Chasing The Surge

This guy!

When the #AuxCord goes in, the lights come on, and the party starts!

Dear "Tom," thank you for leaving your Grilled T when you stumbled out of my car. It was delicious. @fivepointssc #StuffLeftInMyUber

Phones. I've had at least 7 left behind. You can't call an Uber if you don't have your phone.

A Tuesday. A rather heavy spoon. Go figure.

If a rider rates a driver 5 Stars, the rider can also leave a comment. I love rider comments! Thank you.

Pavlovs on a Thursday. By far the single most discussed and commented on item ever left in my Uber. I'm not sure she was actually wearing them when she got in, and I'm not sure if that makes the story better or worse.

I don’t want your stuff, and I know you want it back if it means something. So does Uber. If an item gets left, both the rider and the driver can contact Uber to arrange for its return. But in the mean time, it’s going on my slideshow.

A typical surge map in Columbia on a weekend night -- highest surge pricing around Five Points and USC.

Uber operates via two apps: one for drivers, and one for riders. A rider downloads the app and sets up an account that includes his credit card. When he is ready to take a trip, he inputs a pickup address and sends a request which is routed to the nearest driver who is directed to the address via GPS. The rider also includes his desired destination, and the drivers GPS will direct him there as well. Once the rider is dropped off and the trip is completed, both parties rate the other on a five star scale, and payment is made automatically through the app. Uber establishes the base fare for each city, does all the accounting, and keeps up to 25% of each trip total. It really is that simple. Occasionally, rider demand will exceed driver availability. In that situation, the base fare is increased by a multiplier. this is called surge pricing or simply "the surge." Personally, in Columbia, I have never seen the surge go higher than 4.9x. In that instance, a ride that would normally cost $3.00 would cost instead closer to $15.00. Surge pricing is intended to attract other drivers into an area to better satisfy demand. Riders have the opportunity to wait until the surge subsides before deciding whether or not to make the trip. As a driver, the surge is what we wait for. We chase it. We go to areas where we can make two and three and four times the amount of money for the exact same trip. #DontHate Surging areas show up in gradient reds on the driver screen -- the darker the red, the higher the surge. As demand changes, so do the surge prices. It's a dynamic system that's fair to all. It's basic economics.

I’d never heard much about Uber until about a year ago when some friends suggested we could “take an Uber” to a ballgame to avoid having to park. After asking some questions, I was intrigued and wanted to learn more, and from the Uber website one morning, I clicked to sign up as a driver. “What the heck,” I thought, “it might be fun.” I had no idea. After uploading my personal and vehicle information, Uber did the necessary background checks and inspections, and one afternoon I got an email saying congratulations, download the driver app. 10 minutes later, I got my first ping, and I was off to pick up four ladies going to dinner. (Ironically, one of them left an umbrella in my car – on my very first ride – but more on that later.) I loved it, and I was hooked. Seriously, from that very first ride. In the time since then, I’ve learned a whole lot about stuff about my city, about people, and about myself. In this space, I intend to share some stories and have some fun. Come along for the ride, won’t you?