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

[Anonymous]

I have taken a few uber rides (mostly to the airport) where I have had to install car seats for my kids. I am pretty good at it, but it still takes at least 5 minutes to get things set. The drivers have seemed understanding, but I wonder what they really thought. Has this happened to you and, if so, were you pissed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have taken a few uber rides (mostly to the airport) where I have had to install car seats for my kids. I am pretty good at it, but it still takes at least 5 minutes to get things set. The drivers have seemed understanding, but I wonder what they really thought. Has this happened to you and, if so, were you pissed.

You're good. When our interaction begins, the meter starts. I'll gladly pocket that 85¢ and stretch my legs while you install the car seats. If it's surging take all the time in the world, lol. You're actually a pretty caring parent because this hardly ever happens. As long as Larlo and Larla are 4+, they typically sit between mom & dad in the back with the lap belt on. I don't mind. They're safer with me than on the metro.

Sidenote: Baby mamas in the 'hood do not use car seats ever. Infants and toddlers are riding on mommy's lap. I really dislike doing this, BUT I get that she's got places she needs to go and she probably doesn't have many other options. So it's cool, I do my part.

[Anonymous]

Isn't that illegal? I think you could get pulled over for that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Isn't that illegal? I think you could get pulled over for that.

I am pretty sure you are not legally required to use car seats in a cab. Uber would probably be treated similarly, but it might be a bit of a gray area at this point.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Isn't that illegal? I think you could get pulled over for that.

I am pretty sure you are not legally required to use car seats in a cab. Uber would probably be treated similarly, but it might be a bit of a gray area at this point.

It is illegal. $75 and two points. No, I've never gotten a ticket for it. I also think enforcement of this law is VERY lax EOTR.

Also, no one's seeing any passengers in the back thru the tint. I keep it light enough in the front that it's not a problem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What happened that the rates from your money making heyday dropped? Why is it less lucrative? Gas prices? More drivers to compete with?

In 2011 & 2012 uber existed exclusively in DC as a black car service. Limo companies would contract with uber to use their Towncars and Suburbans so folks could request them thru the app just the same as now. Average ride cost was around $40-$50. Lyft got fired up in DC as an outlaw operation in August 2013, using everyday folks in their personal automobiles to give rides. Average ride cost for lyfts was right around $20, ~$2.50/mile. Uber answered the next month with uberX at about exactly the same rates and used brute force and cash money to crush Lyft out of the game. UberX heavily recruited already experienced Lyft drivers with cash offers of up to $2k to come give 100 rides with uberX in fall 2013. I took this offer. That was a $20 bonus on every ride given + whatever the fares ended up being. I hammered out all 100 rides over five days and cleared $4k. Uber took a huge chunk of Lyft's early ridership too with lots of free ride offers. Marketshare for Uber over Lyft is right around 85:15 in DC, and has been steady there for a while. Surge pricing came along right before the holidays and I remember one Friday night during Christmas party season where I had a string of about fifteen rides in a row that were all $50+, with a few over $100. It was REALLY EASY money. But quickly drivers got over-saturated once word spread, and thru 2014 the guaranteed money dropped to nothing. With all these now available drivers this set off an almost 2-year price-cutting war between uber and lyft, dropping rates to the current $1.02/mile + 17¢/minute. Great for riders, but it crushed a lot of drivers out of the game to go get a real job. I work the math in my head as I'm driving as $1.40/mile in the city and $1.20/mile on the highway. And I have to be milking surge constantly to make it worth my time.

Gas has been so cheap lately that I just stick to one rule: always buy in Virginia. I get about 30 mpg cruising easy around town, so it's not a huge cost factor.

Driver over-saturation comes and goes. A TON of people try it out for a single day to see what it's like then may never give another ride again, and some will drive just a single ride per month in order to stay active in the system as a "just-in-case" they need to go hustle a few hundred dollars in a hurry. As you may have noticed lately, there are LOTS of new-to-America immigrant drivers doing this now who speak little to no English and are very tentative drivers. I know because I check for the black&yellow TNC tag on every one I see out. These drivers follow uber's every command and end up doing endless POOL rides for 10+ hours a day and end up netting ~50¢/mile which is basically driving for free after expenses and taxes. You could honestly call this situation the new-age human slavery of being a servant robot in America. Uber got some of these folks on the hook really good by suckering them into a sham of a lease deal back when rates were higher. After the most recent rate drop these folks are now a literal slave to their own leased car.

This was my question along with others I put out there, and your response is why this is such a great AMA. It reads like a Vanity Fair article. You have a tremendously relatable writing style (like when you called DC guys doofus bros). Thank you for all the fascinating and candid answers!

[Anonymous]

I wish you would give us your phone number. For when we need a ride.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wish you would give us your phone number. For when we need a ride.

What kind of ride are you looking for exactly? lolol It's just my personality, but I do aim to please in a lot of other ways too, lol

I'd love to give each and every person in this thread a ride, and doubly so for all the ones the made nice comments. But alas, it will likely only ever happen by random chance, and we'll both never know it. If I was a full-time pro grinder, I'd think about it, but I'm just not out there 24/7. I have given out my number before to passengers that have requested it, but then texts will come randomly at like 3am from some rave in Hyattsville when I'm dead asleep. You just become 'DRIVER' in their phones and not an actual real person.

[Anonymous]

Wow, I just read this whole thread in one sitting. Op, did you ever watch "how I met your mother"? If so, did you see the naked man episode? Because that's how I picture you in my head. But clothed! I like your style!

[Anonymous]

Great thread OP. If you don't write for a living you should. Not a book about drivig uber but anything. Your responses have been more interesting and s better writing style than I read in the Atlantic and other magazines Maybe a story for the New Yorker?
Oh and dont underestimate the power that hustle, sense of humor and money has on women to bring you from a 4 (don't believe it) up. I married a smart, funny and kind bald short dude and I'm a 7 on a bad day

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Following up on this point. So you get the cell# of a few drivers you like and connect with them directly (maybe I have get to/from campus to may apartment every T,W,Th at 9am and return 4pm. Or likely less structured). Anyway, you're suggesting paying cash because this only works outside the Uber model? I guess it wouldn't be worth it to me because we're so risk-adverse (I like the tracking and insurance coverage features of Uber). But I love the idea that Lyft will first search for a "known" driver that you've rated well or overlook a driver you've rated poorly. Seems like a great compromise.
Why doesn't Uber like or embrace this model?

Mom of college DD here and in our defense I can add that I don't think many parents would be comfortable having their 20-something DDs making this trek multiples times a day in the area of her college. Part of our deal with her going there was that she'd not walk everywhere at all hours. (She's in great shape, by the way).
But that did bring me to an Uber question:
Are drivers annoyed by short trips (sometimes less than a mile if grocery bags are included).
And are there circumstances where you think additional tipping with cash would be in order?
Thanks for answering these questions. This has been a great thread.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wow, I just read this whole thread in one sitting. Op, did you ever watch "how I met your mother"? If so, did you see the naked man episode? Because that's how I picture you in my head. But clothed! I like your style!

Thanks! I rarely ever watch television. And if I do, it's usually just the local news OTA. I cut the cord years ago and it's a really liberating feeling because you get all that time back for more productive things instead of getting sucked into watching mindless drivel. We're all living right here in the capital of the free world...there's plenty to do and see a step outside the front door.

Anonymous wrote:Great thread OP. If you don't write for a living you should. Not a book about drivig uber but anything. Your responses have been more interesting and s better writing style than I read in the Atlantic and other magazines Maybe a story for the New Yorker?
Oh and dont underestimate the power that hustle, sense of humor and money has on women to bring you from a 4 (don't believe it) up. I married a smart, funny and kind bald short dude and I'm a 7 on a bad day

I do write a lot, mostly boring policy and procedure. I'm not exactly getting specifically paid for it, but it is good practice. I've been told that I write very clear and am easy-to-follow, so it's a good match for crafting walk-thrus and tutorials. And please, don't sweat over my love life...just because ladies aren't leaving digits after rides, doesn't mean I'm discouraged and a woman-hater, I'm just not going to pull them on looks. I personally think it's awkward to mix in flirting when a money exchange is going on, so I just keep quiet. In the same vein, I think it's very cringe-worthy to watch patrons flirt with their server, bartender, or the like. Also, I do perfectly fine one-on-one when out on an actual date where the interest is mutual, lol.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Why doesn't Uber like or embrace this model?

Mom of college DD here and in our defense I can add that I don't think many parents would be comfortable having their 20-something DDs making this trek multiples times a day in the area of her college. Part of our deal with her going there was that she'd not walk everywhere at all hours. (She's in great shape, by the way).
But that did bring me to an Uber question:
Are drivers annoyed by short trips (sometimes less than a mile if grocery bags are included).
And are there circumstances where you think additional tipping with cash would be in order?
Thanks for answering these questions. This has been a great thread.

Drivers are annoyed by short trips in an urban area, but in a college town that's just how it's going to be so drivers there are used to it and know the deal. On these really short trips, just a single dollar tip can increase the driver's earnings on the ride by 33%. Every single cash dollar is always appreciated. Short trips can be profitable, but what kills the momentum is the time waiting on the passengers to get to the car. If every passenger was waiting on the curb as I pulled up, I'd have no problem doing short trips all day long, but that's never the case.

And to add, people (mostly millenials) are either incredibly lazy or incredibly clueless on DC's layout. I have given hundreds of rides around DC that were less than a mile. I've given a few dozen rides that were at the most five blocks. If you're a healthy adult, you should have no problem walking a mile and a half in under 30 minutes without cracking a sweat, especially if you're walking southward in DC (it's downhill). But like I said, I have no problem doing short rides IF the rider doesn't make me wait on them to come out. On my end, one-mile trip works out to be $3+ per mile.

If your driver goes above and beyond the norm like bringing a phone/purse back that you left in the car, helps you load a bunch of heavy luggage/shopping/grocery bags, helps you move your coffee table in their ride that you were too cheap to rent a truck/U-Haul for, or is out driving you where you need to go in treacherous conditions, please tip accordingly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Screw taking Washington Flyer out of Dulles...there is no bigger boondoggle in DC than their monopoly arrangement with MWAA.

I fly in and out of Dulles at least once a week. Washington Flyer (also a nice and clean Ford Fusion..) charged me $51.56 to go from my home to the airport, 22 miles. That exact same trip on Uber cost me $91.31, what's up with that? Surge pricing? Why on earth would I want to use Uber when Washington Flyer gets me there for $40 less, is super convenient and one could argue has a better liability insurance?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Screw taking Washington Flyer out of Dulles...there is no bigger boondoggle in DC than their monopoly arrangement with MWAA.

I fly in and out of Dulles at least once a week. Washington Flyer (also a nice and clean Ford Fusion..) charged me $51.56 to go from my home to the airport, 22 miles. That exact same trip on Uber cost me $91.31, what's up with that? Surge pricing? Why on earth would I want to use Uber when Washington Flyer gets me there for $40 less, is super convenient and one could argue has a better liability insurance?

If you enjoy supporting the cronyism machine, be my guest. Throwing a dollar bill into the Potomac would be more productive than giving it to MWAA or Washington Flyer.

Also, you either took an uberBLACK to the airport or uberX when it was surging for a $91 fare. Both of these are avoidable. The 22 miles from Arlington to Dulles is a $35 trip at non-surge pricing on uberX all day, every day. Lastly, you had to talk to a real live person over the phone to get that Washington Flyer to your house and be honest, you really had no clue whether that taxi was coming to your house on time or not.