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

[Anonymous]

So are short drives preferable to long ones? Are the rides out to the suburbs no good? Do drivers rather stay in DC?

[Anonymous]

How do you feel about UberPOOL? Does it make you more or less money? Do you automatically cancel or screen for POOL rides?

Also, how do you handle taxes? Do you depreciate your car and deduct expenses related to driving (gas, maintenance, etc.)?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And I've done the reverse...driving a dealer all over DC making stops to deliver.

Do you by chance have this customer service rock star's phone number?

[Anonymous]

I've heard when you open the uber app, the cars driving around the map of your location are "illustrative" until you request a ride. Is that true?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Have you ever thought about writing a novel or a tell-all about your experiences? There are some interesting books that have been written in this vein -- one by a guy who worked at a really classy restaurant, etc. People love to know what goes on behind the scenes! You're an interesting writer with great observations. I would read your book!

Also wondering if you're a follower of Mr. Money Moustache. You guys seem to have a similar economic philosophy regarding the savings.

I agree with both of these things. There's definitely a book here, and I agree that he would be a great story for Mr. Money Mustache, at least he would have been before MMM shifted to his anti-carbon tirade.

Passengers often say I should, but I have zero desire. It makes for a good story in person though. I think it'd be boring to read over & over about the dumb things that drunk passengers do. This open forum works way better and will probably be my tell-all, lol. Also, I'd prefer to keep it strictly anonymous so I can be more truthful on the shady parts of the job and all the gripes with uber.

And yes, MMM is ok, but I love bogleheads more. If someone suggests bogleheads over in Money & Finance, it was probably me. Live below your means, save as much as you can...easier said than done.

Anonymous wrote:So are short drives preferable to long ones? Are the rides out to the suburbs no good? Do drivers rather stay in DC?

Drivers are everywhere 24/7. Dulles to Ocean City and Fredericksburg to Frederick. Long, direct rides are most preferable. More miles=more money. Short rides are fine, but it's hard to get a rhythm going with a bunch of them in a row. Long-ish rides on surge-pricing are the backbone for a driver's earnings. Drivers will specifically try to drive "their turf". MD/DC/VA is entirely "my turf" and I can snag a ride from about anywhere. A day that I can stay entirely inside the Beltway (and preferably in DC/VA) and be constantly busy is ideal.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And I've done the reverse...driving a dealer all over DC making stops to deliver.

Do you by chance have this customer service rock star's phone number?

lol, sorry, no...I don't know him personally, it was a total random pick-up. I highly doubt he'd want it blasted all over DCUM anyways.

Anonymous wrote: I've heard when you open the uber app, the cars driving around the map of your location are "illustrative" until you request a ride. Is that true?

No, they're real, but there's some lag so it's not a live map. If a driver is sitting still, they would show on the map pretty close, but if they are moving, no chance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How do you feel about UberPOOL? Does it make you more or less money? Do you automatically cancel or screen for POOL rides?

Also, how do you handle taxes? Do you depreciate your car and deduct expenses related to driving (gas, maintenance, etc.)?

I HATE uberPOOL and so does every other driver with a passion. It is a huge time-suck for the driver waiting for all those passengers and uber fudges with the money payout on the back-end because the uberPOOL fare calculation is shady. Doing shared uber rides around town is a losing proposition. IF I do a Pool ride, it's going to be at surge-pricing, and I'm likely to make it a solo ride the entire trip by refusing to pick-up on any more riders along the way. But I totally see why riders love it...it's dirt-cheap and can be less than the bus or metro a lot of times. New drivers don't know any better and will do Pool rides all day long. Then they'll wonder at the end of the day why have they driven 100 miles and only collected $40.

My car was pretty depreciated before I got started. I solely keep track of my mileage with pen & paper and then use the IRS standard mileage rate to calculate the deduction. There are a couple of other line item expenses that you can deduct beyond mileage and I keep on top of those too. I wouldn't come out ahead figuring in itemized expenses like gas, brakes, oil, tires, plus depreciation, so just keeping track of mileage makes the paperwork easy. I spend very little on the car as far as maintenance past the essentials, and do all the easy work myself.

[Anonymous]

I agree, don't write a book about it. Kitchen Confidential did OK because there are many aspects to the restaurant business and it was about a famous restaurant. I read a similar one about hotels that got boring after a while. There's a million NYC cabbies out there who could write a book with funny driver stories.

A blog could work though.. but not sure you'd want to spend your time on it vs driving.

Great AMA I will say that. I've toyed with being an UberX driver just for the fun of it, a few hours here and there. We're luckily very well financially, so it would just be to meet new people. Not sure it's as "fun" as it seems though.

I had a Lyft driver a few Friday nights ago who was a middle-aged female single schoolteacher. She said she did it since it's more fun than sitting alone at home in her apartment on Friday nights.

[Anonymous]

Don't know if this had been covered but is there a way to keep a "regulars" list? Our daughter goes to college in a city and relies on Uber an average of 2-3x per day. Just thinking about the numbers of "strangers" she's getting into a car, the drivers who don't know the area, don't speak English or otherwise just give her a bad vibe have me wishing she could make some sort of connection with a handful of preferred drivers (or at least not get the bad guys again). Any suggestions? Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Don't know if this had been covered but is there a way to keep a "regulars" list? Our daughter goes to college in a city and relies on Uber an average of 2-3x per day. Just thinking about the numbers of "strangers" she's getting into a car, the drivers who don't know the area, don't speak English or otherwise just give her a bad vibe have me wishing she could make some sort of connection with a handful of preferred drivers (or at least not get the bad guys again). Any suggestions? Thanks!

+1, there are some drivers I'd pay extra to drive me they were that good.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Don't know if this had been covered but is there a way to keep a "regulars" list? Our daughter goes to college in a city and relies on Uber an average of 2-3x per day. Just thinking about the numbers of "strangers" she's getting into a car, the drivers who don't know the area, don't speak English or otherwise just give her a bad vibe have me wishing she could make some sort of connection with a handful of preferred drivers (or at least not get the bad guys again). Any suggestions? Thanks!

I wish I could get a stable of regulars. I would've quit my day job by now. But the service is meant to be speedy and efficient, so the closest driver gets the ride request. It's tough to have a driver conveniently on call because the odds of him/her being right around the corner are slim.

Best thing your daughter can do is ask for a favorite driver(s)' phone number and text them directly when she needs a ride. Here's where the problem comes in...she's gotta pay in cash now for every ride at $1/mile and $5 minimum for a driver to ever think about doing it. This is where uber shines. I gladly let uber take their 20% cut because all the money business is taken care of by them and is seamless behind the scenes.

It's a tough situation to be in a town full of bad drivers, but I remember being in college long ago when I took the bus every day because it was free and walked everywhere else. Your daughter probably could use the exercise.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don't know if this had been covered but is there a way to keep a "regulars" list? Our daughter goes to college in a city and relies on Uber an average of 2-3x per day. Just thinking about the numbers of "strangers" she's getting into a car, the drivers who don't know the area, don't speak English or otherwise just give her a bad vibe have me wishing she could make some sort of connection with a handful of preferred drivers (or at least not get the bad guys again). Any suggestions? Thanks!

+1, there are some drivers I'd pay extra to drive me they were that good.

Oh, an another thought...she could use Lyft if that's available. Lyft will not pair you again with a driver if you rate them less than 3-stars.

The problem with regulars will always be this: I'm in Clifton, you are in Silver Spring and ready to roll...sorry, no chance I'm coming and getting you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don't know if this had been covered but is there a way to keep a "regulars" list? Our daughter goes to college in a city and relies on Uber an average of 2-3x per day. Just thinking about the numbers of "strangers" she's getting into a car, the drivers who don't know the area, don't speak English or otherwise just give her a bad vibe have me wishing she could make some sort of connection with a handful of preferred drivers (or at least not get the bad guys again). Any suggestions? Thanks!

I wish I could get a stable of regulars. I would've quit my day job by now. But the service is meant to be speedy and efficient, so the closest driver gets the ride request. It's tough to have a driver conveniently on call because the odds of him/her being right around the corner are slim.

Best thing your daughter can do is ask for a favorite driver(s)' phone number and text them directly when she needs a ride. Here's where the problem comes in...she's gotta pay in cash now for every ride at $1/mile and $5 minimum for a driver to ever think about doing it. This is where uber shines. I gladly let uber take their 20% cut because all the money business is taken care of by them and is seamless behind the scenes.

It's a tough situation to be in a town full of bad drivers, but I remember being in college long ago when I took the bus every day because it was free and walked everywhere else. Your daughter probably could use the exercise.

I have a favorite Uber driving - I'm sure it's against the rules but he gave us his cell phone - we call and if he's nearby he comes and gets us - we activate Uber app when we get in car He's Uberblack so we only use him for certain occasions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I agree, don't write a book about it. Kitchen Confidential did OK because there are many aspects to the restaurant business and it was about a famous restaurant. I read a similar one about hotels that got boring after a while. There's a million NYC cabbies out there who could write a book with funny driver stories.

A blog could work though.. but not sure you'd want to spend your time on it vs driving.

Great AMA I will say that. I've toyed with being an UberX driver just for the fun of it, a few hours here and there. We're luckily very well financially, so it would just be to meet new people. Not sure it's as "fun" as it seems though.

I had a Lyft driver a few Friday nights ago who was a middle-aged female single schoolteacher. She said she did it since it's more fun than sitting alone at home in her apartment on Friday nights.

I read that hotel book with Kitchen Confidential in mind as well. It was an absolute snooze.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I have a favorite Uber driving - I'm sure it's against the rules but he gave us his cell phone - we call and if he's nearby he comes and gets us - we activate Uber app when we get in car He's Uberblack so we only use him for certain occasions.

That's great and how it should be done. Connecting thru the app when you're sitting next to the driver works really well. If you'd like to be really nice to your favorite driver, skip the uber app altogether and pay him for the ride in cash. This makes the driver 20% more by taking uber's commission out of the equation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree, don't write a book about it. Kitchen Confidential did OK because there are many aspects to the restaurant business and it was about a famous restaurant. I read a similar one about hotels that got boring after a while. There's a million NYC cabbies out there who could write a book with funny driver stories.

A blog could work though.. but not sure you'd want to spend your time on it vs driving.

Great AMA I will say that. I've toyed with being an UberX driver just for the fun of it, a few hours here and there. We're luckily very well financially, so it would just be to meet new people. Not sure it's as "fun" as it seems though.

I had a Lyft driver a few Friday nights ago who was a middle-aged female single schoolteacher. She said she did it since it's more fun than sitting alone at home in her apartment on Friday nights.

I read that hotel book with Kitchen Confidential in mind as well. It was an absolute snooze.

Blog, book, whatever...zero interest from me. This is something that I grind out for money and I don't want to spend any more of my free time dwelling on it. It is crazy, but it's not glamorous in the least. One 3-hour shift a week "for fun" is do-able...meeting people is a perk. I've met people in DC from each and every walk of life, and it's really made me appreciate living here and all the opportunities available. Any more than three hours at a time and it quickly turns into a job though.