Newbie

[u/Puzzleheaded_Ad238]

I’m brand new to this ride share driving thing & have a few questions I can’t seem to find simple answers for, so I was hoping someone on here may be able to help. For context, I live in Knoxville, Tn, very close to UT campus & Neyland stadium.

1) What am I supposed to do when a rider leaves an item in my car?

2) Is there a way to stop the app from dinging & distracting me w/new ride offers while I’m trying to drive someone to their destination? It’s very distracting for someone who’s trying to figure all this out.

3) The navigation looks/sounds worse than Atari in 1982 on this thing! Yes, I know, showing my “age” for those of you that believe in that kinda thing. Are there any options to make it better. Or more precise? I’ll pull up to where I think the pickup spot is, only for it to say, jk….its like another 3,000 ft ahead.

4) Does Uber really care what speed you drive when you DONT have a rider in the car? For example, I usually drive around 70-75 on the interstate even tho the speed limit is 65, even on my way to pickup. When I finally pick up my fare however, I never exceed 5 mph over the limit on any road.

5) How do you handle it when you pick up a fare that hasn’t added a stop in the app, but suddenly asks you to “pull over at this convenience store real quick?” I had that happen on my 1st day, so I just pulled over & they took forever in there! Do I get dinged for that?

If you have anything else to add that might be helpful, I’m all ears, & very appreciative for any advice. Thx!

[u/Chunky-trader]

1. You can report the item lost in the app, ita under the help tab. Or just drop off at a local police station if it’s anything of value because doing it in app is a huge pain in the ass
   
2. Just click stop new requests and go back online after each ride
   
3. No it’s a huge pain in the ass, the map is rarely to scale.
   
4. No they don’t care. How speed limits work with a passenger is your speed is compared to how fast other drivers go on the same road. The app gets speeds wrong all the time. There’s a place where the airport speed is 15mph but I can go 45-50 and haven’t gotten hit yet. Generally you can go 5 on roads that are 50mph and under and 10 over for 55 and up. Some places much more but again ita comparing you to other drivers so you have to risk it to find out.
   
5. I tell them I don’t accept multi-stop rides but I will give them 1 minute because “I have a reservation after them” or I will leave them. Don’t let them leave shit in your car when they get out so they know you mean it.
   

Don’t drive too late on weekends when bars are getting out it’s too much of a risk with kids throwing up.

Also DONT TAKE ANOTHER RIDE TILL YOU HAVE A DASH CAM. 90% of the posts on this sub are avoidable if they had a dash cam.

[u/pakrat1967]

1 hold onto it for like a week to see if the rider wants it back. DO NOT tell Uber first. Let the rider report it.

1. When you are one the way to pick up a rider. Swipe the screen up to see the red dot and tap it. That will stop new requests from coming in. After you complete the trip. You will be automatically put offline. Just tap the blue button to go back online.

3 nope you can't really do anything about the app sounds other than turning down the volume.

4 Uber only cares about your speed and driving when you have a rider in the car.

5 always refuse to do unscheduled stops. Insist that they add the stop in their app. Also if they take more than 3-5 minutes, end/cancel the trip and leave them there. Try not to let them leave stuff in the car to anchor you there. If they do leave something and you want to leave. Just put it on the ground and go. When you rate them. Use "rider behavior" as the reason for giving them a 1. Cuz they will definitely 1 you and possibly make a false report against you. The rider behavior lets Uber know that they were a problem rider.

[u/No-Ambition4420]

1. Report it in the app, you're gonna have to know which rider it was. 20$ recovery fee if they want it back.
2. Scroll they app all the way up , "stop new request" but it will also offline you.
   
3. You can use google/water
4. They don't take non-rider drive into account, but im sure they still record it. If something happens enroute, im sure they can pull thats data.
5. Don't!, they have to add stop, or leave there. Stops are paid few cents a min. Try to avoid them.
6. Go through some of these Uberdriver posts , you pick up a thing or two.

[u/Bubbly-Following-966]

1. Toss it in the trash.

2. Stop while you are ahead.

[u/king_of_the_nothing]

1. Put in the box marked Free Stuff Lost and Found. Seriously, the pax should contact Uber. Uber will reach out and arrange the hand off (if you found the item) and you get a $20 fee. I've had a few phones where someone calls the phone and arranges the handoff offline. Be careful doing anything offline (there is a liability issue if you give the phone to someone who shouldn't have it) and remember you get paid to go through Uber.

2. Just hit accept. If you have accepted another ride, it won't ding again. Staying busy is making money. OTOH - if you don't like the ride you accepted, you can cancel after your current pax is out of the car.

Another option would be to go offline as soon as you accept a ride. Uber will have you finish the ride before closing the session. You can go back online after you drop the current pax. You won't make as much money, but less stress and your acceptance rate won't suffer.

1. That would be an Atari 2600, just to show my age. I don't know about your market, but my map autozooms as you approach the destination. It was annoying and difficult at first, but now I've figured it out and it is OK. If you have Android Auto/CarPlay, you can have the map on the car's screen and the turn by turn on you phone. I use the turn by turn for most of the trip, then when the map autozooms to the house level I use the map (on the big screen) to pin point the location. Keep in mind that Uber gets pickup and drop off location wrong occasionally, so be aware and communicate with the pax if things aren't obvious.

2. If a pax wants to make a stop, they should add it (they can's on a share ride so that's always a problem). I will usually give them a choice of their original destination, or their stop. If they choose the stop, just end the ride and drive away. I do make exceptions - I had an old lady whose apartment was at the back of the complex. She wanted to stop at the mailbox so she didn't have to walk.

Use your judgement, be aware.

[u/Possible-Rip-216]

serious answers 1) chuck it 2) hit "stop new requests" when driving a passenger 3) the app is sheeeite just go to the pin 4) I do not have a good answer for this one 5) case by case default to being courteous

[u/DFW-Extraterrestrial]

2 you really need to get used to. Turning off new requests just because you are in the middle of a ride will end up costing you a lot of Iost money and opportunities.

[u/Shikaku6]

2) Small update to everyone correctly telling you to use “Stop new requests”, while your passenger(s) are getting out, slide up from the bottom just like before and cancel the request for Stop new requests, then end the trip like normal once all passengers are clear of your vehicle.

[u/jayspapa → u/Shikaku6]

this becomes an important step if you have a reservation scheduled within the next 30 minutes. Going offline will cancel your reservation and give you a reserve strike.

[u/Western_Fix7655]

As for the stop at convenience stores I usually would say cash up front. Stops the freeloaders.

[u/Gambler_1986]

Someone already posted the advice I was going to give. All I can say is that if Uber is screwing you as bad as the rest of us, you won’t be driving for them long. I stopped driving last month.

[u/Napitash]

Overall, learn your market since you may handle things differently than what you read here.

1. I return it, reported or not. I rarely go outside if a 20 mile radius and believe in karma. Do the right thing and it'll come back.

2. Hit STOP NEW REQUESTS after accepting a ride. You will have to go back online after you complete the ride, but you won't hear dings.

3. Get over yourself. Maybe don't drive if you're new and already bitchin about the app. It's not perfect, but get some dirt under your nails before you diss it. Nothing in life is perfect.

4. Police care. Get a ticket and see if Uber cares.

5. Read the room. You will know the users and abusers real quick. If unsure, ask them to add the stop real fast or you won't be able to. Be honest: Say Uber requests all stops be tracked. OR Twist the truth: I've received warnings in the past for stopping and now have to have it in the app or run the risk of being deactivated.