“What happened to it being so fast and cheap?”
A woman was recently upset after she ordered an Uber at 4:30 am to get to her 5:00 am work shift. She says it took about 15 minutes to connect her to a driver, which made her late.
TikTok creator Jaycee (@jaycee.greennn) posted a video about her experience on Dec. 15. The video shows Jaycee clearly ready for work, but she’s still at home.
“I hate Uber now, because what do you mean I ordered my Uber at 4:30 and I have a trial shift for a job at 5am and it took 15 minutes to connect me to a driver and how I’m gonna be late,” she says.
The video has more than two million views as of this writing. In the caption, she writes, “That’s my chance blew. Uber, get it sorted.”
In the comments section, viewers weighed in on the situation. Some agreed that Uber’s connection and driver arrival times appear arbitrary. Others said the fault clearly resides with Jaycee.
“But when I need a few minutes to put my shoes on, he’s actually already outside my house waiting?” said one viewer.
“Poor planning,” argued a second person. Jaycee insisted, “IT’S UBER’S FAULT.”
A third person said, “I was waiting on an Uber in the freezing cold and it took 20 minutes to connect me to a driver and 20 minutes for him to get there. I canceled and got the bus home.”
Another person said, “You guys are missing the point. It shouldn’t take 20 minutes to even connect to a driver on an app that’s all about quick services.”
You can schedule an Uber in advance if you need to be picked up at a specific time. You can do this as early as 30 days before the ride or just 30 minutes before. All you have to do is enter your destination, select a vehicle option and a date and time, tap Select Pickup Time, update the pickup location, and confirm.
A Reddit user brought a similar problem to r/uber three years ago. “Is it just me or does it take a little over 15 minutes to get connected to a driver?” the redditor asked. “Sometimes I won’t get connected to anyone and it’ll tell me to wait or pick a different ride. What’s going on?”
Several respondents suggested it could be due to driver selectivity. “The app isn’t acting up; your ride just isn’t profitable,” wrote one person. A second person agreed, “In your market area, Uber may be providing drivers with more upfront information regarding your ride than in the past. Drivers are increasingly selective.”
In 2023, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi told CBS Mornings that drivers do frequently cancel rides with inconvenient destinations. Drivers might also cancel because of a passenger’s rating, a prior negative experience, traffic surges, or the customer taking too long to arrive.
In short, it’s probably a good idea for someone in Jaycee’s position to either schedule a rideshare in advance or request the ride with enough time to account for delays.
Motor1 contacted Jaycee via TikTok comment and direct message for comment. We also contacted Uber via press email for comment. We’ll be sure to update this article if either responds.
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