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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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#112 ·
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.
I never do this, because I don't believe in it, it's plain wrong.

That being said, the solution is simple. PAY US !!!!!!

If I pick up from the airport, and go downtown, which takes, in traffic, about 20 minutes, all I get is $4.60. That's it.

What bothers me is that the rider is charged a service fee, a booking fee, and an airport fee, which tags another $10 to the trip,
and so the rider is charged about $15, and I don't even get a third, and they think we're getting 75%, when we are not.

Pay us, damnit.

Please show me where in our contracts it states we are "required" to take trips that would be undesirable. Because last I checked, even Uber knows not every trip is optimal or profitable.

Here is proof...



WTF?

Have you ever thought that maybe people like doing what they are doing and not getting paid fairly. Maybe no one else will hire them. Many pe0ple have many different reasons doing this job. You giving the notion the other people think drivers are lazy makes me believe that you are thinking the same thing. Many Americans are hard workers but can't get a real job for many reasons. My father once told me that " I never ask a person what kind of work they do for a living it may make the other person feel I am Pre-judging them"
Yeah, if you are 66 years of age, and suffer from chronic fatigue, there aren't many jobs you can do.

I play the piano, but the days of piano lounges are long gone. I can tend bar, used to, anyway, but I can't stand up for more than one hour without severe back pain. My more current resume shows 15 years as a wedding photographer, 3.5 years as an Uber driver.

Not much out there for a guy like me.

But, I'm thinking of becoming a process server. They make more money, training is minimal, and the job doesn't require a sunny disposition, which I do not have much of :)

I'm also seriously thinking about enrolling in law school ( in CA they have cheapie schools, they won't get you a job, but I've been self-employed most of my life, anyway, so just get me
the license ).

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.
Hey, whining about whiners is still whining.
 
#116 ·
Photobucket (a popular photo-hosting site many use to share pictures on forums for free) recently changed their policy that requiring users pay an annual subscription in order to share photos -- which they received major backlash for.

I have re-uploaded the photos of the email I received from Uber Support confirming that they know and permit drivers to not only cancel trips to destinations they aren't comfortable with but also approved requesting the rider to make the cancellation so it doesn't affect our cancel rate.

But I believe riders can now chose to say "the driver made me cancel" as a reason for cancellation so not sure how that affects us.

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#114 ·
"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."

I bet this whiney cheap ass was a Pool passenger thinking he was in a position to make demands for less than $5.
Cheap bastard you get what you pay for next time take a taxi cab.
 
#119 ·
Uh....not so sure about that. AFAIK, I believe Uber's insurance will cover any rider in a driver's car, app on of off, therefore, it's logical to assume private property statutes are a moot point as long as that is the case. Moreover, in most states, there is a licensing agency ( often called "Public Utilities Commission", or something similar ) , so, rideshares are regulated at the state level (perhaps in some cities they might play a larger regulatory role, I don't know ), though not as much as cities regulates taxis.

Yeah, but it's a judgement call, if too many company rules, then they may or may not rule you are an employee, it's not a black and white issue. I think a lot has to do with the politics of the judge ( i.e., a dem judge might rule you as an employee a lot quicker than a republican judge -- and if it's arbritation, and UBer selected the arbiters, you can bet they are not liberals. They say their politics don't affect their rulings, but it does ).
Hello, uber isn't regulated at any level, and the biggest proof is that we all "Uber x rates" operate at loss, taxes wise, once you end a trip, for any whatsoever reason, your car is diffenetly, an effen private property
 
#122 ·
It would be nice if they had geofencing. Drivers could limit the distance they want to drive for a pickup and a destination. I would drive more and take more rides if they had this feature. Tired of sitting in the center of phantom surges and turning down rides over 10 minutes out and out of the surge area, until the surge goes away. I have tested this multiple times with the same results. I imagine the goal is to draw drivers to an intermediate area only to offer them rides further away, that they would have never seen from their original position, before driving toward the surge.
 
#129 ·
I got a ping at 1 am in Orlando Florida drove 35 miles returned empty at 2 am got paid $25 ,

Can you please give us some advise on how to make $1000 i am willing to put in 60 hours and send you a $100 gift card. I am in Orlando if i can make #1000 i will buy a brand new sedan.

Got to be a donkey if you drive for uber why should a driver not ask where the drop off is. Uber is not an employer does not pay me any benefits i am just a contractor.
You are in no way shape or form a contractor. Uber wouldn't exist if drivers knew the destination in advance and in lots of cities there are laws about refusing rides based on destination.
 
#134 ·
You're still not an independent contractor.
To be an independent contractor you would have to 100% control of the working environment.
Do you get to control the price?
No. Therefore, you're not an independent contractor.
Incorrect.

I have been an IC for 28 years. None of the stuff I sold has ever allowed me to set or control the price. For example, insurance, mutual funds, annuities, DirecTV, Dish Network, stocks and bonds, internet service, phone services, automobiles, and much much more.

When you resell a product or service, as an independent contractor, you sell it at the price that the company demands.

Some independent contractors set their own prices, such as doctors, lawyers, plumbers, roofers, etc.

Do not assume that lack of pricing control is the factor that voids the IC argument.

I believe that we are NOT ICs, but not for the price control reason.
 
#138 ·
its also COERCED LABOR ie SLAVERY to fire someone if they cancel to much because they don't want to work for free.

its not charity or a slot machine its a job every contract should pay over costs

1965-1985 cab rates in 2018 is not over costs

dont gotta show me the destination but most efficient for all before driver accepts ping

show direction & approx miles away

so 5 miles SW

that way it can be on a drivers way

eitherway less than 10 miles i cancel period
 
#139 ·
This email may or may
ot be from Uber. Either way, here is what is coming to your city soon, that will solve this problem:

In Denver we no longer have a boost with a MULTIPLIER. It has been replaced with a flat dollar amount.

During the boost times, which are minimal and short now, the driver must pick up 3 trips in a row from any location, during the duration of the boost time. (Normally a 2 hour window) The driver will then make a flat fee that ranges from $3 to $8. Once in a blue moon the amount is as high as $13, but very rare.

To qualify for the $3 the driver must pick up trip 1 during the boost duration.

Then the driver must pick up the next 2 trips sent to the driver.

If the driver rejects a ride or turns his/her app off or cancels a trip, the driver is not paid the flat boost fee. (If the rider cancels or is a no show after 5 minutes, the driver is not penalized)

NOTE: the boost amount is NOT per trip but for all 3 trips. So if the boost is paying $3, your total boost payment is $1 per trip.

It is unclear if the rider is charged the old multiplier amount and Uber is pocketing the difference.

Surge is still alive and still uses a multipler and is in addition to the boost, for the time being. HOWEVER, according to one Uber employee, once the new boost goes national, the next step may be to apply the flat rate and restrictions to surge. Surge is also being reduced in duration and frequency.

WHY is Uber doing this:

Because there are sketchy drivers that are Hell bent in breaking the rules. Calling drivers for destinations and using apps to determine destinations. Thanks to the scum bags that thought they are smarter than Uber. Well you are not smarter. You are morons.

Riders are pissed off and reporting the game to Uber, in record numbers, as they should. When none of us can afford to drive for Uber anymore, we have the morons to thank.
 
#140 ·
This email may or may
ot be from Uber. Either way, here is what is coming to your city soon, that will solve this problem:

In Denver we no longer have a boost with a MULTIPLIER. It has been replaced with a flat dollar amount.

During the boost times, which are minimal and short now, the driver must pick up 3 trips in a row from any location, during the duration of the boost time. (Normally a 2 hour window) The driver will then make a flat fee that ranges from $3 to $8. Once in a blue moon the amount is as high as $13, but very rare.

To qualify for the $3 the driver must pick up trip 1 during the boost duration.

Then the driver must pick up the next 2 trips sent to the driver.

If the driver rejects a ride or turns his/her app off or cancels a trip, the driver is not paid the flat boost fee. (If the rider cancels or is a no show after 5 minutes, the driver is not penalized)

NOTE: the boost amount is NOT per trip but for all 3 trips. So if the boost is paying $3, your total boost payment is $1 per trip.

It is unclear if the rider is charged the old multiplier amount and Uber is pocketing the difference.

Surge is still alive and still uses a multipler and is in addition to the boost, for the time being. HOWEVER, according to one Uber employee, once the new boost goes national, the next step may be to apply the flat rate and restrictions to surge. Surge is also being reduced in duration and frequency.

WHY is Uber doing this:

Because there are sketchy drivers that are Hell bent in breaking the rules. Calling drivers for destinations and using apps to determine destinations. Thanks to the scum bags that thought they are smarter than Uber. Well you are not smarter. You are morons.

Riders are pissed off and reporting the game to Uber, in record numbers, as they should. When none of us can afford to drive for Uber anymore, we have the morons to thank.
This sounds remarkably similar to Lyft's "Streaks" they offer on rare occasions. Uber copying Lyft this round.
 
#143 ·
I'm not a big forum poster by nature but after reading a few threads I was compelled to action.

Skepticaldriver: you are viewing this forum on an internet enabled device. Open a fresh tab and type "essential ride-sharing apps" in the search bar. You'll discover what you've been spamming the thread for.

To my fellow not so IC drivers. I challenge/encourage all of you to stop viewing yourselves as Uber/ride-sharing drivers. As previously stated in the thread, we all have our reasons and situations for why we do this. But viewing yourself as "screwed" or "extorted" or "held hostage" by these companies is the wrong perspective. I can wax philosophical forever about positive thinking, limiting beliefs, etc. but we all have real lives and expenses and are trying to find a better way so I'll cut to the chase:

As my handle infers, you all need to start seeing yourselves as entry-level participants in the logistics industry. Ride-sharing has provided you an internship (with commensurate shitty pay to boot!!) to said industry. These are not the only games in town that are willing to hire people via 1099 to move stuff from one place in town to another.

I haven't held a regular desk job in a year and a half. I have delivered luggage, medication, medical samples, and people (I contemplated eats and dash but couldn't see the fare pricing even being worth my time).

In my most recent iteration I am now hooked up with a logistics company with a very tight and small staff of dependable drivers that operates on a FIFO order method: everyone has a fair shake at a long distance run. I get handed an order, I pull a box off of a shelf in the warehouse (can be backseat/trunk sized, but generally are hand held boxes that weigh 10 lbs max, 1-2 at a time) and drop the package to the destination. I call in the drop off info and if I get summoned back to the warehouse, I head back. If there's nothing doing I tell them that I'm available and I turn on my ride-share and make a run or two until I hear from dispatch. Only been my second week, so I can't lie and say I have increased my income by blank factor, but I can say that I have spent the last two weeks with less downtime, less deadhead trips, and with a greater sense of self-determination/actualization than I have in a long time.

Start by seeing yourself as a business, and ride-sharing companies as one/some of your customers/lines of business as opposed to your sole and only source of income. I have found courier companies of all varieties with simple Craigslist searches, as well as on Indeed: all looking for go getters with wheels.

Sorry to break it to you, but as most have surmised in one way or another, driving for a living is a low barrier to entry industry with ever downgraded pricing. The financial crisis, advancements in tech such as IBM's Watson (and other smart large-scale computing algos), sheer number of long-term unemployed scrounging to make a living, and other factors, have driven down the profitability of turning your personal vehicle into a business. As a result, you will have to both grind harder and smarter to make a living that can pay your bills.

I encourage everyone to take advantage of the biggest advantage in ride-sharing: the opportunity to network and pick the brains of an infinite number of people to glean actionable intelligence from. Through conversations with a few of my ride-share passengers I have been given other lines of work to branch off into. Some, who are/were ride-share drivers themselves have given completely novel and original pro-tips and hacks that I never would have gotten anywhere else. I'm scheduling a meet up with a passenger now that I have the capital to join him in the line of work he suggested I consider during our ride a few weeks back.

Uber and Lyft are the "weed" of logistics. Don't make them your "crack"...that shit kills.

Best to all, PM me anytime.
 
#144 ·
I'm not a big forum poster by nature but after reading a few threads I was compelled to action.

Skepticaldriver: you are viewing this forum on an internet enabled device. Open a fresh tab and type "essential ride-sharing apps" in the search bar. You'll discover what you've been spamming the thread for.

To my fellow not so IC drivers. I challenge/encourage all of you to stop viewing yourselves as Uber/ride-sharing drivers. As previously stated in the thread, we all have our reasons and situations for why we do this. But viewing yourself as "screwed" or "extorted" or "held hostage" by these companies is the wrong perspective. I can wax philosophical forever about positive thinking, limiting beliefs, etc. but we all have real lives and expenses and are trying to find a better way so I'll cut to the chase:

As my handle infers, you all need to start seeing yourselves as entry-level participants in the logistics industry. Ride-sharing has provided you an internship (with commensurate shitty pay to boot!!) to said industry. These are not the only games in town that are willing to hire people via 1099 to move stuff from one place in town to another.

I haven't held a regular desk job in a year and a half. I have delivered luggage, medication, medical samples, and people (I contemplated eats and dash but couldn't see the fare pricing even being worth my time).

In my most recent iteration I am now hooked up with a logistics company with a very tight and small staff of dependable drivers that operates on a FIFO order method: everyone has a fair shake at a long distance run. I get handed an order, I pull a box off of a shelf in the warehouse (can be backseat/trunk sized, but generally are hand held boxes that weigh 10 lbs max, 1-2 at a time) and drop the package to the destination. I call in the drop off info and if I get summoned back to the warehouse, I head back. If there's nothing doing I tell them that I'm available and I turn on my ride-share and make a run or two until I hear from dispatch. Only been my second week, so I can't lie and say I have increased my income by blank factor, but I can say that I have spent the last two weeks with less downtime, less deadhead trips, and with a greater sense of self-determination/actualization than I have in a long time.

Start by seeing yourself as a business, and ride-sharing companies as one/some of your customers/lines of business as opposed to your sole and only source of income. I have found courier companies of all varieties with simple Craigslist searches, as well as on Indeed: all looking for go getters with wheels.

Sorry to break it to you, but as most have surmised in one way or another, driving for a living is a low barrier to entry industry with ever downgraded pricing. The financial crisis, advancements in tech such as IBM's Watson (and other smart large-scale computing algos), sheer number of long-term unemployed scrounging to make a living, and other factors, have driven down the profitability of turning your personal vehicle into a business. As a result, you will have to both grind harder and smarter to make a living that can pay your bills.

I encourage everyone to take advantage of the biggest advantage in ride-sharing: the opportunity to network and pick the brains of an infinite number of people to glean actionable intelligence from. Through conversations with a few of my ride-share passengers I have been given other lines of work to branch off into. Some, who are/were ride-share drivers themselves have given completely novel and original pro-tips and hacks that I never would have gotten anywhere else. I'm scheduling a meet up with a passenger now that I have the capital to join him in the line of work he suggested I consider during our ride a few weeks back.

Uber and Lyft are the "weed" of logistics. Don't make them your "crack"...that shit kills.

Best to all, PM me anytime.
I have owned 3 companies in the past, and will 2nd your post.

Sometimes it is hard to see the forest, when you are seemingly lost amongst all the trees in your way.

Thanks for the reminder to keep looking at the big picture!
 
#146 ·
I have completed 100 trips as of last night, under the new boost crap.

The average boost is $6 FOR 3 trips. Or $2 boost reward per trip.

The drastic increase in drivers on the road has brought the number of trips down to 2.5 trips an hour.

You must accept all trips or loose the boost reward. So you loose the ability to manage your trips.

I wonder if drivers might be better off going back to managing thier trips, reject trips you don't want and forget about boost?

Any thoughts?
 
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