wahooflyer

Link to article on Mashable.com


Previously, Uber always kept a rider's destination hidden from the driver until the driver clicked "Begin Trip." Now, presumably in response to AB5 and the debate over independent contractor status in California, they are showing both the origin and destination on the initial ping that the driver can choose to accept.

I think overall, this is a good move as it will limit the cancellation shenanigans from drivers - but the big question is, will it reduce reliability for certain ride requests? Short trips around LAX, for example, are often unprofitable for drivers because the pay for time is just a few pennies a minute (vs. pay for mileage, which is still pennies but significantly more than a driver makes sitting in traffic).

kennycrudup

Great ... it's getting closer to being cabs now where you won't get a ride if you're going to a place the driver won't like

Often1

It's a positive development, whatever the underlying reason.

It isn't just about sketchy destinations, it is also about the driver's origin. Especially at airports. Driver coming from an hour south doesn't want a ride to an hour north of the airport, putting him at a 2-hour deadhead back home.

If there is only one driver to be had this is a nuisance, but at major airports, if you are headed to some odd-ish location, it may add a minute or two to the pickup and more than make that up with no hassle when the driver arrives.

WillBarrett_68

is this why I see drivers starting rides way before they actually get to my pickup location?

GoSh4rks

Back in 2016/2017, SOP from Uber and Lyft for pickups at SFO was to call the pax before driving to the pickup spot and figure out where the pax was going. Drove me nuts as I wasn't going to the city or anywhere desirable and would frequently receive cancellations request on my part, and when I refused to cancel the ride, the driver would usually cancel. Occasionally, the driver wouldn't want to cancel and I would just let them sit in purgatory while I found another ride with the competing app.

mctaste

one of the main selling points of uber was that the driver couldnt ask where you were going before the ride started. now we get to experience taxi cabs 2.0, hooray!

Eastbay1K

It is better than them showing up and refusing to take you anywhere. The worst was when I had an appointment in SF (about 12 miles away), early afternoon. My hand was still on the rear door, open, speaking with her as she was pulling away. Yes, I understand that the 30 minute drive could be a 2 hour return, but that is the risk of the job. I always thought, at least in the SFBA, that there should be county or other similar restrictions that drivers could input in advance. That wasn't the only refusal, and I've received a few calls in advance.

zgscl

It will be interesting to see how this works out. It seems the solution is that Uber charges more (or pays a larger cut) for shorter trips, or offer a short que at the airport for shorter trips and a longer que for longer trips. I seem to remember flying into MIA years ago and they had two different taxi companies and lines. One for rides that were within some milage limit and another for farther out rides. Seemed to be a good solution.

I fully empathize with drivers not wanting to go a long distance to pickup for a short ride or going into terrible commute traffic (and as independent contractors they should have every right to do this). As a customer it is very frustrating to have multiple drivers cancel or not be able to get a ride. The whole point as a customer is to have the convenience of a car show up and take you wherever whether it is a block or 200 miles. Uber/Lyft need to find a way to make both sides happy (or expedite the self driving cars which will eliminate the problem as the cars will not care one way or the other, but that is an entirely different debate).

GrayAnderson

I don't think this is a good implementation of a change in the program, but I do think changes are necessary. The last time I was flying out of SFO, I had a driver cancel on me (they asked me to cancel and I refused). It is one of the few times I've run into that sort of issue, but it was frustrating (and would have been maddening if I had been on a tight timetable).

I tend to disagree with the idea that the car will show up at the drop of a hat and take you wherever. Given the number of people who drive for Uber/Lyft/Etc. and who have other jobs, there does need to be a round-trip limit they can put into the system. A driver's ability to take a 10-minute drive should not be impacted by their inability to take a six-hour round trip (as a 200-mile ride could easily be). Of course, for a drive that long I would think the driver should be able to specify a surcharge (basically, somewhere around 50-60 miles the process becomes haggling in my mind) and I suspect there are plenty of drivers who would take such a job in a heartbeat (just as there are many who would decline it).

With that being said, under the new CA rules I do think that the companies probably need to give the consumer the ability to reject higher-end fares (potentially taking the risk of coming up empty as well).

Edit: One solution for the "unexpected long ride" problem might be to give drivers the ability to set a sign-out time in advance (potentially including return-to-base time as well) and have the system block out rides that would violate it, perhaps with the caveat that when you hit that time you do go off the clock.

StartinSanDiego

If Uber had a Trip Range feature, it could prescreen driver/fare matches before assigning cars to pick up. It could be in concentric rings... up to 10 miles, 30 miles, 50 miles.

jamesteroh

I think this is fair to the drivers, especially if they are going to be treated like a 1099 subcontractor and not an employee. A subcontractor like a plumber can chose to do a job if it's profitable or turn it down. If a driver is going to drive ten miles to pick someone up for a half mile ride that will get him a couple dollars and the drop off is in an area where he will have trouble picking up another passenger who can blame them for turning it down if they'll lose money.

Eastbay1K

That really isn't practical in my area. By counties, perhaps. 11 miles has me in SF - which is perhaps a 15 to 20 minute drive at 2pm, and can result in a 2 hour return for the driver.