Uber has reached out to their Driver Partners to inform them of 4 Changes that have been implemented to help make driving for Uber a better experience.
So Uber do care about their driver welfare and want them to successful.
Cleaning Fee X 1.5 Boost
An Uber Rider merlion-ed in your car and left your car in a mess. No worries, Uber has decided to increase the cleaning fee cap by 1.5 times. UberX drivers can now claim up to $75, up from $50. UberExec Drivers can claim up to $150, up from $100. Uber Drivers just need to submit a photo of the mess and a screenshot of the cleaning receipt within 3 days of the incident and wait for reimbursement.
Verdict – It is always good to have higher compensation level but the amount is still insufficient to cover the losses. Anyone who had a merlion in the car before knows it would take days for the odour to be removed even if you Dettol wash it.
Ratings – * * * 3-Star
Appreciate Fee for Lost & Found
In the unfortunate incident that your Uber Rider left something behind, you are required to return it. Uber has decided to compensate Drivers with a $5 token of appreciation for the effort.
Verdict – In many cases of lost-and-found, good Riders do leave a tip when Driver travel all the way back to deliver their items. Good riders are hard to come by these days though.
$5 is a measly sum that barely compensates for the time, petrol and parking wasted to return the goods. Most drivers would rather Riders come to them instead and collect whether or not a reward is offered upfront.
Ratings – ** 2-Star (The only reason it is a 2-Star because Grab does not even have a policy for this)
Trip Fare Adjustment
Trip fare adjustment is a big problem that all Uber Driver faced. Over the past year, many unscrupulous Uber Riders would shamelessly do a fare review after every single trip and indicate reasons such as inefficient route or they did not take the trip to get Uber to penalize the driver and get their money refunded. What annoyed Driver even further was how Uber easily acceded to rider’s request and took a chunk of driver’s trip earnings away even though there was nothing wrong that the Driver did. Drivers were not made aware of the fare review until they go through their payment statement in detail.
In this round of change, Uber will make sure that Driver is notified for every single trip review request received and Drivers receives a ticket to dispute the claims with Uber support.
Verdict – This change should be about removing trip fare adjustment instead of merely notifying Drivers. Uber should focus on making changes to their fare-review process by training their staff to assess whether the claims made by the riders are valid carefully before doing a refund so easily. All trips are tracked and it is not too tough to assess over the computer if an inefficient route was taken or whether the rider had actually taken the trip.
Ratings – * 1-Star (Grab does not have this issue at all)
Updated Cancellation Policy
Uber cancellation policy just got better for Drivers. Uber Drivers will be compensated for the cancelled trip in circumstances such as having too many passengers for the vehicle and not having a child seat available for children.
Children under the age of 1.35M are required to be secured in a booster seat while travelling in a private-hire vehicle under the Road Traffic Act. Riders who are travelling with a child under the age of 1.35M should book family-friendly ride-service such as Uber Car Seat or GrabFamily, where vehicles are equipped with a child seat.
Verdict – Excellent initiative for Drivers. It has many positive implications. Firstly, drivers are compensated for the time and effort to get to the pick-up point. Secondly, drivers are encouraged to cancel the trip than risk breaking the law to pick up a child without child seat. Thirdly, the cancellation charges incurred by the rider will act as a deterrent for them to book the usual UberX or UberPool service when they are travelling with a child.
Ratings – ***** 5-Stars (Uber cancellation policy beats Grab cancellation policy by a mile)
Shout-out to Grab! Hello, can you wake up your idea and learn a thing or two from Uber!
