In this short post, I will quickly give you (the Uber Driver) a couple of Tips that will come in handy in driving smart, rather than hard, and ultimately help in maximizing your revenue!

1.)

Know your Staging Points

A staging point is essentially a stopping place or assembly point en route to a destination. It is the place you wait for your Uber customers/ riders. Knowing where to wait for fares will make the difference between picking up 1 customer per hour to maybe 5 per hour.

Some common staging points are at hotels, restaurants and airports. In selecting staging points, it is important to observe customer behavior and keep a detailed log of rides picked up and at what points in the day. Also important is talking to other rideshare drivers. Over time it will be obvious when and where you need to respond to requests for Uber cars by customers

2.)


Ask Questions


As previously mentioned it is important to ask a lot of questions. Talk to other Uber Drivers and also your clients (Uber customers) if they are willing to chat with you. (FYI – don’t push a discussion though if they are not particularly chatty or you might get dinged by the user when it


comes time to get rated). The answers to these questions can help you refine and get the most optimal staging points for your Uber driving schedule.

Some questions you can ask other drivers (and also yourself) are:


a) Can you tell me where your good staging points are?


b) Can you tell me what times to be at these staging points (follow up to the first question

above)?


c) Are there certain events I should pay attention to in the coming weeks?


d) What events calendar do you use?


e) Where is the nightlife?

Some questions you can ask your passengers (if they are chatty) are:


a) So where are you going to today?


b) Are you a regular Uber passenger?


c) What type of events do you typically call Uber cars for?


d) Do you use Uber at specific times?

The aggregate answers to the afore-mentioned questions from different passengers can help you with selecting staging locations and planning your driving schedule. You can also come up with other interesting questions too. Just remember to make sure the conversation is relaxed, and does not feel like a job interview. Just let the conversation flow!


3.)

Weather Forecasting

The Uber pricing regimen includes a concept called “surge pricing”. According to Uber “... rates increase to get more cars on the road and ensure reliability during the busiest times (i.e. lots of passengers, but not enough Uber drivers). When enough cars are on the road, prices go back down to normal levels...”

As an Uber driver you should be aware of patterns in weather that can cause this price spike (sometimes up to 5 times the normal rate). Keeping a detailed driving log can help you with a high level data analysis, and make you the “surge price” soothsayer.

As a rule of thumb, if you don’t feel like driving because the weather is bad, so do other drivers. The scarcity of drivers will cause an imbalance in the Uber ecosystem: This is good for you!!! $$$$ You can take advantage of this, and make up to 5 times as much money when others don’t and take a break later. (Note – be wise and use discretion, ultimately you cannot make money if your car is totaled, or worse you are in the morgue).

4.)


Restaurant Week

Have you ever read an ad similar to this in a newspaper or website:



“San Diego, CA – San Diego Restaurant Week is ecstatic to celebrate 11 years of culinary excellence by offering an entire week of delicious discounted dining at some of San Diego


County’s finest restaurants! For ONE WEEK ONLY, Sunday, January 18th through Saturday, January 24th, foodies will be able to eat their hearts out at over 200 participating restaurants that will offer three-course prix-fixe dinner menus for just $20, $30, $40 or $50 per person and/or two-course prix-fixe lunch menus for only $10, $15 or $20 per person”

- http://www.sandiegorestaurantweek.com/press

If you love food and have a little bit of cash, then you probably got excited like me. Restaurant weeks across the country are typically cash cows for restaurants, and now they are cash cows for you - the Uber driver. Wherever there are lots of people, especially young, hip, and trendy people then there is an opportunity for you to make money driving with Uber.




5.)


Uber Hive fb community is your friend

By now, I would assume that you are starting to see a pattern! Wherever there is demand for transportation by young people, trendy people, or professionals, there is probably a demand for Uber. This means sporting events, music events, concerts, and conventions are prime venues to pick those Uber passengers.

Once you have gone through the fb community, and determined the events which lots of people will be at, plan to be there 10 to 15 minutes before the scheduled end of the event to pick up customers. Don't forget to mark the star "interested" on an event your are interested in going.

I have a personal bias for Uber Hive on facebook (https://www.fb.com/uberhive); however, there are other sites I recommend which you can monitor for events. You should probably do this on a weekly basis as you plan your driving schedule.

what can a driver do in the can of flood while on route?

Turn around? I mean I’m not sure what your questions refers too. In bad weather you have to use your best judgement just as you would if driving to the grocery store. If we were in a flood situation I’d probably not be out driving. Use common sense in bad weather and perhaps just stay at home and off the roads. Not worth risking your life to be out to make a few Uber bucks.

If you have never used your Uber free ride code or wish to drive for Uber please use my referral code to get $20 on your first ride or a sign on bonus when you start driving. Driving is a great way to make some extra income, feel free to ask me any questions and I will be glad to help. My referral code is M6B94UE or for Lyft please use code” GREGATLANTA.