The Uber app says I completed 3 trips today. I made a little over $110.00.
The reason(s) I do not drive for Uber on New Year’s Eve/New Year’s Day anymore.
My first New Year’s Eve/New Year’s Day 2018 – 2019 driving for Uber was awesome! I always drove at night at that time anyway. I was waiting all night to see the difference and there were definitely more “Geronimo” rides (long trip +45 minutes) but other than that, I didn’t notice much of a difference. At like 12:05 AM ET on 01/01/2019 I was at Isla Del Sol by St. Pete Beach and it was undeniable/it popped off! I couldn’t believe my eyes, surges were everywhere, and they were crazy high too, like 20-40 bux! (That is what the rider pays before the ride even starts) In those days there was no upfront pricing or trip radar, you didn’t find out where the rider was going until the Uber driver started the trip. So I went and picked up a rider and they were going like 30 minutes North to Clearwater. I drove them and dropped them off and the surges were now 30-60 so I drove and drove until about 4 AM ET. I did pretty well that night (for an Uber driver anyway) So the next year (2019 – 2020)
I was salivating over New Year’s Eve/New Year’s Day. I drove again and the surges were way less like $15.00 was the highest surge. So I drove and drove until like 4 AM ET. I did okay but not at all like the previous New Year’s Eve/New Year’s Day that I remembered so well. Then I drove again the next year 2020-2021 and the highest surge was like $5.00 and the riders were saying when they tried to request a ride using the Uber rider app, they and everyone wherever they were were all getting the same message “there are no drivers available” (This was in Downtown St. Petersburg, Florida, which is very busy 24/7 and I also checked St. Pete beach and the surges were even less there.)
I picked up several riders that night and they were all saying the same thing to me. They were thinking that it was somehow my fault. So I got back to Manatee County that night at like 4 AM ET. I cut driving short that night and will never drive another New Year’s Eve/New Year’s Day for Uber. Spring Break is way better and it is a week long. Remember this: Everything you see in the Uber driver app or the Uber rider app is controlled by Uber. What they pay out to the drivers is an expense, their profit (Uber is out to make a profit) is basically everything after they pay their drivers and employees and expenses. So if they have to pay out less to their drivers, that increases their profits. Uber is out to make more money for their shareholders, not their drivers!