₦airaland Forum

olusola2bello:
Chief you totally make sense.

Truth is we all have our different goals, approaches and attitudea to the business and that's what determines one's success in the business. I have been reading this thread for a long while even before i joined as a driver driving mg own car. Reading the comments i was already discouraged that it was going to b a bad business venture but as i jad just lost my job i decided to ask more folks outside of nairaland.

I started driving april 2nd and honestly i was suprised. I was expecting to net like 5k but surprisingly i was netting way more than that. ..and i only do uber.

My point is it as bad as some folks say the business is now, it definitely isnt aa bad as the picture that was painted....ofcos u also dont turn a millionaire overnight.

Its a tough hustle, body pains, long hours, good and bad riders, etc but with prayer, diligence and favour..
All will be well.

No one ever said driving your own car is bad or that tough. It's the only way this ehailing makes business sense.

dru23:
I don't see any logical reason why anybody will buy 1.5m car for uber .. My landing cost for all my uber cars ,no fit reach 1.5m. The most was 1.4m if I can recall ..the reason was because I was new the business of buying cars from copart.. The location of the car was far from the port .. So the cost of transporting the car was $300 to the port, it was an 08 Elantra low miles less than 101k miles... other than that my landing cost has never been that high... At the beginning of uber forum years ago ,I stated that landing cost for any uber cars should not pass more than 1.2m .. Because u want to be able to recoup your money asap. And till today I discourage people from buying corolla for uber, too expensive. Than how long will it take u to recoup than . But my Nigerian people na only one road they see .. If it is not Toyota, it is not a car .. A lot fail to think outside the box ..
Now I use Honda civic, which makes my landing cost very ,very interesting.. But if you tell people to go for civic 03 to 05 .. They will tell this and that too low to the ground etc. After a while I just keep shut. You can't force anyone, those that will hear will hear .. .. At the end of it all landing cost plays a big role and that is the advantages I have.. I recall trying to link up with you and share ideas with you at one time.. I even call you when I was in naija to link up .. It seems I was forcing myself that time.. I quietly respect myself and kept it moving ... ..True story... those that will learn will learn, no one is too big or small .. But at the end of the day ,it's all love ...we keep pushing.....

I would've loved to meet with you that time too, as I was going to hint you about your ex manager's excesses(my brother drove for you and he used to gist me) before you found out yourself but I was really busy at the time. I also changed my mind about wanting you to help me get cars for cheap because I have serious trust issues when it comes to money and that has nothing to do with you at all.

I believe our arguments are both valid, you feel you're able to make profit because of the low landing cost of your cars but what about the rest of us that are based in Nigeria and can't buy and import our cars from USA? And we are in the majority. So it's safe to say that current rental fees make no business sense considering the amount a Tokunbo car costs in Nigeria.

NOTE: If you can't get Tokunbo cars at 1.4m max, please stay away from rental or get burnt. Examples abound.

Xneg:
This post is childish and funny, when did gazzuzz become a yardstick for comparing success of a business? If he doesn't know how to do the business does not mean the business is bad. So because he chose to sit on the fence, others should follow, anyway what I've discovered is that the serious people making money on uber are not even on nairaland.

Calm your tits man, I used gazzuzz as an example that most people on here can relate with.
I've been doing business since I was 16, I know when to cash out and venture into something else.

Dru has a privilege of bringing in Tokunbo cars at 1m. That is not the reality of this uber business for majority of partners. I also agree with him that if you can't access Tokunbo cars at 1.4m max like he does, this business is not for you.

GAZZUZZ:
one day draw a graph of your capital, your expenditure and income, if you do that you will know uber was not designed for rental. You have spent more than you have gained and vehicles value will drop so drastically even when you want to cash out.

I was going to type this. I have records from when I had four cars, and this is the plain truth.
One car I bought for 1.5m was sold for 900k after seven months.
I drive myself now and I make what two cars would deliver in a week. Rental na scam abeg

dru23:
Well, my long term plan or goal , well I mean this in the most respectful way . A good business man will not reveal is plan out in the open. But one thing I will tell you, is that I will continue doing uber till I can do it .. And I don't plan to do more than 5 cars on uber .. That has always been part of my goal .. In any business there is nothing sweet as daily cash flow, which uber has provider, now what I do with the cash flow from uber is another story on its own.... Car business is a headache for me . It ties down money and at times the profit margin is peanuts for me .. But I still do it ....

Best of luck my brother

dru23:
My dear brother, ever since I got rid of my old manager and started managing the cars myself it has been good o .. I even have a female driver ,that nobody wanted to take a chance with..
Now do I challenges at times? Of coz just like any other business, but overall am doing much better than before bro. The point here is good drivers and good cars and good owners.. If you can mash those things up and a little bit of hard work.. The sky is the limit..
And keep in mind when everybody was jumping ships, complaining ,uber this and that joining the fence, uber is not designed for rental etc.. Am still here bro still doing it .. Correct me if am wrong .uber has been in nigeria for 4 years now? But me have been in the business for about three years now .. On business at times, you need to change your strategy and adapt to the business currant environment.. So many changes with uber up and down.. I change too ,I took better car of my cars, look for good mechanic and drivers.. I had to start from the bottom all over again.. When I say from the bottom, I sold all my uber cars that were under bad manager.. Bad oil completely destroy all my fleet.. I basically started with tokunbo cars all over. Lost millions of naira etc.. But look at me am still here .. Like 2chain said, " if you start from the bottom, you can see the top " it is not easy ,coz if it was easy everybody will be doing it . This is not a race for me ,but a Marathon.. TMC ... The Marathon Continues .........

Bro I don't know what your long term plan is with this ehailing but like you said you've lost millions already(like most patners). Does it not make more sense and less stressful to just sell off those cars for a profit once they land. Considering how much you buy them.

mrsage:
If we are not careful, the so called earnings we see on the screen will affect our judgement.

E hailing people, are we really making profit considering the current fares and increasing cost of doing business?

If someone like gazzuzz, who is a mechanic and only spend half of what most of us spend on car maintenance, could join the fence then people need to tell themselves some hard truth.

[quote author=franksam2009 post=77781642][/quote]If 20k was my target in a day, cancelling one or two trips would not stop me from hitting my target.
Y'all talk like a trip is worth 100k.
I can do without a rude rider, if you feel you can't then good for you.
Peace!

By the way, I've only had one rude rider in the last 8 months or so, and she apologised for her behaviour.

franksam2009:
oga you are just being rude for no reason, that young man you called a small boy is paying for a service you are about rendering, he has every right to choose to respect or not respect you,
forget about d respect, do your job, get paid and leave

You would sacrifice your self worth for 1000naira trip?
Your line of thought only applies when we are dealing with big money/contract. You are free to abuse my ancestors sef, as long as we're talking millions. But for 1k? Let's just respect each other before I rubbish you.
Another request will come in 10mins max.

Rubbiish:
When u sit all day driving, u should exercise your waist in the other room

You'll be surprised it's only going to worsen the pain.
My story!

franksam2009:
Old time drivers please how are you guys surviving this,. My right waist and hips is killing me, driving is impossible for me now, I just sat down staring at my car now nd can't drive it lol

Lol, your right knee will soon join your waist and hips in killing you. Try walk long distance or standing for long too and you'll discover that your back is caving.
My story!

GforGee:
@Stealth100
Thank you for the better explanation. I now know better. But I can't give money to claim package no matter what, it just doesn't make sense. If you can go online to request for trip, how can you not be able to do common transfer

I forgot to add this; they'll say I would've transferred but it's cash I have. So I will give you cash when you get here.

I'm surprised y'all don't seem to know much about the scam on uber drivers going on now. This is how it works;

Rider requests for a ride, asks you to pick up something and bring to him/her, usually to a far place. They use the long distance to entice drivers, we all like long trips nah abi?

So at the pick up point, the rider asks you to help him pay for the package(usually 3-10k), or help him tip the person dropping the package. He/she will tell you that he will pay you back including the trip fare when you get to his place.

When you get to the destination, the rider that requested would be no where to be found, the package you picked up would end up being useless. One guy was given a package filled with tissue papers. All the numbers you called before would be switched off mostly forever. Only until then would you realise you've been scammed.

This scam has many variants o, but the main way to avoid all the different kinds is to not use your money to claim any package or settle any bill for a rider, whether he is in the car with you or not. They can easily make a transfer to you, you withdraw the money, pay for whatever they want you to pay for and proceed on the trip. Anything other than that is a scam loading.

Be wise!

lakkyflow:
Thanks for your advice Bro.. firstly I will transport myself , secondly Saturday's will be included if not Sunday at times , you know all this private OGA them ..Thirdly having time for myself and family might not be guaranteed.. With E-hailing these may or won't happen , I am hardworking and used to leaving the house before 4:30 am to 5am most times to work , so imagine channelling that effort to E-hailing , How do u see it ? .. I have been following my Ogas here and I must say I don't see anything difficult unless little supervision or location strategies to be effective ... So my Ogas, My main question is can I make that #60k mininmal for myself hustling on E hailing? Thanks

If driving for minimum of 10 to 12 hours six days a week doesn't sound stressful to you, then e-hailing is a better option.

iyaegin:
You dreamers that could not make a strike work last time out want to try again and the drivers struggling to make 5k a day you think they would be ready to off their app and not make money to meet up their rental.
The one reason e-hailing would always be challenged here is because it was never planned for driver rentals yet we have made it a staple and it would always be the stumbling block for progress...i wish everyone the best on their daily hustle.

If this was true why then do uber have the "uber fleet" app for partners? Oh, they expect you to have a fleet of cars you drive yourself?
Why do you think they let you register either as a partner(if you own your car) or partner driver(if you don't have a car)?
Why do they have a platform where drivers and partners connect?

You're deceiving yourself if you feel uber have no idea of the rental/HP system. Even in Yankee, companies give out cars on rental.
We didn't invent this system in Nigeria. It's a system designed and sold to us by uber itself.
Let's stop making excuses for these companies abeg.

These low fares have been their plan all along. They romanced us into flooding the platform with our cars. Remember those meetings we used to have with uber at Sheraton Rd., Ikeja? When was the last time we had such meetings again?
I know people that suffered huge losses after investing up to 10 expensive cars on uber during the days of 2007 and above cars. Uber reduced the year of cars and fares without considering what would become of investors that were sweet talked into partnering with them.

This trend has continued unchecked and unless drivers fight back in a way, they will eventually experience worse than those working at Chinese factories. At least those ones too are earning above minimum wage

frugal:
Boycott! Boycott!! Boycott!!!

That’s the only solution to low fares. And if you need to survive while this is ongoing, simply start doing offline only.

Boycott? I think it's easier to go on strike for a whole day or 6hours once in a while.

gobuchinny:
No need to insult me bro..just make ur point clean and clear...I said 20 trips because in a day you will most likely not get 350 naira trips till you close..you will get a mix of short trips and some moderate trips and if lucky long trips..


All im saying is even if you making 7k per day less 3k fuel you are fine though its hard work esp if the car is yours...money is not picked in the streets of Lagos and though there is soft work but if hardwork is all you have for now..make good use of it

No im not a mumu..im only an ex driver who survived driving and believes anyone can do same also esp if that's all they have for now

I drive once in a while but I intend to drive for some months now to sustain my immediate family while I wait for my other investment to yield. So I drove on Sunday, after getting a "long" trip (Agege to Agungi) for 3500 including toll and taxify fee, I got about four short trips on uber all averaging 350naira per trip.

After three hours in lekki, I had less than 1500 net. That is ridiculous. I almost started thinking low of myself. Nobody should get less than 500naira an hour for any job. I know some here will talk about me feeling entitled and that drivers earn above minimum wage. Hell yeah I should feel entitled if I am putting forward my car and time to partner with uber/taxify. I should earn way more than minimum wage because I'm investing my time and property(car).

This pay should never be okay for anyone, driver or partner. Fine, we have to grind and make ends meet but we can also complain or protest for a better take home while we manage what we get currently. I'm sick of people attacking partners when they complain about uber/taxify unrealistic fares. These companies have succeeded in messing with the heads of some of us.
Because I complain bitterly about the fares doesn't mean I will stop driving immediately, but we should never be okay with this slavery whether we're doing it short term or long term.

gobuchinny:
Sorry bout the accident brother..please lets stop all this...350 naira trip is bad but if you do it 20 times in a day that's 7k..even if production cost (fuel) is 3k isn't that 4k at hand?


Uber bizness still puts food on the table besides he should have comprehensive insurance..whatever your hand findeth to do..do it well..this bizness still puts food on the table for many..how much is minimum wage..if you are not happy with the fare then QUIT...


This bizness is just to keep body and soul together while you work on the permanent site

Sorry once again brother that had the accident with the black corolla as highlighted above...it will make you moribund for some days..i only hope you ave comprehensive if not Gods speed...after the cost and you hit the road try and make the money back..


#wayofahustler

QUIT I will in sha Allah

lami37:
See what happened to my car last night

Let's see how far those 350naira uber trips will go in fixing this. Sorry bro

Sup peeps, please I need taxify inspection office address in Surulere. Anyone pleas

Oluwabengz:
And if u didn't make it out of there before night fall, you risk been rob in traffic...mile2 to Okoko traffic is known for that. I almost got robbed in Alakija traffic last year. it was one Military guy that was in the third car before mine that confronted them and they eventually flee. U know the funniest part is that, after they flee, we later heard they went like 100 to 15m behind our vehicles and started the robbery from there again. People ran towards us with stories of how they got robbed inside their vehicles.

If I wanna take a trip to Ojo, it must be strictly offline and I will be going through Agege, Egbeda, Igando to connect Ojo no matter where the rider's pick up location is

Any rider that oppose this route should order for another ride. It's faster and 90% smooth road from Agege to Ojo.

medd422:
Some people will carry cooler of rice, beans and soup plus other items on top 600 naira fare, still go lounge for owners corner. Even keke marwa will charge higher. Abeg free the driver.
When I see people like that, I tell them I’m sorry I won’t be able to carry the load. Most of them always beg for offline and pay a better fare.
Ur 600 naira will not fix my absorbers

The guy was wrong for lying that uber charges for extra load. If you're putting a huge load in my car, I charge you extra for it. If you're not fine with it, I cancel and move on. I had to collapse the back seat of my matrix to acomodate the load of one rider like that. I charged 1500 extra for it from egbeda to ogba.

eherbal:
this is not a curse,but your neighbor can not be successful in the business because he's a dishonest man. Dishonesty and greed are of no worth or value. Its like a basket by the river side,you see it's wet , but it will never retain water. I just started last week,and honestly,I've not been making much, the car is due for service,and I'm broke,but I'm learning from every shortfall. I didn't allow my situation lead me to temptation, because I know good times are ahead, Insha Allah.

Say this to the Tinubus, Sarakis, Obanikoros of this world. Life is never black and/or white

ojbanja:
If your driver did not delay or default payment for this January, please ,take care of him or her.
He or she is reliable.

Not even one has gone through January unscathed smh

Fistop:
Good day fellow partners. I'm forced to bring this issue here. Car owners please avoid this driver known as Gbolahan Anise. The guy is a wicked soul from the pit of hell. I gave him my car in perfect condition to him on October 26 and was forced with the help of policemen from Area M to retrieve my car from him. He was never consistent with my weekly delivery. He was owing me two weeks delivery before I used policemen in collecting my car from him. Before engaging him, he said he had previously worked with Dru. Till now, he has not paid me after writing an undertaking at the police station to pay me all my money before January. He is dubious and fraudulent. His Uber phone number is 0806 651 8504. Car owners, please stay away from him. After collecting my car, I spent almost 100k to put it back to good shape.

Gracias!

Alvin007:
All these Ibadan babes that believe they’re big girls by taking Taxify..mtcheew...tchai..why did you even help her with her bag sef? You said ‘thank you ma’...why? Didn’t you deliver a service? You shouldn’t thank her for paying for a service you rendered to her! She should be the one thanking you for getting her to her destination safely. You just made her feel fly...You are a TaxifyPartner driver..not her slave...I won’t be surprised if she tells or expects the next partner driver to help her with her bag...mtcheew...slay queens ode...someone prolly even gave her the money for the ride.

Lol, I stopped helping riders with their bags long long ago. I only use sir/ma over the phone and when you're visibly way older than me.
Riders these days have gone completely berserk. Imagine one fool took me to a barber shop, asked me to wait while he cuts his hair. The annoying part is he didn't even tell me or ask if I could wait. I found out he was cutting his hair after waiting for over 30mins.
I jejely took his bag to him in the salon and ended the trip.

frugal:
Communication bruh. A simple "hope you don't mind if i take this? " will not only strengthen rapport between you and rider but will earn you a 5*. But keep the call short.
Ehailing is all about UX (user experience). Sometimes you need to put yourself in the place of the customer to truly understand these things. How would you like to be treated? What sort of experience would you like as a rider?
I'm tempted to agree now that majority of Uber drivers cannot afford to ride on uber. I thin

I work in the technology sector. My first Uber ride was in 2014. It was a beautiful experience. Story for another day, but suffice to say you rarely get those types of experiences these days.

Yes, pay is very poor now. Still shouldn't stop you from making each ride an enjoyable and unforgettable experience for your riders.

The boldened is usually under emphasized. I have been on the platform for 2yrs now, these days I simply don't care whether any rider enjoy themselves As long as my car is clean and in good shape.

I'm not happy with the fares enough to want to hold any convo with you. I start thinking about how much little is going to be calculated for the trip the moment I start the trip.

I don't care about rating, even though you're not supposed to rate me low for anything unrelated to me picking you up and droping you at your destination in a comfortable and clean car.

The amount you pay is directly proportional to the services you get. You paid more in 2014 and got a better service. You pay half of that amount in 2019 and get half the quality of service.
This is common sense!
This is logic!

BanjiHols:
I need an Offtrip Clean ride to convey new couple on Saturday .. 2008 model ,upward.. Tnx contact 07081040802

Is this a wrong number or what? I called and the person seem to have no idea.

jarkbauer:
Best thing that can happen to transportation is for a govt to give us ability to invest into public transport franchise.

I thought I was the one only one that think this way. So many times I see the BRT cruising on their lane with sure riders at every b/STOP and I wish the govt could allow ordinary citizens invest one or two BRT buses on that platform.
But it's a jungle out there

nameo:
But is it there a mechanism to report these erring drivers to Taxify/Uber? Where real sanctions that affcet the driver's rating or even continued stay on the platform is effected for erring drivers.

Uber/Taxify needs to know that the model they are running depends on the drivers doing right by the car owners

It's not uber running this model, it's us the investors/partners. What uber really want is partners driving their cars themselves. The rent arrangement doesn't leave enough profit to go round after proper maintenance and fueling.

Owning and driving your car is the only model that makes sense in e-hailing. This rental we do is a facade. You might not agree now, but eventually you will.

henrixx:
charity begins at home bro. There are some men that will laugh it off when they hear another man is trying their woman. They know its just not gonna work.

The trip ends with a request for a hug? Youve got to think what went through all along for such request to be made. That alone will make me question the woman. Also a woman doesnt have to act like a tout to reject a man. A maturely sound warning is enough or even ending the trip sef.

You are right bro, she could have done all these things you said. But remember, there are many ways to resolving an issue. For example, when an uber driver inflates my fare with lockito, I keep calm, I don’t argue, I pay you whatever amount you show me and report to uber after. The lady is civilized enough to keep calm, finish her ride and do the right thing by reporting.
Again, not every one can act violently or like a tout. To insinuate that the lady has no home training breaks my heart mehn.