I remember I had a long ride, and my pax and I started to discuss the rating system (he brought it up). When I explained how bad it is to get four stars, he had a look on his face. I could tell he felt horrible for all the four stars he had given out. I told him that it wasn’t his fault, how could he know. He explained to me that he always thought in order to get five stars he expected something way over the top. I agreed with him, I said I would be waiting for champaign and caviar. After we both joked about it, As I told him, it isn’t even his fault.
What’s bad about this - I bet even after explaining about the rating system, the rider gave you 4 stars anyway.
We all know the rating system sucks, it’s flawed - it puts real good drivers in a bad spot before even picking up riders. With the influx of all the new drivers - I hear all the bad stories about the new drivers too.
I tell my paxs that any driver who is excellent, good, or satisfactory should be rated a five.
Drivers who fart, swear, and eat while driving deserve fours.
And driver’s who **** in the backseat, run red lights, drive on sidewalks, and smell of pot and alcohol deserve threes.
(Yes, this is spoken in jest, but my paxs get the point.)
The people who use Uber around here absolutely love it. Its as if this is what they have been waiting for. Now if you take a negative attitude, much like the attitudes of alleged drivers on this board, than you will not last as a driver.
Once you explain the rating system (and believe me they all know because its been on the news.and everywhere on the net) they will then ask themselves if you should be a driver. They will look at you, the vehicle and the total picture. If they dont like what they see, they will downrate you despite your explanation.
Actually, I am at 4.97. I have nothing to gain by being less than honest, so I opt to be honest. That’s just how I roll. See, it’s all a matter of educating those with whom you come into contact.
How do I know how many trips I’ve been on? You ask a good question. I keep a tally spreadsheet and I update it after each driving shift. As of this afternoon I’m at 458 completed trips (counting a few ghost rides, too.) I keep a tally sheet as a means of addressing yet another weakness of Uber - no tallying feature on the driver portal.
I forgot to mention earlier. don’t limit yourself to just driving Uber. Get set up on Lyft, too. Lyft passengers tend to be a little younger and quite a bit more fun. They also tip more frequently than Uber drivers because Lyft allows tipping from within the rider app. This is an area where Uber refuses to join with the societal expectation in this country. This is also one of the reasons why many drivers have left Uber and are driving for Lyft exclusively. Finally. Lyft does not have a phuqued up driver rating system like Uber does.
every night I spend explaining the rating system to customers that ask, I always get one or two that give me really low ratings. So now i try not to talk to customers about uber
Guys and Gals! I completed my first night of Uber driving and I must give a big thanks to the people who have posted in this thread. Honestly, thank you so much for your input. Even when things get off topic, they end up helping me out a great deal. I hope other new Uber drivers stumble on this thread. Really great stuff.
No, the rating system is not legitimate. I have been duscussing this for weeks and I have offered to consult with Uber to repair the flawed system. I’m glad you brought this up.
And people usually tip taxi drivers and you do not get water or plugs from them. Why would an uber driver give free perks when they dont get tipped. Not me.
Superman want jerk this guy is. I read your post and they are full of good practical advice. Older Chauffeur should take a, well can’t say it herealready been warned. Anyway thanks Superman for your post…
Uh oh…I have another question and I don’t think I’m going to like the answer to it.
When I log off Uber, and look at my profile there is a section called “recent trips” I believe (not positive it’s called that). When I tap on recent trips it brings me to a screen of all past fares with pricing on the right side.
Is this what is paid to me or does Uber still take 20% from that?
If you’re on the Uber driver portal dashboard, and on the “Trips” page, the dollar amount under “Fare” is what the rider paid, meaning that they’ll take the $1 fee and their 20% from that. If you go to “Invoices”, open up the current invoice and it will show you the “earnings” for each trip.
Oh heck yeah, the biggest is pay rates, you’re west of us in South Fla. Just be nice, keep the inside of your car smelling nice and clean, you should be OK. You should know your town, go out when it’s busy, duh, it’s a no brainer. We have Miami, it’s tourist season, it’s always busy and specially when it rains. Good luck, just don’t go to East Tampa/Ybor City late at night.
I got a good laugh reading about how water and chargers help with your ratings. Lol. Who cares if they do! Your rating is meaningless in regards to getting more pings or miles. It’s like school… all you need to do is pass. You get the same diploma as everyone else.
This is your business. If you want to waste your slim profits on water and candy … go for it. They want a cheap ride with uberx, that’s all they get from me.
You need to understand that you are an independent contractor and all that that entails. Read tax law as it pertains to ICs also re-read or read your contract. Good luck, and good profitability.
You’re spending money needlessly. I currently hold a 4.97 after 500+ rides. The only items I give my paxs are the items Uber reimburses me for. I do provide a charger in my car, but it’s only for my usage.