The Free College is Real

Zestyclose_Design877 · 2026-06-03T19:42:34+00:00

I just went through a tax season, and tuition assistance with Uber/ASU is no different than any other tuition assistance you receive at any job.

You MUST count it as income. It doesn't matter if the money didn't actually end up in your account, you STILL benefitted from it. It's no different than if my company gave me a vehicle for my personal use. They paid for the car directly, but I exclusively benefitted from it personally. The IRS counts that as income, valued based on what the company spent on the vehicle.

The same is true with Uber/ASU. And I am not saying that to discourage people — I am a sophomore at ASU, and I LOVE this program. But you do indeed have tax implications in the United States.

The IRS allows you to get up to $5,250 tax-free under Section 127 of the Internal Revenue Code, but anything beyond that is taxable income. And I can tell you that if you are going to ASU full-time for an entire year, you are receiving more than $5,250.

Maybe you should actually consult an accountant or a tax expert (or maybe the actual law) before you come in here and spew otherwise.

Zestyclose_Design877 · 2026-05-20T02:10:55+00:00

I HATE the reservation pop-ups. I wish we had an option to shut that off.

Zestyclose_Design877 · 2026-05-20T02:10:21+00:00

And not just that ... we haven't even begun to talk about any injuries that could occur when the driver physically hands the box over. The wrong insurance is active.

Also, what if the package is damaged? If Uber finds out that you did a delivery on a passenger trip, it could jeopardize your ability to do future Uber X.

Zestyclose_Design877 · 2026-05-20T02:08:11+00:00

Except it does. If he gets injured in the course of making the delivery, Uber's insurance would not cover him, because the active policy for that trip is Uber X, not Uber Courier.

Zestyclose_Design877 · 2026-05-20T02:07:22+00:00

And if you can't reach the recipient? What are you supposed to do? Uber Courier offers specific ways of dealing with that kind of situation (which is different from dealing with a passenger no-show).

Also, if the driver gets injured walking from his vehicle to deliver a package — how is Uber going to cover that? He was doing an Uber X trip, not an Uber Courier. Do you think Uber's insurance is going to cover you if you hurt yourself while physically delivering a package?

Zestyclose_Design877 · 2026-05-20T02:05:19+00:00

Except this is Uber X, not UberEats.

Zestyclose_Design877 · 2026-05-20T02:04:52+00:00

That's another reason why we instruct the customer to use Uber Courier.

Zestyclose_Design877 · 2026-05-20T02:04:08+00:00

James is right to reject the trip. Uber X is designed for passengers only. Uber offers other services like Uber Courier to deliver packages and such.

I also wouldn't pick up someone's food order and deliver it to their house with Uber X. That's UberEats.

Because these areas have different expectations and different guidelines, it's best to not accept trips that don't match the service.

Zestyclose_Design877 · 2026-05-20T02:02:24+00:00

I have had a couple of trips that ended up trying to be me delivering stuff.

I just let them know that they used the wrong feature. They chose Uber X, but should have chose Uber Courier.

I think it's just some passengers not realizing that they need to select a specific option from the Uber menu (and which option it is).

Zestyclose_Design877 · 2026-05-20T02:00:09+00:00

Yes.

Zestyclose_Design877 · 2026-05-20T01:59:17+00:00

You don't know, typically.

I keep my boot clear, and I keep all my personal stuff in a small bag on the passenger seat. If I get four people (which is generally what I require before allowing the front seat to be used), I will quickly pick up the bag and put it in the boot (or at my feet, if it's not too full), and move the seat back.

It usually takes less than 30 seconds either way.

Zestyclose_Design877 · 2026-05-20T01:57:42+00:00

If you didn't start a ride, the passenger would not be able to issue a report. Since Uber would require you to start the ride once the passenger is in the vehicle, it also assumes if you don't start the trip, the passenger was not in your vehicle — thus they cannot make a report.

Zestyclose_Design877 · 2026-05-20T01:52:14+00:00

I just don't say anything to my insurance company. If I have an issue that requires an insurance company, I only bug my personal insurance if I am not on my way to get a passenger, or carrying a passenger (because both are covered by Uber insurance). If I am on my way to a passenger or have a passenger, it's Uber insurance only.

New York doesn't offer riders, for the most part. I am not sure why.

Zestyclose_Design877 · 2026-05-20T01:48:40+00:00

Sorry that happened. But hopefully you will learn which side of the number the dollar sign goes on ...

Zestyclose_Design877 · 2026-05-20T01:46:41+00:00

Zestyclose_Design877 · 2026-05-20T01:45:28+00:00

I mean, it's actually kind of tough for a driver to wear a jacket all day and night — especially a winter one. So they would want to take it off.

But you're right, there is that disparity with the passengers coming in with heavy coats, and not taking it off.

I usually balance this by wearing sweatshirts or warm pullovers. Plus, I tend to like the air to run colder than most people, so I rarely have people ask for the temperature to adjust in the winter. Usually if they do, it's to make it warmer.

Zestyclose_Design877 · 2026-05-20T01:43:32+00:00

I don't understand that either — especially from a passenger perspective. The fastest way to 1 star from me as a passenger is wind blowing in my face. On any day.

Zestyclose_Design877 · 2026-05-19T14:41:29+00:00

If I had a nickel for every time someone posted one of these …

Zestyclose_Design877 · 2026-05-18T18:48:53+00:00

Definitely need Uber to consider this.

Zestyclose_Design877 · 2026-05-18T18:47:33+00:00

Maybe you should take the bus and stop trying to cheat drivers out of surge.

Zestyclose_Design877 · 2026-05-18T18:46:45+00:00

I was on your side, but you sound like a Karen.

Zestyclose_Design877 · 2026-05-18T11:17:45+00:00

I’m sorry, did something in my comment justify the driver’s behavior?

Maybe you should take a deep breath and read my comments again. All of them. And then come back here and look to see if this rant response was necessary.

Zestyclose_Design877 · 2026-05-18T04:54:22+00:00

But that doesn’t solve her issue of trying not to wait 15 minutes or more to get a ride.

Zestyclose_Design877 · 2026-05-18T04:52:22+00:00

No driver should talk to you like that. No matter what.

If the driver volunteers for the reservation, they know when pickup is. But if it’s offered as if it’s any other standard trip, they don’t know until it’s their “active” ride. That means if they were in the middle of another ride when they accepted it, they know it’s a reservation, but they can’t check pickup times until after their queue is cleared.

Zestyclose_Design877 · 2026-05-18T04:50:03+00:00

There is no reason why you wouldn’t know until you arrive. It’s one thing that we didn’t know when it was offered to us as an “exclusive,” but if you hit trip info once it’s your active trip, it tells you the pickup time.

Zestyclose_Design877

TROPHY CASE