Man, the whole “proof you were working” thing is such a headache. I’ve had the app freeze on me mid-ride before and it’s always in the back of my mind—what if something actually happened? Screenshots feel like overkill, but then again, I’d rather have too much evidence than be stuck arguing with support for weeks.
I do wonder if there’s a better way, though. Like, shouldn’t Uber and Lyft have a more reliable way to track this stuff? It’s wild that drivers are basically expected to cover their own butts with screenshots and paper trails. I get wanting to avoid cluttering my phone with ride receipts, but at the same time... not sure I trust the apps 100%. Maybe there’s some middle ground?
Anyway, it’s just another thing to add to the list of “weird gig job rituals,” right up there with keeping an emergency granola bar in the glove box.
Honestly, I’ve had the same worry every time my app glitches or loses GPS for a second. One time, I finished a ride and the trip didn’t even show up in my history until hours later—had me questioning if I’d imagined the whole thing. What I do now is set up an auto-backup for screenshots to Google Photos, so at least I’m not clogging up my phone storage. It’s not perfect, but it’s better than nothing. Still wild that we have to do all this just to prove we were working... you’d think the apps would have a more transparent log or something by now.
Still wild that we have to do all this just to prove we were working... you’d think the apps would have a more transparent log or something by now.
Yeah, it’s kind of nuts. I’ve seen claims get delayed just because there’s a gap in the trip record, even when it’s clearly a tech glitch. I started taking pics of my dash with the app running—feels overkill, but at least it’s a timestamp. You’d think with all the data these companies collect, they’d make it easier for drivers to access a clean, reliable log. Guess that’s wishful thinking...
It really is frustrating, isn’t it? I’ve had similar issues—one time my app froze mid-ride and the log just skipped a chunk of my shift. I drive a higher-end car, so I’m extra careful about documentation, but it still feels like we’re jumping through hoops. Do you think they’ll ever actually fix this, or is it just not a priority for them? At least your dash photo idea gives you some backup... wild that it’s even necessary though.
Honestly, I get where you’re coming from, but I’m not totally convinced they’ll ever make it seamless. The tech’s improved a bit over the years, but it still feels like they’re more focused on rolling out new features than fixing these core issues. I’ve had the app glitch out on me too—once it logged me out right as I was picking someone up, and the whole ride just disappeared from my history. Super annoying.
That said, I do think the documentation thing is just part of the gig now, especially with insurance being so picky. I actually started using a cheap dashcam that records timestamps, just in case. It’s not perfect, but it’s saved me once when there was a dispute about when a ride started. I wish we didn’t have to go to these lengths, but I guess it’s better than nothing.
I don’t know if it’s that they don’t care, but maybe it’s just not as high on their list as we’d like. At least until enough people make noise about it...
