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Re: UBER - car service in Jersey City
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Home away from home
 
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This whole phenomenon of a new taxi model has interested me to the point of obsessive. Perhaps it's cuz I drove a taxi part time in the early 70s (nyc medallion) and it's always been a subject of interest, or maybe it's brain damage, or maybe I need a life.
I was confined to the house this weekend and having nothing better to do, I looked at various driver sites, mostly Uber. The only conclusion I've come to is that this is a totally new business model and no one, i.e., management, drivers and passengers, have quite figured things out. Rules change constantly for everyone involved. The Uber forums, which is primarily what I looked at. They are no different than other internet forums in that there are people hiding behind computers and yelling at others, those demanding that Uber managerment be burned at the stake and those with a voice of reason. The latter probably represents the majority but they seemed to get drowned out by the screamers. And the yellers are very vocal as it is a touchy subject. Is that any different than jclist? I digress. One thing for sure is that there is a lot of discontent among drivers, mostly over constantly changing rules and lack of communication. In that respect, they're in the same boat as passengers. The difference is that these people do this for a living, or at least part of their living. In the past, a couple of drivers told me they earned $1500 to $2000 a week. I suppose that's possible, but they'd practically have to sleep in their car in a high traffic area. The truth is, drivers don't earn as much as is thought. Especially recently with constant fare cuts. A lot of them are finding ways to manipulate the system. Most have little respect for management. One thing that I haven't been able to determine is if they make more money than NYC medallion drivers. Next up for me is more research about Lyft. They operate very similarly with some differences. This was taken from what seems to be a fairly sane Uber blog: "One glaring difference between the two rideshare companies is Lyfts feature at the end of the ride to allow the passenger to tip. While Uber controversially states ?tips are included?, Lyft provides a simple button option to reward a driver for good service. Another financial incentive for driving Lyft right now is that they have forgone taking comission. Lyft doesn?t take any commission from tips, but right now they aren?t taking any commission from the fare whatsoever. Lyft is even adding a $1 spring bonus on every ride for the driver, a bit of an extra tip from Lyft themselves."
Posted on: 2015/1/18 23:53
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Re: UBER - car service in Jersey City
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Home away from home
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2006/11/13 18:42 Last Login : 2022/2/28 7:31 From 280 Grove Street
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I reckon I could make more money as a car windscreen cleaner!
Posted on: 2015/1/17 6:00
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My humor is for the silent blue collar majority - If my posts offend, slander or you deem inappropriate and seek deletion, contact the webmaster for jurisdiction.
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Re: UBER - car service in Jersey City
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Home away from home
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Not really a hard concept. If you do the math, these guys do not get paid much at all. That said, it's their choice to be an uber driver. They work whenever they'd like and have all kinds of flexibility. It's probably something that is best to be a second job and easy way to make a few extra bucks on the side as opposed to relying on it as a main income source. So I have no pity for drivers that are whining about this.
However, if I have a driver that has a good personality, and I get great service, I'll through them $5.
Posted on: 2015/1/17 5:48
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Re: UBER - car service in Jersey City
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Home away from home
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Don't you pay a percentage of the price paid? Please let me know.
Posted on: 2015/1/17 1:26
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The All Knowing and All Powerful Joe Has Spoken!
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Re: UBER - car service in Jersey City
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Home away from home
Joined:
2006/11/13 18:42 Last Login : 2022/2/28 7:31 From 280 Grove Street
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What ... cracks in the service already?
Greed up - Service down just like the cab system with the middle man and service provider wanting a better $ % and ultimately the customer having to cough up !
Posted on: 2015/1/17 1:25
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My humor is for the silent blue collar majority - If my posts offend, slander or you deem inappropriate and seek deletion, contact the webmaster for jurisdiction.
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Re: UBER - car service in Jersey City
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Home away from home
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How quickly people feel entitled to a job that didn't even exist a couple years ago. His compensation issue is with Uber, not the passengers. The people I service don't tip me when I do a good job (outside of my managers).
Posted on: 2015/1/16 22:16
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Re: UBER - car service in Jersey City
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Home away from home
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Most of it. That's the selling point of Uber to drivers. On a side issue - I took a Grove St taxi the other night - it went around the block, back to where I hopped in, and the meter had clocked up from $2.50 to $4. Guess that's a west-of-Grove tax.
Posted on: 2015/1/16 22:07
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Re: UBER - car service in Jersey City
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Home away from home
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From Uberpeople.net, a driver forum. Don't know where this guy is from, but it's headed "Dear Uber Customers":
I hope you are feeling really good about your cheap Uber rides. After all they are cheap only because the driver is being exploited. Like in a sweat shop, only here Uber driver brings his own car and gas to serve you. I think bus fare is more expensive now. Yet you are still not reaching for some cash to give to this exploited driver. Feels good, you saved some money at someone's expense, now you can get another $6 latte and tip the barrista. Why not? The trip to the airport you paid $40 when you took a cab is now only $14 bucks. Yeah. Feels good. The nice driver loaded and unloaded your heavy ass luggage. Oh, sorry, I forgot - you did tip him. You promised to give him five fucking stars. Have you checked the driver's seat? I seriously doubt a four year old drove you to the airport. So stop treating these hard working adults like kindergarten kids and use promissory note that you will give him five fucking stars. Maybe you will maybe you won't. Who cares?! Tip him!!! With real cash so he can feed his family without resorting to EBT!!!! Stop using the excuse that tip is included. I mean really? What part of the 0.70/mile do you think is a "tip"??? Grow up and stop exploiting the drivers. Tip your drivers!!!
Posted on: 2015/1/16 21:41
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Re: UBER - car service in Jersey City
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Just can't stay away
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2005/8/13 22:19 Last Login : 2020/8/4 17:41 From Lincoln Park/McGinley Square
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Yes, I too confirmed there is no need to tip with UberX - I use it all the time, have never tipped and as far as I know my rating is OK! You do need to tip with UberTAXI, which is different from UberX - it just allows you to use Uber to call a regular taxi with a meter. I've never used UberTAXI, not sure how to, but I understand that you tip those drivers as they are regular taxi drivers.
Posted on: 2015/1/16 21:07
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Re: UBER - car service in Jersey City
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Home away from home
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Hasn't happened to me yet. And the app doesn't allow you to tip. You could tip with cash but part of the point of UBER is you don't need cash.
Posted on: 2015/1/16 20:56
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Re: UBER - car service in Jersey City
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Home away from home
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No one is saying you "have" to tip. The issue is that if you don't tip, some say the drivers will give you bad reviews, which later on will lead to problems in you getting picked up.
Posted on: 2015/1/16 20:40
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Re: UBER - car service in Jersey City
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Home away from home
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You don't have to tip UBERX. I e-mailed the company with this link and asked them specifically about UBERX and here is what they said:
Thanks for writing in. We appreciate you bringing this to our attention. Happy to help. Riding UberX means there's no need to tip! When you get to your destination, you can simply hop out of the Uber and be on your way. Your card will be automatically charged the full fare for the trip and you'll have an email receipt sent to your inbox.
Posted on: 2015/1/16 20:02
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Re: UBER - car service in Jersey City
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Home away from home
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Mine is 4.9 and I never tip..
Posted on: 2015/1/16 20:00
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Re: UBER - car service in Jersey City
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Home away from home
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I'm really not so sure that this will be the future model. I've used Uber in many cities (and International) and everywhere but NYC the drivers say they are not allowed to accept tips. So who knows.
Posted on: 2015/1/16 19:47
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Re: UBER - car service in Jersey City
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Home away from home
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This. This is bulsh!t. I know this is how it's going to end up working and its shite. I tip them when I go to the airport or if i have an odd request, say, a quick pit stop or picking up a friend in route. but for a straight $7 fair, I'm not handing the guy another three bucks for fear of my rating. And since we're talking about ratings, has anyone noticed the quality of cars and drivers going down? I feel like 3/4 used to be aces but now, it's more like 50/50.
Posted on: 2015/1/16 19:19
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Re: UBER - car service in Jersey City
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Home away from home
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Posted on: 2015/1/16 18:29
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Re: UBER - car service in Jersey City
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Home away from home
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BTW, here is a pro tip on using Uber when landing at EWR:
Do NOT choose anything higher than UberX. As a driver explained to me the other day, Uber is trying to position mostly SUVs and Black cars over by the airport, so most of the cars available are those types. A driver of a Black car or SUV is free to accept UberX requests (at the UberX rates) and they often do. To date, all of my rides from EWR to JC (except for one) have been in SUVs and Black Cars on UberX rates.
Posted on: 2015/1/16 18:23
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Re: UBER - car service in Jersey City
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Home away from home
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You bring up a good point, and something to consider. As someone else pointed out, the rate cuts are GREAT for consumers, but they do eat into the profits/earnings of a driver. I just took an Uber car back to my place from Newark Airport on Monday night, and it was cheaper than ever (clocking in at just over 19 dollars, including the tolls, which come with a hefty markup, and the safe ride fee). I once looked into a Lyft ride, but they had ONE driver, and he was over by Hoboken, and I was at the LSP Park & Ride, which meant waiting almost 20 minutes. No, thank you. Uber is crushing Lyft by stepping up their driver incentives (which means they are more successful at hiring drivers) and by lowering rates.
Posted on: 2015/1/16 18:18
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Re: UBER - car service in Jersey City
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Just can't stay away
Joined:
2005/8/29 2:54 Last Login : 2021/3/29 15:26 From The Heights!
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Rates have dropped by 20% two times in the last several months. As a customer, I find it awesome. However, that means the amount of money the drivers earn also drops. My boyfriend drives for uber and said the tips are really helpful. He said he doesn't expect them, but even on a local fare if someone gives him a dollar or two, he appreciates it. Last night I took an uber from Communipaw and West Side Ave to my home right off Rt 139 and then into Hoboken. The total fare, including wait time was under $15. Just the trip from my house to Hoboken is usually $12 in a cab. So tipping a few bucks does not negate the cost savings and the convenience factor of not dealing with obnoxious dispatchers and dirty cabs? Priceless, in my humble opinion.
Posted on: 2015/1/16 17:12
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Re: UBER - car service in Jersey City
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Home away from home
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The next logical question is how much to tip to be fair and stay off the driver sh!tlist. Since this is somewhat of a new model, I wonder if tipping should be the same as a regular cab. [my method with regular cabs is to tip 20% and round cents up to the next dollar with a minimum of $2.]
Bodhipooh, I talk to the drivers too and up until recently, the near unanimous response (which seemed genuine) was enthusiastic. However, recently not so much so. Perhaps it has to do with the rate cuts. Yesterday afternoon, I couldn't even get an Uber car from the Grove St. Path or rather, either I got surge pricing or an SUV. I ended up taking Lyft which was 20% more expensive than what it usually costs with Uber (not counting tips). Lyft seemingly encourages tips unlike Uber. When you pay, a screen pops up for a tip. Most people would take that to mean that a tip is expected.
Posted on: 2015/1/16 17:11
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Re: UBER - car service in Jersey City
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Home away from home
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Agreed, lack of tipping likely will give you a lower rating and make it harder to get picked up.
I think it would be useful to become an uber driver for the sole purpose of being able to find out what you and your friends rating is.
Posted on: 2015/1/16 17:10
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Re: UBER - car service in Jersey City
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Just can't stay away
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Tips are not included with Uber X. With the current rate cuts, if customers don't tip most drivers are rating customer lower which makes it harder in the future to get a ride.
You will start to notice that your ride request and cancellations are more frequent with a lower rider rating.
Posted on: 2015/1/16 16:31
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Re: UBER - car service in Jersey City
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Home away from home
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well....maybe. There are a bunch of online forums for Uber drivers, and lots of complaints about the way Uber over-recruits in a region to improve response times. They've also cut pricing in lots of areas to get new customers, and most of the cuts come out of the drivers' pockets. The sunnier picture you get from your drivers may reflect a fear that you're a secret shopper paid by the company.
All that said, I love Uber. I hardly ever carry cash, but I'm going to start tipping a few bucks when I can.
Posted on: 2015/1/16 14:37
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Re: UBER - car service in Jersey City
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Home away from home
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No misunderstanding here. In my mind, the fare (as calculated and applied) is inclusive of tip. Isn't this is exactly what people clamor for all the time? For businesses to charge a rate/fee that covers and properly compensates the person providing the service? In this case, I think the evidence speaks for itself: Uber is SUPER successful at recruiting drivers. Surely it isn't because they are underpaid or under compensated. I am a pretty chatty person, so I usually end up talking to most of these drivers about their experience and overall satisfaction. Without fail, every driver I have come across always expresses high satisfaction with Uber. I don't think drivers would be that happy if they felt they were under compensated.
Posted on: 2015/1/16 14:07
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Re: UBER - car service in Jersey City
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Home away from home
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We didn't tip the first few times because we were under the impression that tip was included. I guess that's not for uber x which is what we have been using. We have been tipping since then and generally trips have been so much cheaper than regular taxi rides that even with a tip it is cheaper than a regular nj taxi.
Some jersey city taxi companies will go out of business if they don't adapt, quoting $15 to go about 10 blocks is just F*%ing ridiculous.
Posted on: 2015/1/16 1:29
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Re: UBER - car service in Jersey City
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Home away from home
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Just like everything else, if people start to tip, then they will expect it and it will be the new norm. If Uber drivers aren't getting paid enough now, they should hold out/unionize/not work for Uber until they get more. In general, tipping is a really inefficient, confusing and volatile way to compensate people.
Posted on: 2015/1/15 23:02
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Re: UBER - car service in Jersey City
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Just can't stay away
Joined:
2013/5/19 15:36 Last Login : 2023/6/20 18:54 From Paulus Hook
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Unlike taxis, it is not customary or expected to tip private car services (although I am sure a tip would be appreciated for exceptional service).
This concept applies to Uber and is made clear on their website: Uber is not a transportation provider. No need to tip. Flat rates apply to direct trips between specified locations. Additional stops may result in a higher fare. Applicable tolls and surcharges may be added to your fare. At times of intense demand, our rates change over time to keep vehicles available. $20 surcharge on all trips between NYC and New Jersey. All trips beginning in NYC are limited to four hours. Fare includes 8.875% New York sales tax.
Posted on: 2015/1/15 22:24
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Re: UBER - car service in Jersey City
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Home away from home
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2005/12/18 2:57 Last Login : 2017/9/14 20:15 From Crystal Point
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I don't tip for uber and I don't think most expect it.
Posted on: 2015/1/15 22:20
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Re: UBER - car service in Jersey City
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Home away from home
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Uber says you are not supposed to tip, but most drivers I've talked to greatly appreciate them as they get paid crap. That said, I've had uber drivers in Boston tell me that they are not even allowed to accept tips.
Posted on: 2015/1/15 22:18
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Re: UBER - car service in Jersey City
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Home away from home
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I just learned something very unsettling today. When you use Uber except for Uber taxi, there is no tip included. I assumed there was - on the profile you fill out when you open an account, you are asked if you want to leave a tip and how much. I was a newbie at the time (I guess we all are) and didn't realize it didn't apply to UberX. One driver today was so distraught about the misunderstanding that she posted a sign in the back of her taxi.
Uber's position is that you don't need to tip since the driver gets a majority of the fare (80%). Was anyone else under the same misunderstanding? If not, should tipping be customary based on Uber's explanation? I believe in tipping and am usually generous, but this is an entirely different model. Not that it matters, but adding a 20% tip would negate any savings over other taxis.
Posted on: 2015/1/15 21:47
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