Originally Posted by CBreezy

Oh, that's cute. Someone actually thinks corporations are using independent contractors in an ethical way.

Originally Posted by CBreezy

I interviewed to teach at a flight school where they would classify us as independent contractors but: required us to use their airplanes, were assigned students by them, had the schedule set by them for all training and, were required to hold unpaid office hours during the week (8a-4p).

Originally Posted by CBreezy

Independent contracting has gotten out of control in this country and primarily as a means of skirting regulations designed to protect employees.

Originally Posted by SonicFlyer

There is nothing unethical about any of it, Vlad.

If you can't tell the difference between that and ride sharing then you have a critical thinking problem.

Those "regulations" are written to protect big business and shouldn't be there in the first place Bernie.

Originally Posted by Riverside

Most hubs have a train that serves the airport.

Originally Posted by zippinbye

No, Uber driver's don't know the end point until the rider is on-board, but the Uber system knows. Could be one mile or 1000 miles until the driver marks "rider in car." I think Uber figures drivers would be more selective if they let all the info be known at initial dispatch. Like others have said, a driver calling a rider to ask that question is way frowned upon and a handful of such reports would get a driver deactivated. As a ride client, I have always tipped, and tipped well for short rides. Historically, rideshare customers are known for not tipping, and it used to be one had to possess cash in order to leave a tip. The ability to tip via the app and your charge method is relatively new at Uber, so many drivers still think all customers are cheapskates and won't tip. If I got such a call as a customer, I would lie (choosing to state a destination that I think would be easy driving and long enough to be worthwhile). Then if I got bad attitude when the guy discovers the real destination I would explain how many @ Holes before him had tried to weasel out of the ride, and that I'm prepared to make it worth his while. If that didn't smooth things over, I'd weigh-in with my feet and repeat process until achieving desired results, while submitting unbridled negative feedback on the uncooperative drivers. Rideshare has downsides for both drivers and riders, and I know that markets and submarkets vary widely. In turn for my acceptance of occasional surge pricing and Uber Pool shenanigans, I possess zero mercy for short-ride whiners. But I do take care of drivers when I feel the ride amount falls short of justifying their effort and expenses. Regardless of the ride nature, I tip with the thought of " I'd like this guy to remember me and be willing to pick me up if I were stranded in a bad place in a snowstorm in the future." At Uber, it seems like any tip is so well received, that it's easy to assume the average customer stiffs them. So I understand the catalyst for the phone calls, but it's still poor form.

Back to the intent of the topic; the numbers don't crunch for me to ride from home to the airport, unless I can hold 12 day trips exclusively - but that's a bygone era. I do employ a hybrid approach sometimes; Uber between terminal and parking, especially when I know I just missed a bus and I don't want to deal with the colorful characters on board (in my case it's a city bus and the route serves the "hood" further down the line - so scammers and interesting types abound).

In any case, I think the rideshare vehicle replacement concept could be viable for some people, and is probably a slam-dunk winner in an urban environment or sort distance commute.

Originally Posted by PostalAV8B

FYI Uber drivers rate you as a passenger just like you rate them. If they give you 3 stars or below that driver will never have to pick you up again. Their program will not allow it. How do I know this? Same situation, short trip from terminal to Cargo ramp where my car was parked. $12 fare, was polite like I always am... and I tipped $5. Apparently they was not enough for the wait in line for the driver. This was at 0600 in the morning, not sure if I buy the long wait at that time. The entire ride, the driver was complaining about the short trip. When I noticed the low rating for me, it was personal at that point. Contacted Uber and their customer service would do nothing about it. Did not care about my concerns. FWIW cabs charge $25 for the same ride.

Had one other interaction with Uber customer service. This time I needed to go from cargo ramp parking to terminals. Got a new driver...which the app told me. She started the fare as soon as she picked up the trip and was heading toward the destination (terminals). I had to contact her to let her know to turn around to pick me up. The total fare ended up double what is normally charged due to her error. Once again Uber customer service did nothing and said the fare was within the estimate even though it was double and the driver track clearly went to terminals to cargo side back to terminals.

My star rating and extra cost for the trip I could care less about. What I do care out is Uber customer service is non existent when it come to a concern you have with their service. They seem that they will always side with the driver. For that reason I try to avoid using them at all cost now. I will pay a little more for a cab if I have to.

Cheers..Postal

Originally Posted by SonicFlyer

When I go to my corner bar 2 miles from my house, I always take an Uber, and I give them a tip too because I know they hardly make any money on that short of a distance.

Originally Posted by SonicFlyer

How long ago was this?

Originally Posted by Ar Pilot

Contrary to this, I've read Uber drives tend to like volume as they make more money doing shorter rides. For us to go to the corner bars near our house is $7-9 for a <5 min ride. Or i can pay $16 for a 15-18 min ride to my house from the airport. So presumably 3 rides for $21-27 or one ride for $16 in the same time frame.

Originally Posted by SonicFlyer

Not necessarily. I have found that longer runs are a lot more profitable than a lot of quicker shorter runs.

Originally Posted by Ar Pilot

Contrary to this, I've read Uber drives tend to like volume as they make more money doing shorter rides. For us to go to the corner bars near our house is $7-9 for a <5 min ride. Or i can pay $16 for a 15-18 min ride to my house from the airport. So presumably 3 rides for $21-27 or one ride for $16 in the same time frame.