How to Become an Uber Driver (with Pictures)

Some Lyft and Uber workforce figures

If you happen to’re trying to drive for Lyft or Uber, you’ll be part of 1.4 million Lyft drivers and three.9 million Uber drivers. Lyft drivers serve a worldwide buyer base of 23 million riders. Uber has much more riders, with 93 million month-to-month customers. 

Notably, some drivers give rides for each apps, and a few riders use each apps. So it’s secure to imagine once you enter the market, you’ll have ample competitors proper in your yard.

Do you know? In 2018, Lyft bought a bike-rental firm and renamed it Lyft Bikes, which now has a market share of 80%.

This competitors can get in the way in which of incomes a excessive wage. Primarily based on lots of of self-reported annual incomes quantities, Lyft drivers made about $24,895 in 2021. That determine is 49% decrease than the American common for all drivers. The equal determine for Uber is accessible as a mean hourly wage of $9 to $10. This quantity doesn’t embody suggestions, which go solely to drivers with out Uber or Lyft taking a reduce.

If these figures preserve driving for Lyft or Uber within the realm of chance for you, right here’s six steps for the best way to get began.

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What Are Uber Driver Necessities?

So long as you possibly can move Uber’s background verify, you shouldn’t discover it troublesome to develop into an Uber driver (until your metropolis imposes some troublesome necessities of its personal).

Set up the Uber app in your smartphone and create an account on Uber, together with the checking account into which your earnings might be paid.

While you’re prepared to start out selecting up passengers, inform the Uber app that you simply’re going surfing. Then wait.

Earlier than lengthy, the app will notify you about a passenger requesting a ride and present you a map with the passenger’s GPS coordinates. You decide up the passenger and take the particular person to his or her vacation spot. Conscious that the passenger can price you afterward, you do your finest to make the passenger really feel welcome, snug, and glad.

Be sure you perceive clearly the place your decide up location is to keep away from late arrivals

You simply preserve repeating this course of, being notified about passengers and taking them to their locations, till you’re achieved for the day. Then you definately inform the Uber app that you simply’re going offline. You may price your passengers on their habits.

Uber will deposit the cash that you simply’ve earned into your checking account.

What to Anticipate After Making use of for Uber

Now that you simply’ve gone by means of the applying course of, let’s go over the main points of what you possibly can count on afterward.

How Lengthy Does it Take to Get Accredited?

The approval course of will depend upon just a few elements, together with your particular circumstances and the precise metropolis you are attempting to drive in.

Uber additionally requires proof of residency to drive, so you’ll have to apply in your area.

Whereas drivers can typically get accepted in as little as 1 day, it is best to permit as much as 7 days to get absolutely accepted.

In uncommon circumstances, it will possibly take even longer than 7 days.

What Does the Approval Course of Entail?

The approval course of for turning into an Uber driver principally entails them verifying the knowledge that you simply informed them.

Uber will overview your paperwork to confirm their authenticity.

They can even use your license to just be sure you have the required driving historical past to your age.

The longest a part of the approval course of is the background verify.

A separate firm will verify your historical past of crimes and driving violations over the previous 7 years to just be sure you meet the necessities.

This a part of the method can take longer than 7 days, and Uber will warn you if such a state of affairs applies to you.

How Will I Know if I Am Accredited or Denied?

Uber will warn you with a textual content and an electronic mail if you end up accepted.

You may also see the standing of your utility in your profile web page on-line or inside the Uber driver app.

As quickly as you might be accepted, Uber will let you recognize and it is possible for you to to start out accepting rides.

And if you’re denied, Uber will let you know precisely why.

If it’s a purpose which you can simply repair, like an expired doc, then you possibly can count on to attend 24-48 hours for the doc to be accepted.

What if I Get Waitlisted by Uber?

Throughout the signup course of, you’ll often be accepted or rejected, and the explanations might be given.

However in uncommon circumstances, it’s also possible to get waitlisted by Uber.

In case you are waitlisted, it implies that your account was placed on maintain for an indefinite interval.

Within the utility course of, this waitlisting most frequently occurs when you could have an expired doc or an incomplete utility.

And present drivers can get waitlisted for failing to observe the principles.

Having the unsuitable driver, driving the unsuitable automotive, or having further passengers within the automotive are frequent ways in which drivers get waitlisted.

Don’t panic for those who get waitlisted. When demand for a place will get excessive, waitlists are a solution to handle the driving force purposes.

For instance, the Instacart waitlist has grown by the day, with extra drivers getting accepted as time goes on.

What Occurs if I Get Denied by Uber?

If you happen to get denied by Uber, crucial issue is the explanation that they denied you.

If a doc was invalid, you possibly can have that fastened.

And in case your automotive is just too previous, you possibly can take into account shopping for a more recent one.

However for those who have been denied for different extra critical causes, like having too many driving citations or a felony conviction in your historical past, then getting round these is harder.

You both have to attend lengthy sufficient for these issues to move out of your document or attempt making use of to a distinct rideshare firm like Lyft.

What are the car necessities to drive for Uber?

To drive for Uber, your car should meet the next necessities: 

• Will need to have 4 doorways and have the ability to maintain not less than 4 passengers (not together with the driving force) 
• Can’t be older than 15 years. In some cities, automobiles should be newer than this. 
• Rental automobiles are solely allowed if they’re from an accepted Uber lender 
• Should not have any beauty harm, lacking elements, or business branding 
• You should be listed as an insured driver on the car’s insurance coverage coverage 

Uber Black automotive necessities embody: 

• They should have the mannequin 12 months of 2010 or newer 
• They need to be in glorious situation 
• They need to have a black exterior and inside 

How Do You Qualify to Be an Uber Driver?

There are just a few primary necessities that you simply’ll want if you wish to signal as much as develop into an Uber driver. You need to meet the minimal age to drive in your metropolis and have not less than one 12 months of driving expertise (or three years for those who’re beneath age 23). You additionally should have a legitimate driver’s license and an eligible car with 4 doorways. Furthermore, once you enroll, you’ll have to offer the corporate with proof of residency, proof of insurance, and registration, in addition to a profile picture.

What Sill Disqualify You From Uber?

Uber runs background checks on all aspiring drivers and gained’t settle for simply anyone. Potential candidates with sure forms of felony convictions might be barred from driving. That may embody these awaiting trial for critical offenses. Individuals with restrictions on their driving license or a historical past of latest driving violations additionally danger being excluded.

3. Acquire the required paperwork

Potential drivers have to add their driver’s license, car registration and proof of insurance coverage. Uber additionally asks for extra proof of residency at your handle past your driver’s license. To streamline the applying course of, get hold of these documents earlier than beginning an utility.

FYI: Your rideshare driving utility would require you to submit your driver’s license, proof of insurance coverage and car registration. Uber requires further proof of residency.

How Worthwhile Is It to Be an Uber Driver?

How a lot you’ll earn as an Uber driver will depend upon just a few apparent elements, like the place you reside and what number of hours you possibly can work.

In a high-demand metropolis like San Francisco, even part-time driving may be worthwhile.

However in much less common areas (and at much less common hours), you would possibly end up ready round an excessive amount of.

In line with one study of New York City Uber drivers, the median gross revenue was $21.85 per hour.

However this gross revenue dropped to an precise hourly price of $13.56 after taking bills under consideration.

It’s a must to think about the price of gasoline and different car bills in order for you an correct estimate of income.

Among the foremost elements that have an effect on Uber income embody:

• The situation you may be driving in
• The variety of hours you’re employed
• Which hours you’re employed (peak instances equals extra money)
• Fuel and car upkeep prices
• Automobile rental prices if you don’t personal a automotive
• The price of auto insurance coverage in your space

Some folks additionally work as a Lyft driver and an Uber driver at the same time to assist enhance their income.

In the end, you’ll have to calculate your state of affairs and resolve whether or not or not it’s value it to drive for Uber.

Hopefully, these elements will provide help to to calculate your potential earnings.

Steered Learn: How A lot do Uber Drivers Make?

FAQs About Driving for Uber

Q: Security: How Does Uber Handle Security Considerations for Each Drivers and Riders?

A: As a result of nature of Uber’s mannequin, there may be some hesitation with regards to utilizing the platform, for each drivers and riders. Among the safety options out there for drivers embody:

• Easy accessibility to emergency help by means of the app
• “Observe My Experience” which lets you share your whereabouts together with your family and friends to allow them to monitor your journeys in real-time.
• GPS monitoring of all of your journeys, making it simple to drag up info ought to something occur when you’re on the highway
• Driver and rider scores. If a rider shows unacceptable habits that you simply really feel it is best to warn fellow drivers about, you’re all the time in a position to report your expertise by means of scores and thru Uber’s simple customer support functionalities.
• Trusted insurance coverage suppliers assist you to confidently insure your car for your online business makes use of.

Q: What are one of the best practices for choosing up a rider?

A: When you’ve accepted the journey, a rider’s particular location might be indicated with an arrow. If you happen to anticipate that your rider might be troublesome to seek out, chances are you’ll wish to contact your rider and request that they use the Highlight characteristic, which lets you simply see an illuminated shade that’s particular to your experience.

Different suggestions to make sure an amazing rider expertise is to choose them up on the aspect of the highway on which they’re ready, making it a seamless expertise proper from the beginning. As soon as the rider approaches your car, it’s best apply to greet them by title to substantiate that they’re the right driver. As soon as inside your car, permit them to get settled and buckled in earlier than beginning to drive. From there, begin a pleasant dialog and make the shopper expertise nearly as good as doable!

Q: I can’t discover my rider, what do I do?

A: The usual wait time for a rider to satisfy you on the indicated vacation spot is 5 minutes (much less for UberPOOL rides). In case you are unable to seek out or talk together with your rider, you possibly can cancel the journey. At this level, the rider might be charged a cancellation charge which is then paid out to you to accommodate to your time spent ready.

Q: Can I carry another person together with me whereas I’m on-line and accepting Uber journey requests?

A: As a part of Uber’s dedication to rider and driver security, drivers will not be allowed to produce other passengers within the car moreover the official Uber rider(s).

Q: I really feel a lot safer when I’ve a video digital camera or sprint digital camera put in. Is that this allowed whereas driving for Uber?

A: So long as your metropolis’s legal guidelines permit this, you might be permitted to put in and actively use a video recording gadget in your car whereas on-line and driving with Uber.

Q: I’ve gotten in an accident whereas on a visit with a rider. What ought to I do?

A: There are three primary steps to observe for those who’ve been in an accident whereas finishing a visit with an Uber passenger:

1. Test the security and wellbeing of your self and your passenger(s)
2. If the state of affairs requires it, contact the police and ambulance.
3. Notify Uber when an accident has occurred. You are able to do this by means of the Journey Points tab within the Uber app.

Q: I’ve moved and wish to drive in a distinct metropolis. Is that this doable?

A: Since your Uber driver utility is accepted based mostly on the town that you simply indicated throughout your utility, your new metropolis implies that you’ll have to make some changes and reapply beneath the brand new circumstances. Fortunately, although, you don’t need to undergo your entire course of yet again. As an alternative, head to Uber here and request a change to your account and submit for overview.

Car Inspection Necessities

So as to drive for Uber, your car should endure a radical inspection. Uber has automotive inspection websites throughout the states – known as Uber Greenlight locations – however it additionally companions with Jiffy Lube (113 Kain Avenue, Ottawa, IL) and Midas (4224 Mahoney Drive, Peru, IL), so you will get your car inspection close by.  Earlier than your car qualifies for Uber service, an inspection should present that it has 5 seats and seatbelts, home windows which can be in good working order, and air con. The inspection can even embody checks in your lights, brakes, steering, horn, speedometer, tires, and bumpers. 

When you meet the driving force and car necessities and move the car inspection, you may be nicely in your solution to turning into an Uber driver.

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