4 ms·

There are a lot of problems of Uber in India for example, as a native, even though I know most of the routes where I need to travel a lot of drivers do the foll

by h4ch1 4y ago

There are a lot of problems of Uber in India for example, as a native, even though I know most of the routes where I need to travel a lot of drivers do the following which makes it incredibly annoying 1. They'll ask to cancel the ride if it's an online payment and then say pay me in cash and I'll take you. That ride is effectively void from Uber's end and the only recourse I have is to either rebook which takes very long (reason[0]), or take the ride, risking my safety. 2. They'll just reroute without asking, and not notify you. Wait too long at turns, red lights, just to increase the trip time. I've had 30min trips take 1hr and upwards. Which have increased my fare when I had to pay. [0]: There's a common pattern when you book an Uber, they'll call you and ask you where you want to go, if it doesn't fall within their day plan they'll outright tell you to cancel and then not pick up the call. Cancelling from my end often results in a penalty since the ride has been booked, and that causes a lot of issues and a waste of time. This is very common when you want cabs to the airport since they're located well out of city limits and a lot of drivers just don't want to make the trip. Edit: Thinking about this a bit more, God help any tourists who travel here, since Uber is their safest bet. Local *-rickshaws/taxis can charge you anywhere from 5-20x if they see you're not a local let alone a foreigner.

marcosdumay 4y ago
> if it doesn't fall within their day plan they'll outright tell you to cancel and then not pick up the call One would think that some interface where the drivers set the limits where they want to go would benefit all parties here. But yeah, Uber is in very intense disagreement since they launched. Anyway, your #2 is outright fraud. The same kind that taxis were famous worldwide for practicing, and that pushed people into applications like Uber.
- h4ch1 4y ago
  Yeah usually I have Google Maps open on my phone as well, and follow the route alongside and if they do take any turns that aren't on the optimal route, I point it out. Annoying, but eh. I only started doing that after I was scammed twice though :p
- neon_electro 4y ago
  Lyft & Uber have some features, but as a driver, they could definitely be better. https://help.lyft.com/hc/e/all/articles/115013081128-How-to-use-Destination-Mode https://help.lyft.com/hc/e/all/articles/115013081128-How-to-... https://www.uber.com/us/en/drive/basics/driver-destinations/?_csid=Jm08GmFmi2Rwpwec0CDvtQ&state=8dB5jSOTOlVNkv1SWvOt2SMxJO4OG3yhwmWB-JecQQw%3D&effect= https://www.uber.com/us/en/drive/basics/driver-destinations/...
ruined 4y ago
ah, the final efficiency - wages become low enough that it's more attractive to blatantly exploit the system rather than play along. algorithmic wage optimization doesn't find the lowest price of service, it externalizes the largest acceptable bribe.
cmckn 4y ago
> Cancelling from my end often results in a penalty So…don’t cancel? If the driver bails on a ride, that should hurt their score, not yours. If you need to book a replacement ride immediately, just use another app. It’s happened to me a handful of times in the US, I just waited for 10-15 minutes until the heuristics decided the driver wasn’t coming and assigned another one. Regardless, sounds miserable to deal with regularly. Sorry about that.
- h4ch1 4y ago
  There's one other app called Ola, which is horrible, prices fluctuate without notification, they'll autocharge your UPI as they please, customer support is non-existant. Uber is the best bet and usually people don't have the extra 10-15 minutes to spare, since you're already waiting outside and probably have a time-sensitive task to attend to (that's the norm here btw, if you have something urgent you take a cab otherwise public transport since that's more likely to be delayed).
  - MichaelZuo 4y ago
    People in India usually don't book Ubers with some leeway in timing? That sounds really odd. What happens if there's unexpected traffic on the way to your time sensitive destination?
    - h4ch1 4y ago
      You do, but that usually runs out; as I mentioned in the parent, there's an extended foreplay with the Uber driver that sometimes happens, sometimes is resolved quickly, sometimes takes way too long. You can never really plan for it well.
    - 1123581321 4y ago
      Same thing; if you need 15 minutes of leeway and the trip is 30 minutes, you perceive yourself to be short on time 45 minutes before your appointment.
      - 4y ago
johnwalkr 4y ago
4-5 years ago, on multiple business trips to India I had the following experience about 30% of the time. Order an uber, watch it get about 5 blocks away on the screen, and start driving in circles. I believe it was spoofed GPS because sometimes you could clearly see that no car was really there, or even walk right up to the spot on the map. If you send a message they say they are almost there, repeatedly. Finally after 10 minutes you give up and cancel, getting a charge. Then when you try again the same driver will come from about 1km away and actually pick you up.

by h4ch1 4y ago

marcosdumay 4y ago

> if it doesn't fall within their day plan they'll outright tell you to cancel and then not pick up the call One would think that some interface where the drivers set the limits where they want to go would benefit all parties here. But yeah, Uber is in very intense disagreement since they launched. Anyway, your #2 is outright fraud. The same kind that taxis were famous worldwide for practicing, and that pushed people into applications like Uber.

h4ch1 4y ago
Yeah usually I have Google Maps open on my phone as well, and follow the route alongside and if they do take any turns that aren't on the optimal route, I point it out. Annoying, but eh. I only started doing that after I was scammed twice though :p
neon_electro 4y ago
Lyft & Uber have some features, but as a driver, they could definitely be better. https://help.lyft.com/hc/e/all/articles/115013081128-How-to-use-Destination-Mode https://help.lyft.com/hc/e/all/articles/115013081128-How-to-... https://www.uber.com/us/en/drive/basics/driver-destinations/?_csid=Jm08GmFmi2Rwpwec0CDvtQ&state=8dB5jSOTOlVNkv1SWvOt2SMxJO4OG3yhwmWB-JecQQw%3D&effect= https://www.uber.com/us/en/drive/basics/driver-destinations/...

ruined 4y ago

ah, the final efficiency - wages become low enough that it's more attractive to blatantly exploit the system rather than play along. algorithmic wage optimization doesn't find the lowest price of service, it externalizes the largest acceptable bribe.

cmckn 4y ago

> Cancelling from my end often results in a penalty So…don’t cancel? If the driver bails on a ride, that should hurt their score, not yours. If you need to book a replacement ride immediately, just use another app. It’s happened to me a handful of times in the US, I just waited for 10-15 minutes until the heuristics decided the driver wasn’t coming and assigned another one. Regardless, sounds miserable to deal with regularly. Sorry about that.

h4ch1 4y ago
There's one other app called Ola, which is horrible, prices fluctuate without notification, they'll autocharge your UPI as they please, customer support is non-existant. Uber is the best bet and usually people don't have the extra 10-15 minutes to spare, since you're already waiting outside and probably have a time-sensitive task to attend to (that's the norm here btw, if you have something urgent you take a cab otherwise public transport since that's more likely to be delayed).
- MichaelZuo 4y ago
  People in India usually don't book Ubers with some leeway in timing? That sounds really odd. What happens if there's unexpected traffic on the way to your time sensitive destination?
  - h4ch1 4y ago
    You do, but that usually runs out; as I mentioned in the parent, there's an extended foreplay with the Uber driver that sometimes happens, sometimes is resolved quickly, sometimes takes way too long. You can never really plan for it well.
  - 1123581321 4y ago
    Same thing; if you need 15 minutes of leeway and the trip is 30 minutes, you perceive yourself to be short on time 45 minutes before your appointment.
    - 4y ago

johnwalkr 4y ago

4-5 years ago, on multiple business trips to India I had the following experience about 30% of the time. Order an uber, watch it get about 5 blocks away on the screen, and start driving in circles. I believe it was spoofed GPS because sometimes you could clearly see that no car was really there, or even walk right up to the spot on the map. If you send a message they say they are almost there, repeatedly. Finally after 10 minutes you give up and cancel, getting a charge. Then when you try again the same driver will come from about 1km away and actually pick you up.