Here is the smartest way and it’ll take trial and error so the sad news is you’re going to have to keep draining your bank account but form really good relationships with your drivers.

Talk to them about their schedule and do they do this often and judging by your miles you can ask if they live in the perspective area or not then you boom ask them to give you a ride everyday plan out a to and from this will be tricky but it’s a win win for both you and Uber driver you said 23 miles or 30 minutes give or take you’re dropping $40-$70 depending on rush hour

Drivers only getting paid what $20 maybe $30

Ask the driver and propose to them this if they can take you you’ll pay them $30 to take you and find a driver that can take you back

So in total you end up spending ehhh $60-70 a day compared to the $80-$140 you’re spending

The numbers are rough estimates but you get the big picture idea of it all

Talk to an uber driver that you feel safe with and see if you can make a deal to do a deal outside of Uber. Also see if they can match your schedule. See if you both can be on the same page.

Also keep in mind that a lot of drivers do it for flexibility of schedule so I would suggest having a backup. Maybe have one of the terms that you set with the driver being able to text 30 minutes prior to pickup time, that way if he doesn’t, it should give you plenty of time to get an Uber.

You can also try looking at prices of both Uber and Lyft before ordering one. Also, both platforms have dynamic pricing so if you have flexibility with time before and after work schedule, try and experiment with different time when ordering a ride. Basically times with less demands for rides in your locations, the cheaper the rides would be. In general, less demands for rides usually are when most people are at work or after they get home from work. From my experiences driving (haven’t driven in a while), 4-8:30am (airport & work goers), lunch times, and around 4-7pm have the most demands during weekdays. Weekends for me are always a wildcard, could be busy or could be slow.

how far can public transport get you? what i’ve been doing for ubers is taking the bus as close as possible to my destination and then ubering the rest of the way there, usually saves me about 5-7$ on a 12-14$ ride and the bus pass for the one way is only 1.75 so for both ways im saving 10-14$ on uber and only paying 3.50$ in bus fare

Ask the drivers what they are getting paid, and then just pay them more in cash.

In my area, the driver pay is about half what the customers pays.

Become an Uber driver.

Rent from Uber and drive for 20 hours to pay for rental.

The car is yours for your work all other time.

Take lyft , competition is better for consumers that’s what I was told . Loyalty don’t get you anywhere except a $5 credit for $500 spend.

Catch public transportation if you cant afford rideshare

Walk

Take pool, walk.

You can get .50/ride off if you use Acorns affiliate portal before you book. Acorns costs $1/month in fees so you need to take at least 3 rides before there’s any profit potential there.

If your employer offers commuter benefits, Uber pool supports charging the debit card as a pre-tax payment option. The IRS limits you to $265/month in pretax commute diversions.

You can purchase Uber gift cards at a discount. 10-15% is possible. Otherwise, use a credit card with high earn rate like Altitude Reserve to buy Uber cash. $100 = 95 charge * 3points = 385 points, which can be redeemed for Uber charges at 1.5 cents each, so effective discount offered of 4.28 per $95 Uber cash in app purchase. So yeah. Always possible to get 10-15% off Uber gift cards.

Ridiculous

Half off and no promise of a returned ride. Hell no.

If you refund the rider by canceling or manually refunding, no. Theres also been a time or two where I either forgot to do so or Uber’s system wouldn’t let me - also at least once where I just didn’t want to (asshole pax that tried to pay me much less than the fare did)

Here’s a trick… start the trip after agreeing with the rider. Then once you get to the destination then you cancel the ride on your end (so there will be no charge to the rider).

This protects you in case of accident (you were doing the ride still on the platform so covered by Uber’s insurance) and then you get the pay from the rider afterwards when you cancel (assuming no issues).

I had a woman in car and the Waybill showed $36. She said she needed to add a final destination. I got her to add it in the app. Her new fare became $54. My Waybill changed to $42.

Why? Does the drivers insurance not cover the ride? I thought when you sign up to be a driver you had to inform your insurance you will be driving for uber

Yeah. I’m sure I’ll get the downvotes, but I report the drivers who ask me to do this. It makes me extremely uncomfortable to know the ride won’t be tracked nor insured.

No matter what , at the end of the day , after all expenses especially their vehicle rapid depreciation, Uber drivers make $7 an hour . If you think you make more than $7 an hour , then you need to take a 5th grade math.

I always wondered if Uber insurance does anything.

In uber the price is calculated by the app when you order a car and is already calculated by shortest distance but this is a good tip for taxis because that charges by distance

I've never used Uber, but don't they tell you about how much it's going to be beforehand?

I've never paid more or less for going out of route. The price is the price as stated when I order a pickup

Imagine thinking Uber worked like a taxi.

I once got an $85 dollar ride from the airport, asked the driver how much he’s getting, and he said $30. :)

I do airports. You gotta know the prices from where you stay to the airport and now accept bullshit offers. From here it’s usually 15-25 and of course I don’t accept anything under $20. Even if it’s slow … don’t train the algorithm that you’re desperate.

I was near the Morgan wallen concert last night and it was surging. I was getting offers for $20 rides to somewhere 23 miles away then I looked at what it’d cost the rider and uber was charging them $103. Fucking bs

the newest Uber scam if a UE has been sitting is bump the base to like 40$ for 4 miles then cancel as the driver gets in the parking lot and stack it as a 2$ order for some other driver. had that happen yesterday uber said "customer cancelled you get no pay" which is bull shit I saw the other on the counter walk off with another driver. Customer waiting 1 hour isn't going to cancel once the driver gets the order.

Then when you get to your destination, hop out without paying. Even more unethical

I’ve done something similar, but different circumstances.

When partying late night on the outskirts of certain cities, it can difficult to get an Uber/Lyft to pick you up to go home. (Drivers cant be found etc)

So me and my friends have gotten the personal number for the driver who dropped is off and paid extra for them to pick us up later… hasn’t failed once, but as OP noted, huge liabilities involved.

I think Uber caught on. The cancellation fee last time was the whole ass trip fare

I do this all the time when I get out if a venue super late at night with like 100+ people also looking for ubers.

I go up to ever Uber Lyft driver and offer cash to cancel what ever the current person is and take us instead.

Good luck robbing me, I have a CCW. Yea, I uber packing a 9mm, so what. It's against their terms of service, but it's my car and life.

Like you said, requesting outside of the general commute times (4am-9am & 2pm-6pm) is definitely cheaper. Also, not being in a hurry for a ride helps a lot. For example, do a price check about a half hour to an hour before you need to go and I guarantee, if you don’t book right away, they will send you a notification within a few minutes that says the ride has dropped in price. The longer you can wait, the better. Good luck!

Usually right after the hour is cheaper than right before... for example : 8:02AM is generally cheaper than 7:45. I am a driver in a big city. Standing on the side of the street in the direction of your destination and avoiding busy intersections.

Depends on your market. By walking, you may be walking into a surged area or walking out of a surged area. It’s all about supply and demand. If you’re in a heavily populated and bustling area, it’s just a crap shoot. If you’re patient and have some extra time to waste, just keep refreshing your app until the price comes down.

yup!

When I do enable it, I keep paper towels, cleaning cloths, sanitizing wipes, and a small bag. Portable vacuum if it’s charged, otherwise, I’m typically not far from home base as most uberpets have been my general neighborhoods. There’s a ton do with dogs and eating out. And entire events around pets and the outdoors

I grew up with a variety of dogs being transported in cars. For me, it’s no big deal

I don't take most rides with dogs. Too many bad experiences.

If you are that cheap, please take the bus.

Man, this is just what every Uber driver wants. A dog, obviously on a leash and not in a carrier, that's been walked 3 miles already, plus the sweaty human that's been walking him. Yep, my idea of paradise...

NYC is NEVER worth it

They’ll be waiting and saving alright when no one picks them up!

If was heading into the city sure but any other scenario. Laughable

Even if you drive back home, thats $40 an hour

They still waiting