Driver Advice

by Jay Cradeur on February 5, 2018 17 Comments

What Happens After You’re Deactivated By Uber?

Back in December, RSG contributor Jay Cradeur was deactivated by Uber for seemingly no reason. Jay chronicled the saga here, and today he has an update for us: he’s been reactivated! Here, his warning and advice for drivers who find themselves deactivated by Uber (or Lyft).

A couple weeks ago I received a call from a Customer Support Representative at Uber to tell me my account had been reactivated.

“You are back online!”

She said the background check issued had been resolved, but the rep did not tell me why I had been deactivated. I can assume there was some sort of technical glitch that impacted me and many other drivers.

In total, I was offline for 6 weeks, having been deactivated on December 6 for no apparent reason and during that entire time, I drove solely for Lyft. I completed my first 3 Uber rides the following morning, 6 weeks to the day after being deactivated.

Are You Keeping Track of Your Rideshare Earnings?

Every 1000 business miles = $545 in tax deductions. That means you have to track your miles and earnings. QuickBooks Self-Employed helps you track all of that quickly.

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by Harry Campbell on February 1, 2018 217 Comments

11 Things That Can Get You Deactivated As An Uber Driver

There are a lot of great reasons to be a rideshare driver, but at one time or another, we’ve all been frustrated by at least one of Uber’s policies.

Personally, I’ve always had problems getting reliable answers from Uber customer support. And not only is it tough to get an answer, but it can also be tough to get a straight answer. But once these policies start to affect your livelihood as a driver, things can turn in an instant.

Uber and Lyft don’t make it easy for new drivers to get help – that’s why I created The Rideshare Guide, a guide for new and long-time rideshare drivers. I cover everything from how to avoid deactivation (and increase your ratings!) to maximizing your income while on the road. Check it out here.

10 Things That Can Get You Deactivated As An Uber Driver

11 Things That Can Get You Deactivated As An Uber Driver

by John Ince on January 22, 2018 33 Comments

Uber Cancellation Scams to Watch Out For

A few years ago, we covered the top ten ways passengers were scamming drivers for free rides. Many of those scams are still relevant, so go check out that post if you haven’t already read it. One scam that’s still unfortunately popular is when passengers cancel their ride while the driver is en route to their destination.

Passengers that do this are hoping the driver doesn’t see the cancelation, so the rider gets a free or mostly free ride and the driver gets little to nothing. Today, senior RSG contributor John Ince covers how the scam happened to him, Uber’s response, and how you can protect yourself in the future. What are your thoughts?

For several weeks now I’ve been getting this new type of incentive called a Streak Bonus. It’s a fairly creative way for Uber or Lyft to lock in a driver to their platform and get them out on the road during rush hour.

The way it works is you have to get your first ride started between 7-9 a.m. or 5-7 p.m. and then you have to complete 3 rides before going offline, with 100 percent acceptance and no cancellations. The bonus is minimal – $10 or $12, which basically translates into a driver supplement of $3 to $4/ride – comparable (and in addition) to other bonuses. So I decide to give it a try.

Worried about getting low ratings from disgruntled passengers? I was too, before I realized there are some simple strategies for handling passengers while maintaining high ratings. Unfortunately, Uber and Lyft really don’t help drivers understand these written and unwritten rules – so I decided to create the Rideshare Guide for drivers! This guide is for new and veteran drivers, answering questions about getting started driving to handling tricky legal and tax matters. Check it out here.

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by Will Preston on January 12, 2018 6 Comments

How to Add Rideshare Driving to Your Resume

For many drivers, ridesharing may be a temporary gig while you’re in between jobs, or it may be an additional job you do outside of your regular 9 to 5 job. Either way, should you add rideshare driving to your resume and, if so, how? Today, senior RSG contributor Will Preston answers those questions and more, helping you create an accurate representation of your work on your resume.

Rideshare driving can be as visible or invisible on your resume as you’d like it to be. Some use their ridesharing business to show off their business skills, while others don’t want to mention it at all.

Let’s talk about the reasons why you might want to put it on your resume, as well as a few reasons why you might not want to do so. And then, we’ll share some creative ways to put it on your resume if you want to.

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by Jay Cradeur on January 10, 2018 24 Comments

How to Avoid Deactivation as an Uber and Lyft Driver

Uber and Lyft both have deactivation policies, but sometimes (if or when you’re deactivated), the reason can seem very arbitrary. Today, RSG contributor Jay Cradeur tries to de-mystify the reasons why drivers can be deactivated and recommendations for avoiding deactivation.

In order to remain an active rideshare driver, you need to adhere to Uber and Lyft’s deactivation policy guidelines. For the most part, the do’s and don’t’s listed below will keep you from being deactivated… unless there is a problem with the Uber background check system. Lately, Uber has been in the news for deactivating drivers for no apparent reason, which is what happened to me late last year.

However, some drivers are deactivated for very legitimate reasons. This article will present the basic Do’s and Don’ts when it comes to driving and maintaining an active driver status.

Editor’s Note: Uber and Lyft have their own deactivation policies and Terms of Service, but there is still clearly a lot unwritten. Jay has given over 14,000 rides over the last few years, so these are the recommendations he’s learned over the years – plus a few common-sense things to do or not do.

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