Uber...Wait No More(than 2 minutes).

Uber Changes Driver Wait Time.

Hey all! 

Sorry that I haven't been blogging as of late. Been a bit of a lazy layabout. 😋

Well, Uber has decided to allow drivers to cancel rides after a two minute wait versus the five minute wait. 

This means, your driver can cancel the ride after arriving to your pick up detonation and had to wait for you. Of course, any and all attempts should be made by the driver to contact the passenger...hopefully. 

I have a link to the full article. I'll share it with so that anyone interested can read it. 

http://www.androidheadlines.com/2016/04/ubers-new-policy-driver-fees-beyond-2-minute-wait.html

I've been letting my passengers know just to give them a heads up. 

Thanks so much for reading my blog and if you like what you read, please comment and follow. 

Have a good night! 

Safe travels. 

So...Who Are You Voting For?

Vote Republican!

No...this is not a political  endorsement of any kind and I try to stay out of the politics because of what my dad has said to me years ago..."Discuss anything you'd like except for politics and religion...you're always going to be in the wrong.".   I have taken this to heart. Yes, I have talked about some issues regarding politics in the past and what my dad has told me...held true. 

So, one Saturday night, in the wee o'clock, I pick up a married couple who had been partying with friends and the convos started out odd from the get go Between, the husband and wife "discussing" their grievances with each other, the subject turned to...yeah, you guessed it..,politics. 

It was my last ride of the night and I was tired. I played along until the couple told me to vote republican. I have always voted my conscience and there are some candidates who have run for officers and I feel did not deserve my vote because I felt they were unworthy of it. This current election...has me on a major undecided! I truly did not appreciate being told to vote for a particular party but tried my best to downplay it and be diplomatic. I could not wait for this ride to be over!!

I have no clue if they were too inebriated to rate me, however, the husband gave me a tip. Would have liked to have gotten  5 gold stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️for getting them home safely. Oh well.😏

My Thoughts On Ride Sharing Being Regulated.

So, What Do I Think?

Here are my thoughts. I first read an article awhile back...December 2015 about Michigan looking regulate ride sharing companies. Since, ride share drivers  really aren't taxis drivers  nor are they considered to be chauffeurs, the area is still gray as to what should be considered a transportation  service versus a person giving a ride to someone but getting paid for it. I feel...personally, that this is a scheme to rake in some bucks for state government.  That's what I'm taking away after reading the articles. As a driver for Uber and Lyft, I'm considered to be an independent contractor. I'm my one boss, I make my own schedule. I truly feel the entrepreneurial spirit and driving as an independent contractor fuels that feeling even more so. Legislation to regulate Uber, Lyft and any ride share companies would( in my opinion) squash the entrepreneurship of the independent contractor by asking them to take out more liability insurance at a higher premium, driving with a commercial driving license...CDL, USDOT numbers(a fee to pay), etc.  Taxi drivers and chaffeurs already have to pay extra themselves. Also, from why I've read, Michigan has passed a bill making ride sharing legal! It wasn't  before? It will  be interesting to see what happens in the future. Mind you,  this is for the state of Michigan. I'm not sure what other states have considered, passed about regulating ride sharing companies. 

Once again, thanks to all who read  my blog! Please feel free to leave a comment in the comment box and follow me for more blog posts. 

Take care. 

Safe Travels. 

Should Ride Sharing Companies Be Legislated?

Michigan Considers Regulation. 

I just saw this article pop in my newsfeed in regards to Michigan lesislature wanting to regulate rides hating companies such as Uber and Lyft. 

The following is the article. 

This is a snippet of the article. 

Please click on the link to find out more. 

Statewide Ridesharing Regulations @MackinacCenter http://www.mackinac.org/22072

• About Us

• MENU
• SEARCH

 

Ridesharing is a new service made popular by companies like Lyft and Uber. It relies on smartphones to connect those who need a ride to drivers willing to provide one — a riff on the traditional taxi system. Ridesharing has allowed thousands of Michiganders earn extra income as drivers and save money and time as riders. It currently operates in a legal gray area, however, because ridesharing drivers are not cabbies or chauffeurs.

The problem is that there is no statewide regulatory system that covers ridesharing in Michigan. While companies like Uber and Lyft maintain rigorous safety and driver-eligibility standards, they must get permission from each local municipality in order to operate legally. Implementing a statewide standard, like the one outlined in House Bill 4641, would make ridesharing legal and keep it safe, as well as make it easier for more people to benefit from this innovative service.

JOHN secretly always wanted to drive a cab, but he ended up with a law degree instead. Now that he’s moving toward retirement, he decided to revisit an old dream. He loves driving around MSU, where he says there is a different kind of demand for ridesharing.

REBECCA began driving for Uber to provide some income stability while she followed her passion for antiquing. She recently opened her own store. She thinks it’s important for people to know how safe ridesharing is, and how it increases safety in cities by providing an easy alternative to driving drunk.

BABACAR grew up in Senegal before immigrating to and earning citizenship from the United States. He supports his family by driving for Uber, and says his work for the service put him more in touch with his city.

TIM started driving for Lyft and Uber as a way to make some extra money during the holidays. Soon, it made him enough to leave his job as a restaurant manager and start his own business, Ryde Media, which sets up advertising in ridesharing vehicles.

KEVIN had fallen behind on mortgage payments when he decided to give ridesharing a try. These days, the extra income he earns working part-time for Uber has taken his family of six from nearly losing their house to remodeling their kitchen.

LARRY is a retired auto worker with a high school diploma. His favorite thing about ridesharing is the flexibility of working freelance, something he feels has never been accessible to people without a degree in the past.

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS

The Michigan Legislature is debating how to regulate ridesharing companies like Uber and Lyft. The State House has passed bills — House Bills 4637, 4638, 4639, 4640 and 4641 – which would establish fair regulations giving people the freedom to ride and the freedom to drive.

But the Senate has introduced two bills – Senate Bill 184 and 188 – which over regulates drivers, requiring them to jump through numerous hoops and pay high fees in order to work. Worse, cities across Michigan would be able to crack down on drivers and put them out of business. This would make it harder for drivers to provide rides and limit riders' access to convenient and affordable transportation.

Uber Fare Increase.

Uber Detroit.

FYI: Earlier this year, Uber Detroit lowered their fare  pricing to encourage more passengers for drivers. I just received an email saying that Uber Detroit fares have been raised by 10%!  Drivers' pay structure has been changed as well to .70 per mile and .15 per minute. I'm not aware of any other cities to have increased their fares but I would make inquiries. 

 

THANKS FOR READING MY BLOG! 

Safe travels. 

April 19...A Day of Reckoning for Female Uber Passengers.

Deletion of The Uber App by Some Women. 

In response to many women who have been threatened/assaulted sexually by male Uber drivers, many women as a protest will be deleting the Uber app on April 19. 

Here's a link below to read more about the movement. Make your own judgements. I feel it would be an interesting read to any and all. 

http://www.dose.com/style/28133/Here-s-Why-Women-Everywhere-Will-Delete-Uber-On-April-19

Questions That I'm Asked The Most.

Would You Rather...

A lot of my passengers tend to ask  me questions about driving for Uber/Lyft. 

Some of the most asked about questions are as follows: 

1. Would you rather drive for Lyft or Uber? 

Answer: Since, I'm still new to the Lyft system, I'm not quite sure which I prefer...yet. Get back to me on that one. 

2. Do you feel safe? 

 Answer: Great question! Honestly, there are times when I do have a brief anxiety moment where someone gets into my car and the thought that runs through my head is: "Please, don't put a gun to my head!". Sometimes...yes, I feel safe. 

3. When did you start driving for Uber?

Answer:  Late November, 2015. 

4. Do you like to drive for Uber? 

Answer: Yes!  To me, it's not a job and I do like to drive. I do a lot of travel photography so, I'm already driving. Why not get paid for it? 

5.  How often do you drive? 

Answer:  I tend to drive from as little  as 10 hours a week to almost 20 hours a week. I consider myself to be a part-time driver...for now.

 

6. How much money do you make? 

Answer:  Roughly, an extra $400 a month on top of my current salary.

 

7.  How does one become an Uber/Lyft driver? 

Answer:  Another great question! 

Type into the search box on your browser : http:www. uber.com 

There will be a drop down menu or a search box for Driving for Uber or do what I did...connect to Uber via Facebook. Which is what I also did for Lyft. The ads popped up in my newsfeed and I just clicked on the link. 

Here's a very frequently asked question from both men and women passengers: 

Do you carry a weapon? 

Answer: If you are meaning a hand gun...No.  I do feel that it would be in violation of Uber's  and Lyft's policies and guidelines. 

The next question is: 

How will you protect yourself if the need arises? 

Answer:  I pray to God that the need never arises but in today's day and age it is best to have some basic self defence knowledge regardless of where I might be at the time. 

 I have read articles about pepper spray is not very effective because it does need to be used at close range and it is banned in some venues such as airports and sports arenas etc. Not a fan of pepper spray to begin with.  What is now recommended by some law enforcement agencies is the use of...bug spray! 😳

Whaaat?  Seriously?! Yeah, bug spray is more effective than pepper spray because it shoots up to 20 feet away!  It's recommended to have a can by your night stand/bed side  table in case of home invasion. I've been told by family members...more than once,  to have a can of Raid™in my car within reach...at all times. 

I do follow some guidelines such as park in a well-lit areas, keep your doors locked at all times, cell/mobile phones fully charged to used at a moment's notice, be fully aware of your surroundings, check under your car before entering, have your keys in hand between fingers to be used as a weapon before leaving a building whether it's dark or light out, verify the name of your passenger before they get into your car, check the back seat of your vehicle before getting into it,  don't leave the keys in the car with the motor running and the driver's door left wide open, keep all electronic devices and their accessories out of sight and put purse on the floor. However, the best defence, is never to put oneself into a precarious situation. With that being said, Life is full of the unexpected and the worst of crimes can happen to the best of people in some of the most considered safest area. 

Upon leaving my car, most of my passengers tell me to : " Be Safe!" in return, I've wished them the same.

Once again, a big thanks to all you read my blog! 

Vielen Dank! 

Ratings.

Hey! Sorry it's been awhile. I've been driving for both Uber and Lyft. Doing a lot of comparing betwixt the two as to see which is the better gig. Both Lyft and Uber have a lot of similarities such as driver rating, ride acceptance rating, passenger rating, Prime Time/ Surge Pricing, and a host of others that are more techincal than anything else. However, I do like the Lyft app for the drivers' profile. A photo is taken by your mentor and is used as your profile pic, then the profile can be edited. This gives the passenger an idea of who is coming to pick them up and also a picture of the car used to pick up passengers. Uber just shows the driver's profile pic, their rating status and what kind of car they will be showing up in. Soz, still comparing as far as who seems to use Ubet versus Lyft. Yes, I'm talking about demographics. 

Lyft passengers ratings of Lyft drivers. 

Lyft asks  their clients to rate the  driver who recently provided transportation. It's the same for the drivers. However, it's common practice amongst both ride sharing companies. The exception is, Uber,  it's optional for the passengers to rate their drivers. Lyft seems to require it. This is my personal observation from convos from Lyft and Uber passengers. That can be a good or bad thing. I've noticed with Iber, yes, I started out at Five Starts and through the course of time, my ratings have fluctuated. Currently, I'm at 4.73 stars out of 5 which I was told by an Uber rep...I'm doing fine.

I have noticed a pattern developing with some cleinter and to be fair, whether it's Lyft  or Uber it's the same scenario. 

I have noticed that my ratings seem to drop off when I'm not as engaging with a passenger due to the fact, they have their nose buried in their phone! Brace yourselves this is where the rant begins! 

I respect the privacy of my passengers and if they choose to look at the phones, that is fine by me. I can focus on giving a safe ride and especially, here in southeastern Michigan, Winter hadn't left! So,  roadways can be icy or snow covered at times. Yeah, it's important to have a driver use caution when driving in these instances. I'll glance in my rear view mirror to check on my passenger and yes, their phone is more important than me! I'll ask some questions as to which way to turn or something of that nature because this sort of pasenger wants to give me directions instead of GPS. I've also leaned to use GPS( per Uber instructions) in these times, for back up purposes.  When it's all said and done after the ride is over and I have given my ratings, I'll check to see if the passenger has  rated me yet.

 With Lyft, it's very similar except, passengers can leave a message for Lyft  support as can drivers. I seem to go down in ratings or not rated at all  which greatly affects  my driver's ratings!

 Heads up people, if you, as a pasenger( in whichever country or city) rate your driver less than five stars because they didn't talk enough or taked too much whilst you're  Facebooking, Snap Chatting Tweeting or surfing the web, I'm not the problem here! I am trying to get to you to your destination safely and as quickly as possible! #justsaying Take that into consideration because it can have drivers removed from the driving platform if their ratings dip way below less than 5 stars! It totally pisses me off! 😡

Okay...rant over! 

Readers: Take note. Not all of my passengers who are on their mobile devices fall into this scenario. Some do engage in conversation with me. Unfortunately, the vast majority do not. This is solely based on my observations as a driver for both companies. 

A BIG SHOUT OUT AND THANK  YOU TO ALL WHO GENEROULSY GIVEN ME GRATUTIES! 💵

MUCHAS GRACIAS!  

Side note: sorry about the usage of differ at fonts..:I'm a dork! I forgot to switch! 😋

Road Trip with Lyft/Uber!

Road Tripping To LaLa land...L.A.🚗💨

Last weekend, I drove some buddies to Ann Arbor...A2, in Michigan. Big college town! Home of The University of Michigan. GO BLUE! 🏈💙💛

We were enroute to the Blue Leprechaun.

 We started out in Livonia and it was a fun ride! My take on it was that the guys worked together and were going to meet up with some girls they knew at the bar for a night of drinking and carousing.

 I was driving for Lyft that night. After some ice breaking small talk, the front passenger  and I clicked immediately and I don't how the subject came up but one of the back seat passengers had asked me if I knew that I was supposed to be driving them to Chicago! 

No...not really but then, all of us started supposing about a road trip out west.  Los Angeles, California was the general consensus for a destination. Would I drive them? Of course, a price determination would have to be set, would Lyft sanction the ride, etc. We kept creating a scenario about where to stop for pit stops, sleeping arrangements, coffee breaks, who would pay for the gas, how long would it take to drive out to Los Angeles, what month to leave in and how long to stay. Of course, I could be the only driver.  

Once there, oodles of tourists attraction await! . My inner question was: " when will we start getting on each other's nerves?". 

 Sounds like major fun. 

Maybe...someday. 

Who knows. 

Thanks to all for reading my blog!