Driver Advice | Page 3 of 15

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 Uber and Lyft 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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by Harry Campbell on January 9, 2018 33 Comments

How to Make More Money as an Uber and Lyft Driver

If you haven’t yet, click here to sign up to drive for Uber and Lyft

There seems to be this notion out in the world that Uber and Lyft drivers still make a lot of money. While that may have been true a few years ago, these days one of the most common complaints I hear from drivers is that they’re not making enough money.

New drivers are especially at risk because there is a steep learning curve in this industry. It’s not rocket science being a rideshare driver, but it is a little more challenging than it might seem. And unlike other jobs where everybody makes the same amount from day 1, a more savvy driver will be able to make more than a brand new driver since there are all sorts of tips and tricks that will impact your bottom line.

As you drive more, you’ll gain valuable experience and likely increase your income. But in the meantime, there are a few key things you can do to start increasing your income today.

While it may seem harder to make more money as an Uber and Lyft driver, there are some strategies you can use to make more in your city.

How to make the most and more money as a Uber and Lyft Driver

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by Jay Cradeur on January 5, 2018 27 Comments

Is it Worth It to Drive Uber and Lyft on New Year’s Eve?

Is it still worth it to drive on New Year’s Eve? Uber and Lyft certainly make it sound enticing in their emails to us drivers, but how lucrative is it really? RSG contributor Jay Cradeur went out on the streets to see how New Year’s Eve 2017 would stack up, and he compared early morning, afternoon, early evening and late evening to see just which hours were best. Did you drive New Year’s Eve and, if so, how was your night?

Leading up to the big day, another driver told me that he would make “over $1,000” driving on New Year’s Eve. Another passenger told me she heard that surge would be “over 10X” on this best day of the year to be driving. And both Uber and Lyft kept sending me text messages about how amazing the earning would be on New Year’s Eve.

Since I took last New Year’s Eve off, I decided I would do my best to maximize my driver earnings on December 31, 2017. In this article, I will share my preparation, my strategy, my results, and a few things I learned during my 14-hour odyssey driving in San Francisco on New Year’s Eve.

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