I am a DC uberX driver since 2013 and have SEEN IT ALL...so please, AMA

[Anonymous]

Some of us can wave until arms hurt and cabs won't stop, whereas Uber comes every time. Plus no cash. My friends can track my trip.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I LOVE your thread! I wish I could hire you as my Uber driver; keep up the hustle!

My questions:

-- How do you keep drivers from talking to you? Sometimes, I just want to stare out the window and go over a presentation for work in my head, not chat about where everyone's from.
-- Who was the weirdest rider you ever had and why?
-- Which university in the DC area has the best/worst riders?

Thanks!

- Past hello and confirming the address, I let the rider set the tone. If they ask questions, I'll chat it up. If they're silent, then so am I. Feel free to ask your driver to zip it, s/he'll get over it.
-People who are high on something harder than pot are weird. Thankfully every time I've drove someone really fucked up, they've had a pretty sober baby-sitter with them. Echostage pick-ups at 3-4am in the morning are notorious for this. A LOT of drugs get done there. Nothing serious has ever happened, but this is about as risky as I'll go. About 3 of those rides really stand out and all were crazy long rides to way-out VA...Reston/Manassas. One had discussions of heading to either the hospital or home going back and forth...a little unnerving, but I dealt with it.
-GW is the best. They most all seem to be pretty normal all-American kids and polite. All the rest, GTown (especially), AU, and Catholic seem to be from a cut of society that I'll just never be a part of or understand. I really get the "looked down upon" feeling from lots of them. IDGAF, but still, it's a little sad that even I feel it in their tone. Howard kids are, ummm, very urban, but fun...they break up the monotony. I keep the radio on WPGC 24/7, so that helps me get cred I suppose, lolol. Fun fact: There's a few white kids that go to Howard, around 5%. I had no clue. I could tell my white HU passenger got the question a lot from the way he answered it, lol.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How do you talk to other Uber drivers? (You mentioned female drivers saying how male pax treat them..) is there a company driver chat room on the app or some such?

What's the single most memorable ride you've had?

GroupMe, facebook, uberpeople DC, reddit.com/r/uberdrivers, zello All of these places are filled with complaints from drivers...95% of them about low pay. Just about anything imaginable is discussed in the remaining 5%....a lot of strategy talks and bad ride stories. Like I said, it's beneath some people to hustle, they want it the easy way. From my standpoint, I feel the rates in DC could easily go up 40% and passengers wouldn't notice. Rates have fell from $2.50/mile in early 2014 to about $1.00/mile today. Back when it was $2.50/mile, weekends were like PRINTING MONEY because the number of drivers was a tenth of what it is now. And while I'm on it, driver turnover is HUGE! Around 60% over every six months. Uber burns thru drivers constantly.

I pick up a 20-something girl in Merrifield at 7pm on a Friday. She's stone cold sober and says we're on the way Echostage to see Skrillex, but have to pick up her friend first at a DC happy hour. On I-66 at Ballston, the calls start....I hear "I'M DRUNK!!!!! WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU?!?" Friend is beyond gone. Has no clue where she is. Has ingested 'shrooms and "some pills". People were yelling at her. She's "somewhere around L Street". I honestly do believe her guardian angel sent me specifically as her uber driver that day, because no driver ever would have done this. We criss-crossed L Street for 10 minutes. She was so wasted she couldn't even read the street signs. I learned a long time ago the best way to get where someone is is to have them say any business name they see. So when we got her back on the phone she says "Art of Shaving" and there we find her on L & Connecticut. She's been crying and has lost a shoe. The meter on this ride is still rolling. She has a 5-minute breather and a sip of water, then she's all, "let's go see Skrillex!" I'm like "really?" Friend gives the ok, so off we go. TWO BLOCKS on down L Street, here it comes "I'M SICK!!!" I had heavy-duty barf bags in the car and given her friend one ahead of time. This girl got the first heave in the bag, I got the car stopped, and then she got the rest all nicely out of the car and onto the sidewalk of a church. "Alright, feel better?" "Yep!" "OK, let's go." I go down the street to take them back to Merrifield, wasted friend freaks out and was dead-set still on Skrillex, sober friend absolutely no way. She is still holding her friend's bag of puke at this point and we are now on 66-W. Lush did a nice job filling the rest of the bag up to the brim between there and Glebe Rd where I could drop off the bag in a gas station garbage can and then hop back on the highway. I got them home to Merrifield, total=$91.00 for an hour and a half-ride. EVERYDAY is different.

[Anonymous]

Interesting how you won't answer - are you uninsured and/or just driving on your regular car insurance -- even though most major carriers say if you drive for a ride sharing company, your policy is null and void?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I LOVE your thread! I wish I could hire you as my Uber driver; keep up the hustle!

My questions:

-- How do you keep drivers from talking to you? Sometimes, I just want to stare out the window and go over a presentation for work in my head, not chat about where everyone's from.
-- Who was the weirdest rider you ever had and why?
-- Which university in the DC area has the best/worst riders?

Thanks!

- Past hello and confirming the address, I let the rider set the tone. If they ask questions, I'll chat it up. If they're silent, then so am I. Feel free to ask your driver to zip it, s/he'll get over it.
-People who are high on something harder than pot are weird. Thankfully every time I've drove someone really fucked up, they've had a pretty sober baby-sitter with them. Echostage pick-ups at 3-4am in the morning are notorious for this. A LOT of drugs get done there. Nothing serious has ever happened, but this is about as risky as I'll go. About 3 of those rides really stand out and all were crazy long rides to way-out VA...Reston/Manassas. One had discussions of heading to either the hospital or home going back and forth...a little unnerving, but I dealt with it.
-GW is the best. They most all seem to be pretty normal all-American kids and polite. All the rest, GTown (especially), AU, and Catholic seem to be from a cut of society that I'll just never be a part of or understand. I really get the "looked down upon" feeling from lots of them. IDGAF, but still, it's a little sad that even I feel it in their tone. Howard kids are, ummm, very urban, but fun...they break up the monotony. I keep the radio on WPGC 24/7, so that helps me get cred I suppose, lolol. Fun fact: There's a few white kids that go to Howard, around 5%. I had no clue. I could tell my white HU passenger got the question a lot from the way he answered it, lol.

Thank you for your answer!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How does my passenger rating affect me? Are you less likely to pick up a 4.2 rather than a 5? My coworkers and I have a theory that once a rider's rating gets higher OR he/she starts using Uber more, he/she gets better Uber rides -- i.e. better, non creepy drivers; better cars; drivers who know where they're going etc. Any truth to that?

Your passenger rating doesn't matter a bit to me, to me you are a body needing a ride using an active credit card. I don't care what your rating is, we'll get along fine, and I'll give you a 5-star ride. Sorry to dehumanize it a bit, but it's a very monotonous job with some excitement sprinkled in a few times a week. I'd imagine most good drivers feel about the same way. We all drive to make $$$ and more rides=more money. And if you're a smooth driver, 99% of rides are always good anyways, so why refuse? (always at a surge-price of course)

The jury is still out on that last part. Uber says it doesn't, I say it does...kinda. My riders for the most part all seem to be pretty chill, many are waiting on the curb as I pull up, most are dressed well, and about all are nice & polite...and a bunch of them are paying surge-pricing. I also see some VERY fancy parts of DC that I never knew existed when taking some of these folks home, and I've been around. Therefore, I'm convinced that uber pairs "power" riders (2+ rides per day) with the best driver possible IF the pairing has a quick ETA, overriding lower-rated drivers who may be closer. But sometimes you simply get matched with the closest request and off you go to visit some jankey part of DC or Hybla Valley. Win some, lose some.

Also, my car is a blacked-out and sleek Ford sedan with a leather interior (trying to keep this anonymous as possible, but it's not a Crown Vic). It's a really smooth ride on the highway and in town. I get lots & lots of comments and questions on my ride...practically every other one. It's also a manual...if there's a conversation to be had along the ride, odds are it'll be about that. I'm also smooth-as-silk on the clutch & brakes and people notice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are you driving around uninsured? i.e. did you secure any special insurance to drive for Uber or are you just relying on your regular auto insurance policy -- which many of the major players like Geico say is no longer in effect if you drive for any ride share service.

Interesting how you won't answer - are you uninsured and/or just driving on your regular car insurance -- even though most major carriers say if you drive for a ride sharing company, your policy is null and void?

Cool your jets, investigator. If you haven't noticed, I have answered EVERY question so far, up to page 7. I'll get to you when I'm good and rested, and blow your assumption out the water.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do all Uber cars have to be black/white/gray? Or can they be other colors but I just haven't seen one? What are the rules on what kind of car you must have to drive?

UberBLACK and SUV are always black. UberX can be any color under the sun, but typically are the neutral black, silver, some white. I'd say 10% are other colors like blue, red, yellow.

A driver needs to pass the background check, the driving records DMV check, and have a personal-auto insurance policy on a safety-inspected car 2006 or newer with four doors...that's it. Welcome to uberX! Uber on! (:groan No training necessary and English is not required since the app comes in dozens of languages now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is it wrong that I'm sad mine is 4.83? I feel like I'm at least a 4.95

I just checked mine and I'm only a 4.66?? And I am one of those professional women who takes it sober. Maybe I have made drivers wait one too many times.

Passenger ratings mean nothing! Don't sweat it. Passenger ratings range wildly between 4-5...they're all the same to me. But that's probably it on the 4.66, PLEASE DON'T MAKE YOUR DRIVER WAIT! Time is money and it's a-wastin'. Order when you're definitely ready, check the app a time or two, and be ready to roll when the arrival notification comes thru. If you save me time, I promise I won't waste yours on the trip.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Where are the peak places to be during surge pricing?

For someone wanting to dive in head-first on their first day, Clarendon at 1:30am then DC from 2-3am on a Friday or Saturday nite. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why Uber is good around here vs a taxi -- no jurisdiction nonsense. If I'm in DC and want to take a taxi to Bethesda, the DC taxis often refuse it (and they are allowed to) since they can't pick up any fares once they are in MD. Most of my trips involve crossing a state/city/county border.

I spent $3k on Uber last year according to my credit card summary. 80% business use.

Thank you for singing the high praises! Anyone wanna go back to the zone system??? I remember having to beg a cabbie to take me and friends back to Alexandria from Georgetown only because he'd have that long, empty ride back to DC early-2000s. What a terribly dumb system. I have more than once in the past walked across Key Bridge to catch a RedTop at Arlington metro.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Some of us can wave until arms hurt and cabs won't stop, whereas Uber comes every time. Plus no cash. My friends can track my trip.

.

I know the story too well. The most typical rider is your normal "DC" white woman, followed closely by black men from all walks of life. Taxicab drivers brought their own downfall upon themselves.

[Anonymous]

How many women you drive around are highly attractive 9s or 10s? According to DCUM, there must be quite a few. Wondering if your experience confirms this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do drivers mind making multiple stops for different passengers in a non-pool ride? Eg. Friend and I get in uber and we live four blocks apart so driver drops her off first and the me.

Also have you ever considered uber black or XL? Can you make money doing that?

Oh no, not a bit...wheels moving/clock ticking= meter spinning.

I have no interest in BLACK, but would consider XL, maybe. But my deal now is tight. Paid-off ride, easy on gas, and I do all the maintenance myself... oil, brakes, tire rotations, filters. Very few folks have a lower cost per mile to operate than me. Practically every mile I drive is profit. I have no interest in increasing my costs.

I do believe that BLACK Towncar and SUV drivers make an ok living ($40-$50k/year) if they're good at the job, a smooth driver & talker, and own their own ride, but I'm sure it's still a grind for them too. I do know they wait for HOURS in between calls. A driver for a service is making $10-$12/hour + cash tips.

[Anonymous]

I have had two female Uber drivers -- one was during the day and the other was at night -- and both were nice and seemed to love it.

When I visited NYC and used Uber a couple of drivers there said it was their only income and claimed they were making six figures doing it. Is that possible?