UberPool

by John Ince on January 1, 2018 35 Comments

Uber Express and Lyft Shuttle Compete Directly With Public Transit

While not available in every city (yet or ever), Uber and Lyft have rolled out two new products designed very similarly to public transit. Called Uber Express POOL and Lyft Shuttle, the services offer passengers lower fares in exchange for asking passengers to congregate in one area for you, the driver, to pick them all up. They will then be dropped off at one location. Today, senior contributor John Ince explains how this works, public feedback, and what it could mean for drivers.

Recently, Uber rolled out a new product in San Francisco and a few other cities called Express POOL, which promises passengers dramatically lower fares in return for asking said passenger to walk a short distance to predetermined pickup and drop-off spots.

Lyft has its own version called Lyft Shuttle where passengers follow pre-determined routes and everything is a flat $3 fare.

Uber’s Express POOL’s variable fares are dramatically lower than UberPOOL, often by over 50%. And both Lyft Shuttle and Express POOL allow up to 4 passengers. If this seems a lot like a bus pickup, it’s because that’s definitely the direction Uber and Lyft are heading. So far, these services are being tested in places like San Francisco and Chicago but it could be just a matter of time before they roll out to other cities.

Track Your Miles for Free with Stride Drive

Smart drivers know they need to track their mileage from start to finish. Stride Drive is a free app you can use to track your mileage, which will help you save money at tax time.

[Read more…]

by Harry Campbell on September 26, 2017 55 Comments

Uber Will Pay Drivers More for UberPOOL Rides

UberPOOL has been a tremendous pain point for drivers since the product’s launch a couple years ago. Picking up and dropping off passengers is the toughest part about this gig, and UberPOOL only made that worse. Uber also pays drivers less per mile and per minute on UberPOOL compared to UberX, so it sometimes feels like you’re doing more work for less money.

At times, it even seems like passengers don’t like UberPOOL, since they seem to moan and complain whenever they get matched with another rider and I want to yell “Dude, you called for an UberPOOL!”

For the most part though, I’ve stopped giving UberPOOL rides unless I’m on a Quest Bonus or using the destination filter, and I know a lot of experienced drivers feel the same way. We actually surveyed drivers here in Los Angeles, a major UberPOOL market, and 75% of them were dissatisfied with their UberPOOl experience, so it’s no surprise that there are some major improvements that can be made.

Today, Uber announced Chapter 4 of their 180 Days of Change initiative and it’s focused on improving the UberPOOL experience for drivers and riders and the changes will go live immediately in Uber’s 13 UberPOOL markets.

I think the changes are definitely a step in the right direction since they address higher earnings for POOL rides, but only time will tell if the other additions actually make drivers want to take UberPOOL rides.

[Read more…]

by Christian Perea on July 19, 2017 18 Comments

Big Changes Arrive For Lyft Line and (Probably) UberPOOL

Big changes are coming to Lyft Line, and it looks like UberPOOL may follow suit! But did Lyft really come up with this rate increase for drivers, or were they spurred to do it by Uber? Senior RSG contributor Christian Perea outlines what this rate increase for Lyft Line means for drivers, and what we may expect to see from UberPOOL.

We got some good news about shared rides on July 13th when Lyft announced they would increase what they pay to drivers for Lyft Lines to match the pay for Lyft Classic. In the past, Lyft drivers actually earned less per mile and per minute on Lyft Line rides than they did on regular Lyft rides.

But now, Lyft drivers will get paid based on of the same rate card as Lyft Classic. This move is significant because it’s the first time ever that a rideshare company has announced a nationwide price increase for drivers (even if it’s just limited to Lyft Line).

[Read more…]

by John Ince on April 17, 2017 160 Comments

7 Reasons Why I Hate Uberpool and Lyftline

Harry here. According to our latest survey, a majority of drivers are dissatisfied with UberPOOL but what exactly makes these rides so unpleasant? Today, senior RSG contributor John Ince takes a look at why he doesn’t like to accept UberPOOL and Lyft Line rides.

I’ve never been a fan of UberPOOL and Lyft Line, but this weekend I let one slip past my watchful eyes and accepted it. Big mistake. It turned into the UberPOOL from hell. When I got home, I decided to put down all the reasons why I hate UberPOOL and Lyft Line. Later, my colleague at the Rideshare Guy, Christian Perea, added to the list with a few more POOL Pain Points. Feel free to let us know about your 3P’s in the comments section below.

If you’re not familiar yet with UberPOOL or Lyft Line, you can read more here, but basically UberPOOL and Lyft Line allow passengers to request a shared ride, which means they’ll share the ride with another passenger or two heading in the same direction. This saves the passengers money because they’re carpooling. For drivers, it’s another story.

[Read more…]

by Jonathan Knope on October 5, 2016 45 Comments

Uber Now Adding Second UberPOOL Passengers Automatically

Harry here. If you missed my first Youtube Live Q&A, you can check it out here and make sure to subscribe to our channel to catch future videos.

Today, RSG contributor Jon Knope takes a look at a big change to the way Uber handles uberPOOL requests. It doesn’t seem like a change drivers were asking for, but is it that bad?

There have been a few changes to the Uber driver app recently, but the biggest has to do with the way uberPOOL passengers are now handled. Here’s the lowdown on what’s changed, and the mixed reaction the new update has received in the weeks since.

[Read more…]