For many, time is of the essence, and with time comes the need for convenience. Getting from point A to point B in the past for some used to be a task in its own, but thanks to new car services like Uber these problems are in the past. Uber allows you to jump on your smartphone and request a ride and a driver will pick you up shortly and take you to your destination, seems simple enough, until now.
In the recent months, companies such as Uber and their competition Lyft have been questioning on how far is too far from point A to point B. From the get go Lyft implemented a 100 mile limit to how far their drivers are able to drive, but Uber has yet to put their foot down leaving it up to their drivers discretion to chose how far they are willing to drive. After an interview with Forbes, many Uber drivers claimed they actually do prefer longer trips, rather than shorter ones. One driver out of Park City, Utah explained, “Since most of my rides are 35 miles+ to the airport, I have close to 45 minutes to chat with my passengers. I greatly enjoy the time to learn about their career, family, visit, which restaurants they dined at, etc. And as someone that also owns a sales focused business, I feel this is great time to further practice the art of selling.” Many Uber drivers drive on their spare time to earn some extra cash or to kill some time. Like this driver mentioned, it is a great way to keep up with social skills and hear a different story.
Also, according to drivers Uber tends to take more of a percentage on shorter drives. Instead of the usual 20% they have been known to take 40% which Uber drivers do not prefer. Over time Uber is expected to release more specific guidelines on the limits to a drivers distance, but until then a driver can and will take any trip they deem fit.