Las Vegas Uber drivers to get more ways to earn more money

Uber drivers in Las Vegas will have additional ways to earn money by December for longer drives and lengthy waits for riders, company officials say.

A special “long pick-up” fee will be tacked onto fares when drivers have to travel farther and longer to collect a passenger, Uber officials said. The move, company officials said, is aimed at providing an incentive to drivers to accept rides that might otherwise be considered too far away.

Riders will see the long pick-up fees as part of their fare breakdown on trips, but only 10 percent of driver trips are expected to be eligible for the new fee, Uber spokeswoman Stephanie Sedlak said.

“It’s important to note that while these trips are rare, they cause tremendous frustration for drivers,” Sedlak said. “The goal of this feature is to very precisely solve for those times when the ETA is longer than the actual trip.”

Drivers will also earn more money on a per minute basis if a passenger makes them wait for more than two minutes during a pick-up, Uber officials said. Road tolls will also be tacked onto fares so that the cost is not paid by drivers.

The fee changes will be rolled out city-by-city, and are expected to be available for Las Vegas drivers by December, Sedlak said.

The policy changes are part of Uber’s “180 Days of Change” initiative that started in June, aimed at building a better relationship with drivers.

The San Francisco-based company has a long history of battling with drivers over their classification as contractors rather than employees, along with issues surrounding wages and benefits.

Contact Art Marroquin at amarroquin@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0336. Follow @AMarroquin_LV on Twitter.