Uber?

Color me impressed.

I did take an Uber yesterday even though the surge pricing was at 2.9X It was raining, it was pay day, and traffic looked snarled all over. So finding a cab would be tough, and calling one from near home would take too long.

During the trip, twice the Uber app lost its connection and reverted tot he home screen where you hail a car, but then reverted tot he trip in progress screen. after I got off at home, the connection was lost again and the trip wasn't marked as over. This persisted for the three minutes it took me to reach my apartment, where I could get the phone on WiFi.

The screen still showed the trip in progress, so I tapped on "cancel." It worked, and I gave it no further thought. The fare was 270 pesos, which falls well within the range of that trip at 2.9X.

Today I got email from Uber support asking why I cancelled. I answered what you read above. Next I got another email asking for the addresses from both departure and destination. I sent them. And now they tell me the driver did not end the trip right away, and credited back 108 pesos (a bit over $5 US)

I hear it sucks to drive for Uber, and I can see many problems, including an ever-rising supply, but it works rather well for the customer.

Couple things regarding Uber

I had a 630 am fight out of Tampa
I thought I would try Uber
The night before, I checked the Uber app at 430am, said there was a driver available
Following morning, I order Uber at 430am to take me to the airport
Initially it looked like cars were available
But once I actually ordered, it came back as no cars available
I live not to far from the airport so maybe at 430am, it was not worth it for the driver.

Seeing ads on TV Tampa market for Uber drivers

Quote: terapined

I live not to far from the airport so maybe at 430am, it was not worth it for the driver.

Highly doubtful it would be. Maybe if you were out anyways clearing out the bar-to-home crowd.

Quote: terapined

But once I actually ordered, it came back as no cars available

I chatted a bit with yesterday's evening driver. He told me the driver's app selects the nearest car to the request made by the user's app. Then the driver can take it or reject it.

Quote:

Seeing ads on TV Tampa market for Uber drivers

He told me something about drivers, too. He said he has three cars on Uber (obviously he pays other drivers). When he got started on Uber last year, the referral fee for a new driver after he joined Uber was about $30-35 US. He says now it's up to $250-300 US, and that he's considering just recruiting new drivers full time.

I can't vouch for any of this information. Maybe he was exaggerating or making things up. Who knows?

But the thing is demand for Uber services exploded last April 5th when the governments in the Mex City and the metro area implanted vehicular restrictions, which keep one's car from being used one weekday per week, plus one Saturday per month. This restriction also affects cabs and Uber cars. But the demand rose and so did the surge pricing at peak times. Naturally they'd want more drivers, with cars, to meet the demand.

That restriction expired today. Out of curiosity I've been checking Uber at odd moments around peak times. I haven't seen surge pricing at all, even though it's been raining, it's pay day and it's Friday.

Quote: Nareed

That restriction expired today. Out of curiosity I've been checking Uber at odd moments around peak times. I haven't seen surge pricing at all, even though it's been raining, it's pay day and it's Friday.

Having used Uber about 20 times now I still haven't had a trip with surge pricing.I am guessing that just means there are plenty of divers where I have been. I was in Corpus Christi yesterday and was surprised they didn't have Uber.

I imagine they had something that was Uber-like under a different name.

There are always practical problems that casino doormen and casino security know how to take care off.
.....1) Taxicab been sitting in the cab line and is now first. He doesn't want a short trip after all that wait time. Doorman will let him come back to the head of the line after taking some sweet young thing to the next door casino.
.....2) Doorman tells first in line taxi: Pull up to that security officer at the far end. Taxi driver groans, he knows a drunk is going to get dumped in his cab and that a little dab of air freshener just ain't gonna do the job at all. Doorman greases him a twenty.

It seems Uber doesn't have anything to handled these temporary distortions. Uber really can't slice either its driver's margins or its customer's margins too thin. A bar patron going to the airport is one thing, a flight crew another. Uber darn well keep the flight crew happy even if its 4:00am.

In addition to the discount I already mentioned, I just now got two more discounts of about $2 each.

But since the circulation restrictions have been lifted, I foresee no need to use them before they expire on July 17th.

I don't know if this happens elsewhere, but here you can call an Uber and let someone else, without the app or phone, ride it. Or, I suppose, to take advantage of someone else's discounts. That would be the only way I can see putting them to any use. we'll see.

Do you have Uber motorcycles in Mexico City, the way Korea and some other countries have a motorcycle driver who carries an extra helmet show up when you want a swift taxi thru the traffic?

Uber driver in Orlando FL arrested for refusing to carry service dogs for a group of blind people and for moving his car in such a manner as to have the body impact one of the blind people who was leaning in talking to him.

Police report mentioned driver laughed after the arrest.

Washington Post compares Uber and AirBnB as electronic equivalents to 'selling loose cigarettes' (black man killed in NYC) and selling CDs (Black man killed in Louisiana). The marginally unemployed/unemployable "side hustle" of the streets versus the "electronic side hustle" of white neighborhoods.