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

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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.

Actually I didn't have to talk to anyone. Their automated system recognizes my phone number and I just tell it what time I want the pickup. About 9 round trips so far this year and they have never not showed, in fact annoyingly they are usually always at least 20 minutes early.

Not hating on Uber, just trying to understand why I should be using it versus what I've used for years when it seems to cost more. Looking at my ride history for that trip, I see that it was in fact an UberXL that I had to take because that's the only thing that would pick me up in western Prince William County at 5:50AM (Amr in his VW Jetta immediately canceled for whatever reason.) This was my 1st experience with Uber and I will say the driver was very friendly and even offered me coffee.

[Anonymous]

Going back to the kid thing. I have a three year old and 8 year old. Obviously the 8 year old is fine without a car seat (and he's BIG). But I often just put the 3 year old in between us and buckle her up with the regular seat buckle. Is this illegal and can uber drivers refuse to take us?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

Actually I didn't have to talk to anyone. Their automated system recognizes my phone number and I just tell it what time I want the pickup. About 9 round trips so far this year and they have never not showed, in fact annoyingly they are usually always at least 20 minutes early.

Not hating on Uber, just trying to understand why I should be using it versus what I've used for years when it seems to cost more. Looking at my ride history for that trip, I see that it was in fact an UberXL that I had to take because that's the only thing that would pick me up in western Prince William County at 5:50AM (Amr in his VW Jetta immediately canceled for whatever reason.) This was my 1st experience with Uber and I will say the driver was very friendly and even offered me coffee.

Got it, learned something new today. That's actually a nice system. But trust me, that automated feature didn't exist five years ago and only exists now because uber forced taxis to step-up whatever game they had.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Going back to the kid thing. I have a three year old and 8 year old. Obviously the 8 year old is fine without a car seat (and he's BIG). But I often just put the 3 year old in between us and buckle her up with the regular seat buckle. Is this illegal and can uber drivers refuse to take us?

It is illegal to not have a kid in a car/booster seat up to whatever age/weight the law says nowadays. Some drivers may refuse, but I personally would not care in the least bit. Most other good drivers wouldn't either...this is business as usual. If you hop in like you do it all the time and not mention it, the driver is less likely to notice or care. This is really not a big deal at all in my eyes. On trips in town, the fastest speed we're going to reach is rarely ever over 30mph anyways. Larla is yours not mine, so if you're cool with it, I am too.

Sidenote: There is essentially zero enforcement of traffic laws in DC, so the likelihood of this ever being a problem in regards to the law is practically nil.

Another sidenote: I've driven close to 100,000 miles over the past three years, most all of them inside the Beltway. I do some wild stuff in the streets daily while driving...mid-block U-turns, darting thru alleys, lots of "creative" manuevering. I have been pulled over by an MPD crusier exactly once in my life. He said, "it looked like you were doing "something" out of my vision", lol! He promptly let me go after he got a good look at me. They really do not care and MPD is the textbook definition of a responsive police force instead of a proactive one.

[Anonymous]

I uber about once a month from McLean to DC usually around 5 pm (to meet up with DH for dinner or go to a Caps game with sons or whatever). I always take Black because I like a nice car and can afford it but also I feel some added sense of security or safety. Is there any basis for my assumptions? Or is there any truth to the opposite? Like, crazy rich lady pays $68 to get downtown (and I don't know what)?

[Anonymous]

Oh wow I didn't know that Uber didn't count as a taxi for the purpose of child car seat laws. That's strange. I thought private car services counted?

[Anonymous]

OP would you ever consider doing Uber car seat service? we have used it a few times in DC and it was really conveneint. The driver just pulls the seat out of the trunk and sets it up in no time flat. Since there is a $10 extra charge would that be another way to make more money. I totally want you to buy a house. This AMA is fascinating. You should be on an Uber reality show or write a blog.

[Anonymous]

OP what kind of 9-5 job do you have?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I uber about once a month from McLean to DC usually around 5 pm (to meet up with DH for dinner or go to a Caps game with sons or whatever). I always take Black because I like a nice car and can afford it but also I feel some added sense of security or safety. Is there any basis for my assumptions? Or is there any truth to the opposite? Like, crazy rich lady pays $68 to get downtown (and I don't know what)?

Yeah, if you can afford it, why the heck not? I'm sure you worked hard for that money so enjoy it. You're just as safe in an uberBLACK as you would be in an X, but a BLACK is just simply always nicer. Treat yo'self. Personally I save up uber ride credits to take a free BLACK every once in a while so I can impress a date, lol.

Anonymous wrote:OP what kind of 9-5 job do you have?

I'm keeping this one as vague as possible but it's along the lines of insurance/actuary...lots of big data. I'm really good at my day job too.

[Anonymous]

Great AMA! I have never used Uber or Lyft. But next year, my 14 year old son will be in a high school in Northern VA (Herndon/Reston area) without busing. I was looking at Uber or Lyft for backup/emergency transportation only. Is this a bad idea for this age? Safe? Will anyone even pick him up at a HS and that far into Fairfax County? Any advice on how to make this as safe as possible for him? FWIW, he is 5'9' and looks a year or two older than he actually is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

I get what you are saying but in my defense, I regularly use Uber downtown when I'm in a suit and heels. I don't want to arrive at my meeting sweating and those heels are killer on the feet! Thanks for the AMA.

PS - as a GWU alum - thanks for your kind words!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Oh wow I didn't know that Uber didn't count as a taxi for the purpose of child car seat laws. That's strange. I thought private car services counted?

Taxis and uberBLACK are considered a private commercial vehicle. UberX is considered a personal TNC vehicle (transportation network company). I highly doubt a cop would even know the nuances between the two and let it slide. The legal issues regarding ridesharing has been very fluid for years at point and local gov't has almost went completely hands-off as of late as long as they get their little cut.

Anonymous wrote:OP would you ever consider doing Uber car seat service? we have used it a few times in DC and it was really conveneint. The driver just pulls the seat out of the trunk and sets it up in no time flat. Since there is a $10 extra charge would that be another way to make more money. I totally want you to buy a house. This AMA is fascinating. You should be on an Uber reality show or write a blog.

I showed up to the uber info session for this when it started, saw the whole car seat setup, and decided it wasn't worth my time. For every car seat ride, you give dozens of regular ones...it'd just be taking up useful space in the trunk. Also, I drive mostly after dark, so little Larlo and Larla should be in bed if I'm out on the streets.

[Anonymous]

How do you maintain your hustle mentality? The fact that you know what Vanguard etfs/index funds are and have the wherewithal to set up a SEP for yourself means you have 30-40 more IQ points than your usual white collar hustlers in DC. Is getting a house the primary thing driving you? I am surprised you haven't gotten one already. You are late 30s, right? Anyway, you seem super interesting and I've loved reading this thread.

Do you think the DC housing market is overpriced or in a bubble. Do you get the sense that a lot of your clients are overextended financially?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Great AMA! I have never used Uber or Lyft. But next year, my 14 year old son will be in a high school in Northern VA (Herndon/Reston area) without busing. I was looking at Uber or Lyft for backup/emergency transportation only. Is this a bad idea for this age? Safe? Will anyone even pick him up at a HS and that far into Fairfax County? Any advice on how to make this as safe as possible for him? FWIW, he is 5'9' and looks a year or two older than he actually is.

I'd do it without a second thought, and it's totally safe. You'd be surprised at how many high-schoolers in Northern VA ride uber twice a day, every day...mom & dad both gotta work. Uber has Fairfax County covered thoroughly. The total DC coverage area is HUGE nowadays, here's the map: https://www.uber.com/cities/washington-DC/

You can do it two ways:
1) Let your son run the uber app on his smartphone with an account under your info and he can work it himself. If you can trust him to not joyride all over Fairfax, this would be my preference. Giving kids some real responsibilities but simple as not fucking up is good for building a little character and independence...time to spread those wings, lol.
2) If you insist, you or dad can run the app to request rides for him so you can keep on eye on his trip. You've gotta be on-point about getting him the details of the ride or else he'll be in the dark. Texting your son a screenshot of the driver details, the car, and the license plate would make it easy. Hint: Use dad's account so the names involved will be masculine and he just assumes the name of Larlo Sr, and the driver will never know the difference.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

I get what you are saying but in my defense, I regularly use Uber downtown when I'm in a suit and heels. I don't want to arrive at my meeting sweating and those heels are killer on the feet! Thanks for the AMA.

PS - as a GWU alum - thanks for your kind words!

Totally fine, this one I get. And there are lots of little trips around downtown like this. Don't make your driver wait on you and it'll all be kosher.

The dinky rides that blow my mind are then ones when someone hops in with sweats and sneakers on only to ride a half-mile down the street to the gym...wtf? These ones are your future leaders of America, lol.