Going online
The process starts by going online in the app, either from scratch, or automatically becoming online again after a drop-off. The Uber Partner app shows you a high-level overview of the area you're driving in in map form, with a heatmap coloring for surge pricing areas. I've found the surge indications to be a little less than perfect, in general, but they're at least something of a guide. I usually just cruise around, heading towards surges if I see any, or to areas that I suspect will have people around at the time of day I'm driving - bars/clubs at night, businesses in the early evening, etc.
The request
When a request comes in, you get a mini-map of the pick-up location in a circle, with a progress bar traveling around the circle. The progress bar is showing how long you have to accept before the trip is given to another driver. At the top of the screen it shows the type of trip (UberX, UberXL, or UberPOOL), and below the circle it shows the rider's rating and surge rate, if any.
The request coming in still gives me a little burst of higher heart rate - it's just exciting. And the pick-up is also sometimes the most stressful part of the trip for a driver. So it's a mixed blessing. But yay, time to make money soon!
Tap the request to accept, and you're on your way! Note that you're not getting paid at this point (or any of the time you were just driving around), so you want to be on trips as much as possible.
The pick-up
The app will now tell you your rider's first name (we don't get to see your picture - so I'm not quite sure why riders even have the option to set one in their profile) and the pick-up location. The "Navigate" button in the app will take you to your selected navigation app (Waze for me) with the pick-up location entered.
When I'm getting close to the pick-up, I'll generally switch from Waze back to the Uber app. The Uber app drops a pin with the user's actual entered pick-up location, which may differ slightly from the address it showed you / sent to your navigation app, so it's good to double-check. If you're lucky you can figure out the side of the street to pick up on - either from the building number or from the pin location.
This is one of the stressful parts of a ride for me - Uber makes a big deal about how much riders want a pickup right where they want it, not across the street, down the street, etc., and I know that myself as a rider as well. Street numbering is often hard to actually find, depending on the type of neighborhood, and people aren't great about putting their pins exactly where they actually want to be picked up. I know I've gained a much greater appreciation of this as a driver than I ever had as a rider.
Once you get sufficiently close to the pick-up, the Uber app will automatically notify the rider that you've arrived. There's also a button you can press to confirm your arrival if the pin location is bogus or doesn't trigger automatically for some reason - I've only ever had to use it once, though. At this point it's possible to access the rider's phone number to make a call or a text, but Uber strongly recommends you wait several minutes before contacting the rider. I generally wait 3-5 minutes, and actually have never gotten finished typing up a text message before the rider appears. :)
Speaking of text messages, Uber strongly recommends using them rather than phone calls, as riders prefer a ... less interactive ... experience. In other words, they don't want to have to talk to you. :) Of course you shouldn't text while driving, but if I'm safely pulled over waiting, and it has been a while, I will start composing a text message. As I said above, this usually guarantees the person will arrive before I finish, but that's cool.
With experience I've learned how to identify riders - generally they've got their heads on a swivel, much as I do in the car, and are looking down at their phone and back up at cars. I try to make eye contact with potential riders to help them identify me. I don't actually have my Uber "U" sticker installed in my car (I did get one in the mail after I started driving, though) because it's a bit garish for my taste, and I think Liz would kill me, but it's not required (after all, we're not employees!).
Once the rider starts heading my way, I usually make sure I've already remembered to unlock the doors, and then welcome them in when they arrive. If the position isn't dangerous, and especially if the rider has any luggage, I'll get out to help them into the car, but more often than not they're just jumping in so there's not really any time to get out and get the door.
When the rider gets in, I generally ask something like "can you confirm your name for me please?" to make sure I've got the right rider. As a rider I usually experience drivers saying "you're Tim?" or the like, but Uber actually recommends against that - the default answer is just going to be "yes" - after all, if you're in the wrong Uber, you might not have to pay for it! Sometimes I'll still greet people that way though, especially if it's in an area where there clearly aren't a ton of people waiting for Ubers, and thus lower risk of having picked up the wrong rider.
Once the rider has confirmed their name, it's time to start the trip (and start making money) by swiping the "Start trip" button in the app! That gives me the destination entered in the passenger's app, if any. If that was entered, I'll confirm it with the passenger verbally, and as long as it's good, off we go. If the passenger is confused by the destination, that's another good sign you might have picked up the wrong rider, so it's good to be extra sure in that case.
My experience has been that nearly everyone enters their destination in the app. Actually, I'm not sure anyone ever hasn't, yet. This is handy because it means there's no destination-typing-into-GPS needed, and you can get straight on the road - hit the "Navigate" button and again Uber Partner sends you to your navigation app.
During the trip
There are three major sub-types of passengers on an Uber trip - quiet, talking amongst themselves, and talking to you. The last two can combine, as well.
Quiet riders are just that - they basically just sit there, and futz around on their phones. These are most often single riders, though when Liz and I ride together often we fit this category - depends on how the day has been going.
When there are multiple riders, they'll often talk amongst themselves. This is the best experience from a people-watching perspective; it lets the driver get a window into their lives, and is of course a good source of stories for my blog here. The type of talking amongst themselves can vary significantly - sometimes it's relatively subdued, sometimes it's extremely animated, sometimes it's English, sometimes it's a foreign language. Sometimes it's crazy drunks. But they usually combine with the last type of rider...
Some riders are interested in talking to the driver. I don't usually do a lot to start a conversation - I'll welcome someone to the car and do the destination confirmation stuff, but beyond that I usually leave it up to them to start talking if they're so inclined. If they do talk to me, though, I try to make real conversation, rather than just shutting down answers. This may surprise some people who know me, because I generally don't love social situations with strangers. But I think it's easier because I don't really expect to ever see these people again.
One interesting thing about people who talk to drivers, is that a significant portion of them ask how long you've been driving. That's never a question I've thought to ask of an Uber driver, but I get it quite regularly - almost at least once every time I go out driving, in fact. The first few times I had this conversation felt really awkward, but I've got a decent patter down now, and I'm no longer afraid to say I just do it for a hobby, and if they inquire about what I do normally, I'm not afraid to say I'm an engineer who works for Google. I don't tend to throw that out there, though, until it comes up - it just seems too much like bragging in a way.
The drunks who are talking amongst themselves and also to you are definitely some of the most story-worthy passengers, but they're also the ones I'm usually happy to get rid of. They're fine in small doses, but a little much in high volume. And their volume is usually quite high. :)
The arrival and drop-off
Much like in the pick-up, when getting close to the destination according to Waze I will switch back to the Uber app. Its pin generally does a decent job showing which side of the street the rider's destination is on, so again I will try to get to the right side as much as possible. Often at this point if the rider is a local they will give some terminal directions, pointing out where they'd like to be dropped off, so I follow those if given, or prompt the rider to confirm they're okay with the spot I'm pulling up to.
One pet peeve of mine (and a violation of Uber's policies!) is drivers who don't end trips promptly - another reason I switch back to the Uber app a little early is to make sure I hit end trip as soon as the trip really ends. Ideally I swipe it while the rider is still in the car or on their way out the door, so if they're like me, they'll actually see me doing it. If the rider had luggage, I'll get out (after ending the trip!) to help them with it.
Once the rider is safely out, the app prompts for the rider rating. My policy is to always give riders 5 stars, unless they really did something wrong/heinous. I'm not one of those drivers who will dock you stars for not tipping (I have yet to get a tip in all my tips at the time of writing) or wearing too much perfume (I don't know if that's actually a thing, but who knows - usually I have that complaint about drivers). And even if you're kind of annoying, you're at worst going to get 4 stars - anything below that would have to mean you caused actual problems, and I don't even know what that would be, short of damaging the car (or puking in it). And then I'd be reporting it to get the appropriate fee assessed to you too.
On to the next ride
You'll automatically become online after ending a trip, and if you make it back to the Uber Partner main screen before getting another ride requests it'll show you the estimated fare for the trip you just completed. Sometimes there's some processing time for those, though.
Now it's back on the prowl - again, looking for surge zones or otherwise trying to find the next rider to pick up. Sometimes Uber will actually offer you the next ride while you're still on your way to the destination - this is distinct from UberPOOL (which I'll talk more about in another post) - it's a regular UberX type ride, with a pick-up near your destination. Basically if you're the closest driver, even taking the drop-off into account, you'll get offered the ride. This has only happened to me a couple of times, but it does happen. As a rider, don't worry, we will still drop you off first!
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