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Uber Drivers Stiff Passengers After Finding Out Final Destination

27K views 146 replies 62 participants last post by  Logistician82 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/Uber-Drivers-Stiff-Passengers-After-Finding-Out-Final-Destination-408432315.html
Uber Drivers Stiff Passengers After Finding Out Final Destination
Driver practice of avoiding passengers is against Uber policy
NBC Washington Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2016 By Adam Tuss

Uber passengers at Washington-area airports said some ride-share drivers are refusing to pick them up, because they don't want to take the travelers where they want to go.
An Uber driver is never supposed to know the destination until the trip has started. But some drivers are said to be calling passengers in advance and finding out where the passengers want to go, which is against Uber policy.

If the driver thinks the trip isn't worth their time, because they think the trip is too short, too long or they just don't want to go to the destination, the drivers won't pick up the passengers, the passengers said.
"I just wanted to get home," Uber customer Landon Geurkink said. "We had just been traveling for a couple hours in the air. It was cold out."

Geurkink said he had to go through five separate Uber drivers before one finally picked him up at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. He said the drivers thought his relatively short trip to downtown D.C. wasn't worth the trip after calling him to find out his destination.
"He's, like, I just wanted to know where you are headed? I just said, 'Oh, downtown D.C.,'" Geurkirk said. "Another minute later, he canceled."

Other drivers may have manipulated the Uber app or used a separate app to figure out the final destination and then decided they didn't want the trip. Some Uber drivers said they knew all about this technique, and some admitted they have ended trip requests based on destination.
"I know that I have canceled drives before that I thought were too long," one driver said.

Uber released a statement about the practice.
"Ridesharing apps are changing a transportation status quo that has been unequal for generations, making it easier and more affordable for people to get around, no matter where they live and where they're going."

Per Uber's deactivation policy, each city has a maximum cancellation rate, based on the average cancellation rate in that area, after which point a driver may be barred from using the app.
Uber riders can rate their driver and provide anonymous feedback about their trip. Uber said they do take feedback seriously.

The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority said they are looking into the practice of the Uber drivers avoiding some trips.
 
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#52 ·
When you do your taxes you will minus out anything that Uber collected but didnt go to you. You can simply add up all your weekly statements and that will be your gross income for tax purposes.

That may be your Gross Fares but it's not your Gross Income.

You are going to want to edit our your name. You don't want to post that info on here.
 
#54 ·
I have been a passenger of uber many times we have to put in the Final destination as part of booking the trip ?'
So why is this even an issue?? I'm in Dallas
Drivers in Chicago don't see final destination until passenger is in the car and we slide "Start Trip". Passengers think we know before we get there.
 
#57 ·
Yes, Uber you are the one who created this situation. That is the tipe of service you created.
We need: Safe service, reliable service and affordable service.
Uber, drivers have no influence at all, Uber sacrifice, safety and reliability on behalf of affordability so Uber is responsible
and must be accountable.
So, quality of service will be further downgrated, until is going to be so low without backup.
 
#111 ·
Myself it is 6 minutes Unless there's a surge greater than 2X

It's folks like you that give us drivers a bad name. Make everyone think that the average driver is an Uber shill with no aspirations to better themselves in life other than driving 40-60 hours a week for minimum wage and come out thinking they are on top in life and ruling the world -- very low IQ individuals.

Taxis have it better than us. But hey, who am I to judge right? Keep making your gross $1000 per week AFTER $270 in temporary promotions and as always...

Uber On!
People are so gullible
 
#62 ·
So let me get this straight...

You are accusing me of taking my sweet time to write a fictitious email that I received from Uber support in order to convince other drivers Uber is okay with drivers canceling trips based on how far the destination this?

Interesting....

Next time a pax requests a ride and you find out it's a 300 mile one way trip to a remote area, tell yourself you HAVE to take it because Uber is your boss and it's in the contract.
Uber on
 
#65 ·
I see this practice coming to an end... A lot of the PAX i have been picking up lately have been complaining, and many even saying they are reporting drivers to Uber. I get that drivers are doing what they have to do to earn a fair wage, and Uber can blame themselves for dropping the fares so cheap in order to draw customers. But now, here it is, both companies are losing hundreds of millions of dollars because they have to bay driving bonuses to get people to go drive. Customers are becoming very hip to the Surge game and are starting to look for alternatives to avoid it.

Problem is, once you let the genie out of the bottle, hard to put it back in...
 
#67 ·
http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/l...-Finding-Out-Final-Destination-408432315.html

----------------------------------

Uber passengers at Washington-area airports said some ride-share drivers are refusing to pick them up, because they don't want to take the travelers where they want to go.
An Uber driver is never supposed to know the destination until the trip has started. But some drivers are said to be calling passengers in advance and finding out where the passengers want to go, which is against Uber policy.

If the driver thinks the trip isn't worth their time, because they think the trip is too short, too long or they just don't want to go to the destination, the drivers won't pick up the passengers, the passengers said.
"I just wanted to get home," Uber customer Landon Geurkink said. "We had just been traveling for a couple hours in the air. It was cold out."

Geurkink said he had to go through five separate Uber drivers before one finally picked him up at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. He said the drivers thought his relatively short trip to downtown D.C. wasn't worth the trip after calling him to find out his destination.
"He's, like, I just wanted to know where you are headed? I just said, 'Oh, downtown D.C.,'" Geurkirk said. "Another minute later, he canceled."

Other drivers may have manipulated the Uber app or used a separate app to figure out the final destination and then decided they didn't want the trip. Some Uber drivers said they knew all about this technique, and some admitted they have ended trip requests based on destination.
"I know that I have canceled drives before that I thought were too long," one driver said.

Uber released a statement about the practice.
"Ridesharing apps are changing a transportation status quo that has been unequal for generations, making it easier and more affordable for people to get around, no matter where they live and where they're going."

Per Uber's deactivation policy, each city has a maximum cancellation rate, based on the average cancellation rate in that area, after which point a driver may be barred from using the app.
Uber riders can rate their driver and provide anonymous feedback about their trip. Uber said they do take feedback seriously.

The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority said they are looking into the practice of the Uber drivers avoiding some trips.
Considering the how low the rates are in general, this shouldn't come as a shock.
 
#74 ·
I have seen someone post an identical reply from Uber when someone complained about him canceling a trip.
The first email was a tut tut, he wrote back and said that as an independent contractor he was within his rights to cancel a trip not profitable.
He got that email in reply, talking about acceptance rates, and saying that where a job is not profitable he could politely ask the rider to cancel upon rider pick up.
He's written back that he can't afford to drive 15 min to find out if the ride is profitable so where he hasong pings, he will continue to call first so as not to waste his or pax time.
No response posted yet.
So proof Uber have macro responses which is why they don't always make sense as we feel like we are not being properly listened to.
 
#76 · (Edited)
Increase the minimum fare and establish out of area drop off surcharges, for example. The problem with all of this stems from the forced rate structure which doesn't compensate each trip properly.
Couldn't have said it better myself...

I wasn't wrong about anything.
You were wrong about Uber not being in agreement with drivers canceling rides based on the pax destination. And you were also wrong to falsely accuse me of making up the conversation I posted from Uber support as I recall you saying, "And you expect us to believe it's legit ?"

But feel free to deny it all you want. That is the "mature" thing to do after all...
 
#81 ·
Couldn't have said it better myself...

You were wrong about Uber not being in agreement with drivers canceling rides based on the pax destination. And you were also wrong to falsely accuse me of making up the conversation I posted from Uber support as I recall you saying, "And you expect us to believe it's legit ?"

But feel free to deny it all you want. That is the "mature" thing to do after all...
You're upset because you know I'm right. As I've made crystal clear already, the problem was that you didn't post any real proof originally. It wasn't til I made a stink that you posted something that people could take for actually being proof. You can keep crying all you want.
 
#83 · (Edited)
You're upset because you know I'm right. As I've made crystal clear already, the problem was that you didn't post any real proof originally. It wasn't til I made a stink that you posted something that people could take for actually being proof. You can keep crying all you want.
It's folks like you that give us drivers a bad name. Make everyone think that the average driver is an Uber shill with no aspirations to better themselves in life other than driving 40-60 hours a week for minimum wage and come out thinking they are on top in life and ruling the world -- very low IQ individuals.

Taxis have it better than us. But hey, who am I to judge right? Keep making your gross $1000 per week AFTER $270 in temporary promotions and as always...

Uber On!
 
#87 ·
It's folks like you that give us drivers a bad name. Make everyone think that the average driver is an Uber shill with no aspirations to better themselves in life other than driving 40-60 hours a week for minimum wage and come out thinking they are on top in life and ruling the world -- very low IQ individuals.
Lol ? Are you delusional ?

Taxis have it better than us. But hey, who am I to judge right? Keep making your gross $1000 per week AFTER $270 in temporary promotions and as always...
I am. And I will.
 
#93 ·
JMHO,

When someone is receiving a service for as low as they do with UBER/Lyft, they should question their use of the service and if it aligns with their stated beliefs. I've met passengers on Lyft that absolutely agree that UBER's practices are predatory and exclusively use Lyft because their values are more aligned with the message Lyft conveys. They know it costs marginally more and are willing to pay that extra bit. Conversely I've met UBER passengers that are obviously SJW's and For equality in name only. They are happy to reap the benefits of a cheap ride without any responsibility. My favorite was the passenger I had from Texas who was going on about how she was "old school & traditional" when talking about how people in SF go dutch when they are on dates and going through courtship, but she certainly did not go "old school & traditional" when the ride ended and didn't leave a tip.

At it's most basic level we agreed to be independent contractors on the reasonable assumption that all contracts/rides would be profitable enough to run an independent business. When we don't know the destination and the deck is stacked against us for cancellations, acceptance, and ratings it is grossly unbalanced. I don't even mind the fact that driver-less cars will probably replace us, but that doesn't mean I'm willing to get ripped off while I do the dirty work of data mining for the company. It's the don't piss on me and tell me it's raining philosophy.

We can talk about strategy and all the like all we want but at the end of the day the company model also relies on efficiency which if everyone working had the best strategy and only implemented it with extreme prejudice these companies would not have the efficiency at the level customers have come to and should expect. The simplest solution is to raise the rates, or let drivers set their own rates per mi./km & minute. and compete against each other. Having a greater degree of negotiating and independence in this contract is sorely needed.
 
#94 ·
I drove a taxi for 10 years, both in L.A & San Diego Airports, and we were not allowed to turn any customer away that approached our taxi. But, some do, of course. Thing is, if it was a short ride, we got a slip that allowed us to go to the front of the line on return to the airport, as I recall. That being said, raising a rate comparable to what Taxis charge would go a long ways to prevent cherry picking. Anther thing, as an Uber driver, I find that I wait a shorter time for a ride than the guys in the taxi lines.
Go to the SFO staging lot and you'll be waiting hours with all the guys camping out there. They had a car cleaning competition one day and flooded the lot with soapy water with all the cock and bull chest puffing.
 
#96 ·
Uber's response to Local 10 News in that link you provided proves what you posted is not in line with what Uber really expects. As I've said before, people should not be calling customers but I can understand why some drivers do.
Uber talks too much.

A contractor has no obligation to take a job he does not desire to complete, much more the fact they hid away info of the potential jobs having (on record [changes in the app]) been given the ability to see them prior to accepting them, their negligence is not the contractor's problem, it's theirs as the brokers.

To manipulate a contractor into taking a job by hiding information and threatening to end relations (again on record by emails and communications), you now entered the employee zone for which unemployment is served.

If we are contractors we get contractor treatment, I don't see them giving me a car, gas, repairs, maintenance and benefits, do you?
 
#101 ·
Omg.. too much whining here..
Sounds like bunch of "Taxi" drivers.
Final point is it IS AGAINST Uber policy to contact and ask... "where are you going".. simple rule. Follow it, take the ping and fare, ir quit... my 2 cents.
Never asked a pax and not going to.
Only pre pickup contact I will do is find correct pickip location.
 
#104 ·
Contractors set their own prices.
You can Set Your OWN pricing, however u need a TNC that agrees.
Or develop your own App @ your own pricing

Contracting is NOT akin to a Cowboy on the 'Lone Prairies doing whatever he wants.

Contractors in EVERY Industry Throughout the World are required to follow the Company they represent, rules, period

Dont agree? There's the Door. Thousands ready to replace you

 
#105 ·
You can Set Your OWN pricing, however u need a TNC that agrees.
Or develop your own App @ your own pricing

Contracting is NOT akin to a Cowboy on the 'Lone Prairies doing whatever he wants.

Contractors in EVERY Industry Throughout the World are required to follow the Company they represent, rules, period

Dont agree? There's the Door. Thousands ready to replace you

By definition a contractor can set prices. If you can't set prices, you're not a contractor.
 
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