Snow, Snow, Go Away

A moment inside the hustle. Rideshare drivers are mostly paid in three ways.

1) Time spent driving the passenger. Simple, not all that high. Why we want rides to end where the next ride would begin.

2) Distance traveled during that time. Faster is better. Why your driver is not a big fan of you making them wait, and why your driver is usually a little more aggressive than the average driver. (Not me, particularly. I'm older and more risk-adverse, and a traffic ticket would ruin the hustle for a long time.)

3) Promotions. Most often, for completed rides during a short frame of time, but sometimes also for "streaks" of accepted rides, or rides during a time or place of high demand. 

We are also paid in some cases when a passenger cancels, reimbursed for damages incurred, and tipping. But that's not what I want to cover here. Promotions are the biggest swing moment in any rideshare driver's week, and what we're all hoping to match.

The number of rides completed is where an unexpected amount of Drama comes in, because the driver has no real control over how many ride requests they get, or how long those ride rides will take. We can influence these by the rides we accept, where and when we drive and activate the app, and so on -- but that control is tenuous at best. We also only can drive so many hours in the day, either from the app or reality restricting us.

We also, of course, have no control over the weather. Or when a massive snowstorm will make travel unsafe and uncommon. Which leads me to discuss my weekend, and why I'm writing this on a Sunday afternoon, rather than engaging in the hustle.

Currently for me and in my area, Uber lets drivers set a target for the number of rides they expect to complete over a time period. These periods are for weekdays and weekends, and have a direct relation to similar programs for Lyft. The majority of rideshare drivers work for both platforms, because it's not like these companies are paying us for exclusivity, health care benefits, or a dime more than what will get us in the car to provide service. It's a remarkably efficient / cutthroat operation, and tends to inspire similar behavior from drivers.

Knowing that my marketing clients were quiet at the moment, I committed to a *high* amount of work this weekend. At the 70 ride count, this would translate to one bonus rate. If I got to 90, it would be 15% more. 

I completed the 70 ride requirement this morning, just before the snow started. Had the snow not arrived for, say, another 8-10 hours, the 90 mark would have likely fell as well. So the timing of the snow has cost me hundreds of dollars. (Not going to disclose the exact amount, because it's an estimate and there's no guarantee I'd have gotten all the rides before the clock ran out, but, still -- hundreds of dollars.)

Not to mention the enforced 2-3 days off that's going to occur until the storm passes and the roads clear. Which, hopefully, will also coincide with work from the consulting clients filling my days. Or an unlikely weakening of the storm.

And as for the corollary of why not just drive in the snow, especially when the surge prices for such activity might spike and desperate passengers will pay...

Tempting, but no. I'm here to grind, not gamble.

And grind my teeth at weather forecasts.