Do I have to tip my driver?

The statement below regarding tipping drivers was taken directly from the UBER website.  Uber does not treat all of it's drivers the same.  Taxi's and Black car drivers (Limo's) can be tipped directly through the UBER application but UBER X drivers are not expected to accept tips nor does the UBER application allow the option to tip drivers.  UBER encourages the passengers not to tip the drivers because "being Uber means there is no need to tip the drivers for any services."  I'm not exactly sure what the culture of tipping is in other countries but Americans in general have been accustomed to TIP for services such as drivers, doormen, waitstaff, bartenders, delivery persons, hotel maids, shoeshiners, guides and other service related personnel. TIP = "To Insure Performance."  

UBER drivers must ask themselves why does the company sell them so cheaply?  Why do they give away perks that are meant to motivate and insure performance? Perks that may help offset the loss of revenue to the drivers due to the deep Greedy UBER hand in the drivers pockets.  As a former UBER driver I could never understand why a passenger would not even wince as they tip cab drivers, doormen, and limousine drivers but would not even think twice as they receive a clean cheap ride from an UBER independent contractor (Driver) who is usually driving to help make ends meet.

Do I have to tip my driver?

Being Uber means there is no need to tip drivers with any of our services.
When using uberTAXI (requesting a ride from a cab via the Uber app, available in select cities), drivers will input the metered fare into the Uber driver application. In most cities—and all cities in the United States—a default 20% of the metered fare will be automatically added and paid to the driver as a gratuity. You can select the default percentage amount of the gratuity by signing into your account at uber.com then clicking the ‘Payment’ link at the top.

“Uber stands for a particularly extreme form of wage dumping, which refuses to allow for any minimum wage,”

For now a court in Germany has lifted the ban on UBER.  The following is an excerpt from an article in The New York Times (September 17, 2014). We hope that the politicians in the U.S.A. take lessons from Europe and elsewhere with respect to UBER.  UBER has deep pockets we all know and perhaps they are share some of this wealth with the rulers to be but I have faith that eventually the public will demand answers and clearly see the abuse.

The New York Times (September 17, 2014).

The German taxi association said Tuesday that it still believed that Uber was acting unlawfully and that it would appeal the decision in the coming month.

“Uber stands for a particularly extreme form of wage dumping, which refuses to allow for any minimum wage,” Dieter Schlenker, Taxi Deutschland’s chairman, said in a statement. “We hope that politicians will steer the taxi clearly into the future and won’t let the U.S.A. firms put any ideas in their heads.”

The comments follow vocal opposition to Uber from taxi associations across Europe, which accused the company of breaking local laws. Earlier this summer, more than 10,000 taxi drivers from London to Milan took to the streets to protest Uber, which has now expanded to more than 100 cities in 45 countries and is valued at more than $15 billion.

German taxi drivers voiced their dismay Tuesday that the court had lifted the nationwide ban despite continuing legal uncertainties over whether Uber could operate in Germany.

“We lose money every day,” said Michael Linke, 60, who has been a taxi driver in Frankfurt for more than 30 years. He and other drivers complain that their Uber competitors can offer cheaper prices because they are not saddled with the same operating costs, like taxi insurance and local licenses.

“The only reason people choose Uber over us is the money part,” Mr. Linke said. “If we could, we would love to be cheaper.”

Taxi associations and local authorities also have open legal cases against Uber in Berlin and Hamburg, though the company has won reprieves in those German cities until courts make a final ruling this year over whether Uber complies with local laws.

In the Frankfurt case, which centered on whether its business was anticompetitive, Uber faced fines in Germany of up to 250,000 euros, or about $330,000, or a jail term of up to six month for a local employee, if it violated the temporary injunction. Uber drivers, who are not employees, did not face direct penalties. Uber’s premium product, Uber Black, which uses luxury sedans with chauffeurs, was not affected by the ruling.

At the time, the company said that it would continue to operate in Germany. In the last two weeks, at least two UberPop drivers in Germany had been barred from using the service to pick up drivers, according to a company spokesman, who would not say whether the company had paid fines in those cases.

“The New York Times”

Mark Scott reported from London and Sarah Plass from Frankfurt.

A version of this article appears in print on September 17, 2014, on page B3 of the New York edition with the headline: German Court Lifts Ban on Uber Ride Service.

Uber ride-sharing company needs licence, City of Ottawa says

We would love to give credit to the author of this story but all we could find was that it was written By: CBCNEWS.CA (Cananda).

An the hits keep on coming!

 

Uber ride-sharing company needs licence, City of Ottawa says

CBC – Mon, 22 Sep, 2014

The ride-sharing service Uber needs to be licensed to run in the City of Ottawa, officials said on Monday after a meeting on how the popular transportation app might work in the capital region.

-
LISTEN | City of Ottawa on what Uber needs to run in capital
Uber's business model has been to employ part-time drivers using their own vehicles to shuttle passengers around.
But it has modified that approach depending on the jurisdiction, and in Toronto and Montreal the service uses only licensed drivers and relies on traditional fare meters.
But they face stiff resistance from Ottawa's taxi companies.
"It's going to be a long battle of attrition with Uber and Uber is not going to win here," said taxi cab company Coventry Connections president Hanif Patni.
Susan Jones, who oversees the city's taxi licensing program, said she was glad to hear the company's pitch, but added it will need to be licensed.
Jones said Uber would have to comply with all the rules that apply to other cab companies and govern everything from driver training to vehicle inspections.
Since launching in 2010, San Francisco-based Uber has expanded to over 100 cities around the world, including Toronto, Montreal and Halifax.
Pushback from cab companies and regulators in Vancouver and Calgary forced Uber to abandon expansion plans there, and the service has been banned in New Orleans, Miami and Brussels, among other cities.
Frankfurt state court has also barred Uber from operating in Germany, though the company has vowed to appeal.

The quality of a company’s product in comparison to its great packaging.

No wonder why UBER is always hiring.  Last week a reporter on the radio was commenting on a Veteran’s employment fair and who was hiring. The reporter ended her comment by saying that UBER was present at the fair and hiring.  UBER is always hiring and they will continue to do so for the unforeseeable future because there are huge holes in UBER’s driver pool.  Once the drivers wise up to the sham that UBER has going they usually move on within the first couple of weeks of driving for UBER.  Attrition at UBER should not be a secret!  “New drivers beware.”

This weekend UBER was quite desperate in trying to entice drivers to hit the road and meet UBER’s passenger request.  Multiple text where sent out by UBER to the drivers this weekend telling them that the partners (drivers) saw huge demand (Surge X 4.5).  With UBER there is no consistency, not for the drivers or the passenger (only UBER Wins).  Passengers continue to get gauged (surge pricing X ?) as drivers choose to do anything but drive for UBER.  Regulations need to be put in place to prevent UBER from poaching the transportation systems of the world.  Drivers need to wise up and take a stance against “The Big Bad Wolf” and say no to UBER’s abuse.  As long as the drivers continue to sell themselves cheaply the company will continue its abusive practice.

The only hope that UBER has in order to continue its present policies is that new drivers by the tens of thousands come on board on a monthly bases to fill the void of yesterday’s drivers that can’t continue to afford UBER’s greed and pay the 25 to 30% right to drive for UBER.  Many drivers are not happy with the partner split with UBER but even more will be unhappy come tax day next year as they realize that they owe the IRS a minimum of an additional 28%.

(This is what it really looks like):  $100 – 25% (UBER: $25) =  $75 – 28% (IRS:$21) = (Driver makes:) $54.00 on average for every $100 in fares and many will make less.

Earlier today we replied to a tweet regarding the quality of a company’s product in comparison to its great packaging.  UBER is one of these companies that sells a good package but the product from a drivers stand point does not live up to their expectations.  The concept is outstanding, but as with many well intended concepts once the reality of the profit potential supersedes the benefits of the product the market from both (internal) the drivers and (external) the consumer begin to look at the cost of the opportunity.  UBER’s arrogance and greed is leaving them blind to the fact that people are the most important resource any company has.  If they don’t change their ways soon competition is entering the market and their policies may be more favorable to the resources UBER takes for granted.  I love competition it levels the playing field and provides choices for both the internal and external clients of the company.

Just wait until the investors realize that without enough drivers the customer base will eventually erode!

UBER is experiencing growing pains but most of UBER's pains are self inflicted. As the number one rideshare company in the U.S. or the world for that matter; UBER grew in popularity and in size because it was well funded and the concept of using todays technololgy was over due.  Greed got to the best of UBER.  First, the rideshare members where abused and ripped off by the company.  Second, the drivers are being ripped off and abused by the company. Profit without social responsibility nor regulations has led to the blatant abuse and greed that the company freely and openly displays.

If it where not for the economic glut that the country is in UBER would not benefits from such a needy driver pool. By chance if you could find your local UBER office you would notice the long lines of drivers waiting to sign up, waiting to have issues resolved and others returning their units and quitting.  One thing for sure there is definitely a revolving door at UBER but the numbers are so large that the company can still net more drivers than it looses.  I can assure you that eventually the revolving door will catch up and net a loss of drivers that will definitely impact the UBER experience.  Today UBER can't afford to loose passengers because it is striving to become a publicly traded company and it needs to show a strong customer base  (Just wait until the investors realize that without enough drivers the customer base will eventually erode) for profits.

For the most part in UBER's early days everyone that used or drove for UBER seemed to be satisfied.  The passengers where able to obtain transportation usually within 10 to 15 minutes of dropping the PIN and drivers where fairly paid.   Passengers told their friends about UBER and the word spread fast.  Cost did not seem to a hindrance for UBER passengers even when the surge pricing went up, after all this is America the land of price and demand (or is it supply and demand?).  Why mess with a good thing? UBER continues to tweak it's business models in order to maximize profits but with earlier versions most of the passengers and drivers where not complaining.  Yes I am well aware that today companies are cut throat and that the bottom line is all they worry about but in this case they where making money.  I know that some wise ass kid  (let's say  average age 26 or 27) wants to prove he/ she can squeeze blood out of a stone in order to impress greedy investors. At some point we have to show restraint, respect and responsibility to the world we live in and those of us trying to making a living wage.  I'm not only talking about the drivers I'm also talking about those wonderful people that I have had the pleasure of transporting to and from their jobs and after hours entertainment.

Recently I spoke with a driver who drove a couple to Midway Airport approximately . 19 miles and 35 to 40 minutes of their time to gross $18.00.  This is not a living wage! it's corporate greed and abuse.  In order for UBER to win the hearts and minds of it's passengers it steals from the drivers hard earned money, time, gas, wear and tear on theirs cars, risk of accident, tickets etc... Even the passengers boast that this would have been much more expensive if they took a taxi.

Come on!  Oh you great regulators where is the justice?  When will you start regulating UBER as you do every other business entity.  Where is the equity?  Investors Beware!

Uber couldn’t be king forever!

Todays blog is a potpourri of stories well written about UBER that we wanted to share with you.  You can see these complete stories by visiting forbes.com

Forbes has reported the UBER issues with facts and fairness the rest is up to you to decipher the reality of what's going on in the world of ridesharing.  We encourage you to continue reading our blog for up dates and to share this information with your friends.

When UBER wins we all lose! More to come on this statement in the days ahead.  

Depicted as large-greedy UBER for what it really is... A sham!  Don't get us wrong the need for the current transportation systems to adopt all of the modern technologies available today is long past due.  The current rideshare environment exist only because the established transportation systems where complacent with the status quo. OK, time to quit the crying and pick yourself up by the boot straps.  "Old" established transportation systems go out there and make the technology work better for all of us.  Be more efficient!  Be more reliable! Be more professional! Use your trade organizations and Unions to lead the way.  There are plenty of application specialist and companies out there eager to start a new application that is better than what UBER has today.  We know what they have; so go out and ask the public to create a wish list, fill their needs and adopt to the new way of doing business or die!

Story By: forbes.com

Jeff Bercovici Forbes Staff

Tech 8/26/2014 @ 10:15PM

There’s never any shortage of reasons to hate Uber, for those feeling so inclined. If you’re a driver, you may fear and distrust the company because of its needlessly punitive ratings system or its misleading claims about earnings. If you’re a customer, perhaps you were put off by a $400 fare or the seemingly endless reports of rapes and other crimes committed by drivers.

 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Story By: forbes.com

Tech 5/30/2014 @ 8:30AM

Ellen Huet Forbes Staff

Lyft and Uber’s megafunding — $330 million and likely $800 million, respectively — allows them to blow money on brash attempts to win over as many drivers and passengers as possible.

The driver promotions are eye-popping and clearly unsustainable: Do you drive for Uber? Here, Lyft will give you $500 to give 10 Lyft rides. Drive for Lyft? Uber’s got $500 for you — plus a guarantee that you’ll net $45 an hour until the end of June. Refer a driver to Uber? Here’s $500 for you and $500 for your friend, too.

To reel in users, companies make rides cheaper and cheaper, which angers drivers. In January, Uber dropped its low-cost UberX fares 20% and cut commission from 20% to 5%. But at that rate, Uber lost money on every ride. In April, it began taking a 20% cut again — but didn’t raise prices back up, meaning drivers now make less for the same work.

Lyft took its cue from Uber and dropped prices 20% in early April — then dropped them 10% more two weeks later, much to drivers’ chagrin. It also stopped taking any of its usual 20% commission.

That’s right: In an economy full of profitless startups, even apps with paying users are forgoing revenue for growth. Lyft has been doing so for a month and a half — and won’t say when it’ll stop.

Lyft started fighting back this week with driver promotions and two billboard trucks. (Courtesy Lyft)

In the meantime, drivers who use both apps are forced to do complicated calculations of various bonuses, surge pricing, price cuts, “safe ride fees,” and other gimmicks to determine the best way to scrape a living. Uber said that UberX drivers working 40-hour weeks can make $90,000 a year in New York City and $74,000 a year in San Francisco. But drivers say that’s difficult, if not impossible. And if companies keep cutting fares and raising commissions, it’ll only get worse.

“This is too much. It’s just a race to the bottom,” said Jeffrey, 50, who drives on both platforms and declined to give his full name. “Nobody’s ever going to bring the fare price back up.” (Uber added a $1 safety fee to each ride in April, but the dollar goes to Uber, not the driver.)

The perks and bonuses sound great, but they’re just “math tricks” and “temporary moves to placate drivers,” Jeffrey said. The work is hard and unstable, and drivers are always at risk of sudden financial burdens from an accident. And 20% to 30% of a driver’s income goes to taxes, gas and car maintenance, he estimated.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Story By: forbes.com

Ellen Huet Forbes Staff

Tech 6/23/2014 @ 8:30AM

Uber couldn’t be king forever.

“The ‘moat’ around Uber’s services is incredibly shallow,” wrote Wall Street Journal tech columnist Christopher Mims. “This means competitors — and there will be legion — might have little  trouble taking business away from the company and limiting its ultimate size.”

is the “moat” really so shallow? What does it take to get another Uber up and running, and can it succeed?

Those are questions that Snir Kodesh and Noam Szpiro, founders of Hitch, ask themselves all the time, though they’re optimistic about the answers. Hitch, the latest transportation app to launch in San Francisco, is similar to Uber and Lyft except for one essential detail: it allows users to share a ride with others traveling a similar route. That change means that passengers can pay less for a ride than on other apps, and drivers will still pull several fares on one ride. Everyone goes home happier, richer and more efficient, and over time, fewer cars clog the road.

That’s the goal, anyway. The real experience of getting there is a lot more complicated. Hitch launched four weeks ago, and while it has promising numbers so far — 70 percent of riders use the app again, Szpiro said — it’s a great case study on why it’s so much harder to launch a new, game-changing app that matches passengers to drivers than it is to make one that says “Yo.”
Hitch — and any other growing transportation startup — faces a rough road ahead. On-demand marketplaces are notoriously delicate balancing acts. The network effects that favor large, existing companies like Uber make it even harder for new entrants to stake a claim. And transportation startups have to bow to complex regulation and expensive insurance that many other entrepreneurs avoid.