In Mexico City a 30 minute ride usually costs $3-4. Obviously the minimum wage here is a fraction of the USA, but often these guys have pretty nice cars so presumably they have a standard of living above the poverty level. Are they even earning 50 cents after factoring in Uber's cut and expenses? There is no shortage of drivers either.

Its jumped a small bit, but Panama is/was the same. About $5-6 for a similar journey. My gf is just back from Colombia and she was paying $3-4 for 20-30 minute Uberblack rides for the week she was there

The median domestic product per capita of colombia is 5800 USD, Mexico is 8200, USA is 58000. Are you shocked that things are much cheaper in these countries? To get me from the airport to my house is around 25-30 minutes--I typically get a 32 dollar charge from uber or 40 for a cab. so the fee seems proportionally right.

What's your point? The MIT study was for the US.

Great Uber story in the news, any guesses as to how much the driver earned for this fare?

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/...to-new-jersey/

Morgantown, WV to Cherry Hill, NJ --> 4 hrs 53 mins.

5 hrs x $3.37 = $16.85.

Funny trip, but not really a well written interesting article. I want to know more about what happened.

A few more details as per NJ.com the source for the original link:
http://www.nj.com/entertainment/inde...ide_story.html
Some good lines in the 130+ comment section, people just lining up to rag on the guy. Wonder how it came to the media's attention, Kenny, the Uber or his friends?
Think I've found his correct FB page which has a hilarious jersey shore style profile pic to boot; https://www.facebook.com/kenny.bachman.3

Guess the Uber driver didn't have a whole lot going on and was ok with the massive trip, poor Kenny was in no shape to argue otherwise maybe the driver didn't ask too many questions?

The comment section got derailed about how pot smokers wouldn't have made Kenny's error and an NJ Uber driver chimed in with this gem; " Actually, I had to end a ride with a college age dope fiend because he wouldn't keep his seatbelt on and kept trying to grope me. I'm a 40 year old 280 pound mother of two, not a cute 20 something bikini model. So, yes, MJ smokers do stupid stuff."

Hell Poker Kraut took a guy from Vegas to Modesto, I'll bet that's as far.

He broke the algorithm and had to complain to get paid correctly.

"I even paid for his tolls going home."

Not the best plea for sympathy.

A friend of a friend got blackout drunk on New Years Eve 3-4 years ago and took a 15x surge ride like 40 miles from downtown Detroit to his home in the suburbs. Cost like $1,250. I think he fought Uber about it and they refunded some of it but I'm not sure how much.

i was in singapore where things like a corolla cost 100k us dollars because of all the taxes. and yet i would take 45 min uber rides for 10 bucks and i have no idea how that's even possible.

Because just like in America, the drivers are making **** money and it's just a means to an end. Maybe it's their part time job and making an extra $150 a week is the difference in between paying a couple of bills and having grocery money. Or it's their way of paying off a car note that they got themselves overextended on.

OMG $1800! guaranteed for your first 200 trips as a driver YOU GUY'S BETTER JUMP ALL OVER THIS WHILE U STILL CAN!

Stupid question: does that mean in addition to your fares/tips or that they make up the difference if it's below $1800? I suspect the latter, but the former would seem like a good thing.

Definitely the latter.

What's the deal with drivers starting the trip before they actually pick you up? I see guys doing this all. the. time. lately. I thought they were scamming me on the wait time, but it's not costing me any money (so far) because lyft is quoting me a price before I actually hit the "request ride" button and so far my actual cost hasn't deviated from that.

It's irritating as hell though I don't know why it should actually bother me.


Another problem:

The other night I got home from the airport, but didn't immediately get the "Rate your ride" notification. It showed up a few minutes later, I rated the guy 5 stars and tipped as normal and didn't think anything about it.

The next day, I'm doing my expense report and noticed the dropoff point was not my home, it was about a mile and a half away, on a super-busy street, AND in this case the ride history notes that the price was adjusted from the quoted price based on actual time and distance. I figured this guy is just squeezing me for a couple of bucks and reported it, and got refunded for the entire trip within an hour. I asked a follow-up question about this and lyft said they don't think the guy was scamming, and that he simply had a "communication problem" that prevented him from ending the ride correctly. This seems kinda unlikely to me unless their driver app is insanely buggy?

Just spitballing on your first question but maybe they are actually helping you and stopping Lyft from the waiting notifications and charges. Maybe it also affects their experience negatively in some way?

I just don't get how it can be worth it longterm. You are making about $15/hr after repairs and such (wrong?). Then you have to pay for your healthcare. What about putting 100k-200k miles on your personal vehicle every year (this one I can't seem to get)? Is the trick finding under valued used cars? Most uber cars I have been in have been pretty nice.

If you use the destination filter it's worth it. The idea of Uber initially was to pick somebody up going the way you are already going. So if you commute 45 minutes to work and can pick somebody up going the same way, takes care of your gas + for the week.


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that makes sense. I'm trying to get the perspective of someone trying to make a living off it.

-RS

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It seems like Lyft is renting out cars now, so for the drivers who don't have a car, they can have one for personal use:

https://help.lyft.com/hc/en-us/artic...al-Car-Program

https://help.lyft.com/hc/en-us/articles/360001562247

It's $209 / week including insurance and unlimited miles.

I have a friend who did Lyft / Uber for about 18 months. From what I gather, the money comes from tax write-offs. Everything else (including the car that's now broken down) is a wash.

I remember about 2 years ago talking to an Uber driver they had something like this on a deal involving Hertz with the only requirement being you drive a certain number of trips per month. I could be mistaken but I remember thinking it was a great deal for anyone who actually drove full time, but there must have been a catch or else why would anyone drive their own car?

Bump just in case.

I'm flying into JFK with a couple of bags, arriving at 4pm. I have tickets to UFC at Barclays center in Brooklyn needing to be there at 5:30 pm. My hotel is in midtown. Now, there is no way for me to get from JFK to my hotel to drop off the bags and back to Barclays by 5:30. Is it possible to order a Uberxl or black to take my bags to the hotel for me?

Zero chance I would let an Uber driver do that for me.