10 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Uber

9. The Tip Is Not Included In The Price Of The Fare

One of the conveniences of Uber is that the app connects directly to a person’s bank account and debits the cost of the ride directly from their account. Riders needn’t have any cash on them to take an Uber to get where they are going. However, this convenience has led many people to incorrectly conclude that the Uber fare includes a tip for the driver. Not so. Any and all tips must be paid directly to the Uber driver in the form of cash. The fare does not calculate a tip and no tip is debited from bank accounts. A recent survey found the “tip issue” to be the biggest complaint among Uber drivers, with most drivers claiming that only about one in every ten passengers offered them a tip for their services. Keep this in mind and have a few bucks on hand to tip your Uber driver.

http://nonprofithub.org/fundraising/the-best-fundraising-tips-for-2016/ Source: nonprofithub.org

8. Ratings Matter

Another way that Uber keeps tabs on its drivers and ensures a degree of professionalism and quality is by encouraging people who ride with the company to rate their driver. The highest rating is five stars, and many Uber chauffeurs take enormous pride in achieving a five-star rating. However, if an Uber driver’s rating falls below 4.6 stars out of five, they could be fired from the company or, more likely, their Uber account will be deactivated. Often times, drivers aren’t even aware that this has happened; ride offers just stop showing up in their phone and they suddenly realize that their Uber account has been deactivated. Therefore, it is important to know that the rating you give an Uber driver matters. You are literally impacting that person’s ability to earn money.

http://uberpeople.net/threads/post-your-ratings-page-anyone-got-me-beat.48264/page-2 Source: uberpeople.net

7. Uber Can Be More Expensive Than Traditional Taxis

While you may think it is cheaper and cooler to take Uber over a traditional taxi, in most jurisdictions, Uber is actually more expensive than a regular old taxi. In fact, in most major U.S. cities, Uber users paid, on average, $7 more per ride than if they had used a taxi service. This premium for Uber’s service has proven to be unsustainable in poorer countries and communities where Uber operates. For this reason, the company has reduced its rates by 30 per cent in many of the jurisdictions where it operates. However, in wealthy cities such as Los Angeles, Toronto, and Boston, the premium rates continue. So expect to pay more for a ride if you use Uber in certain areas (and don’t forget about the tip, as previously mentioned).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow_cab Source: Wikipedia

6. Uber Drivers Are Pressured To Accept A Lot Of Rides

While many people find working for Uber attractive because of the flexible hours and ability to earn extra money while working part-time, the cold hard truth is that Uber drivers are pressured to accept, at minimum, 80 per cent of the ride requests they receive. Less than that, and a driver risks having their account deactivated. Also, people who drive for more than 50 hours a week get a 10 per cent bonus based on the fares they’ve collected over the previous seven days. Bearing in mind that the average work week is 40 hours, and you can see that working for Uber is often a lot more of a commitment than part-time work, or a casual job to do in one’s spare time. This pressure to drive constantly for Uber has led a lot of people to stop working for the company.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/harrycampbell/2015/07/23/why-senior-citizens-are-flocking-to-uber/#494c3ee174a9 Source: Forbes

5. Some Uber Drivers Rent Their Car And Smartphone

People who want to drive for Uber but don’t have an acceptable car or their own smart phone are often able to rent both through the company. Uber Technologies has programs in place that connect people to car rental companies in their area and enable them to rent a vehicle for about $200 a week. Uber also allows people to rent the latest iPhone for $10 a week. These seem like good initiatives, but ultimately, they end up costing the drivers who work for Uber and take money out of their pockets. But for people who are hard-up and desperate to make some money, the rental programs offered through Uber enable them to get behind the wheel and get working for the company right away, which is helpful.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uber_(company) Source: Wikipedia

4. Drivers Get No Discounts Or Breaks From Uber

People who drive for Uber get no discounts or special deals should they themselves become an Uber passenger. The company treats each of their chauffeurs just like anyone else off the street when it comes to picking them up and taking them places. Drivers who work for Uber also complain that they are responsible for their own gas and the maintenance of their vehicle. From oil changes to tire rotations, Uber drivers are on the hook for all of it. This is in stark contrast to taxi drivers, who bring their car back to a garage each night where it is professionally cleaned, checked, and maintained. The lack of discounts and incentives has led to unrest and grumblings among many of Uber’s chauffeurs in recent months, but the company continues to hold firm on the (mis?)treatment of its drivers.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/uber-china-didi-chuxing-travis-kalanick-tencent-alibaba-a7165871.html Source: independent.co.uk

3. Uber Drivers Don’t Know Their Passenger’s Destination When They Pick Them Up

When an Uber chauffeur accepts a ride request, the only information they get is where the passenger is to be picked up. No other information is provided – including the destination address. This means that Uber drivers pick-up rides cold. Whether it is to an airport, hotel, or sports bar, the Uber driver doesn’t know until he or she picks you up and you tell them exactly where you want to go. This has led to some sticky situations for Uber drivers. For example, a man in Scranton, Pennsylvania once took an Uber all the way to Buffalo, New York – a 278-mile trip that took six hours. The Uber driver that picked the man up had no idea how far the passenger wanted to go. The trip cost $583.69, and the passenger had to contact three different Uber drivers before he found one who would take him to his destination. The first two Uber drivers who showed up sped off once they heard the man wanted to go to Buffalo.

http://time.com/3105020/uber-lyft-cancelled-rides/ Source: Time

2. Prostitutes Are Among The Most Frequent Uber Users

It’s not just students and business professionals in a hurry who use Uber. Prostitutes have also been found to rely on the ride share program. In fact, in some cities such as San Francisco and New York, prostitutes are among the most frequent users of Uber. Many of the late night calls Uber drivers receive are to pick-up prostitutes in seedy areas of town and bring them to their various calls. This has led to complaints that many Uber drivers put themselves in harm’s way working for the company. Other dangers include drunk riders, bad neighborhoods, and the risk of being beat-up, robbed, and left in a nasty part of town.

http://www.bustle.com/articles/73805-new-french-law-could-make-it-illegal-to-look-like-a-prostitute-in-public-but-you Source: Bustle

1. Uber Is Watching You!

Uber has to contend with a lot of bad publicity, and the company does not take it lightly — especially when the bad publicity comes from Uber drivers. Parent company Uber Technologies is notorious for keeping tabs on its drivers and seeking out any negativity on social media, and then promptly squashing it. Whether it is a Tweet or Facebook post, Uber has earned a reputation for taking swift retribution against any of its drivers who grumble or complain about the ride share app and the company’s practices. Many drivers who have been caught bitching and complaining online have swiftly had their Uber accounts deactivated. This policing of cyberspace seems to be one of the ways in which Uber is trying to control its reputation and help with word of mouth referrals. Consider yourself warned!

https://www.wired.com/2015/09/uber-appeals-class-action-ruling-in-worker-misclassification-lawsuit/ Source: Wired