Driving VS Waiting: Should Uber Drivers Park & Wait Or Drive Around? 

⚠️Learn how rideshare drivers are making hundreds of extra dollars per month: therideshareguy.com/freebird/

Great advice unless you end up in a sketch neighborhood... Then I'm offline getting the Hell outta there!!! 😂

I drop off the ride and get to the closest main street and park, preferably in a shopping center. I try to avoid parking in a residential street because some homeowner may get nervous and call the cops.

After dropping off a rider I drive to a near by store or gas station and I park and wait for a request if it takes longer then 15 minutes for me to get one , I will drive to a busier area

I daily keep track of surge zones and times on my app and write them down in a ledger and program them into my phone when I get home Over time you see repeat surge zones at repeat times and reposition in those areas ahead of the surge.

ALSO, WHY DOES UBER GIVE YOU A PING AT THE EXACT TIME YOU ARE IN THE INTERSECTION YOU NEED TO TURN IN OR JUST PASSING THE OFF RAMP FROM THE HIGH WAY. I CAN NOT TELL YOU HOW MANY TIMES I HAVE ALMOST DIED OR KILLED SOMEONE TRYING TO PICK UP THESE CRAZY RIDE REQUESTS.

I never wait, I always drive a main loop and keep plenty busy. I tried waiting and didn't get as much business.

I always advise to stay up in the general vicinity until you get your next request. As another poster mentioned I will move to a more populated area for peace of mind when waiting. Now there are times when I'll strategically move to known surge zones (repositioning as you mentioned)

Is it just me or does it seem like if I just park I get fewer rides. I think the app actually does favor moving cars.

You absolutely hit it on the nail. Great video. I figured if I can wait in a queue system at the airport I can definitely do it outside of it. Miami,FL

This is a dirty trick but I'm sure a lot of Lyft drivers have or still do it - look on the Lyft rider app and set a destination. Now observe how many drivers are in your area and look for a open spot. You will not accidentally request a ride unless you click "request lyft". Say if the whole north side has no drivers up that way, drive a mile up that way so you're the closest then wait.

When I don't have a ride, I head for the airport. I know I can always get a ride at the airport. If I get a ping on the way to the airport, I take it and do it. Then I head back towards the airport. Don't know if this is the absolute best strategy, but it works for me.

I NEEDED this video! Thank you Harry! btw here in OC/LA camping out for another ride is often better than driving around running up costs.

Thanks for the advice. I have been guilty of driving around other areas after the drop-off. I will be changing my strategy.

my strategy after dropping off the last passenger in an area where there is no prime time or surge is I set the destination filter to an area where there is prime time or surge. I almost always get at least one rider going to the direction of my filtered direction. I drive in SF during rush hour such that this type of occurrence is not uncommon. it might not always work in other cities.

I always seem to pick up more rides on the move. For example after sitting for around 15 mins with no ping, then i start to move it suddenly pings. Seems to happen alot 😕

After I drop a passenger, whether or not I stay put and wait for the next ping from there depends mainly on one thing: the likelihood that I will quickly receive another ride. If I'm in a busy area, I put the car in park right ASAP after dropping a passenger. If my dropoff is in a rural area or sparsely populated area, I'll slowly drive toward a more populated area until I get a ping or get to the more populated area, at which point I'll put the car in park there.

Hey Rideshare Guy, I am a new driver and have watched some of your videos. This idea is one that I took to heart and have used. I agrewewith you on this point. If my wheels are moving then my "meter" needs to be moving as well. Thanks for the videos and keep up the good work. DriverX

I think rather driving or sitting to get more pings may depend on the city, the area in a city, how busy it is and how many drivers there are.

Great video. That will definitely comes in handy in rural areas. In a city like NYC well if you pull in a spot to drop off a Pax.... yes. Most of the time you are double parking to drop off. But for the most part after the drop off, pull over and park and wait. (But in NYC you will not wait long) Great video as always.

The algorithm supposedly favors a moving car by 1.9. Compared to a squatting car. Can't remember where I seen that info though.

Great video. It's all about spots and areas. Some spots take forever to wait. Some spots only take a few minutes.

In Vegas I've found that after a drop off it's good to find a spot to park and wait regardless of where it is (unless it's an uncomfortable area to park, drive to the nearest). After parking I set a timer for 15 minutes. If I don't get a ping in that time I open the lyft rider app and find an area within 5 minutes driving distance that has very few or no drivers and put myself in the middle of it. If there's an area on the edge of the city that isn't covered at all I'll edge myself to the outside of the furthest driver so that entire edge is all mine. seems to work well. At most I'll have to relocate once a day if that, and usually pull in $200 a day driving 5am - 3pm (sometimes more, not counting the weekly PDB)

I tend to keep going after dropping a passenger off, but that's very specific to my method. For me, my goals for Uber/Lyft driving are very low (~$400/month), and I tend to turn on the app, start driving where I was going to be driving anyhow, and after dropping a passenger off, I simply continue towards the destination I originally had in mind. Mind you, this is higher on gas costs if one was doing this to try and maximize income, but for my situation (I just want to make my car payment/insurance, and extra money is just extra), it works well.

After dropping someone off, I find the nearest big street (in Las Vegas it's easy). What I have found (mainly by accident), most of "pings" happened when I was stopped at a light. (Of course, I am in the left lane and the Driver App' wants me to go right!) So going back to this behavior by the Driver App', I thought, 1) I should be stopped.; 2) I should be on a street busy enough to have stoplights; and lastly 3) On a corner. Now from what I have seen, the closest driver may not get the ride, but it'll be the driver who can get to the passenger most quickly. Anyway, thanks Harry for the video. You were busy in 2017, weren't you!?

my market is a small city in mexico and i only do this on weekdays because weekends its super busy i barely get a break to eat lunch

I started driving for the first time yesterday. When I logged on it suggested that I go to a likely hot spot which I did (and it could be a good spot) but I promptly waited 40 minutes with no activity. So I moved to the area I had first thought would be good and as soon as I arrived I got my first ride. Then I started back to the same area and got pinged again and afterwards when I gravitated back to this area from the various drop off locations I would get a ping in rapid succession. So in my very limited experience I think it could be a combination of drifting toward good areas (off the freeways) and then waiting.

Agreed, you should just park and wait for a ride. Most people can't do this, but it is the smart way to make money in the long run. Uber did a study about this awhile back and it did show that drivers who waited for the next ride, made more money in the long run. Of course, it depends where you are waiting. If you are in a remote area, then it does make more sense to drive to a hotter area, but once there, you should park and wait it out.

I calculated the numbers and my low range was $185/month and high range was $600/month if you drive your car between passenger pickups. Factors are wait time, how many trips you do per hour and also what your actualized cost per mile is for your given car. Mine is a Prius and I use .20cents a mile to .25 cents a mile to figure out a comfortable range for me.

I use the Primetime app which is only available on the iPhone and I save 10 different locations so I know where it's busy... plus it tracks my current location of what the Primetime is. It makes sense to drive around if you are not in a busy area otherwise you'll sit there for an hour and never get a trip. I've done over 5k trips on Uber and lyft and this strategy has always helped me make tons of money. Plus I use the lyft free car rental so driving around putting miles on the car won't hurt me cause it's a rental.

Unless I am in a remote area, or a place where I don't think I'll get a ride, I usually just pull somewhere AWAY from where I dropped off. Usually 1-3 blocks until I can find a place to park.

it pays to know which nights people go to which bars. If for instance Thursday nights one particular bar is very popular with a lot of people your best bet is to be waiting closer to that bar than say another part of town that has a lot of bars but they aren't popular on Thursday nights. It pays to know your city and what is going on and which nights.

This was helpful I was moving around a lot , but I was constantly repositioning myself,

You're not necessarily losing money when you drive without a passenger you're still getting the $0.56 a mile deduction from the government.

I’m a driver too. I usually head out, back towards the area that’s usually more active. “Downtown”. I also try to stay at the drop for a few min, just to check emails etc, while Parked. If no pings? I start towards downtown.

it depends on your market. . Here in Myrtle beach if you were to just stay where you drop someone off you would be waiting in that spot for most of the day.

I always go towards downtown i never stay in one place my car is still burning fuel if I stay in a parking lot because of a/c if I take a ride south of kc I drop them and drive north towards the city and so on

I turn my app on while at home doing stuff around the house. When I get ping I leave my house do a few trips and as I lose momentum I set app back to home destination and head back home to eat or watch tv

Park in high density, take a fare. Another seems to follow if in the same area. When you get a fare that goes out of area, ride back to high density.

Thank you for the great Advice! Often I ride just a couple of blocks. I have noticed that other drivers will stop and I ride by and get the rider because I am closer. The reason I am aware of this is because I am looking at the rider app.

Hi there I have a question to report our taxes at the end of the year do we have to save our miles separately from Uber rides and Lyft rides, if you are running both apps at the same time ? Thank you and God bless brother

My brother ask for car at 12pm still waiting got name of driver keep on changing time to pickup what kind service no tel # to call

early am after i drop off at the airport, i have to drive at least 10-15 miles or more. But I will immediately get another ride right back to the airport. I am driving past casinos and residential areas. And its all highway miles.In this way, i average 25 an hour +

depends on the time of day. weekdays, the rides are going from residential areas to commerical/industrial areas, or the airport. If im pulled away to airport 35 miles away from where i live, i will either pickup from airport after dropoff and hope it takes me back towards where i live, or reposition myself, stop and have a b-room break, some snack or soda, gas, and go back online. Sometimes i "bobtail" if i just got a few long rides with good tips and say "im good" and go home offline. Depends on how i feel.

I live in Florida and the only semblence of a prime time heat zone is always in Miami. If you don't drive there, it could say prime time 300% but you never get credit for it. I drive in west palm beach and Boca Raton and never see Lyft do prime time rides.

Why would you stay stationary around a rider's destination if you're 13-17miles in a less ping area, you're almost forced to move in a high pinging (Area)where you picked the rider up originally, sometimes that works though, other times it does not-when u sit & wait you're not making anything & when you drive empty to reposition your ping chances your not making anything as well.

I have a question if I do uber, lyft uber eats post mates caviar, amazon flex and all the apps for 16 hours stright how much money do you think all make in one day?

My riders often take me to the outskirts of town so I have to drive back to downtown to get requests.

I add a 3rd element in, where are the other drivers at? I launch the passenger app, look for their cars, and try to get to another end of town that has little-to-no coverage, but likely to score a few rides.

I will drive to a "hot spot" for trips after a ride if I am a couple miles out. Train station area, convention center hotel, night clubs, movie theater, etc. I always get trips that way. I also go "offline" while I'm trying to get back to my home area to avoid trips that take me WAY far out of my area that I would be driving back empty. I also go "offline" when I am driving to a "surge" area. Once I am in the surge area, I go back "online" to capture the surge rate. If I am "online" driving into a surge area, then UBER turns off the surge just before I arrive because it can see my car coming back and the supply increases and rates normalize.

Sometimes when I sit a while I don’t get anything but when I drive around I am likely to be that nearest driver to the request I just received. And sometimes sitting around is not doable due to lack of parking.

I don't know why but, I get pinged when I start to move. I put it to test one day and got pinged after I moved from sitting for about 20 mins. I was thinking it was a GPS thing.

I can't really tell the difference. I sit in this one parking lot and get a lot of pings. there is this one customer who orders a lyft about the same time every day from work, I will be sitting in the parking lot and get it every time.

There’s sweet spot areas in Cleveland where I drive there’s no time to park wait as soon as I start a trip another request is coming in close by

I think it highly depends on your market and the location you just dropped off. The only time I sit and wait in the 2.5 years I have driven full time is if I need to use that time to get some paperwork done or something online or phone calls made. I use that time wisely so I can drive rather than doing those things at home. In my experimenting it seems to make more sense to be moving because I almost always get a ping sooner compared to the the time I spend sitting. Especially if its in residential areas. And here in Chicago it can be almost impossible to even find a safe place to park if you wanted to. You would be blocking the street or get a ticket because many many areas are posted " NO stopping, standing or parking" ($500 and up tickets will eat your profits for a long long time!) I don't know if the apps favor moving drivers as opposed to still drivers, but it would not surprise me. I am not a very good person to ask about the mathematics of statistics and probability, but you know damn well that both Uber and Lyft have engineers who are specialist in this are. The algorithms that they program to deliver requests to riders have that programmed in, rest assured,.. and its going to be whatever favors the company's bottom line, not ours. Part one, I look at it this way: If I drive the Chicago speed limit of 30mph then I can drive a half mile every minute. Using $.35/mile as my actual cost per mile to drive my car In 8 minutes I can drive 4 miles which would cost me $1.40. The base fare here is $1.35. SO if I have to drive 8 minutes before I get a ride then it eats up the base fare earnings. If I can get a ride within 8 sitting minutes then I have no mileage expense to cover. Usually I never have to drive more than 8-10 minutes to get a ping. BUT if I sit still for 16 or more minutes without a ping, then I could have driven in a pattern through the current neighborhood and covered 8 or more miles. Part two where statistics and probability info would come in handy: If I am parked motionless and waiting for another motionless person to decide they need a ride, then I also have to be fortunate enough to be the closest and/or shortest drive time driver to said person in order to receive that ping(in theory that is how we are told the app is suppose to work) How many times do I NOT receive a ping for the sole reason that another driver who IS moving at the time has coincidently placed themselves closer to the person who at that time made a request and "intercepted" the rider? It just seems logical to me that I would have a far more likely of a chance to become in close proximity of a rider making a request if I was "moving through the crowd" than I would waiting for that one rider to materialize where I am sitting. That is where it comes in handy to have a second phone or a tablet available to have in rider mode to see what drivers may be available in your proximity. The thing that gets SO frustrating is the system is so convoluted with so many variables and unknowns to factor in that it can be a full time job in itself to figure it all out at any given time. And the fact that the platforms are SO not transparent in how they work and they are so gamified that it makes it very difficult to obtain consistent results.

when I drive x(fusion 35 mpg)I am willing to drive a little to get to a better area. When I drive xl(Denali 15 mpg), I will drop and go around the corner, park, turn off the vehicle and wait. if I am not getting enough pings I will just go home. I have learned you cannot force it when it comes to rideshare.

I hardly get rides in my area even there's pink or busy area in map. Why's that?

I Door dash not so much Uber but i always ask myself if moving around is a good idea. Do you think the situation should be treated the same?

I am new to this Uber driving and there new app, could you send me a private video on accepting a ride and how to put in a code. when I accepted a ride. Uber did not show me I needed a code to put in from the rider and I couldn't get where he was going and couldn't close out the trip to be paid. He got a free ride. I watched a video on the old Uber app and seems very simple and I have watched very video from Uber site on how the new app works, but doesn't show you detail on any accepting and destination. I agree with not driving around wasting gas. thank you for all your time if you can help me understand this.

I drive in downtown Dallas. When I get a ride to the burbs I drive back towards downtown.

I got a request whenever i moved from my position , after a minute the request take me back to pick the passenger where i was ! Why in hell that request didn’t pop up one minute earlier 🤦🏻‍♂️

I used to try to drive away after dropping off a passenger but I can't tell you how many times after driving a mile or two, I get a ping and end up picking up a passenger only a couple blocks from where I last dropped off. I now do what Harry does.

I drive in a smaller Market, so after I brought my passenger off, I usually go a few blocks and wait like Harry recommends. if I drop my passenger off in the hood, however, I turn my app off until I get back to an area where I will want to pick up passengers. you also need to know your market area and demographics. I have mapped out a few places to go when I am waiting on a request, where I know people will likely want rides. customers are often impressed that I am right there when they call for a ride.

I put destination mode in and didn’t get any riders. I then reset my destination mode to go to a different area, when I did that I sat in a parking lot and sure enough within minutes my phone pinged and the rider was in the shopping center. It was a weeknight and it was late but I guess I was at the right place at the right time.

guess it depends on the market and area of that market. I don't ever chase surges but know when and where they typically are and loiter those areas.. if I don't get a ping I move to the next spot. know flight schedules and hotel check out times too it helps

How about in the middle of the country dropping off a rider, and the wait time for the next one is 2 or 3 hours longer?

I like to turn on just my XL setting in areas that are out of my zone .

with a hybrid, moving at low enough speeds to just use the battery negates using gas

every mile you drive is $$ out of your pocket. The less you drive the better. don't drive unless you have too

Harry... Great information. There is one thought that comes to mind when dropping off a passenger. Is the location known to have a lot of crime in area. In light of the

Ive only been doing Uber and Lyft for a little over a month, but ive noticed when i reposition myself it always seems like theres someone other driver that pops up in my vicinity and neaver leaves. lol Its like there on the road and you think there going to keep going and they just stay! That happened a few times yesterday.

in citys with a grid i wouldnt drive away but i drive in pittsburgh where the rivers converge. the closer to town you are the busier it is

It depends on the market and the day of the week it is. For example, here in the Cleveland, Ohio market, were I have driven for 2 years, early week is all about the airport, as early week finds street fares a very slow process, so I head to the airport, grab a fare, and after I drop off, I drive back toward the airport, picking up any fares I can get, while driving toward the cue lot. Friday thru Sunday, however, park and wait works well, as there is enough demand to keep you rolling without aiport fares. So there is no one right answer that fits every market, it really depends on where and when your driving.

I like the concept of staying put after dropping off a passenger, but in most cities you have to pay to park. This is a challenge in San Diego where I drive. I typically drive to the downtown area and usually get a pickup request pretty quickly. I would love to find good parking in downtown as I would park there and wait for the pings.

As far as keeping engine running while you are waiting ... is it more expensive to have it running or to keep shutting off/starting engine back up?

is there a question forum with uber and lyft? a forum where all drivers can see it?

If it's a busy area, I pull over and wait, if it's a neighborhood, depending on how big or small, I'll drive away or stay.

When i thought about it that way that im loosing money driving empty and i sat in one place i might wait over an hour for a ping, thats why i started driving around and i get pings that way

I do exactly what u do move and reposition to a spot to get a ride strip mall restaurant hotel hospital ect. Just makes sense

Your strategy is valid on a busy day. However, if its not the weekend or friday night, driving to a hotspot like a mall or bus terminal /airport/ train staion is not a bad idea.

I think, going to work on this, if I develop a "hot zone" map, places that get rides a lot and are positioned well towards a lot of the population and areas that surge frequently, I can always head towards one. I worry sitting there that there might be other drivers getting a ton of rides but I am missing out because I am too far away, at the same time I worry driving a ton and not getting a ride will be a super waste.

Lyft is notorious for sending me back to where i dropped off the last customer ...even in over saturated O.C in California.. stay local but in populated areas

makes so much sense..depending on where im dropping off, bad neighborhood, residential areas. i go to where i know my probability of getting rides is higher. i use to sit around my neighborhood and it would take 4 to 6 hours just to make $50 bucks, niw i just eat the gas and put my destination straight to center city philly amd most times i get a ride on route and then im in the city the rest of the time..for someone who only drive PT fri night sat day and night only till around 10:30, between both apps i can make between $200 - $250 that's fine for me..thks for sharing

I never wait more than 10 minutes in one place. It may be a dead zone. If no ride, then drive a half mile and re-park. Still no ride? Start driving toward the busiest street. In San Jose that would be El Camino or Stevens Creek.

In my city there are a lot of colleges...where I park & get rides quick. IF in a neighborhood I drive to major road & wait. I live by the airport where I often drive to center city because I don't care for the wait time. night life is also close by.

In a heavily populated area I'll sit and wait, but if I'm stuck in a little pocket of a suburb than I'll drive to a better location. If I'm taken to the airport I'll drive away from the airport. I won't wait in the queue unless it's less than 50 drivers.

Can you please do a video on doing Uber using an Ipad that is tethered from phone?

Miami is pretty simple: Coral Gables, Coconut Grove, Downtown /Brickell, Miami Beach and the traditional Mia Airport. Drive and you will get back to back. God Bless Big Brothers!

Do u do the bar scene?

Good advice, Rideshare Guy. I am an Uber Driver and after I drop off a rider/passenger at their house, isn't wrong to drive away and stop/park in front of someone else's house in the same neighborhood (4-5 blocks away)? The homeowner will be suspicious of my car parked in front of the their house. ❓❓❓

If I don't have another ride after drop off, both lyft and uber go online....

That isn't wise in the metro Detroit outskirts. We cover a 1,400 square mile area and if you drop a passenger off 15 miles north of the city it is very likely that you will get an immediate request that is 15 to 35 minutes away. You can go ahead and accept the request and there is a 10 to 20 percent chance you will get a passenger going into the city, but most suburbanites want to stay away from the city, so you could also bounce around the northern cities for hours. I once drove over 60 miles in rides that yielded $12 gross. The smart drivers drooping off in those areas shut off the app and drive 10 miles toward the city ASAP. If you don't shut off the app for at leadt 10 miles, it is likely that you will just get called back.

Hi, I'm currently insured with state farm but their getting too pricey for me but I like that state farm rideshare endorsement covers my car (full coverage) through every period with Uber and Lyft and this is important to me because Lyft has a high deductible rate. Is there any other insurance companies that have policies like state farm? Also how is Erie insurance? Do they have rideshare policies just like the state farm endorsement? Thanks

I don't tend to wait in residential areas, but this is mostly because I'm driving late into the night. If I don't already have something lined up by the time I get to my drop, I move closer to a downtown area nearby, and sometimes back to the place I came from if it is hitting good surge. Sometimes I will get a request along the way, which I may have received if I had just sat and waited, but I will have saved the rider time in my arrival, and that same time may have potentially increased my rides/hr. pitfall: I have received requests that backtrack me... at that point I evaluate whether to accept and turn around, or ignore and hope for something along my intended re-positioning route. I estimate fuel loss at about $.11/mi but time loss for not moving to a better location is higher

I think it depends on where you drop the rider off at. In my case in Washington dc alot of the places at downtown and that usually means most of your pickups will be short trips downtown. These have a high degree of difficulty and do not pay well. In the suburbs the trips are much longer with much less traffic to contend with. I drive a prius so my gas mileage is very high. Think about this.......4 and 5 dollar trips really are not worth any drivers time. I try to be in invoirments that produce the highest fares. That excludes accepting pool.....which increases mileage and decreases pay

Hi! I agree. And I also see when I move closer or on the interstate. As soon As im on the ramp ill get a hit.

In the summer time, I just go find a shady spot to park under. But I always keep my car on with the air conditioner. I cannot park and have the car off and the windows rolled down. Too many bugs fly into my car and I like to stay cool! If for some unlucky chance there is no shady spot. I just drive towards my home base and find one there!

I usually don't stop, i usually have a ride the second i pickup. Unless im in a bad area i turn off the app and drive to a safer area.

UnLuckily for us sf drivers, the city is so clogged with traffic its hard to just pull over in a safe spot to park (without paying for it!). You do see a lot of people who pull into lots like at safe way and hang out but I feel like that puts you at a disadvantage because other deivers are surrounding you. If I pull over and stop I'll give it 5-10 minutes. If nothing move on. I find most pings come when you're stopped at a light. Best to stay in middle lane in that case so you can more easily negotiate a good direction to move in once the light i's green!

I drive in OC, and will usually pull down the block or around the corner after a drop off and wait for a bit. I'll wait about 5 minutes for a ping before relocating, but I'll usually move to a shopping center before long because I've had the police called on me before for looking suspicious (in a Prius?) in an upscale neighborhood, lol. The exceptions are if I've dropped someone off up in the hills I'll drive back to civilization before chilling, or if my drop was in LA...I HATE getting pool pings so I'll set destination and head home to avoid my acceptance rating getting too low (I've contacted Uber and because I'm not registered in the LA market where the pool is I can't have pool pings deactivated). Other than that if it starts getting too slow...like 20 minutes of silence...I head to the airport and polish the car or watch youtube while I wait in the queue :-)