6 things you need to know before your next Uber ride

Having been an active partner of Uber as a driver- operator for the past 4 months I have managed to jot down a list of a few things a rider might be interested in knowing before hailing their next Uber ride. Having had my share of on the job experience doesn't make me an expert but it does provide some useful insights that might prove helpful in bridging rider- driver expectations.

1. The Uber driver has no idea where you're going before the trip starts. Starting the trip means you are already inside the vehicle and the driver has already slid the "Start Trip" button on his Uber App. Technically speaking the Driver should be amendable to any trip within Metro Manila but experienced drivers may opt to inquire about the destination to eliminate the risk of getting out of coverage requests. Trip requests going to Cavite, Bulacan, or Laguna are not uncommon, although there are drivers that may routinely accept these requests, they do so at their own risk since Uber's insurance does not cover the mentioned areas.

2. Are drivers allowed to cancel trip requests? The short answer to this is yes. To be specific, if a certain trip request does not meet any of Uber's guidelines the driver may cancel the trip even before it officially starts. A few common examples of this would be- if the number of passengers exceed the vehicle's capacity, if the rider pins the wrong pick-up point, if the rider is not at the pick-up point within 5 minutes of the driver's arrival, etc. I'm not certain if this entails monetary deductions from the rider's card so I'd love to hear any insight regarding this subject.


3. Many Uber drivers are newbies to the business. Some are even so new to driving visibly demonstrating difficulty negotiating narrow subdivision roads. Despite this the only training the driver ever receives is on how to use the Uber app. wherein Waze is also incorporated. Although Waze can be a powerful app. in avoiding traffic, it sometimes provides impractical re-routing just to avoid a pocket of traffic that hardly affects travel time. As painful as it may sound, Waze is the heart and soul of the Uber driver's navigation skill, so it wouldn't hurt if the rider can lend a helping hand especially if he/ she sees that Waze is showing unnecessary twists and turns along the way.

4. Just like drivers, the rider also has an Uber rating.

After having casual conversations with several riders I noticed that many were surprised to find out that they too are rated after every trip. Apparently the rating doesn't appear on the rider app but I've read an article that the rider may send an email to Uber to request for his/ her rating. If you're wondering if this information is visible to the Driver, it most certainly is although I have my doubts whether drivers here in Manila are utilizing this feature since it's never mentioned in any group discussion I've seen online. To me personally a rating of below 4.5 stars is a red flag indicating the possibility of a challenging trip. In my experience low ratings beget low ratings so chances are I'll pass on it in the interest of maintaining a high score.

5. Does Uber cover the Rizal area? Not entirely, Uber covers select areas of the following localities: Cainta,Taytay, San Mateo, and Antipolo with a surcharge of 60 Php on top of the regular fare. This is a fairly new initiative so I'm also a bit vague on the actual boundaries but perhaps the map and FAQ's on this site can provide more in-depth information on the topic.

6. Surge is not based on traffic. Lastly I'd like to debunk the popular belief that the severity of traffic is the basis of surge rates. No it's not! According to Uber's avp  (audio visual presentation) during on- boarding the law of supply and demand determines the highs and lows of surge prices. While a huge traffic jam can certainly contribute by rendering people stranded I have also observed prices go up at 3 am simply due to the sparse supply of Uber units.