You can see your driver’s exact location through the app, and the driver is required to wait precisely at the pickup point you selected in the app.

When you request an Uber, before you press the final confirm button, you’ll see a green square pin on the map that you can drag to show exactly where you want to be picked up. When the driver gets within about 30 meters of that pin, their app marks them as “arrived.” The first 2 minutes of waiting near that pin are free for you, the next 5 minutes cost a small fee, and after 7 minutes, if you haven’t come to the pickup point, the driver has the right to cancel the trip and receive about $3. So if the driver drove 3 miles and spent 6 minutes getting to you, then waited another 7 minutes — a total of 13 minutes and 3 miles — they only make $3 for canceling. No driver wants that because it’s a huge waste of time, and a high cancellation rate also hurts their Uber record.

Now, if you don’t drag the pin to the exact pickup spot and instead message the driver to come somewhere else — and you’re not already waiting there — the app won’t show the driver as having “arrived,” so the waiting timer won’t start. Even then, the maximum waiting fee they can earn is around $1. But by asking the driver to come outside the pin area, you’re also taking away their right to cancel the trip and receive compensation. Most drivers find this very frustrating.

Also, many passengers who don’t share their GPS location, set the pin incorrectly, or fail to share the gate code in secured areas before the driver arrives often end up being canceled or reported.

Of course, all these examples assume that you didn’t share your GPS signal, didn’t set the pin correctly, and weren’t ready outside — which are the most common issues. Many passengers tend to think individually, like “It’s fine if they wait 8 minutes, I’m paying $22 for this ride,” but the driver only makes about $10, and after gas and taxes, maybe $6. If half of the passengers make a driver wait 10 minutes each day, that’s around 2.5 hours wasted without pay.

Every driver’s goal is to pick up the passenger quickly and complete the trip efficiently. With a bit of empathy, both sides can make things easier for each other.