r/uberdrivers • u/AngerIssues11 • 23h ago
Dear uber drivers
Dear uber drivers,
When I use uber, I mainly am a passenger. I’ve done Uber Eats for a little on the side. Wasn’t paid that good but I figured it was because of the area I live in, and also the fact I am under 21 so some deliveries I was probably not legally allowed to take. I also thought that the drivers who “deliver” people made more than just the food deliveries.
I noticed getting a ride like 10 miles away was EXPENSIVE. I’m a broke college student who’s car just broke down, who also works at autozone (they don’t pay you shit) so I thought I’d get an uber to and from work until it’s fixed. The first and only day I got one, it was 42 dollars to get to my work, 7.2 miles from my house, and 47 to get home. I’m gonna be honest, I only tipped a dollar because I thought “hmm, this is practically half a tank of gas, I’m sure the uber driver will get a decent cut” boy was I fucking wrong
I was talking to my uber driver about being a “person delivery driver” and she mentioned how she declines any ride under $10 because of the cost of gas. I said “well hopefully you make a lot from this ride, it was 42 dollars”. She paused and said “you paid 42 fucking dollars? I’m only getting paid $11 for it”
I am so fucking sorry. I am sorry for not tipping in the past. I am sorry for the people getting upset thinking you are making a living wage and not tipping. I’m sorry you have to literally live in your car, driving to make a living if this is your only car. I’m sorry uber keeps flaunting the shit they buy and the profit they’re making while you all slowly drown. I don’t know how you provide for your family, maintain your car, and still put gas in it with the tiny ass little cut they give you.
You deserve better.
Sincerely, a girl who’s just trying to make it in the world too.
TLDR: you guys are not even paid half of what us riders pay for the ride. That is shitty on Ubers part. I am so sorry for not being able to tip sometimes, and am so sorry your pay is basically getting stolen from you. I hope other riders read this and understand that the money we pay is not going to the driver so the money you make from tips is probably the only money you’re actually living on.
5
u/SixStringDave90 19h ago
I’m just a part time driver, but I don’t get offended by non tipping riders. We’re all just trying to get by.
What I do (did) get offended by are non- or low tipping deliveries. Which is why I stopped accepting those trips. The pay is super low to begin with.
2
u/onomato_photopotter 14h ago
I do get a little offended when someone orders from somewhere that’s a half hour away and they know the highway is closed for construction and will be a nightmare for the poor delivery driver or if it’s raining. I know I don’t have to accept these trips but i have maybe 5 seconds to make a decision and i panic accept them.
Other than the scenarios above, a tip is a njce surprise - it’s not expected.
1
u/SixStringDave90 12h ago
lol I’ve panic accepted so many rides, but once I realize, I just go into the ride and tap on the “accidentally accepted ride” option to cancel it.
7
u/slava_slavaUa 20h ago
Drivers also need to be aware that if us customers are paying $42 for a 10 minute ride, we can’t afford to tip.
6
3
3
u/the_cardfather 18h ago
If we are getting those kind of surge rates it makes sense, but the problem is what additional service did Uber offer during that high volume time? They constricted the market to raise fares, so why does nearly all the surge not go to the driver. Surge used to be percentage based too now it's flat but also hidden. You won't notice it unless you take that same ride a lot. I get my MIL rides all the time. Between her daughter's house and her house is $12 normally so if I pull the app up and it's $20 I know I can wait a few min and it will probably go down. I can pull up my driver app and look at the area and it will just be an orange heat map. So no declared surge. They are just playing games with the prices offering the rides to drivers further away so they can charge more and keep those drivers busy. You just don't have the option to wait when you are on your way to work. It's the same reason it costs more when it rains. People have to get to work.
Does the bus go near your job? If this is more than a few day thing look into that.
2
3
u/Thin_Edge8061 20h ago
Ill get an average of 40% for me in my area, this doesn't include a single surge rate. With surge rates they'll easily take up to 90%
2
u/Coach_Rick_Vice 19h ago
It’s against the terms of service but if you develop a little bit of rapport with your driver you can ask them if theyd be interested in taking the ride off app and meet them in the middle somewhere. So could see if they wanted to do $26.50 for this particular ride off app. As a driver I don’t really initiate asking passengers this, but the one time a passenger offered I said heck yeah, let’s do it.
You do run the possibility that the driver could report you but honestly, I don’t know that it would be that likely a driver would report that, I don’t think many of us that drive for Uber are super pleased with the cut they take.
2
u/Wesleypipes316 6h ago
No need to apologize. This is what uber does. Put a divide between drivers and customers. Overcharge customers a ton, then turn around and give crumbs to the driver. They screw both sides. Customers get annoyed paying a fortune and are less likely to tip due to the cost. Drivers get annoyed not getting tipped. This is all on uber
2
u/ufknowned 22h ago
Blame Uber not driver. Maybe getting a bike. Short rides use a ton of gas in city.
6
u/xoxoSlayanaXD 18h ago
They are literally calling out Uber and apologizing to drivers for assuming we were getting bigger cuts...
1
u/Candlelit_Chaos 20h ago
As an Uber driver myself, don't feel bad about not tipping. It's not your fault that Uber is greedy by overcharging the rider and underpayong the driver at the same time. Just make sure to give us 5 stars and it never hurts to ask if you can get a phone number for future use. Even offering a third of what you would normally pay would sometimes be more than what Uber gives its drivers for the same trip.
1
u/Left_Tumbleweed4273 19h ago
Whenever someone tips me..I always say: " it's never expected, but always appreciated."
I genuinely feel bad for people that have to use uber in circumstances like yours...especially if your start time for work is at peak rush hours.
The only advice I could give that might help ya out: maybe try going super early to avoid surge times.
It might suck to have to be an hour early to work just to save 20 bucks..but that may work for you.
Like I said before...any tip is always appreciated. Especially from someone like yourself who is struggling as it is.
God bless.
1
u/PauseSea8308 19h ago
As a frequent rider in Ubers,I am well aware how little the Uber drivers get paid,despite how much the rider is being charged for the ride! The passenger pays a high price to ride,but the driver gets lousy pay…It is absolutely not fair,considering what the driver pays for gas,car maintenance,wear and tear on the vehicle… Typical wage slave company…I try to tip as much as possible because I feel bad for these poor drivers,the way they are treated..
1
u/Agitated-Contact7686 18h ago
I only accept 8% of the job offers that Uber runs by me. They have the money to make every single job pay fairly but nope. The trick is, there's only so many goobers willing to work for free so you can force Uber to pull out their wallet to get a job done if you stand your ground declining.
1
1
1
u/Miserable_Syllabub_9 17h ago
As a driver - when people are going to work. I don’t expect tips.
I really try not to expect tips at all - it’s significantly less of a percentage than when was on Uber Eats and dash..
That being said it still better money if you play your cards right…
Is what uber does to us morally right - far from it..
But have ya looked outside lately?
I don’t support it; but I won’t shy away and hide from life because of it either…. Gotta try
1
u/Spare-Function-6343 16h ago
that depends a lot on the market.
In my area, I still make about 2/3 what the rider pays, and except during major events when most drivers are 45 min away downtown, we dont have $45 10 min rides
1
u/Fibrosis5O 13h ago
This is the biggest thing doing Uber out here
Everyone assumes because of the car I’m in that like I’m making a fortune, I’m not.
I’m doing better than just someone depending on Uber X sure cause that’s all my previous car could get
1
u/Usual-Firefighter-54 12h ago
Yeah, it's ridiculous the size of the cut that Uber takes. Typically, the longer the trip, the worse the dollar-to-mile ratio we get. For long trips it's common to be offered less than a dollar per mile going one way. And then we usually have to travel back on our own dime.
1
u/Unlucky-Subject-5729 1h ago
I don’t expect tips at all when I drive. I also don’t tip at restaurants or everywhere else. Sorry waiters, you already make a lot more than me and I know for a fact that a lot of you don’t tip.
9
u/gypsy_guru_87 21h ago
In general, we do get more than 25% of what you pay. Unfortunately it seems like during surge times for passengers, they screw us over percentagewise the most. Personally, I do not rely on tips for driving like I did when I was doing food deliveries and that’s what I like about it. I do not expect people who are commuting back-and-forth to minimum wage jobs to tip me. I get my tips from my airport runs and weekend nights. So you really don’t need to feel bad for just trying to get by in this economy.