There is no real excuse for letting the meter run long

Drivers Advice, Experiences
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#1

I have had technical issues where the app take a little while to end trip or crashes before I end trip. Eithet way if it ran long it is a matter of feet or maybe blocks. If you clearly see on map they rang long definitely ask for a fare review with no hesitation. As an aside that wont affect your rating as we wont see that until well after we have rated you.

So far as tipping I give out plenty of 5s without a tip. For me a tip isn’t expected but always welcome. I may be in the minority in that on this forum. That being said I do believe with Ubers significant fare cuts they should make it easier for customers to have the option to tip via the app.

#2

One thing I can say is that you’re full of crap. I can help you calculate the tip. Write it down! It’s $5. Every time. Keep those singles for the bus.

#3

I have had issues were I can’t turn the meter off coz I’m so high in the hills there is no cell signal. So I go slowly down the hill until cell signal returns and end the trip, normally it would be less than a $1.

#4

My boyfriend and I live in Vancouver where Uber is banned and regular taxi cabs are horrible. So last week we went to L.A and one of the things we were excited to try was Uber.

We took 4 rides. One with UberX and the rest with Uber Black SUV. Our experience was great. We had 3 amazing drivers (all but one) who offered us water, gum, opened the door for us and were attentive and kind. One of them took us from the Promenade in Santa Monica to the Walk of Fame, it was a $70 ride, but there was a lot of traffic and it felt like he should have gotten more from it. I ALWAYS leave great tips when I am served well, sometimes in restaurants if I am satisfied I will tip 30%. However we didn’t tip our Uber drivers and I now realize it was a mistake. I wish I could contact the guys who drove me to fix it but the app doesn’t let me. In any case, let me explain why because I think this might be happening to other passengers as well, and maybe this is the reason you guys aren’t being tipped as much as you would like:

#5

They should do something about their tipping system because it is obviously broken. They should either give you your 20% tips right away, create a “tip your driver” button that I can press from my phone and enter any amount I want, or they should at least remove the “you don’t need to tip your driver” portion from their website because it is very confusing.

#6

When I talked about the agency cut I didn’t mean in the transportation business, but other businesses. One that comes to mind is stripping and webcam modelling. Most strip clubs will require a stage fee, plus 50% of every dance the strippers sell, and sometimes even a portion of their tips. Strippers also have to tip the DJ, the bouncer, the bar tenders, and the house mom. Cam modelling websites which are similar to Uber in a sense because they provide costumers over a similar infrastructure will take up to 70 cents out of every dollar the models make. I know this because I have worked closely with the industry. But it happens in other industries as well such as event planning and house cleaning.

#7

I see what you mean about the cab being yours and having to pay for expenses out of your own pocket. But let me ask you one thing… if you have worked in other situations where the company provided the cabs and even the gas and still gave you 50%, why not go back there? I am a firm believer that if you aren’t satisfied with something in your life you must change it! complaining will never solve anything… that is just my outlook.

#8

Please imagine what happens if “I” along with many other drivers will consider not to participate on the Uber or any other platform any longer.
WE the drivers of the “first hour” highly motivated and with great customer service skills will disappear and we will be replaced with desperate drivers…
desperate because they currently may have no source of income and they are even happy to average at $5 per hour…

#9

About 10% of my Pax actually tip. I wish more would. That being said, and the fact that Uber sells the fact that tipping is not necessary means that you don’t have to tip. I suggest that you don’t leave the car until the driver turns off the “meter”. To avoid an awkward situation, ask the driver to turn off the meter because you want to know how much the ride cost you. That’s the only way the driver can tell you. Also, let the driver know you are rating him/her a “5”. That will also help the uncomfortable feeling of making him turn off the “meter”.

#10

This is because Uber has cut fares to be as competitive as possible, but kept their cut the same, and added the $1 fee that they get off the top of each and every single ride.

#11

If you want to know how we feel about it, this is how we feel. If you are looking for someone to say that all drivers are greedy for hoping for a tip, you’re not going to find that here. Uber advertises that drivers get a lot more than they actually do. If you look at just straight income and not expenses, sometimes it looks good. Once we figure in expenses, we see how little we are actually making.

#12

It is hard to believe the drivers would leave the meter running after the ride. The benefits from doing it are pretty low. And, there are many downsides to it. In a worst case, you risk being deactivated if there is a pattern. You are also not able to pick up a new ride. As others have mentioned, there have been a few times where I have had trouble closing a ride down, usually due to connectivity or network problems.

#13

I certainly would not downgrade a passenger for not giving a tip for an average ride. The common reason that I drop a star off the ratings is making me wait. Two other common reasons are slamming my doors and leaving trash in the car. I give most of my passengers a five. I will admit that a tip may turn an otherwise “four star” rating to a five.

#14

I haven’t been offered a tip yet. I’ve done 25 rides in my 5 weeks, doing it very part-time. Only one passenger even asked about it. She was my very first fare, and I told her “tip is included in the fare”. Oops, but again that was my first ride and I bought the company line.

#15

I really don’t care about getting a tip from pax, and every single one of my riders I have rated a “5” at the end of the trip. Lack of tip does not factor into my rating of them whatsoever. They’ve all been pleasant enough so they all get 5’s.

#16

That’s a fair point. They almost always take a longer way mileage wise. My issue with bad navigation is more last second navigation (turn here with no advance notice) or wait until last second to say turn left while we are in the right lane. After each turn I used to ask these people what’s next, but realized that annoyed them so now I shut up. Without fail they’ll stop paying attention and then either make us miss a turn or give me those last second directions. If you are going to navigate pay attention otherwise just give me the damn address.