower fare. Investors get paid out this time of year, then are asked to reinvest, so some numbers on paper matter. Most companies end their financial year at the end of January or February. It's always about the paper! Someone in an investors meeting will be able to say we are increasing revenue and decreasing expenses. Basically what you have to do for every business, that's why Wal-Mart has no staff, fifty years of lowering expenses by cutting staff. All things go to zero. Hide increases by expanding. Make billions. I think they should call it Capitalism!


made me think of www.Zerohedge.com "On a Long Enough Timeline the Survival Rate for Everyone is ZERO" 

and NO its NOT "Capitalisem...its FACISEM" or Corporatisem but Not Capitolisem

visit www.TrueWorldHistory.info for more enlightenment...start with Arron Russo's "From Freedom to Facisem" u know Arron Russo was the guy that made the movie "The Rose"


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## Just_in (Jun 29, 2014)

chi1cabby said:


> *Uber Touts Chicago as a Case Study on How Lower Fares Can Equal Higher Driver Pay*
> Jim Dallke
> http://chicagoinno.streetwise.co/20...gs-guarantee-uses-chicago-price-cut-as-guide/


that's a big red flag right there. Only one year of data. In one major city as if it would apply to all. Their is other motivation. As you stated earlier. Trouble is the Uber app is easily replicated. In the future more will come. They will pay more. Plus that those who develop these new apps will likely be a lot smarter than Uber is. We don't see yet. That's the big unforeseen danger.


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## DriverJ (Sep 1, 2014)

cybertec69 said:


> Uber is using US the drivers to kill off the enemy, they did the same thing when Lyft came to NYC last June, sending us all the famous email that they would be cutting the rates due to the summer season slow down, which we all knew was BS, the reason was that Lyft was finally able to operate in NYC, and then we got those incentives, but they would only kick in if you accepted 90% of the fares and you kept the app on 50 out of 60 minutes per hour, which pretty much made the Lyft app useless "and Uber knew that". I brought this up when they initially started doing this in one of my older posts.
> 
> I posted this September 25th of 2014
> 
> ...


I'd start driving again for $40/hour, but they'd have to pay me in advance, and I wouldn't take an Uber rubber check.


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## cybertec69 (Jul 23, 2014)

DriverJ said:


> I'd start driving again for $40/hour, but they'd have to pay me in advance, and I wouldn't take an Uber rubber check.


It's not actually $40 an hour, nor like $28 gross for you before your expenses, but seeing that $40 an hour number will never happen again.


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## DriverJ (Sep 1, 2014)

cybertec69 said:


> It's not actually $40 an hour, nor like $28 gross for you before your expenses, but seeing that $40 an hour number will never happen again.


Right, that's why I said they'd have to pay me in cash, in advance.


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## Just_in (Jun 29, 2014)

DriverJ said:


> I'd start driving again for $40/hour, but they'd have to pay me in advance, and I wouldn't take an Uber rubber check.


Then you would be a employee by definition.


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## scrurbscrud (Sep 11, 2014)

Worcester Sauce said:


> What I can't figure out is what Uber is REALLY up to. Uber may be the anti-Christ to us drivers....but Uber is NOT stupid.
> When Uber drops rates it is also dropping it's incremental profit by 20% right off the top. I could see Uber's logic with past rate cuts (increase ride volume and drive a spike in the heart of the competition. But Lyft is barely breathing and increased ride volume (this time) may not be enough to offset Uber's loss of commission revenue (this time). So, rhetorically speaking.....what is Uber up to???


All kinds of shenanigans. Their most recent stunt seems to be forcing a lot of Uber Black and SUV drivers into driving for XL rates. Haven't confirmed this with any driver but I follow their tracks. This includes blocking out heavy traffic areas with 'funny cars' on the app so regular drivers can't break in for fares. If you get out of your vehicle and move into the hot zone your car will be rejected out of the area.

God Mode in all it's finest glory.


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## DriverJ (Sep 1, 2014)

Just_in said:


> Then you would be a employee by definition.


We know that couldn't happen. It would just about ruin Uber's evil empire that's built on greed, lies, and exploitation. I'm glad I'll never know what it's like to have no conscious.


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## lavada jackson (Oct 10, 2014)

I 


observer said:


> All drivers with twitter accounts should follow these jounalists and retweet their stories.


agree


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## pengduck (Sep 26, 2014)

chi1cabby said:


> *The hidden cost of being an Uber driver and why fare cuts really do hit their bottom line*
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Notice he didn't take into account the safe rides fee.


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## driveLA (Aug 15, 2014)

I just got the dreaded email in LA. For second I thought we were actually going to make it through this season without a cut 

Smh.


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## BlkGeep (Dec 7, 2014)

Spanky said:


> They didn't do it in Los Angeles and SF because they are oversaturated with drivers and would have to pay out too much in these cities from their end in guarantees.


Bam! Good prediction nostradamus. Lol.


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## BlkGeep (Dec 7, 2014)

Uber Taxi is the endgame, they keep rates low so as not to offend the taxi companies, all the while they are trying to get them to submit to working for Uber. Watch as we kill the taxi business, they will join Uber, then get rid of us. They probably took this idea to taxi companies first and got laughed at. It's personal for someone at Uber. They said okay, f you, we'll use idiots to make you submit. Sure as shit, brilliant idea, but this is all about making existing livery businesses use them as a dispatch service, and they are already doing Uber Taxi in some markets.


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## UrbanFisherman (Jan 2, 2015)

http://www.atlantaintownpaper.com/2...ers-protest-marta-mlk-schedule-trees-atlanta/


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## Ghostwren (Jul 1, 2015)

chi1cabby said:


> In other words, Uber wants complete market domination...over taxis, over livery & Lyft.


learning lots....so nice in the southern hem....we can watch it all happen up there and then partcipa.....um.....nah......

We just let it happen the same here. Woe.


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## DriverJ (Sep 1, 2014)

Ghostwren said:


> learning lots....so nice in the southern hem....we can watch it all happen up there and then partcipa.....um.....nah......
> 
> We just let it happen the same here. Woe.


I wanna come live there. The U.S. gets worse by the day. It was pretty good there for a minute. I think it was like 1955, but James Dean died, then Mickey Mouse, and it's been downhill ever since.  Uber is a sign of the corrupt, greedy times we live in.


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## Ghostwren (Jul 1, 2015)

DriverJ said:


> I wanna come live there. The U.S. gets worse by the day. It was pretty good there for a minute. I think it was like 1955, but James Dean died, then Mickey Mouse, and it's been downhill ever since.  Uber is a sign of the corrupt, greedy times we live in.


Yes, here, same moment 20 years later,

Free university education - now well gone
Hoag's was ours, not your's (Paul Hogan, Croc Dundee)
Skippy was only stuffed half the time.

Now we have a mad monk running the show...taking funding out of education, arts, science, environment, but don't worry, because he's stopped the boats. (too late for you tho....he should have started it in 1984 before we took the Americas Cup, HA!)


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## DriverJ (Sep 1, 2014)

Can't we share Crocodile Dundee? I'm American, we're all about kindness, sharing, and generosity. We hardly ever invade countries with brown people we can kill. Unless they have something we want, of course. Good thing you Aussies aren't little brown people, and/or have something we want. Come to think of it, I'm surprised we haven't been there to get the kangaroos and pretty koalas yet!

You don't know anything about any oil there do you?


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## Ghostwren (Jul 1, 2015)

DriverJ said:


> Can't we share Crocodile Dundee? I'm American, we're all about kindness, sharing, and generosity. We hardly ever invade countries with brown people we can kill. Unless they have something we want, of course. Good thing you Aussies aren't little brown people, and/or have something we want. Come to think of it, I'm surprised we haven't been there to get the kangaroos and pretty koalas yet!
> 
> You don't know anything about any oil there do you?


NO, dundee is all your's now, no backsies.

We took care of that problem 200 years ago while you guys were too busy trying to have integrity or something.....

I mean, we still don't recognise there was any body here when Cooke arrived in our constitution.....Terra Annulus...they call it

more like tearing my anus....at least that's how the locals must feel


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## DriverJ (Sep 1, 2014)

"Tearing my anus!" That's just funny, well, as long as it's not _your_ anus, of course.



Ghostwren said:


> have integrity or something


I still hear that word a lot, but don't see it in action much anymore.

I remember being a little kid, saying our "Pledge of Allegiance" in school and really feeling proud. Now, I feel mostly disgust over what our federal government has become. It's a travesty. There's people still giving their lives for a country that doesn't exist anymore. I really feel sorry for them.


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## Ghostwren (Jul 1, 2015)

Historically speaking, it goes in ebbs and flows....this system will probably be one of the shortest lived empires....they are not learning the lessons of the past.


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## Ghostwren (Jul 1, 2015)

Ghostwren said:


> Historically speaking, it goes in ebbs and flows....this system will probably be one of the shortest lived empires....they are not learning the lessons of the past.


and let me just say that the most successful and longest living culture/system is that of the indigenous.....but still we ignore


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## DriverJ (Sep 1, 2014)

Ghostwren said:


> Historically speaking, it goes in ebbs and flows....this system will probably be one of the shortest lived empires....they are not learning the lessons of the past.


For some reason I just thought about the great George Carlin. That guy had a great insight and a way of making any point hysterically funny. He knew where we were, where we were headed, and what our beloved leaders are all about, along with the huge corporations, and the big banks that call the shots.

_"America was founded by slave owners who informed us, "All men are created equal." All "men," except Indians, ******s, and women. Remember, the founders were a small group of unelected, white, male, land-holding slave owners who also, by the way, suggested that their class be the only one allowed to vote."_
_
"I'm getting tired of ****in' Earth Day. I'm tired of the self-righteous environmentalists. White, bourgeois liberals who think the only thing wrong with this country is that there isn't enough bike paths. Trying to make the world safe for their Volvos. There's nothing wrong with the planet. The planet is fine. The people are ****ed! Compared to the people, the planet's doing great. It's been here for over 4.5 billion years. We've only been engaged in heavy industry for just over 200 years. 200 verses 4.5 billion&#8230;hmm?"
_
I wish he would have lived long enough to give his opinions on Uber and Travis Kalanick.

Carlin at his best below.


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## Ghostwren (Jul 1, 2015)

finding Pesci on twitter right now


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## DriverJ (Sep 1, 2014)

Ghostwren said:


> finding Pesci on twitter right now


May Joe Pesci bless you my son.


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## Ghostwren (Jul 1, 2015)

DriverJ said:


> May Joe Pesci bless you my son.


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## DriverJ (Sep 1, 2014)

Ghostwren said:


> View attachment 10420


That's GREAT!!


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