# Surge areas - worth chasing?



## Shock (Jun 1, 2015)

Recently in my city they changed the surge areas from just 2 (city and suburbs) to about 20.

Normally I dont go chasing surges but I dropped off a riders close to a 4.2X and couldnt resist. I drove into the suburb visiting all the main restaurant and bar areas for a full 50 minutes before the surge disappeared and got not a single request. This is in fact the longest I have been without a request.

What's the deal?

Also, are surges triggered by people actually requesting? Or by people simply opening their apps?


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## poopy (Jun 28, 2015)

Rumor has it that surges are linked to the Illuminati.
I say chase those puppies into next week!
If you still don't get a surge request, stop and buy some lottery scratchers.

<3


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## AJUber (Jun 23, 2015)

Never chase Surges....its a rookie mistake that will cost you fuel and time. 

Read the forums


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## XUberMike (Aug 2, 2015)

No NO nO know, let it chase you...if your in it just stay in the heart of it and it will soon go away...lol. THEN right after it vanishes turn the app off and show the riders that waited that they should of selected a ride when you were on...I love that at 2:30 AM. I would drive that time at a surge but not for base, I'd rather go to bed.


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## jetboatjohnny (Jan 21, 2015)

Shock said:


> Recently in my city they changed the surge areas from just 2 (city and suburbs) to about 20.
> 
> Normally I dont go chasing surges but I dropped off a riders close to a 4.2X and couldnt resist. I drove into the suburb visiting all the main restaurant and bar areas for a full 50 minutes before the surge disappeared and got not a single request. This is in fact the longest I have been without a request.
> 
> ...


It' all about luck. You will notice patterns in your area and can take advantage of that. On Saturday nights around 1:30 a.m. when it starts turning orange turn off your app use your rider app and wait till the surge starts then go online. Last Saturday I managed to get two okay surge fares. Because the worst thing is to pick somebody up right before the surge and then they want to go through the drive thru and by that time you're done. Where I live it rarely surges and if it does its for 5 minutes. In Orange County or LA that strategy works every time. Turning off your app actually increases the demand so if everybody does this when it turns orange it may work even more.


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## Another Uber Driver (May 27, 2015)

Title of topic: Surge areas - worth chasing?

Answer: No.


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## MrsUberJax (Sep 2, 2014)

Never, ever. Uber does not use the surge to invite more drivers to the road as it advertises. Uber uses the surge to MANIPULATE drivers AHEAD of demand... so that by the time you get to the SURGE zone - there are multiple drivers there.. they then lower the SURGE... and you drove all that way for nothing. You can sit in a surge zone for hours and not get a ping. It's a damn computer algorithm. Don't trust it, learn your city, watch for events, stick to the main areas and don't drive across town for a little pigment. YOUR only option with respect to surge is to go where YOU anticipate demand is going to be.. like at a concert or a big event, or when you know the bars are closing....then be there, ahead of the game, keep your app off until you see the surge hit, and then turn it on. You'll do even better if you get your fellow drivers to turn their apps off too until it surges. You can control supply... so when there is a great demand,(lots of pax) and not enough supply (drivers) then you can try and catch a surge. Good Luck.


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## UberJeeper (Jul 8, 2015)

If your app is off how can you see the surge? Does it show you on the passenger app?


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## MrsUberJax (Sep 2, 2014)

Yes it shows on the passenger app. You have to move the pin around to find the surge, but under the map, next to the little request buttons for X, XL, Plus, Select, or Black you will see a lightning bolt if the pin is in a surge area. You can press on the button to see what the surge multiplier is at. Good Luck to you.


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## Optimus Uber (Oct 7, 2014)

Most passengers know to wait out the surge. There maybe allot of people looking for a ride but remember, uber passengers are the cheapest. They want it for free. 

So when the surge ends and you didn't get a ride. Turn your app off. Let someone else drive them for base rates.


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## nononsenserookie (Jul 27, 2015)

I tend to miss surges, cause on the way to a surge I might get a ping. Or if I turn off the app and go to the area and turn back on I miss the surge
So I try not to chase


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## UberLou (May 5, 2015)

Surge, isn't that a laundry detergent?


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## KMANDERSON (Jul 19, 2015)

Shock said:


> Recently in my city they changed the surge areas from just 2 (city and suburbs) to about 20.
> 
> Normally I dont go chasing surges but I dropped off a riders close to a 4.2X and couldnt resist. I drove into the suburb visiting all the main restaurant and bar areas for a full 50 minutes before the surge disappeared and got not a single request. This is in fact the longest I have been without a request.
> 
> ...


I think uber does that some times to spread out the drivers cause ice sat in 3.0 for 8 minutes and did not get a ping


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## DriverX (Aug 5, 2015)

I read somewhere that they surge when there's not enough drivers in an area to lure in more drivers and spread us out. It makes sense for them to want to have drivers quickly available all over but just because your area is surging doesn't mean there are any pax in the area. However, this creates a way for a group of drivers to actually force a surge. If enough drivers all in the same area agree to go off line the algorithm will surge the area. SO if a bunch of drivers who regularly work a busy nightlife area are in communication through twitter or whatever they can all go offline and wait for the surge to pump, then all go online and score 2-3x rates. We know the fares are there because its a busy area so we just force a surge and wait until it pumps over 2 before going online. We just need a way to organize drivers into groups based on location. This would be technically easy to do but it would demand a level of cooperation and honor code among drivers.


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## Sydney Uber (Apr 15, 2014)

UberLou said:


> Surge, isn't that a laundry detergent?


I thought it was a Russian Boy's name


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## Renaldow (Jul 17, 2015)

Watch surges an pay attention to areas and times. Don't chase them, but use the information in the future to know what parts of town are going to be popping and when. I've sat in a all parts of a heat map during a surge waiting for a ride that never came. This was on a Monday night when not many drivers were out. Where on a weekend all my trips were 3-5 mins away, this was a night when all rides were 9-15 mins away because there were so few drivers. I found myself in the middle of a 2x surge. Never got a ping, and I knew I was about the only one in the area.


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## OneDayAtaTime (Aug 5, 2015)

Sydney Uber said:


> I thought it was a Russian Boy's name


And, a brand of soda


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## Sydney Uber (Apr 15, 2014)

Rex Lewis said:


> I read somewhere that they surge when there's not enough drivers in an area to lure in more drivers and spread us out. It makes sense for them to want to have drivers quickly available all over but just because your area is surging doesn't mean there are any pax in the area. However, this creates a way for a group of drivers to actually force a surge. If enough drivers all in the same area agree to go off line the algorithm will surge the area. SO if a bunch of drivers who regularly work a busy nightlife area are in communication through twitter or whatever they can all go offline and wait for the surge to pump, then all go online and score 2-3x rates. We know the fares are there because its a busy area so we just force a surge and wait until it pumps over 2 before going online. We just need a way to organize drivers into groups based on location. This would be technically easy to do but it would demand a level of cooperation and honor code among drivers.


I agree that multiple log offs of driver Apps can bring on a surge.

But Riders have been conditioned these days to wait it out or to request a notification when the surge ends.

Unless they are in a screaming hurry, they wait it out, if they can't wait then they feel pissed off and taken advantage of and may well seek revenge by down-rating the driver.


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## AJUber (Jun 23, 2015)

So I tell this story about this rider and we're in the car talking about Surge, then he says its funny that you brought it up ...because no one pays Surge... what we do is we just wait it out the 30 minutes and then we just request again or I will call another ride sharing company we never pay surge. So that just goes to tell you that these Riders are conditioned to not pay surge at all only the riders who are in an emergency or feel that they cannot wait. They actually believe that paying Surge is Uber way of getting them.


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## Shock (Jun 1, 2015)

AJUber said:


> So I tell this story about this rider and we're in the car talking about Surge, then he says its funny that you brought it up ...because no one pays Surge... what we do is we just wait it out the 30 minutes and then we just request again or I will call another ride sharing company we never pay surge. So that just goes to tell you that these Riders are conditioned to not pay surge at all only the riders who are in an emergency or feel that they cannot wait. They actually believe that paying Surge is Uber way of getting them.


Oh yeah, when I'm using Uber as a rider I wont pay surge prices if it exceeds the cost of taking a taxi...I dont get paid enough


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## justjoel67 (Aug 1, 2015)

only if i am like really close.


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## Horsebm (Jul 21, 2015)

Don't chase the surge.


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## UberMurph (Jul 16, 2015)

jetboatjohnny said:


> It' all about luck. You will notice patterns in your area and can take advantage of that. On Saturday nights around 1:30 a.m. when it starts turning orange turn off your app use your rider app and wait till the surge starts then go online. Last Saturday I managed to get two okay surge fares. Because the worst thing is to pick somebody up right before the surge and then they want to go through the drive thru and by that time you're done. Where I live it rarely surges and if it does its for 5 minutes. In Orange County or LA that strategy works every time. Turning off your app actually increases the demand so if everybody does this when it turns orange it may work even more.


Hey, When you turn off your driver app how do you use your rider app to see when the surge starts or what the surge number is?
Thanks...


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## Realityshark (Sep 22, 2014)

If you like behaving like a sheep, being Ubers' little ***** and pissing away gas, chase the surge.


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## DriverX (Aug 5, 2015)

The surge is like the lottery. I usually ignore it unless its like a mile away. Or I game it if my current area is going orange, I log off and check the rider app until it's on and then log in. I think the surge is basically ubers way to lure drivers into low coverage areas just so if someone actually does need a ride in BFE some noob driver will be there twiddling their thumbs thinking they are gonna get a 2x fare. Usually the riders wait it out or the surge is over in like 5 minutes. LAME. Uber is scamming the drivers with the surge more than the pax, but the pax think its the drivers scamming them. I had one that thought we controlled the surge pricing! lol I wish.


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## SonataMike (Sep 23, 2015)

Fabulous advice thanks from this NOOB!!!


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## JimS (Aug 18, 2015)

UberMurph said:


> Hey, When you turn off your driver app how do you use your rider app to see when the surge starts or what the surge number is?
> Thanks...


Open the rider app. Above the UberX icon will show the lightning bolt surge symbol. If it's there, you can tap on request a ride to see what the surge it. You won't be committed to a ride until you tap through to the order button.


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## FlDriver (Oct 16, 2015)

MrsUberJax said:


> Never, ever. Uber does not use the surge to invite more drivers to the road as it advertises. Uber uses the surge to MANIPULATE drivers AHEAD of demand... so that by the time you get to the SURGE zone - there are multiple drivers there.. they then lower the SURGE... and you drove all that way for nothing.


Ah, that explains the 5-6X surge fares I got last weekend, like the one where I made over $40 for driving someone 4.5 miles. That was all my imagination? Including the deposit that went in my bank account?


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## MrsUberJax (Sep 2, 2014)

Alright FD driver, you are just being a smart ass! You know that last week was an exception and there are exceptions to the surge strategy. Last week you, me, and plenty other drivers in Jacksonville Florida made off with some 4x & 5x surges but it was Halloween & the Florida Georgia game was in town - you show me on a mother ****ing Tuesday that your getting s surge like that in Jax, I'll eat my words, but otherwise, it's true, the Surge is a PREDICTOR of DEMAND and it's used to manipulate drivers. If your lucky enough to catch someone in Jax with a 2.7 or a 2.9 you are doing fabulous and prolly caught some poor sucker desperate for a ride home. Normally in Jax surges don't go that high unless the map is not working, if it does the cheap asses here, wait it out.


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## Fuzzyelvis (Dec 7, 2014)

XUberMike said:


> No NO nO know, let it chase you...if your in it just stay in the heart of it and it will soon go away...lol. THEN right after it vanishes turn the app off and show the riders that waited that they should of selected a ride when you were on...I love that at 2:30 AM. I would drive that time at a surge but not for base, I'd rather go to bed.


If it's 2:30 am and I get a ping the second the surge ends I accept it and start driving home. They waited for the surge to go away let them wait a while wondering why I'm not coming to get them.

If they call I tell them I'm sorry I threw the phone on my seat when the surge ended since it's not worth my while to pick up anyone with no surge. It must have pinged as it hit the seat. Just cancel and you'll probably get a driver who's willing to take you for cheap.
If they say I need to cancel I tell them I can't because that would require me to go through a couple of steps on the screen while driving and that's not safe.


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## SECOTIME (Sep 18, 2015)

If its a 2.1 or less its a hoax. You're being baited.

If its 2.2-2.9 you better be there in the zone before the surge happened...

If its 3.0 this is not a drill.. $ mode activated.. 

3.5x + = solid demand .. You'll probably get one if you make it in time.

During a 4.4-6.9x last night I was able to grab two successfully before it ended.

Pax don't have to verify surges under 2 (1.5) so those are just as a regular ping with a lil bonus


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