Bratty Miami Doctor Fired!

NBC News announced on Apr. 22, 2016 that the "neurology resident with Miami's Jackson Health System has been fired after a controversial video involving an Uber driver went viral in January."

For all the details and video go to: 
http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/national-international/Jackson-Health-System-Doctor-Fired-After-Uber-Incident-376774041.html

Keeping up those 5 Star Ratings

A driver wrote in one of the Facebook boards that he was only going to do airport runs to boost his ratings.   I offered some tips:

1 Do not pick up drunks - drunks do not appreciate our services and all we are is a cheap alternative to a Yellow cab.  Let them puke in the Yellow cabs. Grumpy old drunks do nothing for us other than complain about our music or driving abilities. Then when we pick up the next rider they complain of beer fart smells,

2 Get a monthly car wash plan and use it daily- Most car wash businesses offer a monthly rate to professional drivers. For $40 to $60 a month you can get unlimited car washes.  Shop around for the best service in your area.
 
3 Keep FABREEZE in the glove box and use it after pax exits car-  Body order and beer farts offend passengers who get in the back seat after an offending pax.  Good investment!

4 Always introduce yourself to the rider and ask them to tell you if there is anything you can do to make their ride a better experience.  Courtesy warrants 5 stars!

5 Radio off unless they request it. If people get in your car and hear a type of music they dislike, down goes the stars. The last thing Joe Country-Fan wants to hear is Rap or Hip Hop in the car when he gets in.  Same goes for Joe Snoop-Poopy-Scoooper-Fan who does not want to hear shit kicking music cramping his Ghetto life style.

6 Be observant of the pax. If they do not want to chat or are reading, perhaps they may not want conversation. Know when to shut up. Also if the conversation strays to politics try to be courteous of all sides of the political fence.

7 Don't forget to say please and thank you.  Courtesy warrants 5 stars!

8 When the pax exits the vehicle be sure to tell them YOU are giving THEM 5 stars. If they know THEY are getting graded maybe they will think twice about not giving you 5 stars.

Using Uber Pool and Lyft Line to your advantage

On one of the Uber groups on Facebook I read that someone actually texted riders that he (and allegedly many drivers) did not accept Uber Pool rides. Pool and Lyft short rides often end up in an earning of $2.40 or $3.00, which may not be worth the drive to get to the passenger.

Many drivers do not understand the rules of Uber Pool. The rider has two minutes to get into the car. Lyft drivers have one minute to get in the car so here is my solution. Watch the clock!

Use Uber pool to your advantage. All Uber Pool riders have 2 minutes to get in the car and if they are not in 2 minutes after you get there simply cancel ride as a NO SHOW. You make $4 instead of $2.40 on a local trip.

If you give a No Show to a Lyft Line passenger you also make $4 in one minute less.

LAX UPDATE

I got an email from Uber yesterday that had some very important information for those who drop people off at LAX.  Only one trade dress is permitted on your window at a time and the LAX must be below it on the windshield.

This would very much be the same for LYFT as well because the rules are set by LAX, not the ride share apps.

There are new requirements for picking up and dropping off at LAX. In order to avoid fines, make sure you have the required documents. 

REQUIREMENTS: 

• Airport Vehicle Permit Placard for both pickups and drop-offs (please note: drop-off documentation is a new requirement) 
•  Uber 'U' trade dress

GETTING YOUR AIRPORT VEHICLE PERMIT PLACARD:

Take the quick quiz to receive your Airport Vehicle Permit Placard (if you've already passed the quiz, you do not need to retake it). Wait up to 48 hours to receive an email with your temporary placard. Print the temporary placard. Place it on your windshield under the Uber "U" Trade Dress and get started with pickups and drop-offs at LAX. Replace your temporary placard with the one you receive in the mail. It will take 3-5 business days to receive your permanent placard.

California Approves Ride-Sharing Driver Insurance

This article was sent to me by one of the ride share companies I work with:

Insurance policies are being offered that close the gap in insurance coverage and help protect drivers, passengers and pedestrians when ride-sharing vehicles are on the road.

Source:
http://www.govtech.com/fs/California-Approves-Ride-Sharing-Driver-Insurance.html

(TNS) -- Personal taxi-type services like Uber and Lyft have changed the landscape for those working for and using them in some unexpected ways, and related industries are just starting to catch up.

Case in point, State Farm is introducing a new coverage endorsement in California to help fill insurance gaps for its policyholders who use their personal cars to provide rides for this type of Transportation Network Company (TNC), State Farm officials said.

Madison Voss, spokeswoman for Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones, said State Farm is one of eight insurers offering coverage to TNC drivers.

“Commissioner Jones has encouraged insurers to develop auto insurance products for TNC drivers and we are pleased to see one of the state’s largest insurers offer a product that protects drivers, passengers and pedestrians.”

State Farm’s new product will be available beginning March 21, according to the California Department of Insurance website.

“More insurers are stepping up to meet the changing needs of California’s sharing economy,” Commissioner Jones says on the site. “State Farm has created a product that closes the gap in insurance coverage and helps protect drivers, passengers and pedestrians when ride-hailing vehicles are on the road.”

The TNC industry is rapidly changing the livery/taxi industry by using the latest mobile technology to facilitate rides for hire,” State Farm officials said. “With these new transportation services in the marketplace, drivers are exposed to new risks.

Insurance provided by TNCs may be limited in scope and coverage, and personal auto policies don’t generally cover the use of personal cars as taxis or livery vehicles, State Farm spokesman Sevag Sarkissian said.

State Farm is adapting to “changing customer needs” by offering a Transportation network Company Driver Coverage endorsement in California, starting March 21, he said.

“This new product is an example of our commitment to our customers and provides them coverage, and peace of mind, when they use their personal cars to provide TNC services,” State Farm Senior Vice President tom Conley said in a statement.

California’s TNCs provide $1 million liability coverage while a driver has a paying passenger or when a driver is on the way to pick up a passenger, but they provide a much lower liability coverage limit when drivers are “just available for hire,” State Farm officials said. They may not provide any medical payments, comprehensive, or collision coverages at all, and they may not cover the driver for injuries or for damage to the driver’s personal car, they said.

The new, optional State Farm TNC Driver Coverage endorsement, fills this gap, company officials said.

“This cost-effective endorsement provides the driver with the full liability coverage limits (s)he has under his/her auto policy during the times the driver is ‘available for hire,’ and provides all other coverages applicable to the driver’s auto policy during all periods of TNC driving,” Sarkissian said.

An Uber website identifies no drivers specifically in Vallejo or Solano County, though Lyft has a Napa/Sonoma counties territory that appears to cover most of Solano County, including Vallejo, Fairfield and Vacaville, according to its website.

©2016 Times-Herald (Vallejo, Calif.) Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Dealing with Smokers

Nobody should be subjected to the unpleasant odor of a smoker who just put out a cigarette and stuffed the used butt in his or her pocket or cigarette pack.

I recently picked up a gentleman who was not feeling well and leaving work early. It was an Uber Pool and on the way I got a ride request for a second passenger. When we got to the pick up point this woman was on the phone, smoking a cigarette. She put out the smoke and stuffed it in her pocket. Within moments she stuck up the car.

Enough is enough!

I have decided to put this on my LYFT profile and I am placing signs on the windows of my car:

"If you smell like smoke please request another car. This driver is no longer transporting smokers."

Drivers with Uber, Official Super Bowl Partner, Plan Super Bowl Strike

This article has gone viral on social media:

Source: SF Weekly

Super Bowl 50 arrives bearing gifts for San Francisco. Hometown hero Uber, for example, is an official partner of the Big Game — which, according to Super Bowl Host Committee spokesman Nathan Ballard, means that Uber drivers can use taxi stands when ferrying passengers to and from the various events in Super Bowl City, U.S.A., including the parties in San Francisco and the game itself at Levi's Stadium.

That's a nice perk for Uber drivers, some of whom are organizing to make sure no driver takes advantage of it. 

Some of the organizers of yesterday's protest of Uber HQ — demonstrated, but the first one to earn national press — in which 200 or so Uber drivers circled from City Hall to Uber's 1455 Market Street offices and back honking horns, are trying to get as many Uber drivers as possible off of the road before Sunday. 

It's an Uber Super Bowl strike, a show of driver solidarity in the months leading up to the pivotal court decision on whether Uber drivers are employees or contractors. Will it work? Can it work?

Uber drivers say that working conditions, in a word, suck. After the company takes its cut, and after drivers cover their costs including gas and maintenance on their cars, hourly wages fall as low as $8, they say.

To fix this, Uber drivers are presenting succinct demands: fair pay, good hours, and recognition that the $60 billion company is treating its people — or, of course, its contractors — poorly. 

To get the point across, a select cadre of drivers — some of the 200 who descended on Uber HQ and on City Hall — are vowing to shut down the service over Super Bowl weekend.

The timing is auspicious. If Uber shuts down with many famous and well-heeled visitors in town, it could go a long way to damaging the company's image — and perhaps could shame the company into addressing the clear issue with the working conditions for its contractors. 

Uber, meanwhile, appears to be taking note. According to one of the protest organizers, a man who gave his name as Mario, Uber has shut down his account and other accounts of "partners" organizing against the company.

But will it work? How many drivers will take part — and will users give a shit? 

Drivers did not respond to requests for comment from SF Weekly on Tuesday. Though in comments on social media posts, one self-identified Uber driver said he'd be happy to take the customers left hanging by his striking co-contractors.