What is a cherry for Uber and Lyft Rideshare drivers? - Daily Drive 34
I plead ignorance. I sincerely don’t know what drivers mean when they say they cherry-pick. I don’t know what a cherry is.
First, let me start this whole blog by saying that I 100% agree with the idea of taking profitable trips and rejecting unprofitable trips. I agree with the principle what I think drivers mean when they say cherry-picking. Fair?
What is cherry-picking anyway?
So, what exactly does cherry-picking mean in our world? It's a term we toss around, assuming everyone's on the same page. Uber drivers often use it to brag about their 'strategic' choices, focusing only on the most profitable trips.
But let's be honest; it's not just about picking the best trips—it's about how much we make in a given period. Hypothetically, if there are no "cherries" the true-to-his-word cherry-picker makes $0 on a night, just sitting there parked in their car doing whatever. So, does the standard of a cherry change over time?
“Cherry-picking is an ambiguous phrase with no clarity. It comes across like I’m right; I know more, but I’m not really going to explain it.”
Take Bob, a driver from Texas, for example. He recently tweeted that he's done chasing Uber quests and bonuses because "the extra miles and danger are not worth it." Instead of Bragging, he chooses to be selective, accepting only 25% of the rides that come his way. He's looking for trips that make sense for him and only involve a little driving or too many different passengers, which he views as an added risk.
I understand. So, ask for more information, "What is a cherry?"
Here's where it gets tricky. Bob says cherry-picking is all about "location, location, location." I literally have no idea what that means. So it made me wonder: What does cherry-picking look like for each of us? Is it about the distance, the fare, the destination? Or is it about avoiding that five-dollar trip that seems more trouble than it's worth?
Nothing against Bob’s cherry-picking driving strategy. I’m sure he makes great money as a driver. But I literally have no idea what a cherry means to him.
The real kicker about cherry-picking is how it's showcased as proof of success. Drivers will post a picture of sweet cherry trip. Some drivers like to highlight lucrative trips as evidence that their strategy works. I agree too, those lucrative payout trips look nice, but again, did they have to sit parked waiting for 10 minutes or 10 hours to get that trip?
One time, I explained to a friend that I take $5 trips and earn $40 an hour. He replied saying those are your cherries. So I guess every driver cherry-picks?
Time Matters
Real success is about consistent earnings over time, not just a few good trips.
We have 50 years, give or take, to make money in our lives. Time is our most valuable metric, not the individual trips or how much we make per mile. How much are we making per hour, per day, per week? Time is the only way we can compare and analyze what works and what doesn't; an hour is the most common unit of time for wages.
I guess what I'd really like to hear from a cherry-picking driver is that cherry-picking netted $XXX an hour last year or something like that.
Okay, I like that. That's something I can understand. Then, we can get into how he or she cherry-picks. What car do they drive, what city do they live in, what times are they online, and most importantly, what trips do they accept or reject. That helps!
That's the question. If Sean waits four hours to net $100 on a trip, but I net the same amount in four hours doing multiple shorter trips, who's coming out ahead?
So here's my take:
Cherry-picking might sound sweet, but it's a strategy that needs a solid explanation in relation to what counts—how much we can earn in a unit of time. Obviously, let's not get dazzled by the occasional big win. Instead, let's aim for steady, reliable gains that keep our wheels turning and our wallets full for a day, week, month, year, and lifetime.
Let's keep this conversation going. What's your cherry-picking strategy? How do you decide which rides to accept to maximize your earnings while keeping sane on the road?
Drive safe, and remember, it's not just about the cherries; it's about making the most of the harvest!
