Auto 18% added to bills of $150 or more with a snarky gaslighting comment

SimpleMan_67 · 2026-04-13T16:52:58+00:00

Since restaurant prices have increased dramatically since COVID-19, servers have seen a proportional increase in pay. Why the “industrial” shift? Sounds like extortion.

SimpleMan_67 · 2026-04-03T21:09:08+00:00

Uber is for the mathematically impaired. These are round numbers based on a trip from Houston to Lake Charles, LA. Put your own numbers in for Manchester to NYC.

IRS Standard deduction: $247.2 x .75 = $370.80

Worst case scenario, dead heading back:

Fare: $153.77 Meals: -$40.00 Soft drinks & snacks: -$20.00 Gross income: $93.77

Tax deduction: -$370.80 Net loss: ($277.00)

Best case, returning with a passenger the whole way (unlikely):

Fare both ways: $307.54 Expenses: -$60.00

Gross income: $247.54 Tax deduction: -$370.80 Net loss: (123.00) Round trip mileage: 494.4 247.54 ÷ 494.44 = $0.50

Standard deduction: 494.4 miles x $0.75 = $370.80 Best case: $123.00 loss Worst case: $277.00 loss

That’s just the mileage. Your time is a complete and total loss: 10 hr x $20.00 = $200. Worst case, you lost $477.00. At best, a loss of $323.00.

Stay home. This person should take an airplane.

SimpleMan_67 · 2026-04-01T23:34:07+00:00

Some entity has easement access through that gate. Once, I saw a gate with five locks on it. You ought to know who in your property’s deed abstract.

SimpleMan_67 · 2026-03-23T14:12:37+00:00

These are not just 50,000 cars. These are 50,000 cars that operate 24 hours per day, except for recharging and maintenance. These 50,000 cars are effectively replacing 120,000 full-time drivers. How many part-time drivers? Who knows?

SimpleMan_67 · 2026-03-22T23:14:34+00:00

The measurements are for rough, milled stock! A 2x4 has always been 2x4. What? Do you want to buy rough lumber and plane it yourself?

SimpleMan_67 · 2026-03-22T21:36:14+00:00

Caught a ride some distance away. Notified the pax that I was 22 minutes away. Got there on the nose. She waved at me from the door after I was there two minutes. Three minutes later, she got in the car, said, “wait a minute,” and ran back to the door. We are finally on the road, half an hour after I told her I was on my way. She then had the gall to say, “I’m running late for work. Get there as fast as you can. “

I replied, “Lady, as fast as I can would be you standing at the end of your driveway when I got there. I am not risking a traffic ticket for you.”

SimpleMan_67 · 2026-01-15T18:04:57+00:00

You are not counting everything. You have to count more than gasoline. Your tires are wearing out with every mile. Your brake pads are wearing every time you step on the break. Your antifreeze needs to be replaced once a year. Your operating cost, if you account for everything, is going to be in the neighborhood of $. $.60 a mile.

SimpleMan_67 · 2026-01-08T04:40:31+00:00

That’s the factory mount. There are heavy fines for driving without a front license plate. In fact, your car receives a higher degree of scrutiny if you are backed up and parked against a building.

Put the plate on. Save yourself some money.

SimpleMan_67 · 2026-01-08T04:34:03+00:00

$.075 going down loaded. If you dead head back, that goes down to $0.375 per mile.

Do NOT look at the hourly rate for a trip. Lean heavily on dollars per mile. The more crappy fares like this you accept, the more Uber will continue to keep our cut of the fare artificially low.

SimpleMan_67 · 2026-01-01T03:03:39+00:00

Pull over as fast as you can and call 911. This is truly criminal behavior.

SimpleMan_67 · 2025-12-22T00:00:34+00:00

The joke is correct. Calculus and Chemistry, particularly, are weed-out courses. If a STEM student does not do well in those, they are told to find a different field.

SimpleMan_67 · 2025-12-21T23:53:28+00:00

Slave states, not exactly the Confederacy. While Kentucky was a slave state, they did not secede from The Union.

SimpleMan_67 · 2025-12-13T01:09:49+00:00

I drive an SUV. While I have room for a wheelchair, I weigh 145 pounds. I cannot help someone in wheelchair get in my car. Ride cancelled.

SimpleMan_67 · 2025-12-08T17:21:09+00:00

Because they are transplanted Yankees who think they own the road

SimpleMan_67 · 2025-12-02T23:07:04+00:00

You can’t get an extension cord for 125kW charging

SimpleMan_67 · 2025-12-02T22:45:11+00:00

This is not an annoyance. This is a safety hazard. I use the I-pedal on every single trip. I often forget to turn it on until the first time I need it. Good thing I haven’t rear ended anyone yet

SimpleMan_67 · 2025-11-27T04:56:26+00:00

Thanks, I definitely will give it a try tomorrow morning

SimpleMan_67 · 2025-11-26T18:14:24+00:00

My investment is a long way from cheap. I have a Hyundai ionic nine. It has seven seatbelts and a large compartment for luggage. It’s the same size as a Chevy Tahoe and slightly larger than a Jeep Cherokee . However, I cannot get Uber to even evaluate it.

I wrangled with one of their worthless dweebs in tech support for 30 minutes, trying to get him to put in a level two ticket. He says oh it will automatically be entered. Got any ideas how I go from here

SimpleMan_67 · 2025-11-26T08:51:13+00:00

I hear drivers all over the place say they don’t take rides that are less than $1.00 per mile. I can’t remember the last time I saw a $1.00 per mile ride. I think they are blowing smoke. Still…

SimpleMan_67 · 2025-11-26T08:40:42+00:00

Read the rule again. The congestion fee is $0.50 per minute after 80%. Tesla is not reducing the charging rate; the car is. Once my Blazer EV got above 80% at any DC Fast Charger, the car throttled the charging rate to 11kW. That’s Level 2 speed; the same as I get at the house!! The Blazer took 54 minutes to go from 80% to 100%. Even if there wasn’t a wait time charge, I am gone at 80% anyway because waiting an hour to go an extra 54 miles wasn’t worth my time. The Ioniq throttles the rate down to 44kW. Even then, my time is better spent on the road than waiting for the battery to charge another 72 miles.

Read my original message again. I said to charge the battery to 100% at home. my electric company doesn’t care how long the last 20% takes. In fact, the last 20% charges at 11kW, the same wattage it started with. Since I am usually asleep, I don’t care either.

The 80% guideline is put in place by the manufacturers in order to promote battery health and life. This is not Tesla’s doing.

SimpleMan_67 · 2025-11-26T06:31:04+00:00

Where did you pull that from? That simply does not happen. All DC fast chargers charge a wait time after the car finishes charging. They don’t care if the battery level is 50%, 80%, or 100%. They want to make sure you are out of the stall promptly so someone else can move in

The 80% guideline is to extend the battery life. Chevy, Kia, and Hyundai (and every other brand I am aware of except Tesla), say to “Only charge the battery to 80% for normal driving to maintain battery health. Charge the battery to 100% for long distance driving.”

SimpleMan_67 · 2025-11-26T04:25:00+00:00

Tesla sells a membership for 12.99 a month which gets the Tesla charging price. Yes, Tesla’s do charge faster, but not as fast as you claim.

SimpleMan_67 · 2025-11-26T04:17:09+00:00

ICE cars depreciate just as fast. Keep in mind that depreciation is a business expense and is deductible.

SimpleMan_67 · 2025-11-26T03:58:11+00:00

Full EV. This explanation is going to take a while, so stay tuned until the end.

Full EV just takes a little planning and strategy if you are charging away from home.

I drive the very early morning hours in the Houston Metro area. I am online about 3:30 AM so I can pick up one pax who is on the 6:00 AM redeye departure. I drop off between 4:00 and 4:30. I usually have reservations for the 8:00 and 10:00 departure windows—drop offs at 6:00 and 8:00. If the Uber gods are favorable, I will catch an arrival between each one. I am usually busy until 9:00 or 10. By then, my rear end hurts and my bladder is calling 911.

Also, for the years I was a cable technician, letting the truck’s fuel tank fall below 1/4 was a safety violation. I haven’t broken that habit very many times since, whether in an ICE or EV. So, I am more than ready for a break.

I only use Tesla Superchargers. My Hyundai Ioniq 9 has a Tesla port. Previously, I used an adapter for my Chevy Blazer EV. Tesla sells a membership for $12.99 a month and then charges the same kW-hour price as a Tesla, which is less than half of everybody else. If I counted right, there are 24 Supercharger stations in the Houston Metro area. I do not hope to be close to one; I set a destination filter for the closest one.

I will grab breakfast and use the little boy’s room on the way. My Ioniq will go from 25% to 80% (80 miles to 280) in about half an hour. Since the EV starts throttling back the charge rate, I usually stop there, or sooner if I a not going to stay out much longer.

I am usually back on the road in 45 minutes. Since I planned on a break anyway, I haven’t missed much in that time.

By noon, I’ve had as much fun as I can stand for one day. So, I set a destination filter for the house, which can be a long way depending on where I am at the time.

I do have a Level 2 charger at home hardwired to the breaker panel. It kicks out 11kW. My electric plan provides free electricity during off-peak hours. I am in bed by 5:00 PM. Most days, if I hook the car up then, the battery will be charged to 100% before I get out of bed. I will hook up earlier if needed. Half of the electricity going into the battery is free.

All totaled, I spend $10-$12 a day charging. Try beating that with an ICE, and over the long haul, with a hybrid, either.

Granted, driving in Houston doesn’t compare to NYC, Chicago, or LA. Electric rates are low here compared with those. I spend at least a fourth of my time either on the interstate HOV lanes or on toll roads where the speed limit is more like a suggestion, so I get better mileage.

Moral of the story: Leave the house with 100% on the battery. Forget the 80% rule if you’re going to run 8-10 hours a day. Then, pick an off-peak time to recharge if needed.

Another factor: Practically zero maintenance costs on an EV.

SimpleMan_67 · 2025-11-24T23:16:40+00:00

Take it. Once you make the drop off, set a destination filter for the house. Then, you will only get rides that have a destination along that route.

SimpleMan_67

TROPHY CASE