Tuesday, March 22, 2016

Uber Diary

I thought that I might try something a little bit different for anyone who wants or is a Uber driver.



 March 21, 2016
Interesting day.  I am gradually learning my way around downtown.  Usually if I have to drop someone off downtown, I go off line and head for better areas.
The GPS doesn’t work very well in the downtown area, giving inconsistent directions
One problem is that businessmen have little patience and will cancel at the drop of a hat.  It often looks that I am nearby but actually I am not positioned correctly or am dropping off a previous rider.  The app lets me accept a ride within 2 minutes of my present rider’s destination, which is not necessarily within 2 minutes of the next rider.
Interesting phenomena:  When I receive 2 or more requests simultaneously what do you do?   Hit the accept button and go where the GPS tells you.
Multiple destinations for pick up is another serious problem.  I received a request for pickup at the Fairmount Hotel,  the app changed it to 5 th Ave before picking up the rider on Wood St.
I had 4 cancellations and refused 4 requests.  I don’t accept any rides over 8 minutes.


March 22, 2016
I accepted a request for 12 minutes to test my theory of not accepting requests over 8 minutes.  The app immediately upped it to 15 minutes.  When I picked up the rider, I was told to go to a school 10 minutes away.  It then took me 15 minutes to return home for a total time of 42 minutes for a fare of $4.20.

Hang the acceptance rate.


I don’t recommend driving full time.  It is physically and emotionally draining.
It is best to drive only when there is surge pricing, which means you cannot drive whenever it is convenient for you.  I will drive from 8AM to sunset during surge pricing only, for a total of 2 to 3 hours at most.
You have to generate at least $15/Hour in Pittsburgh.  Watch your mileage and record it every day for tax purposes