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

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Welcome back, OP! Congrats on the marriage.

+1 Glad you're back and happy to hear you're married!

Thanks to you both, and yes, it took a lot of tries but I finally found the one.

Anonymous wrote:OP, how did you and your wife meet? How are you liking living in DC?

OKCupid. I didn’t exactly want to give up on being a Virginian, but my wife said I had to live with her, lol. DC is great, but it helped a lot that I already knew my way around. I married into a condo and a mortgage, so looking back, it was absolutely perfect the way things have worked out so far. A lot of people in this thread were telling me to bite the bullet and just buy a place right then so I didn’t get priced out, when I really didn’t need the space. I already had a fine rental that was cheap, and I saved the difference. If I had bought a place before I met my wife, we would’ve been stuck with a lot fewer options after marrying.

And condo living isn’t the nightmare that I previously imagined...street parking is $35/yr, and I have a much better uber set up now than I had in VA. I usually catch a rider in the morning around Friendship Heights/Chevy Chase, drive them downtown, go to my day job, pick up a rider right after I leave work, and then drop them somewhere between Woodley Park and Bethesda on my way home. I couldn’t do that consistently in VA, mainly because traffic was so variable over a 20+ mile commute as compared to a <10 mile commute.

In regards to uber in general, there’s not many happy drivers out there and the future is pretty uncertain. And I just keep doing my thing by driving when I feel like it. The only thing that’s really changed in the past few years is that my rating shot up after Upfront Pricing started, as riders no longer were shocked at the price at the end of a long ride (which made them take out their frustration on my rating). Other than that, SSDD.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So I still can’t request or search for my favorite Uber drivers by name?

Nope. When you need a ride from your favorite driver, he or she will most likely either be 10+ miles away or asleep. The service is meant to be quick and efficient. Most of my uber pick-ups have a 2 minute ETA or less because I camp out downtown where it’s most dense. I usually decline anything with a pick-up time of longer than 5 mins, because time/miles spent driving to pick up the passenger are unpaid.

Do you make more on the single riders or on the group rides?

They pay out the same. An uber isn’t like a taxicab where they charge an extra dollar per head. But technically speaking, the more weight in the car the more it costs in gas to haul them around. Cramming four 250lb bros in the car is pretty miserable, but those rides are the most likely ones to tip because they’re saving a bunch when compared to four separate metro fares (but overall, tipping is still weak). So with being said, a solo ~100lb female (or male) is the most profitable ride, lol.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

On the contrary. I think we think you are quite the catch, some of us basically stating that you are a great package. That is all.

[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?

OP, it is not just "baby mommas in the hood" letting their small kids ride without car seats. Really enjoyed your responses, but could use less coded language....e.g. "very urban" Howard kids. WTF does that mean.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Welcome back, OP! Congrats on the marriage.

+1 Glad you're back and happy to hear you're married!

Thanks to you both, and yes, it took a lot of tries but I finally found the one.

Anonymous wrote:OP, how did you and your wife meet? How are you liking living in DC?

OKCupid. I didn’t exactly want to give up on being a Virginian, but my wife said I had to live with her, lol. DC is great, but it helped a lot that I already knew my way around. I married into a condo and a mortgage, so looking back, it was absolutely perfect the way things have worked out so far. A lot of people in this thread were telling me to bite the bullet and just buy a place right then so I didn’t get priced out, when I really didn’t need the space. I already had a fine rental that was cheap, and I saved the difference. If I had bought a place before I met my wife, we would’ve been stuck with a lot fewer options after marrying.

And condo living isn’t the nightmare that I previously imagined...street parking is $35/yr, and I have a much better uber set up now than I had in VA. I usually catch a rider in the morning around Friendship Heights/Chevy Chase, drive them downtown, go to my day job, pick up a rider right after I leave work, and then drop them somewhere between Woodley Park and Bethesda on my way home. I couldn’t do that consistently in VA, mainly because traffic was so variable over a 20+ mile commute as compared to a <10 mile commute.

In regards to uber in general, there’s not many happy drivers out there and the future is pretty uncertain. And I just keep doing my thing by driving when I feel like it. The only thing that’s really changed in the past few years is that my rating shot up after Upfront Pricing started, as riders no longer were shocked at the price at the end of a long ride (which made them take out their frustration on my rating). Other than that, SSDD.

What happened with the one star?

[Anonymous]

How many miles are on your vehicle and what year is it?

[Anonymous]

Do some of your passengers use you as a therapist by telling you their upsets of the day?

I jokingly accuse my friend of not needing a therapist because she uses Uber drivers instead. She has gotten repeat drivers who will ask how something she told them about on a previous drive worked out.

She also once took an Uber from DC to an exotic animal pet hospital in Fairfax with her pet guinea pig, giving him mouth-to-mouth respiration the entire way. I wondered what was going through the Uber driver's mind as this unfolded.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do some of your passengers use you as a therapist by telling you their upsets of the day?

I jokingly accuse my friend of not needing a therapist because she uses Uber drivers instead. She has gotten repeat drivers who will ask how something she told them about on a previous drive worked out.

She also once took an Uber from DC to an exotic animal pet hospital in Fairfax with her pet guinea pig, giving him mouth-to-mouth respiration the entire way. I wondered what was going through the Uber driver's mind as this unfolded.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

What happened with the one star?

It was from a guy who spilled a takeout container full of fettuccine alfredo all over the backseat and floor mats. He made no attempt at cleaning it up, nor did he reach into his wallet for some cash to cover the trouble or tip thru the app. A little effort on his part and an apology would’ve went a long way, but I’ll happily turn a “not my problem” attitude into cash when it’s applicable. So I snap a few pics of the mess, submit them to uber to collect a $40 cleaning fee from him (uber determines the severity...it’s $20-$150), clean the mess up myself with the kit that I carry in the trunk, and then go on about my night.

All of my 1-stars have been retaliation for standing up to passengers’ own bad behavior. One was from a lady who slyly hit a weed pen in the backseat but then hotboxed the whole car while we’re rolling on the highway, so I pulled off at the next exit and gave her the boot at a gas station. All the others were from making a mess, dog hair, puke, etc. that I collected the cleaning fee for. I’ll gladly trade 1-stars for $40+, and my rating is so solid it has zero net effect. I’ve never gotten a one-star for driving ability, route choice, cleanliness, or conversation/attitude, and don’t ever plan on starting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do some of your passengers use you as a therapist by telling you their upsets of the day?

I jokingly accuse my friend of not needing a therapist because she uses Uber drivers instead. She has gotten repeat drivers who will ask how something she told them about on a previous drive worked out.

She also once took an Uber from DC to an exotic animal pet hospital in Fairfax with her pet guinea pig, giving him mouth-to-mouth respiration the entire way. I wondered what was going through the Uber driver's mind as this unfolded.

Oh god, yes, all the time. And since they have you captive there’s no other choice than to listen, and it’s 10x worse when they’re tipsy. I just nod my head and say a lot of “yep” and “you’re right”, because I couldn’t care less. Some drivers seem to enjoy this interaction part of the job, especially when people are talking about their issues. I like to talk about fun, exciting things. But if the rider’s just going to go on and on about all their problems, I want to deliver them safely from A to B as fast as possible, wish them luck, collect their money, and move on.

Anonymous wrote:How many miles are on your vehicle and what year is it?

Currently 28k miles on a 2017 Ford that I got for a steal during the Memorial Day sale that year. Base model out the door for $11k cash with a barely running trade-in. My prior 2010 Ford got to 180k miles but was racking up some serious repair bills. It had served it’s purpose and I milked plenty of cash out of it, so it was time to move on. I’d never recommend buying a new car for uber, but since getting married I’ve knocked my yearly miles down to ~12k which are almost exclusively driving uber. We run errands and go on trips in my wife’s car.

[Anonymous]

Hey OP - so fun that you're still around. And congrats on getting married!

I hope we get to hear about the kids when they happen. Though I expect that will seriously cut into your driving time.

All the best. Thx for all the time responding on this thread.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hey OP - so fun that you're still around. And congrats on getting married!

I hope we get to hear about the kids when they happen. Though I expect that will seriously cut into your driving time.

All the best. Thx for all the time responding on this thread.

Thanks so much for the well wishes! And yes, kids will very likely sunset my uber driving career so I’m going to make hay now while the sun still shines.

Anonymous wrote:

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?

OP, it is not just "baby mommas in the hood" letting their small kids ride without car seats. Really enjoyed your responses, but could use less coded language....e.g. "very urban" Howard kids. WTF does that mean.

Yes, you’re right, it’s not always baby mommas on the east side of town, but 9 times out of 10 it is. But I don’t do these rides anymore though because the liability is thru the roof. No car seat=no ride, period. Unlike the typical uber driver, I happen to not be judgment proof so the risk if something were to happen just isn’t worth it.

As for the “very urban” Howard kids...a bunch of black kids, who happen to be from one of the many large, urban east coast cities, attend Howard University. Does that phrasing make you any happier? You seem to not understand that people enjoy this thread mainly because it’s real and I’ve told it like it is.

Since you seem to be so focused on race, what do you think of this recent article?
https://theshaderoom.com/study-finds-black-and-lgbt-passengers-have-more-rides-canceled-on-rideshare-apps/
Now, what the article didn’t touch on...99% OF DC UBER DRIVERS ARE MINORITIES.

I pick up anyone, anywhere 24/7 because I get along with everyone and can handle anything that may occur inside the car. I go wherever the rides take me and then pick-up the next one right around the corner, which wastes zero miles and is the key to being profitable at doing this. Taxicabs and now the typical uber driver will make a drop-off in SE (IF they even made the pick-up to begin with when realizing the destination), then immediately lock their doors and head back across the Anacostia before making themselves available for pick-ups again. In the past month, I’ve cancelled exactly one ride and that was Becky at Nats Park who refused to walk one block while I was stuck in gridlocked traffic. In the meantime I made dozens of uneventful pick-ups and drop-offs in underserved Wards 7 & 8.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hey OP - so fun that you're still around. And congrats on getting married!

I hope we get to hear about the kids when they happen. Though I expect that will seriously cut into your driving time.

All the best. Thx for all the time responding on this thread.

Thanks so much for the well wishes! And yes, kids will very likely sunset my uber driving career so I’m going to make hay now while the sun still shines.

Anonymous wrote:

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?

OP, it is not just "baby mommas in the hood" letting their small kids ride without car seats. Really enjoyed your responses, but could use less coded language....e.g. "very urban" Howard kids. WTF does that mean.

Yes, you’re right, it’s not always baby mommas on the east side of town, but 9 times out of 10 it is. But I don’t do these rides anymore though because the liability is thru the roof. No car seat=no ride, period. Unlike the typical uber driver, I happen to not be judgment proof so the risk if something were to happen just isn’t worth it.

As for the “very urban” Howard kids...a bunch of black kids, who happen to be from one of the many large, urban east coast cities, attend Howard University. Does that phrasing make you any happier? You seem to not understand that people enjoy this thread mainly because it’s real and I’ve told it like it is.

Since you seem to be so focused on race, what do you think of this recent article?
https://theshaderoom.com/study-finds-black-and-lgbt-passengers-have-more-rides-canceled-on-rideshare-apps/
Now, what the article didn’t touch on...99% OF DC UBER DRIVERS ARE MINORITIES.

I pick up anyone, anywhere 24/7 because I get along with everyone and can handle anything that may occur inside the car. I go wherever the rides take me and then pick-up the next one right around the corner, which wastes zero miles and is the key to being profitable at doing this. Taxicabs and now the typical uber driver will make a drop-off in SE (IF they even made the pick-up to begin with when realizing the destination), then immediately lock their doors and head back across the Anacostia before making themselves available for pick-ups again. In the past month, I’ve cancelled exactly one ride and that was Becky at Nats Park who refused to walk one block while I was stuck in gridlocked traffic. In the meantime I made dozens of uneventful pick-ups and drop-offs in underserved Wards 7 & 8.

Don't take it personally, poster was pointing out your very coded language. How about analyzing why your language could be a problem? This is why racism in this country will likely never be solved--white people recoil at any mention or discussion about race.

And I am sure ppl understand why others enjoy this thread, please get over yourself a little bit and try some humility. Nothing wrong with self-analysis and introspection. "Urban kids"..you sound like you do not know many black people personally. Who the hell says "very urban"?? Just wondering you could not just reference Howard kids--if anything, YOU brought race into it. Any "very urban" AU/GWU/GU students?

[Anonymous]

Hi Op,

I have read this thread (I will admit, I skipped a couple of pages)

I am currently single mom, and looking to make additional income. I want to do Uber Eats.

Do you think I could make $500 a month?

These are the hours I could work:
M-F One Hour Anytime from 12-1 or 1 -2 (during my lunch hour)
Saturday (All day. haha)
Sunday (Morning till around Noon)

What do you think is the best way to maximize profits.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Tell us about the hookers.

Working girls try to be coy, but we both know what's up. Some are pleasantly nice, a lot are foreign (Russian/Eastern European), and some are straight up crack-hos. A few are super smart...they make their John pay for the ride. Occasionally, one will ask me if I'll wait and keep the meter running while they go "in & out", and if it's not busy at the moment (or on a surge) I'll oblige. Average wait time is right at 30 mins, if you're wondering. Usually the drop-off is at a really fancy hotel downtown or in Tysons.

Standard dress for a lady of the night on her way to a client? Black high heels, black pantyhose, and a trenchcoat...no clue if there's anything on underneath or not.

Even the hookers are boring in DC!

Most places in the US, sex workers don’t dress like sex workers in movies or on tv. Location is a bigger tell than attire.