New app hurts both drivers and passengers

I drive for Uber, from San Francisco to the Central Valley of California and everywhere in between. One problem drivers encounter a lot is the app placing the pickup pin differently from where the passenger actually is. Savy passengers know, (knew) this and moved the pin directly to where they knew the driver could get to them. In a city like San Francisco this can be a huge safety factor as well as a major issue for the quality of the experience for the passenger.

This app takes that option away. Perfect example...a passenger at a grocery store requested a ride from me yesterday. Map software looks at the pin and gets you as close a it can. In this case, I was directed to the loading dock behind the store. The passenger said he was already standing in the front of the store when he set up and requested the ride. He was a very experienced uber customer and knew the nuances of how to use the app well.

How can this be a good thing?

This alone wastes time for both the driver and passenger. It reduces the quality of the ride experience for both the driver and passenger. It creates safety issues in areas of cities where the back alleys may be a lot more dangerous than the main streets.

The app does more to make the driving experience more difficult, but these are the issues I see affecting riders, from the perspective of a driver who actually cares what the ride experience is like for passengers.

Papa Chanoli about Uber, v3.242.4