7 years ago Uber was at the beginning of its operation in Brazil. It doesn't seem like it's been that long. Throughout this period, several innovations were brought, as well as new companies arrived to operate in the field. During this period, some complaints led to the offer of transport by application.
In recent months, complaints from service users have been common. Reviews talk about the difficulty in getting rides through the Uber and 99 apps. The companies are the most traditional in the field in the country.
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Some users report hours of waiting for a driver to accept the called ride. “It's easier to find money on the street than a driver who accepts the race”, says a post on Twitter.
In a quick search for the topic, it is possible to find dozens of recent complaints. However, the explanation for the problem ends up being a little vague and divergent in some points.
The driver is not obliged to accept a ride, although excessive refusal will lead to penalties. If a driver refuses many races, his score within the app can drop significantly. This makes it take him longer to “level up” and profit more from the work.
In the city of São Paulo, for example, at peak times it is increasingly difficult to get rides. Even though the fee is more expensive at these times, it seems that the drivers have disappeared. This is what the reviews of users of the Uber and 99 platforms show.
Which is strange, if we think that the number of informal workers registered in the apps has increased. In this way, the offer for drivers should grow.
Users are forced to cancel rides
Some of the users accuse drivers of deliberately taking their time. The reason would be to force the customer to cancel the ride and thus avoid penalties. This would be because some routes do not offer attractive prices to compensate for the driver's journey.
If, on the one hand, passengers complain about the delay, on the other hand, workers complain about the fares. The cost of living has increased, but transfers to drivers seem not to have accompanied the increase in taxes. Therefore, it became more expensive to work that way.
According to some drivers, the increase in fuel prices discourages accepting some rides. This occurs because the gain for the ticket does not exceed the amount spent on fueling.
Other than that, with the increase in the dollar, car parts tend to become more expensive as well. Maintenance in general has increased and maintaining a job that depends on the vehicle itself has become more difficult.
Dangerous areas generate more refusals
There are also races that are canceled for fear of the driver. This occurs when the passenger is in a suspicious area or that arouses insecurity in the driver.
“Users are having to wait longer for a trip because, especially at peak times, there are more calls than partners willing to make trips. High demand means Uber's app is playing non-stop for partners, a situation they report feeling more comfortable in. to refuse trips, as they know that other calls will come in the sequence, possibly with greater earnings”, says the Uber note sent to the portal canaltech.
99's answer follows the same one given by the competitor. “It is important to note that, since the end of 2020, 99 has resumed the volume of races by 100%, when compared to the period before the pandemic”, he justified to the Canaltech report.
Despite some drivers complaining about the value transferred by the rides, the companies deny the problem. For them, the reasons for canceling, as well as the gains, are individual. Each driver manages to earn their own income through the platform and this varies according to the work offered.
The way is to wait, or look for other transport solutions. It is worth reinforcing contact through Uber and 99 support channels. Both companies are attentive to user criticism.
