
Changes to Uber in California - jonluca
https://www.sfchronicle.com/business/article/Uber-makes-major-changes-to-California-rides-as-14957326.php
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jonluca
Screenshot of email here
[https://i.imgur.com/3kSiNQs.png](https://i.imgur.com/3kSiNQs.png)

Full text:

What’s changing?

From upfront price to estimated price range You will now see a price range
rather than a set price before you request any non-Pool ride, which is our
best estimate of what the trip will cost you. The final price will be
calculated at the end of your trip, based on the actual time and distance
traveled. You can see the final price on your receipt or in the app.

Schedule rides with your favorite drivers After you give a driver a 5-star
rating, you can now add them as a Favorite Driver. Next time you request a
scheduled ride, your favorite drivers will have the opportunity to accept your
reservation. If you give a driver a 1-star rating, you won’t be matched on
future rides.

Changes to Uber Rewards benefits We unfortunately have to discontinue some
Uber Rewards benefits, like price protection on a route and flexible
cancellations, for trips in California. To learn more, see the Rewards hub in
your Uber app. We’re actively working on new benefits for California riders,
so stay tuned for future announcements.

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Ghjklov
>If you give a driver a 1-star rating, you won’t be matched on future rides.

Will this change also apply for UberEats? I can imagine this being gamed by
people who don't like tipping so that they can avoid getting the same driver
twice. That really sucks. Not only you don't get tipped, but you get 1-stared
and your livelihood is now threatened.

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jelliclesfarm
I suspect Uber usage will dramatically plummet after this. Because they have
introduced uncertainty in the consumer experience/pricing.

Has any business that has adopted this ever NOT lost customers? What other
commodity is offered at ‘flexible’ pricing?

Interesting that it’s only in California. How long before this spreads.

Also: [..] For riders, there are potential downsides. Short hops might get
rejected. “If you just have to get across town quickly at rush hour, will
drivers say, ‘Forget it, I won’t make any money,’?” Miller said.

Drivers also could refuse to take trips going to certain neighborhoods, a form
of discrimination against lower-income areas.

Uber, which cautioned in its blog post that drivers should not engage in
discriminatory rejections of trips, said it will monitor trips to guard
against these issues.[..]

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ryanmcbride
They already reject plenty of rides, they just don't do it until they get to
the pickup location. I've had drivers I've called in oakland cancel my ride to
my face once they see that my destination is over in SF. Usually saying
something like "I don't go over the bridge". Pisses me off every time.

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throw03172019
Hmmm not a fan of price estimates. I’ve had Uber drivers take a long and/or
incorrect route and it ends up taking more time but I was always OK because
the price was fixed anyway. But this now incentivizes this behavior.

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hardtke
Before Uber, I used to call taxi dispatchers in Oakland to get a ride to the
airport from my house. The taxis would rarely show up. One day I was getting a
ride home in a taxi and I asked why this was the case. The driver explained
that most drivers would not accept calls to certain "more dangerous"
neighborhoods. I guess I won't be getting Ubers now for the same reason.

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dmitrygr
Basically, precisely what they promised back in Dec:
[https://www.uber.com/blog/california/keeping-you-in-the-
driv...](https://www.uber.com/blog/california/keeping-you-in-the-drivers-
seat-1/)

IMHO the lack of precise pricing will hurt them a lot.

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randyrand
In my experience the price you were shown and the price you paid were
occassionaly different already.

