What's your Uber experience?

[NoName]

Can I get uber to deliver an urgent parcel?
Will necessitate the driver going into reception to pick up parcel and drop off at another reception?

Book it and then call the driver and explain what you want them to do. If they don't want to then cancel. I wouldn't see why they would care though. I once had a woman give me a set of house keys and ask me to drive them to her house where her housemate had locked herself out.

 

[Quickstatus]

Yes I would think any job that requires the uber driver to get out of car twice would be unattractive - a cash bonus might be reasonable
How is Ubereats remunerated as the driver may have to get out the car twice?

 

[QF WP]

Can I get uber to deliver an urgent parcel?
Will necessitate the driver going into reception to pick up parcel and drop off at another reception?

Yes, our Uber driver on Monday night advised that he liked these jobs - quiet pax and so long as he got it there at the expected time, always got 5* rating. He advised that some clients had commented on how easy and cheaper it was compared with traditional courier companies (particularly where you package had to go through a distribution centre first).

 

[Quickstatus]

Can see Uber taking over the bike couriers in the city with Uberbike

 

[mannej]

Can see Uber taking over the bike couriers in the city with Uberbike

I have seen Ubereats use bikes just the other week.

 

[Skyring]

Can I get uber to deliver an urgent parcel?
Will necessitate the driver going into reception to pick up parcel and drop off at another reception?

As a cabbie, I relished these jobs. Often I'd carry urgent medical samples from hospital to pathology late at night. Easy money.

I'd think twice about doing it as an Uber driver. Parking for business hours pickups and deliveries might be a problem. Not allowed to use loading zones or taxi ranks, you see.

 

[Deleted member]

I can't speak for anyone else, but here is my take on it. I drive a big car, I don't like small cars and I feel less safe in them as well.
As for suggesting that a small car owner is lower down the socioeconomic spectrum and that is the cause for the cancellation, that may or may not be the case. But frankly I suspect it has more to,do with choice. If you want to drive Uber, and choose to "skimp" on the size of the vehicle, I suspect one has to just suck it up. If however someone wants to avoid the small car option, there is an option on the app to guarantee a larger vehicle.

Why? If you have a large object, lots of luggage, or four people in your party, fair enough, but if you are cancelling just to get a bigger (and presumably better) car, then this is quite selfish. It wastes your time and that of the driver.

If I get a ping, I start driving immediately. I usually don't work at times when I have to pay for parking, but when I do, it might mean I've lost a parking spot and have to hunt for another. I'll tell myself, these things happen, but it's not pleasant.

I drive a Golf - the wagon version, because I found the hatch was often a bit tight on airport runs - and it's plenty big enough. I might have to move the front seats back and forth a bit to distribute legroom, but it's okay. I can fit pushbikes and things in, and it's remarkably roomy with a bit of juggling and VW's clever design features.

But I get the odd cancellation. I guess that this is why.

Smaller cars are perhaps associated with drivers who are less well off. I guess if a passenger doesn't want to mix with a driver who's a bit further down on the bank balance scale, then that's their privilege. But Uberdrivering isn't a handsomely-paid job, and sometimes a driver can't afford a big car. Cancelling them just makes their life even harder, and it won't work to drive small cars out of the Uber fleet, because so long as a car has four doors, is roadworthy, and is less than nine years old, it will be accepted as an Uber. There's no policy on size.

 

[N860CR]

I can't speak for anyone else, but here is my take on it. I drive a big car, I don't like small cars and I feel less safe in them as well.
As for suggesting that a small car owner is lower down the socioeconomic spectrum and that is the cause for the cancellation, that may or may not be the case. But frankly I suspect it has more to,do with choice. If you want to drive Uber, and choose to "skimp" on the size of the vehicle, I suspect one has to just suck it up. If however someone wants to avoid the small car option, there is an option on the app to guarantee a larger vehicle.

I ordered an Uber once and the car came up as "Suzuki Alto". For some reason, I thought that was the 4x4 thing. When it showed up, there was a slim chance of 4 of us fitting. I'm not sure if they've tightened the requirements up since then. Nothing to do with the driver being "low-socioeconomic", we simply wouldn't have fit.

 

[moa999]

I have seen Ubereats use bikes just the other week.

UberEats is the smallest player in Sydney.
Deliveroo, Foodora and Eatnow/ Menulog bigger from what I see around.

 

[Skyring]

I ordered an Uber once and the car came up as "Suzuki Alto". For some reason, I thought that was the 4x4 thing. When it showed up, there was a slim chance of 4 of us fitting.

A "slim chance"! Love it.

Fair enough if there's more passengers or luggage than will safely fit in a small car. But if there's just one passenger, and they reject a ride because the car is a small one instead of (say) a Camry, then that's just selfish. I guess you could keep on rolling the dice until you get a nice car, or a Holden rather than a Ford, or whatever, but that's just being a dick. Besides, despite the occasional news story about Uber drivers with Jags or Teslas, that doesn't seem to be the case. Most Ubers are pretty utilitarian.

In Canberra at least, there's no option to go above UberX. I've taken many Uber trips here, and all of them have been pretty much in cars that you'd get if you walked into Avis and said, "I'd like a car, any car."

 

[Pleb Status]

Used Uber for the first time in Singapore yesterday and scored a free ride to SIN somehow.

Did not have a promo code or knowledge of any promotion at the time of travel.

Good luck I guess.

 

[Strategic Aviation]

Uber is Losing a Billion Dollars PER QUARTER, But Can They Make It Up on Volume? - View from the Wing

 

[QF WP]

Wow, I had no idea the cash drain was so bad. Deep pockets are needed.

 

[TomVexille]

Wow, I had no idea the cash drain was so bad. Deep pockets are needed.

Google does have deep pockets

 

[Wong.a]

Wow, I had no idea the cash drain was so bad. Deep pockets are needed.

A friend in SF who has friends working at Uber say it's a pretty toxic work environment, and that the company is hemorrhaging money at the moment. They want to subsidize almost everything (drivers… riders…).

That said, I haven't caught a 'conventional' taxi on my own dime in a very, very long time. My last straws were when I had a cabbie spout nonsensical misinformation about Middle Eastern politics, and another fellow who suggested I convert to their religion. Of the latter experience, it happened when I was already outside my home and regretfully left them a tip.

I haven't looked back.

 

[Freq Flier 2013]

A friend in SF who has friends working at Uber say it's a pretty toxic work environment, and that the company is hemorrhaging money at the moment. They want to subsidize almost everything (drivers… riders…).

That said, I haven't caught a 'conventional' taxi on my own dime in a very, very long time. My last straws were when I had a cabbie spout nonsensical misinformation about Middle Eastern politics, and another fellow who suggested I convert to their religion. Of the latter experience, it happened when I was already outside my home and regretfully left them a tip.

I haven't looked back.

Must admit that while I use both Uber and Taxi, never had any of the above issues. All cabs I've used have been clean and well presented.

However taking to my girlfriend who was in melbourne - used an Uber and the guy started talking about race, Middle East and the like. She complained to Uber, gave a 1 star rating ect... but it just shows that people are the same across the board. Uber or T

 

[Wong.a]

Must admit that while I use both Uber and Taxi, never had any of the above issues. All cabs I've used have been clean and well presented.

However taking to my girlfriend who was in melbourne - used an Uber and the guy started talking about race, Middle East and the like. She complained to Uber, gave a 1 star rating ect... but it just shows that people are the same across the board. Uber or T

I don't mind the occasional conversation about race, ME etc., but in this situation, the driver's rant was pretty offensive. Like a trifecta of offensiveness.

Lyft, on the other hand, is pretty great. Shame it is not yet available here. I prefer the convenience of being able to obtain a ride from an app, but agreed… a majority of taxis are presentable, particularly if the you riding in a newer fleet of cars.

 

[N860CR]

Am I the only person who doesn't speak to drivers at all? I feel like a bit of a douche

 

[Deleted member]

Wow, I had no idea the cash drain was so bad. Deep pockets are needed.

Deep Saudi pockets mostly !!

 

[Deleted member]

I ordered an Uber once and the car came up as "Suzuki Alto". For some reason, I thought that was the 4x4 thing. When it showed up, there was a slim chance of 4 of us fitting. I'm not sure if they've tightened the requirements up since then. Nothing to do with the driver being "low-socioeconomic", we simply wouldn't have fit.

I am of the opinion that there needs to be another size category, I can't see it happening though as it might discriminate against the wee small cars.
Frankly I think the minimum car size needs to something more like the Golf Wagon Skyring describes.