Working Smarter

How hard are you working for that cash?

Everyone has heard the cliche, work smarter not harder.  With Uber that is absolutely true. You can go crazy chasing 1 mile (minimum) fares all over town OR you can be smart and take advantage of all the good advice that other drivers have to offer.

Some of the tips shared in our (Wichita KS) group:

• Order the Uber business cards & give them out! It's always a pleasant surprise to see an extra $5 here or there on weekly statements. I know one driver went door to door in his neighborhood and passed them out.  I am always giving them to passengers in the car who are riding on a friend's account - don't assume that just because they are in your car they have the app!
  
• Don't accept fares more than 10 minutes away unless you're certain it will pay off.  In our city there are certain areas we know will be a good fare because they are coming to city center from a suburb area.  Those are worth the drive out.  Others in city are not always a sure thing because of the nightclub district and etc.
  
• Be a 5 star driver - know when to chat and when to be quite. Accommodate the passenger requests as much as possible like when they ask for an extra stop on the way to the destination.  It's easy to provide a few extras in the car as well, just in case.  All of this leads to tips.
  
• Speaking of tips - it's okay to put a sign in the car "tips appreciated." Drivers in our area unanimously noticed an increase when they have a polite sign letting customers know it's not included in the fare.
  
• Know when the city is most likely to surge and where the surge area will be.  An easy answer is bar closing although that's not every driver's favorite time to be on the road.  Other common surge times:  rush hour in the morning or evening and big events like festivals.

Another way to work smarter is to use a reservation app.  UZURV is launching in cities across the United States as a way for passengers to actually reserve an Uber in advance and be able to choose their favorite driver. How often have you heard passengers asking if you can be somewhere at a certain time or can they get you again by request?  

Work Smarter

UZURV let's Uber drivers work smarter in a couple of ways.  First, you can let your favorite passengers know how to get you by request.  There are many passengers who use Uber daily, like the lady I take to dialysis - she would love to have me  time 3 times a week but I only see her sporadically.   With UZURV she can reserve an Uber in advance and choose me to take her.  With several passengers like this I can easily fill a day with pre-scheduled rides.

Secondly, the UZURV allows passengers to provide an added "incentive" or tip in advance. This is great because you know upfront what you will earn in addition to the fare. Have a passenger who needs a ride every morning but it's only a mile?  Guess what! Now he is going to tip in advance and you can kiss that min fare good-bye.

You can also get UZURV biz cards to give to passengers so they will have the details to sign up.

With Uber cutting rates it's really all about how you're going to run your business. Get organized, work with the local community, and support each other.  Don't leave money on the table!

Click here to contact me with your questions :)