Navigating Through Uber's Policies
Introduction
There are times you wish you could cancel a ride request, like when:
You get a request from a 4.2 star passenger at 1AM near a bar, and you already know it’s going to be trouble...
Or when your ride request says it will take more than 15 minutes to pick up a passenger...
Or when you want to end the UberPOOL you're on but keep getting another request!
What stops a lot of drivers is the fear of being deactivated from Uber’s platform for not accepting all the rides. Uber emails in the past have typically warned drivers they have to maintain high standards or risk suspension from the Uber Partner App.
But thanks to the settlement between Uber and drivers in California, you can now cancel ride requests from Uber with (almost) no penalty!
When Not to Turn Down Rides
There are times when it does NOT make sense to cancel a ride. Examples of this include:
When you are driving during a period with "Average Hourly Guarantees".
When you are going after promotions that promise large bonus payouts for doing X number of rides in Y days.
Uber promotions often come with specific eligibility requirements, including a minimum acceptance rate that is usually 80% or higher.
So really, this advice is best used when you are not on a promotion, or if you check your promotion's fine print and see that there is no minimum acceptance rate.
Otherwise, you risk losing out on the bonuses or incentives. Uber's policies does change from time to time so be sure to reach out to them or check out their policies on their website to keep up to date on the latest changes!