to ask how apps like Uber and Deliveroo work?

[CautionaryTail]

I'm writing a piece on "gig work". I'm trying to explain, in one sentence, how these apps work but I don't have a fucking clue. I don't use them and I don't know anyone who uses them to pick up work.

So, say with Uber.. if I want to go from my house to Tesco. I submit (is that the right term?) the place I want to go to/from, I get an estimate of the fee, then.... what?

Does that request go onto Uber and a driver can "take it"? Or is it allocated to a particular driver?

Then when they pick me up, do I pay through the app?

Sorry for being dense- I really appreciate help with this. I've looked online but I want to speak to a real person!

I really think you should actually use them.

Just go I. Deliveroo now a D order something and talk to your bicycle kangaroo when he arrives.

So uber, it detects my location and I put in where I want to go. Yes to estimate I then get a receipt when journey is done and it comes out of my account which is linked. It's handy because you don't need any cash on you.
Deliveroo is basically a delivery for lots of restaurants.

Tough gig writing an article about something you don't know about! Could anyone else do it?

For uber, it uses GPS to determine the pick up location and you enter your destination. You will be given a range of fee estimates depending on whether it's uber / uber x / uber pool. The app then sends out a request to nearby drivers. One of them will accept it and come to where you are and meet you. As soon as the request is picked up you know the vehicle make and registration and the drivers name. Your bank details are stored in the app so it automatically takes payment when your journey concludes.

Uber locates where you are and you put in where you want to go. An estimated fare comes up and you then order your cab. The job flashes up to all nearby drivers and they can then refuse or accept it. Its like first come first serve. Your debit card is linked to your account so it comes straight out once the trip is finished.

Thanks @slimtimeagain that's really helpful.

how does it work from the perspective of the driver/delivery person? Do they "pick" your job from a list of jobs or is the job allocated to them if they "clock on"?

Tried to think of a wait to put this more gently but... well, why are you writing about something you know nothing about?

Use them each for research purposes and chat to your Uber driver.

Aaaah X-posts!

Thanks @winterfellismyhome and @henpeckedinchief That makes complete sense!

I know lots about "gig work" in general. I just don't know about the mechanics of how workers pick up work.

Not sure about uber, but with black cabs they have a computer where a list of available jobs in the territory the cab is in comes up and they can choose to accept whichever they like from the list

I am asked write about weird stuff all the time - you can't know everything about everything. Last week I was writing about legionella and pipes maintenance programs. Week before that it was about hotels in Buenos Aires. Neither of those I know anything about or have experience with.

GOOGLE IT. It's not that hard.

help.uber.com/h/738d1ff7-5fe0-4383-b34c-4a2480efd71e

-open Uber app. It knows where you are and shows you a map with a blue dot for your location

• It asks 'where to?' You type in Tesco
• it shows you available cars in the vicinity (just in case theres none about) and how long the journey will be and the estimated cost
• you confirm you want an Uber
• it then contacts drivers in the vicinity and once a driver is accepted it confirms where your cab is on the map. How long it will take to get to you. Driver name and car make model and reg number. The app counts down until arrival and you can see it move on the app
• for drivers their app will ping and first to accept the job on the app gets it.
• You get in car. Cabbie knows where you are going
• you get out. Uber only works with logged card details so you literally hop out. Immediate text/email with cost and receipt. Card charged for amount. Done.
• feedback is provided between driver and passenger and vice versa. Drivers have to keep their approval ratings up.

Thanks everyone- I just needed to know how it was that drivers/delivery people got the jobs to them. You've made it all very clear.

Thanks PolkerrisBeach that's really helpful. I hadn't thought of using Google.

One of the thing we were told by an Uber driver was that they are only told the pick-up place not the destination. This is to stop them cherry picking jobs. They can refuse jobs once they know but I believe there is some sort of penalty for them.

If you change your mind after booking, there is a £10charge.

My DP rides for deliveroo every now and again. Riders sign up for shifts about a week in advance. Using the app they login to start work and turn gps/location on the phone. The roo app will send you a job depending on your location and when you go to pick up the food from the restaurant you get given the address where it is to be delivered to. Riders can decline jobs if they wanted to and give feedback to restaurants (slow service, wrong orders etc). Depending on the contract they signed up with riders are paid per drop or per hour. I think they are phasing out the paid per hour riders and moving over to all pays per drop. If you consistently don't login for shifts you loose priority booking of the following weeks shifts. Busy times like Fri/sat/sun nights always get booked up by riders quickly. There is a limited distance but no time limit to deliver.