Slashdot Mirror
Uber's New Policy Fines Riders Who Are Two Minutes Late
Uber says it has revised some of its policies to better compensate its drivers. As part of which, the company is testing charging customers a fee if they make a driver wait for more than two minutes (current waiting time is five minutes). Furthermore, the taxi aggregator says it is changing the ride cancellation grace period from five minutes to two minutes, adding that the fees can range from $5 to $10, depending on your city. Our very own Logan Abbott aka Whipslash faced this issue today. Though he tells us that the company refunded his money after he emailed and filed a complaint. The Verge reports:The feature was built in response to drivers' complaints about waiting for passengers, Uber said. In a statement released to The Verge and TechCrunch, Uber noted that these updated terms would ensure that "the whole system runs more smoothly and the Uber experience improves for everyone." Reduced wait times and the ability to charge for idle time, as well as compensation if riders cancel after two minutes, obviously benefit drivers, earning them a few extra dollars and allowing them to move onto the next fare sooner. But how this will make the passenger experience smoother is unclear. Traffic, wrong turns, and faulty GPS all contribute to making pick-up times unreliable. This can leave passengers out in the cold, waiting for drivers to arrive. Uber explained that if a driver is more than five minutes late for an estimated arrival, users can cancel the ride with no penalty.
It's fair enough too - you can't expect people to wait for you, without some level of charge, when you've booked them for a certain time - if you knew you were going to be late, then you should book the ride for a later time. Two minutes should be ample to exit the house/foyer of the building to where the ride is waiting. Whereas giving a little more grace period to the driver is fairer as there are things outside their control with regard to getting to your location on time - they can't control the traffic etc.
Or don't be late.
You can decide to have some basic courtesy towards these people who are trying to make a living with this. We all now have phones that are accurate within a couple seconds to each other. You shouldn't need to be late. If you are then it is because you are just not being courteous to other needs.
If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
Why call for a ride if you aren't ready to GO? How long does it take to get outside from inside, all of 15 seconds? People who are habitually late are the absolute worst. You aren't so god damn important that the rest of the world should wait for you, and if you were you wouldn't be using Uber. When a driver is waiting for you to make an appearance, they aren't making any money. It's only fair that after a certain amount of idling, you should be charged a penalty for wasting their time, in order to encourage you to not be so selfish the next time around. There are always circumstances beyond your control, sure, so maybe give one freebie a year. But when it becomes clear it was just your lack of time management skills or respect for you fellow man, you should pay the price.
Most cab companies I've used charge for every minute they have to wait.
That said, two minutes to find a nondescript car that may or may not be where the app says they are is a bit unreasonable.
Try that for instance at the Paris airport where you have multiple levels. Getting the exact position doesn't help when your Uber is waiting on the wrong level. It can take you quite a long time to climb that level with all your luggage....
Why should Uber riders tip the driver? I mean this as a serious question.
Uber has represented itself as a way for it's drivers to make extra cash. We're already paying for the ride - so why should we have to tip? If the drivers aren't getting the bulk of the fare already, then we're basically paying a lot of money for a middle-man who does very little... which seems to go against the whole reason Uber exists.
When I tip a hair stylist, I'm aware he/she is getting very little of the price I paid for the haircut. Same thing with a waiter at a restaurant. But in those cases, the owner is providing material support (space, tools) to their employees. The relationship between Uber and its drivers doesn't seem analogous to that sort of situation.
#DeleteChrome
Do you get a credit if the driver is late?
When Fascism comes to America, it will call itself Anti-Fascism, and tell you to give up your guns.
This was never a problem when I drove cabs 30yrs ago, first you make contact with the customer in person, then start the meter, then wait for them to get in, simple and fair for both parties. Yes it may mean you have to get off your arse and knock on the door to make contact. No contact after 5-10min trying, leave empty handed and put their name/address on the dispatcher's shit list.
And did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage? - Pink Floyd.
"No real cost but their time" The award for most ignorant and entitled jack off of this thread right here. Time is money, fool.
I've never really understood the logic of tipping. Tipping only seems to happen in countries that underpay workers, so you add x% to the price to ensure the poor guy gets a living wage (or some approximation). So why not just increase the price by x% and pass that on to the worker directly? That saves you the hassle of working out x% on the price, makes the worker's life a little more predictable in terms of day-to-day income, the real price (label+tip) doesn't change, it removes the guilt associated with not having cash on you or forgetting to tip, and saves travelers from non-tipping countries the confusion of colliding with a tipping culture - so wins all around. Tipping seems like an annoying and round-about way to do things.