#How far will uber drive me how to
#How far will uber drive me drivers

TPG found that Uber’s upfront pricing can sometimes be way off. “This is probably one of the number one complaints I hear from drivers, not to mention the large percentages Uber now takes on some fares where they over estimate the price to the rider.”

#How far will uber drive me drivers

“Since Uber switched to upfront pricing, a majority of drivers don’t understand how pricing works since what the rider pays is no longer connected to what the driver receives,” said Campbell. TPG reached out to Uber for this story but didn’t hear back by time of publication.Ĭampbell says most drivers are confused about how Uber calculates fares. “This type of behavior-while unacceptable-is exceedingly rare,” an Uber spokesman told the Wall Street Journal. While it’s well enough known, Uber estimates that less than 1% of rides engage in longhauling.

#How far will uber drive me how to

He pointed us to his blog post in February 2017, “ How to Beat Uber’s Upfront Pricing” detailing how drivers can make more money by taking the less efficient routes. However, the practice isn’t new, Harry Campbell, author of The Rideshare Guide tells TPG.

(Photo by Al Seib / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images) Kevin Bonsignore and Danni Clay from Kansas City catch their UberX ride as UberX begins making passenger pickups at Los Angeles International Airport on Januin Los Angeles, California. The WSJ story mentioned drivers taking people from out of town on longer routes to bump their pay.

Last week, ride-hailing company Lyft released a study that trips from New York JFK Airport take longer than any other airport in the US, and New York became the first major city to cap the number of ride-hailing cars and institute a minimum pay for drivers. Uber’s fare structure for drivers is similar throughout the country. So going a few extra miles could significantly increase a drivers cut just for a few extra minutes on the road. In Los Angeles, drivers get paid $1.06 per mile and just. But if the driver took a different route that added 10 miles (still traveling to the same destination) and six more minutes to the trip, they’d get paid $58.84, or $44.14 after Uber’s cut. The WSJ provided an example of a ride in Los Angeles where if a driver were to go 33.5 miles for a ride they’d receive $47.75, or $35.81 after Uber took their 25% commission. Fortunately for riders, the only thing they are losing is their time, since Uber’s upfront fares lock in flat prices for riders before they step foot in the vehicle.īut if the fare is locked in, why are drivers taking longer routes? This is because Uber pays drivers a whole lot more on the distance driven versus the time of the ride, regardless of the price the rider is paying. In a practice called “longhauling,” drivers are taking routes that require more miles, and usually more time, in order to increase their cut of a fare. However, some drivers are fighting back, and it could affect your next ride.ĭrivers are purposely making trips longer in order to earn more money, reports the the Wall Street Journal. Many Uber drivers complain of low pay and high operating costs.