Announcement

by Harry Campbell on April 13, 2018 Leave a Comment

Recap of My Live Q&A With Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi

As part of Uber’s new driver app announcement that took place via Live Stream on Tuesday, I was invited to attend the event and sit with Uber’s CEO, Dara Khosrowshahi, afterward to ask a few questions. Yes, I was as surprised as you are that Uber wanted me, a lowly blogger, to hop up on stage and chat with the CEO, but I was flattered at the opportunity and happy to participate.

There were no restrictions on the questions that I could ask, but unfortunately the Q&A was not live streamed. I have included a summary below though of the questions that I, along with other drivers, asked Dara and a paraphrase of each of his responses.

Before we get into the questions though, obviously there was a ton of hype and excitement around this event. Uber sent messages to drivers about a big ‘global announcement’ via the driver app, and since no Uber CEO has ever participated in any type of driver-focused event like this before, expectations were high.

Many drivers bookmarked this event on their calendar and some even pulled over and took a break from driving just so they could watch. But based on the hundreds of e-mails, comments and messages that came flooding in from drivers afterwards, most were extremely disappointed and upset that the announcement was ‘just a new driver app’.

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by Harry Campbell on April 10, 2018 Leave a Comment

Uber is Releasing a New Driver App for 2018

I actually got an invite to sit down one on one with Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi at an event in Los Angeles today for a moderated Q&A panel with over 200 drivers in the audience. The session wasn’t recorded but stay tuned for my blog post on Friday to learn about what I asked him!

Over the past week, Uber has been peppering drivers with cryptic messages about a global announcement that Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi would be making on Tuesday morning. Since it was a ‘global announcement’, I wasn’t sure exactly what would be revealed, but now we know that Uber is releasing a brand new driver app for 2018. It will take a few months to roll out the app to everyone, but Android users in Los Angeles and Atlanta will get to try it out first.

I was a little surprised that there was so much hoopla over this announcement and, while I didn’t expect a huge rate increase, or an axing of UberPOOL :), I suspect some drivers will be disappointed. As you’ll see below, the new app looks great and will make driving and absorbing lots of information while driving easier, but I haven’t heard too many complaints about the old Uber driver app relative to big pain points like low pay and upfront pricing.

I think the new driver app may have a bigger impact outside of the US, where many drivers are using older Android phones and experiencing poor reception, but I don’t see it improving a driver’s bottom line here in the US anytime soon.

To Uber’s credit, they worked with 470 drivers worldwide to beta test the new app and solicit feedback through in-person group lunches, ride-alongs and one-on-one text message exchanges. And overall, all of that driver input shows. I like the look of the new app and think it does a good job of sharing the most pertinent information but not overwhelming you like the old app sometimes would do.

Uber built some strong momentum with drivers in 2017 with the ‘180 Days of Change’ and is continuing in the right direction with a new driver app, but I think the big question drivers will be asking is, could their resources have been better spent somewhere else, like increasing rates?

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by Harry Campbell on February 16, 2018 Leave a Comment

The Rideshare Guide: Everything You Need to Know about Driving for Uber, Lyft, and Other Companies

I’ve been driving for Uber and Lyft for 5 years now and blogging about it the entire time. But four articles a week, 52 weeks a year for five years straight means that there’s a LOT of content on this site. And while a lot of the posts I wrote years ago are still pretty relevant today, they can be hard to find.

So that’s why I’m proud to announce today that my new book, The Rideshare Guide: Everything you need to know about driving for Uber, Lyft and other ridesharing companies will be available on 4/24/2018!

Over the years, I’ve personally talked to over 50,000 drivers by e-mail, phone, social media and in-person and learned a lot. This book is my attempt to consolidate all of that knowledge plus my own driving experience in order to give drivers everything they need to be successful at rideshare driving. I hope you enjoy it!

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by Harry Campbell on November 17, 2017 25 Comments

Uber is Testing New Surge Pricing

Uber is running a test in Charlotte, North Carolina right now that could drastically change how surge works for drivers. There’s no guarantee it will roll out everywhere, but similar tests have become permanent features as part of the 180 Days of Change campaign recently.

Surge is one of the most important aspects of driving so it’s important to keep an eye on the developments here.

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by Christian Perea on September 15, 2017 10 Comments

How is Lyft Responding to Uber’s 180 Days of Change?

With all the new driver-friendly features Uber is rolling out under it’s ‘180 Days of Change’ initiative, we began to wonder when Lyft would roll out some driver-friendly features of their own. Luckily, we didn’t have to wait long – Lyft has been working on upgrades to the driver platform for months. Today, senior RSG contributor Christian Perea outlines what drivers can expect to see in future Lyft driver updates.

Also, RSG is looking to hire! Do you know someone who is phenomenal at YouTube, can deliver consistent content, and is a good, reliable team player? If that describes you or someone you know, click here to read what we’re looking for and how to apply.

Uber’s been rolling out a ton of new driver-friendly features lately as part of their “180 days of change” campaign to woo drivers back to the Big U. And since we already know that Lyft and Uber copy almost everything from one other, that means Lyft should also be rolling out some driver upgrades of their own to compete for the big spotlight with drivers too… although Lyft doesn’t have to copy Uber on tipping since they didn’t require a corporate meltdown to do the right thing on tipping their drivers.

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