Driving Experience - Page 2 of 19

by John Ince on July 3, 2017 55 Comments

Why Are So Many Drivers Still in the Game?

Last month, senior RSG contributor John Ince wrote a controversial post on the Seven Stages of Rideshare Separation, where he outlined the steps some drivers take from getting started to becoming disillusioned and quitting rideshare driving. That post generated a ton of comments and emails, and many people asked us why even bother driving if it’s so terrible? So today, John Ince is back, describing why many drivers remain in the game and continue driving – and why many drivers stay.

Recently I was having a power breakfast with an old friend, a relationship that dates back 30 years, and he was fascinated to learn that I’ve been driving for Uber. My friend then confided that his firm is one of the early investors in Uber.

Thirty years ago, I was on an upward career trajectory with degrees from both Harvard College and Harvard Business School, and I had hired him on his first job and served as his supervisor. Today I’m an Uber driver (writing these blog posts and a book about the experience) and he’s a finance rock star. Go figure. Once the awkwardness of our role reversals faded, he started asking me a lot of questions.

I described the experience honestly, explaining the plusses and minuses of the job, with special emphasis on the multiple ways Uber misrepresents the nature of the gig. After hearing all the bad stuff about Uber, he then asked the billion dollar question, “Why then are so many drivers still doing it?”

I took a deep breath. “The answer is not simple. Different drivers have different reasons,” I explained. “It has as much to do with broader societal trends as it does to do with Uber and Lyft.” Since that breakfast, I’ve had ample time to reflect on my response, and here’s what I’ve come up with for why drivers continue to drive for Uber and Lyft.

Rydar: The Ultimate Assistant For Rideshare Drivers

Rydar is like radar for finding the best rides. Optimize your routes, increase earnings and effectively manage your finances. Check it out here!

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by John Ince on May 29, 2017 39 Comments

Is it Better to Drive During the Day or at Night?

Harry here. In general, I’ve found it better to work at night, especially weekend nights, because you can usually guarantee on bar hoppers and club goers to request an Uber or Lyft ride all throughout the night. However, not everyone can (or wants to) drive at night, so today, senior RSG contributor John Ince compares day time driving to nighttime driving to see which one truly comes out on top.

Haven’t started driving yet and considering signing up? Check out my “Guide to Uber Driving” here and my “Ultimate Guide to Driving for Lyft” here to see if it’s right for you!

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by Harry Campbell on May 3, 2017 59 Comments

How Much Money are Drivers Losing from Upfront Pricing?

Uber introduced upfront pricing last year and within weeks, we started getting screenshots from drivers that showed huge differences between what the passenger was paying and what the driver was getting. We even wrote an article about these differences and provided screenshots of four examples.

To be clear, drivers have always gotten paid based off the actual time and distance of a ride, but Uber now quotes an upfront fare to passengers that will not fluctuate as long as the driver takes one of Google Maps’ recommended routes. So the driver gets paid what the meter runs and the passenger gets to pay what Uber quotes them. Uber has maintained that they lose money on some fares but make money on others and it all evens out in the end.

Upfront Pricing Ripe For Abuse?

Uber doesn’t have the greatest track record with transparency, and they are essentially saying ‘trust us, we promise not to take advantage of this system’. Around the time Uber instituted upfront pricing, drivers also started noticing a processing delay at the end of the trip. In the past, the payout to the driver would appear instantly on the screen but now it takes 1-2 minutes to show up. Drivers were paid the exact same way (based off actual mileage/time) before and after upfront pricing, so I see no reason that Uber would need ‘to process the ride’ unless they didn’t want drivers comparing their payouts to what riders paid.

This new delay made it difficult for drivers to cross reference their pay for the ride with the amounts passengers were paying, but we still get e-mails on a weekly basis from drivers who give a ride to a friend and compare the cost, only to see a large difference in what the passenger paid and what the driver received.

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by Dash Bridges on March 17, 2017 22 Comments

My Experience Signing Up With Postmates in 2017

Harry here. It’s been a while since I signed up for Postmates and in that time, a lot has changed. Today, RSG contributor Dash Bridges switches allegiances and shares his experience about Postmates’ new sign-up and on-boarding (or lack thereof) process.

I’m going to be honest with you. After writing four articles about my DoorDash experience, I found it difficult to come up with a new angle to write from. Nearly on cue, Harry emailed me and said I should consider signing up for Postmates. In summer 2015, he tried Postmates and shared his experience, but a lot has changed since then so I wanted to sign up with Postmates myself and see what it was like.

Entering this experiment, my knowledge of Postmates was that it’s a service similar to DoorDash, delivering restaurant meals as well as non-food deliveries. You get paid on a per delivery basis, plus tips, PLUS additional money based on mileage. In talking to other drivers I’ve met on the road, most of them said you don’t make as much with Postmates as you do with DD. But just assuming that conventional wisdom doesn’t make for a good blog post. So, with no further knowledge, I began the signup process.

Want to sign up for Postmates now? Click here to start your application process.

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by John Ince on March 15, 2017 13 Comments

The Brighter Side of Being a Rideshare Driver – What’s Inside Your Treasure Chest?

Harry here. It’s easy to get caught up in the minutia of driving and dealing with drunk passengers but sometimes it’s good to take a step back once in a while. Today, senior RSG contributor John Ince shares the story of his treasure chest and how he uses it to reflect on his experiences as an Uber driver.

For most rideshare drivers, the income is the main show. It’s the primary reason we’re doing it and we define our success by how much we pull in at the end of the day, week or month.

But this can quickly become a grind. Whenever something bad happens on a ride, it will be blamed on us, and we sometimes take a hit in ratings. Traffic is in gridlock, it’s our fault. We swerve to avoid an errant vehicle, it’s our fault. We’re caught in a horrendous traffic jam, it’s our fault.

In the midst of all this bad stuff, it’s easy to become jaded and forget the more precious moments – the moments that provide rich connections with complete strangers. It’s nice to have a reminder of that now and then of the underlying humanity that unites us.

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