Vehicle

by Harry Campbell on December 22, 2017 25 Comments

My Review of the Ford Fusion Hybrid for Rideshare Drivers

I started driving for Uber and Lyft way back when in 2014 with a gas guzzling SUV and it wasn’t long before I realized that there were much better cars out there for rideshare drivers. In fact, I’ve always been jealous of hybrid owners so when Ford approached me about test driving a Ford Fusion Hybrid, I was excited to see what a car with impressive Miles Per Gallon (MPG) could do!

Over the past few months, I’ve been test driving a Ford Fusion Hybrid all around town and seeing what all the hype is about. I’ve also been documenting my journey on Youtube and Facebook but today, I’m going to share an overview of my thoughts on the Ford Fusion Hybrid and how well it suits me as a rideshare driver.

I’ve put thousands of miles on this car over the course of a few months and learned a lot. And in addition to personal driving, I’ve also been using it while driving for Uber/Lyft to see how it holds up with passengers and how it affects my earnings and ratings.

You can read on for more info or check out my video overview here:

Note: This post is sponsored by Ford but all opinions are my own. And as always, we only recommend products and services that are beneficial to rideshare drivers.

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by Will Preston on May 17, 2017 30 Comments

Is a Toyota Prius the Best Car for a Rideshare Driver?

Harry here. I get a lot of questions from people asking for my advice on the “best car” to buy as a rideshare driver. While there’s a lot that goes into choosing a car to drive for rideshare (UberX, Uber XL, your budget, if you should lease instead of buying, etc.) there are still ways to find which cars make the most financial sense. Today, RSG contributor Will Preston takes an in-depth look at the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) on a variety of popular rideshare vehicles, including the Toyota Prius. So does the Prius come out on top? Keep reading to see!

If you’re thinking of rideshare driving but don’t have a car yet, check out our Vehicle Marketplace here. You’ll find leasing options as well as rentals, which can be a great idea if you want to try out a particular type of car or just see if you even like rideshare driving 🙂

Ever taken a ride as a passenger, either for Uber/Lyft or a taxi? Chances are, you were probably in a Toyota Prius. If you’re considering purchasing a new or used car to be a rideshare driver, a Prius may seem like the obvious choice, but is it the best car for the job?

For reference, I purchased a 2013 Toyota Prius with only 15,000 miles on it, and I also own a 2011 Honda Fit. But I do almost all of my ridesharing with the Prius.

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by Christian Perea on January 23, 2017 27 Comments

How Technology Like Navdy Aims To Make Driving Easier (and Safer)

Harry here. Today, senior RSG contributor Christian Perea takes a look at a new technology for rideshare drivers called Navdy. It’s a heads up display unit with a lot of potential to make driving safer and easier.

Whenever I hear about “new technology” in the context of rideshare, it always seems centered around self-driving cars (and how we are doomed). But I think there’s a big market for technology that makes driving simpler and safer for humans, today. Especially since rideshare driving involves shifting our focus between pings, passengers and more.

It would be cool to look through my sunglasses and see traffic conditions, passenger location, and police cars all by looking around in real-time (like in the F-35, but for traffic instead of MiG’s). And while we don’t have that quite yet, we’re actually a lot closer than you may think.

A few months ago, I met up with a company called Navdy and checked out their new product to see how it might help rideshare drivers. Right now, phones and cars are not really built to work together and, as rideshare drivers, this problem is exacerbated. But Navdy has developed an augmented reality device for the car you already own and the company’s goal is to essentially integrate your driving with your phone.

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by Harry Campbell on December 5, 2016 10 Comments

Does it Make Sense to Drive UberX with a Private Fleet Owner?

Join us for our next Youtube Live Q&A session with UberMan on Wednesday at 5pm PST! You can subscribe to our Youtube channel here and be sure to turn on notifications so you know when we go live.

There aren’t a lot of requirements to become an Uber driver, but one thing that often holds new drivers back is an eligible vehicle. We’ve talked a lot about Uber’s Xchange Leasing Program and Lyft’s Express Drive in the past, but there’s another vehicle option that doesn’t get talked about very often and that’s driving for a private fleet owner.

My definition of a private fleet owner is someone (individual or company) who owns at least one car that they rent out or lease to an Uber driver. Private fleet owners have always been common on UberBlack and UberSelect (and on UberX in New York) because there are high start-up costs to owning a vehicle on those platforms.

UberBlack requirements include commercial insurance and TCP licensing while UberSelect requirements are similar to UberX but you also need a mid-level luxury vehicle. Since not many drivers want to go through the hassle of getting signed up or can even afford a luxury car, they often turn to UberX. But over the past year, we’ve seen a proliferation of fleet owners starting to offer UberX eligible vehicles to new drivers.

We do have a list of recommended fleet owners by region on our vehicle marketplace, but there are thousands of fleet owners out there and they advertise everywhere from Craigslist to Facebook or even in person flyers. If you’re considering driving for a private fleet owner, it’s important that you understand what you’re getting into and that you compare your options to make sure you’re getting the best deal.

A private or local fleet owner could make a lot of sense if you don’t have the credit to get approved with Uber’s Xchange Leasing program or if it just isn’t available in your city yet. There are private fleet owners in every city in the US, but it can be tough to find them.

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