The many frustrations of a rideshare driver

If you are an experienced rideshare driver, then you will have passed Dante's seven levels of hell and found that banality is the opposite of rideshare driving. Here is a brief recommended list (not the full list) of frustrating occurrences that a ride-share driver will go through.

Bad Tech or Bad Connections

Sometimes you reach an area with bad coverage, and your ability to navigate is radically reduced, at the same time your app will not provide the necessary information, requests, maps, etc. While this is not Lyft's or Uber's problem, it's a nuisance to drivers in low reception areas.

Long Distance Rides No Return Fares

We have all had them; that pesky long distance rides to destinations that even the wind doesn't reach. Sometimes this happens with Destination Filter, and it is not much you can do about it but grumble.

The wrong passenger's info

Sometimes, but not too often, a customer will give the wrong pick up location. You just have to manage it with patience, and when you do reach the passenger, eventually, smile and be understanding, it helps with the ratings and the tip.

Passengers need for Music

Again, all of us have had this more than once. You pick up a group of "young fine upstanding citizens, " and they demand you play Beethovens 5th, yeah, right. It's more like a group of retro punk rockers demanding Prodigy's Spitfire in full volume. Now the situation is interesting, what do you do/ Do you chance a stroke? Brain Damage? Loss of Hearing? All three? Or do you concede to the passengers, and all for a good rating and maybe, but not likely, tip. On the other hand, you could get a passenger that might seem off center, and they might ask for music, and you might turn it on and find out that he's a really interesting guy and looks can deceive, which they do a lot.

Hard placed pick-ups

This one a real pain as well as problematic when driving an Uber Pool ride. Scenarios vary, but the results don't. For instance, a passenger standing in an illegal parking or even stopping zone, such as a bus stop, or a fully parked curb so you can only double park, or even in a handicapped zone. You know you can't risk stopping there since the passenger might be slow too, opening your chances at being photographed, fined or seriously chastised by angry drivers. You stop anyway and pray or hope for the best outcome.

Stubborn Passengers

Sometimes you get that hard headed passenger that wants you to pick them up from the most remote places and other times they want to be dropped off in the middle of their living room. They don't budge, they won't budge, and you can either rant and rave or smile and perform the desired service. It doesn't matter if the customer is wrong or right, the driver has two options, explain politely what the problem is, and still carry it out. Explain to the customer the issues of the request, or you can go crazy and lose a rating, customer and even be recorded for social media. It's your choice; I know what method I pick.

Passenger Siding by Uber/Lyft

Now and then, more now than then, Uber and Lyft will take immediate action based on a customers complaint without hearing the side of the driver or even reviewing the evidence a driver might have recorded. De-activation is immediate and is problematic.

The long waiting passenger

Or is it the long waiting driver? Imagine this, you get to a pickup zone, and the passenger is taking a long time, never happens, right? Wrong, there are many instances when a passenger will take over half an hour. Now you can ride away and cancel the ride, but you will get a low rating, but heck its better than waiting for an hour. On the other hand, Uber and Lyft can demand that the meter is set exactly five minutes after the driver and the passenger has notified each other of their existence, that way passengers will be charged for waiting time. Wait, that's not enough, the rate per minute is only 15 cents, waiting time should be at least 45 cents which are roughly the middle ground between a mile and a minute. That way customers will learn to be on time and not waste drivers precious time, better used to finding and serving other customers that want to drive somewhere.

The undecided passenger

You get a passenger with no destination why? Because they don't know where they want to go. Maybe downtown to the Mall or maybe downtown to the Library, heck maybe to the next town or just around the corner. Who knows, they certainly don't. All this time they are frantically calling their friends to find out on which planet they are so, they can arrange to meet them there.

Maybe there is a destination, but on the way one of the passengers or the passenger is hungry. You need to make a pit stop at a fast food joint; no begins the decision for which fast food joint and where it should be. Oh my, how wonderful it must be to be an Uber driver in Grand Canyon.

The unappreciative passenger that takes you for a ride

It's cold, its wet, it's stormy, and it's late afternoon. Everyone is in a rush, and you get a panicked pick up that need you to take her to buy antacids urgently. The drug store is five minutes away, and she would normally walk, but who walks these days and in bad weather too. You drive carefully; she is upset, you follow the rules at intersections, she snorts, you stop at a stop sign, she sighs and comments that you are too slow. Well, guess what lady, I drive safe. Sometimes there is no pleasing anyone, and doesn't she realizes that getting an antacid is much better than getting intubation?