Tag: atlanta driver

UBER COMFORT; TO CANCEL OR NOT TO CANCEL || IS IT WORTH THE WAIT?

Great morning my fellow giggers, freelancers, and rideshare baggers and baguettes; I hope and pray you are being strategic and profitable out here in these streets. Below is a link to my YouTube vlog on the latest and maybe not so greatest rollout by Uber on their new feature Uber Comfort in regards to the infamous change to cancellations. A lot of drivers are up in arms about the matter yet I have not seen one person post an actual issue to the wait time and cancellation fee.

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So on July 12th, 2019 Uber Comfort officially rolled out of BETA mode and was full throttle. We got to see it in it’s full glory and I must say thus far it’s not that big of a deal… yet! I have been part of the beta testing for 2 1/2 months and was actually liking the Uber Comfort option as a driver. I noticed a number of things and came to some conclusions, but I will save that for a later write-up. Today I want to focus on my very first Uber Comfort cancellation with the newly implemented changes.

Now, a lot of drivers loathed the fact of the extended wait time and “preference mode” these are two hot topics that got drivers pissed beyond measure, but before I could come to any conclusions I felt the need of first experiencing it in its full glory. Below you will see a series of screenshots of the process of the cancellation and what I suggest you do if you find yourself in this situation.

I got the request which was maybe a mile away from Meghan, I quickly arrived and submitted a text as I always do advising I have arrived. The problem is Meghan had input the wrong pickup location. I asked her to update the address and I could come to her. She hung up on me and clearly had an attitude. I sat and waited, I was not going to take the hit and cancel on my end, she would have to do that. I did my part and fulfilled my obligations. I extended the olive branch, use all modes of communication available. Offered to go above and beyond, and she did not want to do what was needed on her end. Now someone may say, well you could’ve just driven and found her, but mind you I did not have an accurate address, if so and if in close range I would have went the distance. I really prefer to pick people up. Constantly cancelling does not help me and my pockets. I want to give the rider the benefit of the doubt! Also if you noticed, Meghan never responded to the multiple texts and she clearly had read them all. This is an indicator to me that she was avoiding the matter in all for whatever reason. When I see people choose not to respond that usually means they are hoping you cancel the ride prior to them having to pay the cancellation fee.

So after about waiting for 8 minutes and 5 seconds I proceeded with the cancellation process. I was not going to wait a second longer. Yes Uber extended the wait time and I was prepared for that mentally so I just used that time to sit in the car and answer emails from my clients in my consulting and coaching practice. Once I was cleared to cancel the ride WITH FEE option checked I made sure I had all my screenshots in case Uber tries to pull a fast one. I always text because phone calls are not tracked and doesn’t prove what was said, but a text thread can help you in situations if anything is ever questioned. I bid you to please use the texting option if possible, this sets a standard with you and riders. Communication is everything and you must effectively do that on a consistent basis.

So my conclusion is it was worth the wait, due to the payout. Now if I had traveled a long distance this could’ve been a lost. Ten minutes zero miles, $7.20 was a win for me. We must be compensated for our time and resources. Don’t allow your time to be wasted my fellow giggers! I believe if they are subject to the consequences it will condition them (them being the rider) to be more respectful and attentive when using the rideshare platform. I can however see this being a loss at times, but as an Uber Pro Diamond driver I am able to use a number of factors to weigh the the costs of it entirely. But this is the chance we take, the game we play, and in all 95% of riders do their part, they are prompt and ready to take off. This was a late night full of Atlanta nightlifers so I totally expect their to be issues and problem children.

So in closing I say before complaining please due your own trial study. See if it is actually a lost or gain or if it balances out for you. I am always open to giving anything a try and maintaining a positive perspective before solidifying any conclusions. I still have some testing to do with this, but overall I don’t think it will be a big deal.

UBER SAFETY FEATURE GOES UNUSED: AWESOME TOOL FOR FEMALE RIDERS & DRIVERS

If you’ve ever been victimized on the smallest scale often it’s not the actual event that is tormenting, but rather the constant thought of “what could I’ve done different” that cycles through your mind, especially as a woman. Hi, I am Kimberly Nuzingah Bradley an ex-officer that worked within a jail facility in multiple capacities and yes I too have been the victim of assault (a number of times) so I am speaking from first hand knowledge. I am a practicing Life-Coach and Holistic Wellness Coach that serve women of all ages and backgrounds. In addition as I continually build my practice my true passion is writing; I use various types of gig economy jobs to help fund my dreams. Of all the various gig jobs that I do hands down UBER and LYFT are the larger of them all and the riskiest. When I do rideshare I tend to utilize UBER the most both for riding and driving, the functionality of the app I am just more accustomed to. In this blog I want to quickly share with you a feature in the UBER app I believe is vastly overlooked and barely used. The feature I speak of is in the app for both rider and driver and it’s known as the “Share my Ride” tab. The setup takes literally less than a 30 seconds and is a great form of accountability. Above is a small clip from my youtube channel The CEO DriveHer on how to set it up for both user types beit rider/driver. Now I have specified “women” only because that is my target audience, but this feature is of course for everyone.

The setup is so simply the last thing you needed was a video tutorial, but for my newbies I wanted them to go right into the app without fail and quickly set this up. Dads, fathers, uncles, grandpapas, brother, and sons of the world if you have young teenage daughters 17+ and above, mother, sister, wife, etc. this feature is a must! This maps their travel in realtime and holds them accountable too. I know some people don’t like the tracking idea, but it’s all about accountability and safety. If someone is traveling 2-3 miles up the road, but the trip is taking 35 minutes you may want to phone in and check on the person.

To set-up the “Share my Ride” feature it’s this simple in the UBER app:

  • Log into account.
  • Click on you profile pic. (for Drivers only)
  • Click on tab at left corner w/3 lines (for Riders only)
  • Click on tab that say Account.
  • Scroll down to App Settings and click.
  • About 5 rows down is the SHARE TRIP icon, click on it.
  • Once in follow the setup instructions and customize as you like.

Mind you the app is always being updated and/or looks different for different account holders. Not sure how this workers with corporate accounts, but for personal UBER accountants the above instructions should relatively be this method.

For my female drivers you ladies rock, but I know like me you can get a bit to comfortable doing this and we tend to get a little lack in our day to day dealings when doing rideshare. We must always be alert and aware of who is getting in our vehicles. One time I use the app to my advantage, I had a dude that was making strong advances and would not back down in his requests for my number and to take me out. I was able to squeeze in the fact (casually) of how all my rides are monitored and shared for my safety. Now do I believe he was going to do physical harm to me? No. But to be on the safe side I wan’t to plant the seed that there is a monitoring system along side if someone has it, along side of a dash cam. I believe if these monitoring systems are used more often the word will get out that they too are being watched be it driver or rider.

Let’s continue to put safety first ladies, I am not trying to scare anyone. It seems like a look but in fact it isn’t. If you set yourself to use/take security measures all the time in your day to day activities it becomes 2nd nature, it becomes part of you! Remember to always go off you instinct, never silence that internal voice, it’s quiet but speaks volumes. Take care and stay tune to daily and weekly blogs and vlogs in reference to creating passive income, maximizing the gig economy and freelance culture, and rider and driver safety.