Uber is trying to lure drivers back to the platform after a pandemic dip by changing its algorithm.
Angela Lang/CNETRide-hailing services like to market themselves to drivers as a way to work their own hours and make money on the side of other jobs. The reality of that situation hasn’t always lived up to the promises made by those companies. Now, Uber is adjusting the driver pay algorithm in 24 cities to let drivers see a potential ride’s destination and how much that trip will pay before accepting it, Automotive News reported Saturday.
Uber is also changing the way it pays for short trips to give drivers more incentive to accept them, which should make riders’ experience better too.
Uber drivers in California have been able to see rider destinations since 2020, but the company resisted doing it on a broader scale over concerns that it could lead to discrimination against riders going to low-income areas. In the time since that policy was enacted in California, Uber says it hasn’t seen ride discrimination, hence the wider rollout.
All of these changes are meant to attract new drivers and bring back drivers who may have stopped during the pandemic, Uber said. If it works, the company will likely expand the changes to more cities, and if not, the changes will probably be discontinued.
Do you drive for Uber in one of the cities where the changes are being tested? If so, let us know what you think of them in the comments. Are they increasing the amount of money you make for a given shift, or are you making less?
We asked Uber for comment but didn’t hear back in time for publication.
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