Being a gig worker is more than just driving people or food around. You have to know the area, what’s going on, and when events are happening.
You can drive and make money without being a local expert, but you’ll make more money in less time and enjoy the work so much more if you become a local expert.
Here are four tips for becoming a local expert to increase your earnings.
1. Social Media Is Your Friend
Let’s face it: we’re on social media a lot already. While we are waiting for requests, we doomscroll through Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or whatever other social media apps we like.
I’m not saying that you can’t use those for fun, but what if you start following a couple of helpful influencers?
Other than, of course, The Rideshare Guy, you can follow local accounts. If your city is large enough, it will have social media influencers who only talk about the town you live in. They will discuss events, concerts, new restaurants, and visiting sports teams.
Following them helps you to know what’s going on in your town, and then you can make decisions based on that.
For instance, say you see on social media that there is a large conference in your downtown area this weekend. You now know there are going to be a lot of people who need rides from downtown to other fun things in the area.
If you, as a local expert, can give them recommendations while driving them, maybe even pointing out good restaurants, then they may increase your tip.
Keeping tabs on your city will also tell you where to avoid.
Say there is a food truck festival in an area where you would normally park or drive. You may now avoid that area because people will be going to the food trucks instead of ordering food, and the roads will most likely be shut down around the festival.
So, I’ll avoid that area because I won’t be able to drive anyway, and if I happen to get trapped, it usually takes a significant amount of time to get out.
You can get similar information from local newspapers, email subscriptions, or information boards, but I have found that social media seems to be the easiest, fastest, and cheapest way to keep up to date.
2. Be Curious
At the end of my road, there are several businesses that look like you can get through the parking lot. If you go straight through, it would be so much easier for me to get to a particular restaurant that always seems to have orders.
It took me almost six months to one day just say, “Let’s try it,” to find out that you can, in fact, drive straight through. There is a dumpster that I think is supposed to stop you from doing it, but you can easily drive next to it.
This sounds like such a simple thing, but it actually saves about 8 minutes because otherwise, you have to take two U-turns to get to this restaurant.
I was extremely excited when I found out about this. But I could have found out six months earlier if I simply checked then.
What is your possible shortcut?
If you see a road or path and you think it will save you time, just try it. In the worst-case scenario, you try it, find out it doesn’t work, and go back to what you were doing before.
In the best-case scenario, you save yourself eight or more minutes because of something you found on your way to becoming a local expert.
3. Accept Everything
It’s hard to know what won’t work unless you try it, so accept every offer until you know which ones you won’t accept.
I’m not saying to accept offers that will lose you money (don’t destroy me in the comments).
But, accept things if the numbers look right and then figure the “x factor” out after.
For instance, I had heard that Popeyes was a bad restaurant to pick up from. However, a request that was more than $2 a mile and over $20 an hour came in, so I accepted it.
Now, it took way too long, and I canceled before it was ready after waiting about 20 minutes already.
I’ve had the same experience with Sonic. Both restaurants are now on my do-not-accept list, no matter how much money the order will earn.
However, I’ve heard a lot of complaints about Chick-fil-A and Chipotle. Even though I have had issues with both of these places before, most of the time, they are really good and have everything ready when I get there.
So, though others have an issue, I still accept them.
The point is that there are some things that seem to be universal, like Popeyes, but try it out. Accept everything at first and see what comes of it.
Never Stop Learning
The most important way to become a local expert is to never stop learning. New businesses, streets, and people are coming to your area every day. Once you think you know everything about your area, something new happens.
So, continue to learn, continue to be curious, and you’ll continue to be a local expert.
