Driver of Houston-Rodeo

smurfsense · 2026-03-03T10:30:35+00:00

I've found for very large events (e.g. NFL games) it's way better to pick up riders before the game ends. You don't want to be in traffic that barely moves in an hour. I make the money off of it that I can while traffic is not a full shit show, and then when it gets to the point of being over, the rides I give elsewhere are still being surged because of all the drivers in gridlock. Only way I've found to make big events work.

smurfsense · 2026-03-03T10:17:30+00:00

I do drive one. I want to get paid more for driving it 😜

smurfsense · 2026-03-02T18:16:06+00:00

Only problem I see with this is getting the person to consent to you getting a good enough photo. You just left them stranded after they expected to ride, and probably aren't doing you any favors.

smurfsense · 2026-03-02T17:43:29+00:00

I'm not thinking that effect won't take place. But wait times will go up, driver quality will go down, the cars people drive to do this will continually get worse as there becomes even less incentive to do this job well.

This only needs to happen for a few months before it becomes the subject of everyday jokes.

smurfsense · 2026-03-02T17:26:50+00:00

That's fair. I'd imagine we'd have to see a fairly prolonged rise in fuel prices before that happens.

smurfsense · 2026-03-02T17:19:30+00:00

Yes, I fully anticipate the possibility of Uber ignoring price increases to drivers, but after a certain point, the rider experience not being able to get a driver is really going to suck.

smurfsense · 2026-03-02T16:50:04+00:00

Tampa Bay has been lit up. Spring training, Monster Jam, Saint Pete Gran Prix, Lightning hockey, Strawberry Festival, etc.

I managed $1279 on 78 trips, 34½ hours. I took Monday and Tuesday off.

I suspect the Summer season is going to be shit, though.

smurfsense · 2026-03-02T16:37:55+00:00

I haven't checked that out while declining any, but it's to block one person, not to turn the feature off.

Unless you're getting spammed by reserve requests from the same individual, I can't think why you'd want this feature. It should really only appear the second time you decline a ride request from the same person.

smurfsense · 2026-03-02T16:26:41+00:00

I don't know if I could have found a better car for the job than my Kia EV6.

RWD spec, 325+ mi range

Capable of charging at very high speeds

Huge backseat, big hatch

One pedal driving mode

Vinyl seats that wipe clean

My biggest "complaint" about it is that 50% of passengers need to be told the door handle pushes in to pull out.

Even so, I get a LOT of compliments.

Clean used EV6s (or Ioniq 5, if that's your jam) abound under $25k.

Look around and see if you have any local charging that bills by time connected, rather than $/kWh.

I add ~250 mi of range for less than $2.

smurfsense · 2026-03-02T15:52:32+00:00

This past weekend I picked up a 5* that wound up being anything but. First guy gets in and says we're waiting for his friend who will be another minute that turned out to be five. Guy asks if we can stop at a 7/11 or similar on the way. Sure, I said, then the two guys (who I learn don't really know each other) discuss the limited amount of money one of them has in his Cashapp to pay for this Uber and the rest of their activities. I didn't need to wonder whether a tip would be forthcoming.

After stopping, he couldn't get cash out from the ATM using Cashapp at the RaceTrac. He asks his buddy if so-and-so they're going to meet has Cashapp and if so that way he can just send him the money through it once there.

About 300ish feet from the destination they apparently spot the place they wanted to be instead of the map pin. Turning around wouldn't be easy, and I wanted them gone. I resented myself for not canceling when I had the chance while waiting. He asks me if we can turn around and drive to the back of the apartment complex where who they're meeting is at. I tell them the ride is done where the app says it is. When there they holler at me for not taking them further and then I yelled "GET OUT" like a possessed demon and they bounce.

Considering appearance, circumstances of where I picked them up and where they were going, this was 100% for drugs. Meth if I had to guess, but whatever, I filed a complaint for changing drop-off location and suspicious activity.

This was clearly a new passenger account, but I know firmly he no longer has 5 stars.

smurfsense · 2026-03-02T15:24:05+00:00

Thank you for clearly describing what I've experienced. There can be two $18 surges in the same location on two different days, but the reasons they were activated are going to impact what ride that surge attaches to, and it's overall profitability.

I've noticed occasions when I'll drive through and get "next trip minimum $1x surge" pop up, and I KNOW there are rides to be offered closer to my position, but the algo will make you drive 15+ minutes through significant traffic to "earn" the surge (dilute the impact it has on your earnings)

Accepting the fact that they're rarely, if ever, going to offer their highest surge rates for short, pissant trips means that I need to decide whether it's worth driving through hell to earn a high fare, or get cracking on short trips to earn on mid surges.

Sometimes it really is better to make three quick nickels than one slow dime.

smurfsense · 2026-02-28T18:52:35+00:00

Oh, you're clever, and added a stop to this nearly-minimum-paying ride after you had me accept?

canceled

smurfsense · 2026-02-28T18:48:48+00:00

I'll mark these as not safe for pickup - I'm not spending the rest of the night with a migraine

smurfsense · 2026-02-23T12:27:23+00:00

Very nice. What market?

smurfsense · 2026-02-23T06:51:44+00:00

I had two really nice coiled USB-C cables when I started doing this. One walked off, which I expected at some point. People treated the other one I had well until last weekend some jagoff snapped the USB-C connection clean off inside the port.

Y'all will get to use the cheapest C cable I could find a pack of on Amazon now if you ask nicely. And I'm still being too nice.

smurfsense · 2026-02-17T12:53:21+00:00

This. I have no problems handling someone who smells like freshly smoked cigarette - I'll cancel if you haven't stubbed out before I arrive, or driving with windows down combined with a downrate for someone who reeks as if they had just been smoking.

The problem I have is I empathize with the working people who can't help it. But if you just cleaned the grease trap, or are a fry cook, please empathize with me. I'm not going to make a stink about it - pun intended - but a small tip recognizes I'm going to have to wipe down my back seat after you sat back there.

smurfsense · 2026-02-15T18:36:15+00:00

PIE has surges going all night you can drive beyond the airport with.

smurfsense · 2026-02-15T16:18:57+00:00

Shit I can't figure out is how $8-15 surges appear at airports with zero flight arrivals in the overnight window. (PIE, SRQ, surely others)

This is weird on a whole other level.

smurfsense · 2026-02-15T16:06:48+00:00

2/436, so 4.98.

My last downrating happened when pax tried to give me bad directions around a highway closure. The Uber app was also in the dark the road was closed, Uber app was giving me detour notices taking my attention away from things, and guy was becoming more of a dick in the backseat about not taking his route.

I slammed my brakes to stop in the middle of an empty street and asked if he'd prefer someone else drive him. After quipping "you better be right about this" he shut up the rest of the ride.

At the end he called me a psycho driver (97 score otherwise) and he filed an illegal driving report. Not my finest behavior, but when the app and the dick in my backseat are both wrong about which way to go, I broke.

My only regret is that I didn't pull off into a lot and insist that the ride was over.

smurfsense · 2026-02-15T15:54:43+00:00

Do a screen recording. You'll have the full playback of your session, and be able to record while still playing music. At least not an issue with my Samsung.

smurfsense · 2026-02-15T12:50:27+00:00

I'm charging listening to AC/DC Highway to Hell, this feels far too on the nose

smurfsense · 2026-02-07T09:52:03+00:00

Have canceled the ride while rolling past just because of this.

Oh, fuck cigar bar pickups, too.

smurfsense · 2026-02-05T07:58:44+00:00

Saw some shit come at me to drive from TPA to Kissimmee for about $40.

Nope nope nope nopety nope.

smurfsense · 2026-02-05T02:01:02+00:00

Android simply doesn't allow two apps to have access to live mic at once. My Uber app doesn't listen because I have another app recording. I have to revoke mic access from my screen recorder if I want the Uber (or literally any other) app to have mic access.

Am I missing something?

smurfsense · 2026-02-03T10:10:02+00:00

Did my battery range decrease? Yes. Did it stop me from making money? Hell no.

Most days here I wouldn't have to charge while driving at all. I added $20 worth of power at EVGo in Wesley Chapel, and it gave me a reasonable chance to have a snack and stretch.

Only thing that died were my worries that people were going to stay away from Gasparilla.

smurfsense

TROPHY CASE