Uber has no allegiance to any driver and uses them as Guinea pigs in its broader plan to get driverless cars on the road. The patterns with which we operate are all recorded and the issues presented all become data for its future programs to cut out the inconvenient driver making travel for the precious pax more expensive and possibly less enjoyable.
Stop killing yourself with trying to achieve a 100% acceptance rate. You need to focus on maximizing your profit. You do not need to give rides to low-rated paxs and you surely do not need to waste time and effort and endanger yourself by changing directions for some piddly fare.
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That’s an excellent point. Ya know, if Uber wants us to chase shitty fares, Uber simply has to make it worth our while to chase those shitty fares. It truly is that simple. But at 80 cents per mile, I’m not turning around at 60 MPH.
When I enter a highway or drive on a high speed limit road with no place to turn around, I turn off the app. That way I minimize on pings that are behind me.
Not with a 4.98 driver rating. I’ve already discussed this with Uber and I’ve explained the flaws in their algorithm. See, their algorithm is based on historical travel, not predictive travel pattern.
My research indicates that pax will cancel seventy percent of the time when they see you driving in the opposite direction on the highway. And then you’re kind of screwed when you execute a direction change for no reason.
Exactly! With rates getting cut, we drivers have to be smart about what we accept. Yes, it’s cherry-picking, but it’s a natural and predictable response to rate cuts. We’re driving for profit, not fun and charity.
Too bad Uber won’t see it that way…and they are the ones who hold your fate. You may think you are in control but in the end they will weed out those with low acceptance rates. Just the way it is.
In my city I also experience no issues going the other way. I have received very few cancels for that unless I am going way out of the way. In most cases the PAX calls for a status. A quick explanation and they are good to go.
I don’t experience the 70% driving other way cancels Desert Driver gets, but I get some. Haven’t documented the numbers, but I’d guess about 20% do.
Cool…It may buy you some time but in the end it will come up as an issue. I think most here have experienced it first hand. I could have stayed a 5.0 and been choosy on my rides. But that’s not what Uber wants. They want completed rides the most efficient way. If peoples times to get a car goes up they don’t win.
Again Uber and your needs are not in alignment. And Uber will react accordingly…right or wrong. We see it here all the time. Will be interesting to see how they treat you in your market. Who knows with all the crappy new riders having some good ones may mean more to them.
Good points, all. And, really, the quality of my service (as reflected in my rational, pragmatic acceptance rate) is a direct reflection of the quality of the pax clientele. Thankfully, more drivers are getting wise to adjusting their behavior to match the rate of pay and quality of pax. It’s a natural evolutionary process.
So, what if the pax calls and then you learn that you’re about to turn around and run 15 minutes for an eight-dollar fare? Do you continue with that loss, or do you make a business decision and cancel?
Depends on if you are gaming guarantees. If you are, 90%. If you are not, only take pings that produce profits. I’d say anywhere between 10-30% of the runs are actually profitable.
Ahh, but SF also sees I have a 4.98+ driver rating and they send me congratulatory E-mails weekly for being in the top 3% in the US for driver rating. Yes, we who are statistically inclined know that’s a meaningless number, but Uber LOVES me for it. Weird, huh?
You are correct. But if you run your business under the ABC model and be smart about what pings you accept, you can approach 90% profitability ratio on your rides.