Have you ever used Uber/Lyft (1 Viewer)

[Politician Spock]

Pure supply and demand though - would you rather have 6x surge pricing and get home, or 1x and no cars available to drive you?

True. But Uber's surge model is doing it backwards in regards to how people process and feel about price changes. People don't like paying a higher price... but they LOVE discounts. Uber's base rate should be set high, and as supply outweighs demand the base rate should get discounted. The revenue to Uber would be nearly identical, but people would love and brag about the discounts they got, and know what to expect to pay when rider demand is high. Instead people getting pissed off paying surge.

I also don't think they have their surge algorithms even close to correct. Before they changed strategy you would rarely see a surge about 2.5 here, now there are surges of 5.9 regularly. Then those areas get saturated with drivers waiting for passengers who are waiting for the surge to go down. Then the surge goes from 5.9 to 3.5 then to 2 within 15 minutes. The surges don't seem to incrementally increase either, they go from base to 3.9 to 5.9 within minutes. Gradual increases and decreases seem to be the right method but Uber has chosen not to institute that model, not sure why. Would make it more predictable for everyone.

When Uber first arrives in a market, drivers LOVE surge. But as the market matures, it can get to the point where drivers learn to drive AWAY from surge areas. This is because riders HATE surge, so as the market matures riders learn how to avoid paying surge. It gets to a point where when surge kicks in, very few to no ride requests occur until the surge ends. When the market is in that state, a driver is better off driving away from the surge area if they want to get a ping anytime soon. However, since most of Uber's drivers new to driving for Uber, Uber gets what it wants. There are a ton of riders waiting for surge to end, and a ton of stupid drivers heading to the area to get a surge fare (but they will never get). Surge ends, and riders/drivers get matched up. Eventually those drivers get sick of being baited by a surge only to not get a surge fare. Which is one of the reasons why Uber has such a ridiculously high turnover rate on its drivers.

 

[parasaurolophus]

Shannon Liss-Riordan seems like a real treat. Yay lawyers.

Perhaps Uber shouldn't have dodged laws.

Pretty sure that hasn't been determined yet. Even if CA courts do decide that they should be considered employees it will be based on a reach of a decision since there is no comparison.

Takes a lawyer to make that reach and a judge to reach with her. Those poor Uber drivers with their ultimate flexibility that have been oppressed.

Yeah right. This was a money grab thought up by attorneys. Promising somebody lots of money to embrace being "oppressed". The whole thing is crap.

Whats next? The guy that painted my house suing me to claim he was my employee? You know since I decided I wanted my house a certain color, that they couldn't start until a certain time in the morning, where they parked their leaky truck, what brand paint to use, and I made them take their shoes off when they came in my house to use the bathroom and if they showed up drunk I would have certainly kicked them off my property and not let them come back.

 

[Politician Spock]

Shannon Liss-Riordan seems like a real treat. Yay lawyers.

Perhaps Uber shouldn't have dodged laws.

Pretty sure that hasn't been determined yet.

Yes it has... just not in a class action suit.

Berwick vs Uber ruled that the plaintiff, who was an Uber driver, was an employee of Uber, and was owed everything the law requires of Uber as an employer. There is now a suit that was given class action status, and there's no good argument why Uber wouldn't lose it as well.

 

[comfortably numb]

Pure supply and demand though - would you rather have 6x surge pricing and get home, or 1x and no cars available to drive you?

True. But Uber's surge model is doing it backwards in regards to how people process and feel about price changes. People don't like paying a higher price... but they LOVE discounts. Uber's base rate should be set high, and as supply outweighs demand the base rate should get discounted. The revenue to Uber would be nearly identical, but people would love and brag about the discounts they got, and know what to expect to pay when rider demand is high. Instead people getting pissed off paying surge.

How would you work that?I need a ride today...8 miles away.

Normally...let's say it would be $10.

Are you saying set the price at $100 and then tell me their is a 90% discount?

Not sure why this is confusing, unless you're fishing.Instead of seeing 2x, 3x, 4x, etc... surges, you'd see 90%, 80%, 70%, etc... discounts.

Nothing was confusing, just wanted to make sure I understood how you meant to work this method.

I think that model might actually scare people away seeing a price of $75 even though the price they pay would be $15.

 

[Politician Spock]

Pure supply and demand though - would you rather have 6x surge pricing and get home, or 1x and no cars available to drive you?

True. But Uber's surge model is doing it backwards in regards to how people process and feel about price changes. People don't like paying a higher price... but they LOVE discounts. Uber's base rate should be set high, and as supply outweighs demand the base rate should get discounted. The revenue to Uber would be nearly identical, but people would love and brag about the discounts they got, and know what to expect to pay when rider demand is high. Instead people getting pissed off paying surge.

How would you work that?I need a ride today...8 miles away.

Normally...let's say it would be $10.

Are you saying set the price at $100 and then tell me their is a 90% discount?

Not sure why this is confusing, unless you're fishing.Instead of seeing 2x, 3x, 4x, etc... surges, you'd see 90%, 80%, 70%, etc... discounts.

Nothing was confusing, just wanted to make sure I understood how you meant to work this method.

I think that model might actually scare people away seeing a price of $75 even though the price they pay would be $15.

They wouldn't see a $75 price anymore frequently in a discounted model than they would in a surge model. Again, the rates at any given time would be nearly identical. When someone gets a fare estimate, it's based on the current rate at the time, not the base rate.

 

[[icon]]

Pure supply and demand though - would you rather have 6x surge pricing and get home, or 1x and no cars available to drive you?

True. But Uber's surge model is doing it backwards in regards to how people process and feel about price changes. People don't like paying a higher price... but they LOVE discounts. Uber's base rate should be set high, and as supply outweighs demand the base rate should get discounted. The revenue to Uber would be nearly identical, but people would love and brag about the discounts they got, and know what to expect to pay when rider demand is high. Instead people getting pissed off paying surge.

How would you work that?

I need a ride today...8 miles away.

Normally...let's say it would be $10.

Are you saying set the price at $100 and then tell me their is a 90% discount?

Not sure why this is confusing, unless you're fishing.

Instead of seeing 2x, 3x, 4x, etc... surges, you'd see 90%, 80%, 70%, etc... discounts.

Uber markets themselves largely on price... having a standard fare that's ridiculous doesn't really work under that model.

 

[nirad3]

Couldn't even get a Lyft in downtown LA at 2am-ish on New Years. Didn't even waste the taps to get to Uber, knowing it'd be wicked expensive. Had already made the walk from the hotel to the club so knew it wasn't much of a walk back so just opted for that.

 

[Politician Spock]

Pure supply and demand though - would you rather have 6x surge pricing and get home, or 1x and no cars available to drive you?

True. But Uber's surge model is doing it backwards in regards to how people process and feel about price changes. People don't like paying a higher price... but they LOVE discounts. Uber's base rate should be set high, and as supply outweighs demand the base rate should get discounted. The revenue to Uber would be nearly identical, but people would love and brag about the discounts they got, and know what to expect to pay when rider demand is high. Instead people getting pissed off paying surge.

How would you work that?

I need a ride today...8 miles away.

Normally...let's say it would be $10.

Are you saying set the price at $100 and then tell me their is a 90% discount?

Not sure why this is confusing, unless you're fishing.

Instead of seeing 2x, 3x, 4x, etc... surges, you'd see 90%, 80%, 70%, etc... discounts.

Uber markets themselves largely on price... having a standard fare that's ridiculous doesn't really work under that model.

The price people are paying wouldn't change at all.

 

[top dog]

Was in vegas for a couple days again this week. used Lyft 3 times, uber once and a taxi once. Had great experiences with lyft and uber. The last Lyft driver had an Escalade which was a pretty nice ride. Taxi was a POS Malibu with worn struts. Felt every bump. Uber seems to have more drivers and has faster response times in vegas, but lyft gives you the ability to tip in the app. Plus it gave me $5 off 10 rides which was nice.

At least in Vegas, I've had nothing but excellent experiences with both Uber and Lyft.

 

[tdoss]

Had the worst Uber trip in SFO yesterday. Guy reeked of cigarette smoke, and the entire drive to airport car smelled like cigarette smoke. And he went like 55-60 on 280 (where the average driver should be going like 70 and I drive like 80 myself) so it took extra time to get to the airport.

Not pleased. Not pleased at all. Cigarette smoke is freakin disgusting, unbelievable that I had to sit through that.

That should be an option...smoking/non-smoking uber.

 

[Mors Venit]

I take a cab early every sunday morning for band rehearsal. Its $15 plus tip.

I got the uber app hoping i could get a cheaper ride as advertised. Got a price of $18 and change.

I didnt see anything about surge pricing at 7 am on sunday.

Im not a satisfied customer.

 

[Otis]

I take a cab early every sunday morning for band rehearsal. Its $15 plus tip.

I got the uber app hoping i could get a cheaper ride as advertised. Got a price of $18 and change.

I didnt see anything about surge pricing at 7 am on sunday.

Im not a satisfied customer.

Must be marching band, because I can't imagine a rock band worth its salt doing much of anything at 7am on Sunday, let alone rehearsing.

 

[Psychopav]

So never used them before but would like to when I fly into DFW next month. It will be about at 1 hour drive to my destination. Can I book them in advanced or is it best to book once I land?

Download both apps now. They usually give promotional credits for first time users. Usually around $10 off first few rides. Whichever gives the better deal, go for it. They're pretty even as far as service in my experience, so i take whichever one offers the the best deal.And no, you don't order in advance. When you have your bags and are ready for a pickup, you pull up the app and request a car. FYI, you can see on the app how near the closest car is (in mins). HTH.

DFW airport has some funky rules about Uber. And it changes all the time. when you arrive and open the app while on DFW property it will give you a notification of what the current rules are.

Cabs to and from DFW are robbery. Talking like $65-$85 one way. Uber is half that or less so jump through the hoops.

Not sure I follow. Maybe it's the platform? I use an iPhone for Uber from dfw all the time, just did again last night. You just tell it which terminal and set of gates you're at, then text the driver to let him know specifically which door (or wait for him to call or text you). Couldn't be easier imo.

 

[Psychopav]

Some people on my fb feed are complaining.

One guy said he paid 230 on a 20 ride.

There was only a 2x surcharge in my town.

I get the feeling like your getting taken advantage of but if you are planning on using this service at that time you have to kinda expect a big surcharge, no?

Why wouldn't he just call a cab instead?

 

[[icon]]

I take a cab early every sunday morning for band rehearsal. Its $15 plus tip.

I got the uber app hoping i could get a cheaper ride as advertised. Got a price of $18 and change.

I didnt see anything about surge pricing at 7 am on sunday.

Im not a satisfied customer.

Must be marching band, because I can't imagine a rock band worth its salt doing much of anything at 7am on Sunday, let alone rehearsing.

seriously

 

[Psychopav]

I take a cab early every sunday morning for band rehearsal. Its $15 plus tip.

I got the uber app hoping i could get a cheaper ride as advertised. Got a price of $18 and change.

I didnt see anything about surge pricing at 7 am on sunday.

Im not a satisfied customer.

Did you tip the Uber driver? Wouldn't it have been cheaper after you tipped the cabbie?

 

[Mors Venit]

I take a cab early every sunday morning for band rehearsal. Its $15 plus tip.

I got the uber app hoping i could get a cheaper ride as advertised. Got a price of $18 and change.

I didnt see anything about surge pricing at 7 am on sunday.

Im not a satisfied customer.

Did you tip the Uber driver? Wouldn't it have been cheaper after you tipped the cabbie?

i cancelled the uber ride.

i tip the cabbie 2 bucks usually so its still cheaper than uber

 

[Mors Venit]

I take a cab early every sunday morning for band rehearsal. Its $15 plus tip.

I got the uber app hoping i could get a cheaper ride as advertised. Got a price of $18 and change.

I didnt see anything about surge pricing at 7 am on sunday.

Im not a satisfied customer.

Must be marching band, because I can't imagine a rock band worth its salt doing much of anything at 7am on Sunday, let alone rehearsing.

seriously

saturday and sunday morning are practice. the only time we can get together due to our work scheduled and 2 of the members having children.

 

[Mors Venit]

I take a cab early every sunday morning for band rehearsal. Its $15 plus tip.

I got the uber app hoping i could get a cheaper ride as advertised. Got a price of $18 and change.

I didnt see anything about surge pricing at 7 am on sunday.

Im not a satisfied customer.

Must be marching band, because I can't imagine a rock band worth its salt doing much of anything at 7am on Sunday, let alone rehearsing.

our rehearsal days are usually like this.

8 am -10 am we jam

10am- 11am we go down the block for beers and shots of jack

11-am-1pm we jam

then we go home

 

[[icon]]

If you guys ever book a Gig, and it's on Saturday (like would be expected), will you guys cancel practice? Or will it one of those things where "hey, we're just the opener's opener so we're off stage by 7:35.." type things?

 

[Mors Venit]

If you guys ever book a Gig, and it's on Saturday (like would be expected), will you guys cancel practice? Or will it one of those things where "hey, we're just the opener's opener so we're off stage by 7:35.." type things?

We would rehearse at night during the week to prepare for the show

 

[Mors Venit]

There is no opener for the open. Local shows everyone does 45 minutes

 

[TheAristocrat]

There is no opener for the open. Local shows everyone does 45 minutes

Do you charge by the earplugs or yawning?

 

[Mors Venit]

There is no opener for the open. Local shows everyone does 45 minutes

Do you charge by the earplugs or yawning?

Ill take you off our mailing list

 

[ericttspikes]

Over the summer my wife and I and another couple were going to dinner. I knew we were going to drink quite a bit so I ordered an Uber pick up. Figured it was a responsible thing to do. We weren't in the car but a couple of minutes and the driver blew through a stop sign at the end of our street into a usually very busy road. We missed getting t-boned by a few seconds and probably killed. I've not used Uber since.

 

[The General]

So just took an Uber and as I was leaving the car I opened door into a passing car. On a side street so the other car wasn't going fast, just minor damage. Totally my fault.

Uber driver says we pay a little bit in each ride for insurance. Hope it's good insurance.

 

[Binky The Doormat]

There is no opener for the open. Local shows everyone does 45 minutes

You do 3 shows a night?

8pm, 8:15 & 8:30?

 

[RUSF18]

Any weird Uber rules in DC at Union Station to be aware of?

 

[Mors Venit]

There is no opener for the open. Local shows everyone does 45 minutes

You do 3 shows a night?

8pm, 8:15 & 8:30?

Each band does a 45 minute set. Usually 4-5 bands a night

 

[Doctor Detroit]

Any weird Uber rules in DC at Union Station to be aware of?

Should be good

 

[Doctor Detroit]

So just took an Uber and as I was leaving the car I opened door into a passing car. On a side street so the other car wasn't going fast, just minor damage. Totally my fault.

Uber driver says we pay a little bit in each ride for insurance. Hope it's good insurance.

Yeah don't worry, he'll get paid back in 2023.

 

[Doctor Detroit]

Pure supply and demand though - would you rather have 6x surge pricing and get home, or 1x and no cars available to drive you?

True. But Uber's surge model is doing it backwards in regards to how people process and feel about price changes. People don't like paying a higher price... but they LOVE discounts. Uber's base rate should be set high, and as supply outweighs demand the base rate should get discounted. The revenue to Uber would be nearly identical, but people would love and brag about the discounts they got, and know what to expect to pay when rider demand is high. Instead people getting pissed off paying surge.

How would you work that?

I need a ride today...8 miles away.

Normally...let's say it would be $10.

Are you saying set the price at $100 and then tell me their is a 90% discount?

Not sure why this is confusing, unless you're fishing.

Instead of seeing 2x, 3x, 4x, etc... surges, you'd see 90%, 80%, 70%, etc... discounts.

Uber markets themselves largely on price... having a standard fare that's ridiculous doesn't really work under that model.

The price people are paying wouldn't change at all.

Surprises me how customers just don't understand the pricing. They can bring up in the app what the trip will cost, if it's too much then don't call an uber. Then the stream of complaints...

Really?

 

[The General]

Any weird Uber rules in DC at Union Station to be aware of?

I'm not from DC but have taken the train into Union Station quite a few times and taxis from there are usually pretty good as well. Occasionally a long line but there was always a long line of cars so it moves pretty fast.

Used Uber all around DC after that and had zero problems. Perfect way to walk around and see everything knowing you could always get a car easily if you got tired of walking.

 

[The General]

So just took an Uber and as I was leaving the car I opened door into a passing car. On a side street so the other car wasn't going fast, just minor damage. Totally my fault.

Uber driver says we pay a little bit in each ride for insurance. Hope it's good insurance.

Yeah don't worry, he'll get paid back in 2023.

Hopefully not, but really am just concerned that he ruins my 5.0 Uber score.

 

[RUSF18]

Any weird Uber rules in DC at Union Station to be aware of?

I'm not from DC but have taken the train into Union Station quite a few times and taxis from there are usually pretty good as well. Occasionally a long line but there was always a long line of cars so it moves pretty fast.

Used Uber all around DC after that and had zero problems. Perfect way to walk around and see everything knowing you could always get a car easily if you got tired of walking.

Yeah I had decent experiences with cabs back when I used to spend a lot of time in DC, but this time I have to go to Bethesda so I'm trying for a bit of a more comfortable experience, not to mention avoiding any potential issues of a cabbie not wanting to leave the city.

That reminds me though...maybe 6-7 years ago I was down there when cab drivers were protesting a measure to require them to start accepting credit cards. I can't imagine what kind of protest they put up when uber was allowed to operate in DC.

 

[The General]

Any weird Uber rules in DC at Union Station to be aware of?

I'm not from DC but have taken the train into Union Station quite a few times and taxis from there are usually pretty good as well. Occasionally a long line but there was always a long line of cars so it moves pretty fast.

Used Uber all around DC after that and had zero problems. Perfect way to walk around and see everything knowing you could always get a car easily if you got tired of walking.

Yeah I had decent experiences with cabs back when I used to spend a lot of time in DC, but this time I have to go to Bethesda so I'm trying for a bit of a more comfortable experience, not to mention avoiding any potential issues of a cabbie not wanting to leave the city.

That reminds me though...maybe 6-7 years ago I was down there when cab drivers were protesting a measure to require them to start accepting credit cards. I can't imagine what kind of protest they put up when uber was allowed to operate in DC.

Gotcha. Uber almost always is a better car and more comfortable. Their standards have slipped since the first couple of years IMO but still better than most cabs.

In my town the cabs lost it over Uber initially. Put info in the paper about how it was unsafe, bad product, etc. Fought them for awhile, limited the number of drivers, then eventually lost and Uber is everywhere now. Service is infinitely better.

 

[maf005]

Uber is really starting to annoy me. I'm a long time customer and have taken upwards of 200 rides over the past couple of years. The service and convenience is amazing, but the surge pricing model (which is a super misleading descriptor) is extremely bad practice. Let me explain. What's become apparent is that surge pricing does not kick in based solely on supply and demand (as Uber explains), but on the customer's willingness to be overcharged. To keep it simple let's define supply as the # of available cars nearby, and demand as the # of customers nearby who need rides. 

If pricing was simply based on supply and demand dynamics, those variables are the only two that matter. But at least one other variable exists, which is basically the customer's willingness to be patient and price shop. I find it super irritating that you can get quoted a price that is super high, only to research 2 mins later for the same route and be quoted a significantly lower price, etc etc

Additionally, people who insta-accept the first bid and don't "shop" or wait for better rates are charged higher prices than those who do. Last month I went to MX City for a few days and used Uber exclusively to get around the city. Rates were $2-5 per ride (basically free) which I thought was a great deal until the locals told me I was paying 2-4x too much for the ride. Ever since that trip I've been getting quoted higher than expected rates and I'm having to "shop" more than previously. Pretty sure my account was flagged as someone who accepts 1st offers (because I did accept first offers for a week straight in MX City when even surge rates were super low) and now get higher rates as a result. 

Anyone else noticed this?

 

[EYLive]

Does Lyft do surge pricing? They're generally cheaper for me but I've never ridden during high demand times.

 

[Nick Vermeil]

Does Lyft do surge pricing? They're generally cheaper for me but I've never ridden during high demand times.

Oh boy do they. I dumped Uber during the revolt (was looking for a reason, hate that CEO). Lyft has been good but my post Super Bowl ride was, I thought, going to be marked up 150%. But in reality they ADDED 150% to my quoted fare. I damn near had a heart attack the next morning. Could have been all the ribs I guess. 

 

[EYLive]

good to know

 

[Binky The Doormat]

Oh boy do they. I dumped Uber during the revolt (was looking for a reason, hate that CEO). Lyft has been good but my post Super Bowl ride was, I thought, going to be marked up 150%. But in reality they ADDED 150% to my quoted fare. I damn near had a heart attack the next morning. Could have been all the ribs I guess. 




 

You mean they added 150% and didn't tell you?  So you had no chance to back out and shop again or even know as you were getting out of the ride?

 

[massraider]

I used Uber in London, never added it when I got back, and really, #### Uber.

I use Lyft, and even Curb and Arro for yellow cabs. Recent driver recommended Juno, gonna check it out.

One comical thing that I do to poor yellow cabs is say, "thanks buddy!", jump out and walk away, because I am so used to Lyft, that I forget to pay. I've done out at least 3 times, and they always have this long delay before yelling, like they can't believe I'm just strolling away, and not paying. 

 

[bagger]

That should be an option...smoking/non-smoking uber.

Uber is very strict that if a car smells like smoke you should report it.

 

[TheAristocrat]

Anyone have any experience with scheduling an Uber for a ride to the airport at 3:30 AM?  The app says that there is no guarantee that a driver will pick up the request.

 

[[icon]]

Anyone have any experience with scheduling an Uber for a ride to the airport at 3:30 AM?  The app says that there is no guarantee that a driver will pick up the request.

No way to schedule. They should have that option, as that was a point of stress for me in Cambridge, MA > Logan at 4am this August as well. Thankfully there was a driver available. Would be nice to be able to schedule stuff like that and have drivers bid on / accept the rides. Seems like an easy functionality to build into the service.  

 

[bro1ncos]

Anyone have any experience with scheduling an Uber for a ride to the airport at 3:30 AM?  The app says that there is no guarantee that a driver will pick up the request.

There are drivers out 24/7. You will get a ride, but I might add 30 minutes to my travel time. Better to be 30mins early than 30 mins late.

 

[TheAristocrat]

There are drivers out 24/7. You will get a ride, but I might add 30 minutes to my travel time. Better to be 30mins early than 30 mins late.

Yeah, I did that. Thanks! Like icon said, if I had a some dollar guarantee or a notification that they had my back, that'd be awesome. 

 

[Maurile Tremblay]

I've always been on Uber's side -- in their battles against cab companies and politicians to resist being made illegal, in hiring drivers as independent contractors rather than as employees, in their surge pricing practices, in their decision to turn off surge pricing during the airport protests...

But this is going to make me boycott Uber for a while. Maybe for good.

 

[tommyGunZ]

I've always been on Uber's side -- in their battles against cab companies and politicians to resist being made illegal, in hiring drivers as independent contractors rather than as employees, in their surge pricing practices, in their decision to turn off surge pricing during the airport protests...

But this is going to make me boycott Uber for a while. Maybe for good.

I read that earlier today and if true, it's awful.  Just seems a little over the top to me.  

 

[comfortably numb]

I've always been on Uber's side -- in their battles against cab companies and politicians to resist being made illegal, in hiring drivers as independent contractors rather than as employees, in their surge pricing practices, in their decision to turn off surge pricing during the airport protests...

But this is going to make me boycott Uber for a while. Maybe for good.

cliff notes for lazy people who care enough to want to know but not enough to read 8 pages?