A
little over a week ago I applied online to become an Uber driver. The
good news was that the application process was rather easy. The bad
news is that the application process was rather easy. I will explain
in a moment.
I
picked an interesting time to start driving for Uber, as they have
just released a new and improved, revamped driver app. This rendered
the large amount of YouTube how-to videos obsolete. The videos did
however let me see some of the things to expect. They also contained
some good tips for new drivers.
One
tip involved a method, albeit not a great one, to see where other
Uber drivers are located given that Uber does not provide any way for
their drivers to see where other drivers are positioned. The way to
do it is to use the Uber Ride app which shows the nearest six Uber
vehicles. If you are online in the Uber Driver app, one of the
vehicles displayed in the Uber Ride app will be your own so you get
to see where the five nearest Uber vehicles are positioned relative
to your current position.
I
have been using the Uber Rider app as suggested from day one. What I
have determined is that in the suburbs of Chicago there are way too
many active Uber drivers at any time. Today for example, after an
early morning fare to O'Hare and a subsequent fare to the Loop, I
ended up at Woodfield Mall. As I sat waiting for the Uber Drive app
to ping me I switched over to the Uber Ride app and noticed that
there were five vehicles very close to where I was. Subsequent checks
of the User Ride app as I ended up in different positions near
Woodfield always produce five other Uber vehicles close to me. After
a while I realized that there must have been a hundred Uber drivers
in the general area of Woodfield Mall. Although I did get a fare here
and there it was a long wait between them. The same has applied for
the other various locations I have positioned myself in during the
past three days.
If
you think about it from Uber's point of view, it is a good thing to
over saturate areas with drivers. When someone requests a ride the
response time is great since there is most likely a driver nearby. A
vehicle showing up within minutes of a request is very good for
business.
Over
saturation is not a good thing for the suburban drivers. This is
where the ease at which anyone with a newer vehicle and a clean
background check can become a Uber driver is great for Uber and its
passengers but bad news for the drivers.
