I was surprised to learn recently - and it may just be one of the rideshare companies in one country, or it may be more widespread - that the driver may not be told the final destination until they have accepted and started the ride.
So you might keep doing loops back to the airport (or a good restaurant precinct) because most of the jobs are OK; but it’s only when I hop in the car for a $10 ride to the next suburb that you discover you’ll lose money on this ride.
Actually, the rideshare folks usually (depending of course on location and personal preference) are after the airport drives. It's the onesie-twosie "bar-hopping" short trips that they don't like.
That’s what I’m getting at. Airport drives are usually the best, but if you aren’t told the passenger’s destination you could be forced to go all the way out to the airport to accept a tiny fare.
Great for me as a consumer; lousy for the driver’s income; and a reason why (to answer the question asked) some drivers / riders accept loss-making fares: they don’t get told in advance how much the trip is worth.
So you might keep doing loops back to the airport (or a good restaurant precinct) because most of the jobs are OK; but it’s only when I hop in the car for a $10 ride to the next suburb that you discover you’ll lose money on this ride.