Why I Turned Down a $206 Uber Ride to New York City

Which trips should Uber drivers take, and which ones should we decline? These decisions could make or break my day. Recently, I was offered a $206 ride to New York City—200 miles away. It sounded tempting initially, but I decided to turn it down after doing the math and thinking it over. Here's why.

The Temptation of a $200 Fare

When the offer came in, I had just finished charging my Tesla and saw the notification pop up: a $206 trip to New York City. I'll admit, I was tempted. My daily goal is around $200, so this trip would have hit my target in one shot. But I paused and did the math: 200 miles there and another 200 miles back to Cazenovia. That's around nine hours on the road for just one trip, and when you factor in gas, wear and tear, and the time spent driving, it just wasn't worth it.

Why the Math Didn't Add Up

Let's break it down. Sure, $206 seems like a nice change, but we must remember the return trip. That's 400 miles total and nine hours of driving. My cost per mile is about $0.31, so in expenses, I'd be eating into that fare heavily. Not to mention, New York City traffic is always unpredictable, which could easily add to the travel time.

So, while I could have banked on getting a decent tip, another factor sealed the deal: the passenger's rating.

The Tipping Gamble

As a driver, tips are a huge part of my income, and I look at passenger ratings to gauge how likely I am to get one. The passenger for this ride had a rating in the 4.8 range, which raised a red flag for me. In my experience, once passengers dip below 4.9, the chances of getting a tip significantly drop.

In April, I ran my experiment tracking who tips and who doesn't based on ratings, locations, and other factors. The results? Around 50% of my 5-star passengers tipped, but only 25% of passengers with ratings below 4.9 did. I'll share more details in an upcoming post, but it was clear that taking this 200-mile ride likely wouldn't come with a big tip. With that tip, the trip made sense.

The Rides I Took Instead

So, what did I do instead? I stuck to my local area and worked around Ithaca, which was a great decision. It was homecoming weekend, and I took 23 trips instead of just one long ride. My trip fare was $217—already better than the NYC trip offer! On top of that, I earned an additional $24 in surge pricing and got tipped on 11 of those trips, which added up to $51.

I made $293, and here's the kicker: I only drove 177 miles. My margin—what I actually pocketed after expenses—was $187, compared to the $61 I would have made if I had taken the NYC trip.

The Wisdom of Declining Trips

My friend Matt, a fellow Uber driver and co-host of Drivers Coast to Coast, once told me, "It's not the trips you take where you make your money, it's the trips you don't take." There's a lot of wisdom in that statement. By declining that long NYC trip, I stayed local, took more trips, and ultimately made more money for fewer miles.

That's the lesson I want to share with you today. As drivers, it's easy to get seduced by the big numbers on long trips, but the key is to look at the whole picture. Your expenses, time on the road, and chances of earning tips all factor into how profitable a ride is.

Conclusion: More Trips, More Tips

At the end of the day, the more trips you take, the more opportunities you have to earn tips. Taking one big ride with no tip can be like putting all your eggs in one basket. I prefer to spread out my risk with more rides, giving myself more chances to earn tips and make each mile count.

Would you have taken that long NYC trip? You may be in an area where long trips pay off better, or you would have taken the gamble. Let me know what you think in the comments. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Stay safe, happy driving, and I'll see you on the road!