Author Archives: Sam Rizvi

Top 10 Questions Uber Drivers Get Asked

Uber Driver Now - Complete Guide for Uber Drivers and Riders Posted on by

I’m sure existing Uber drivers can relate to this list of questions that we get asked as Uber drivers on a regular basis by the riders. We all have repeated the same answers over and over again, so much so that they are etched in our memory. This isn’t a complaint article or anything. Just wanted to share and get feedback from other drivers as to which questions they get asked most often.

Uber has become such an integral part of our lives that it has become a verb in our vocabulary. “I’ll just Uber there,” is something we all have said. The ubiquitous nature of Uber has also given birth to certain questions that the drivers get asked on a very regular basis every day by the Uber riders. It is just funny how often we get asked these questions and what our responses are to them. The following are the top 10 questions we get asked as Uber drivers.

10. How much do you make driving for Uber?

Uber riders love asking this question. Everyone has someone in their family or have a friend that driver for Uber. And it is a generally accepted fact that Uber drivers make a lot of money. Now that is completely relative since not all Uber drivers are as passionate about driving for Uber as others might be. Some drive 10 hours a day and make anywhere from $250 to $300 a day. While others might just drive for 3 hours a day and only make $40 to $60 a day. So it all depends.

9. What’s the gas mileage on this car?

This question is most commonly asked by Uber riders when they sit in a hybrid car, especially if it is a Toyota Prius, which is basically the Uber mascot. A lot of a people have never sat in a Toyota Prius before and one of the first things they ask is, “so what kind of gas mileage do you get from this car?” Since I drive a Toyota Prius, I love seeing the look on their faces when I tell them I get an average of 50 miles per gallon. And then they have to share that they have an American muscle car or a big truck that only gives them 15 miles per gallon or less.

8. How do you like driving for Uber?

A lot of people have, at one point or another, considered signing up for Uber since it is such an easy process and a lot of people don’t mind driving their cars. I mean we all drive every day anyway. So why not drive for money? A lot of those Uber riders who are considering driving for Uber will ask the drivers how they like driving for Uber? It is a very smart way of getting second-hand knowledge from someone with first-hand experience before they make their decision to sign up. Of course, all Uber drivers love driving for Uber whether they drive for 2 hours on the weekend only or drive 8 hours a day every day.

7. When did you start driving today?

A lot of Uber drivers are out on the streets. Some wake up really early to take advantage of the morning work commutes. Some like to drive during rush hour home commutes. While some like to drive in the middle of the night and pick up people coming out of bars or clubs on the weekends or the people going to the airport at odd hours. You can literally choose any hour from a 24 hour day to drive for Uber. So naturally, Uber drivers get asked quite often as to when they started their shift that day.

6. How long have you been driving for Uber?

This is another common question inquisitive riders like to ask their drivers. Uber came into popular culture about a little over 3 years ago. There used to be Sidecar and Uber. Lyft came out a bit later, or at least became popular later. Some Uber drivers have been driving ever since Uber first came out. But there is so much demand for Uber that there are Uber drivers signing up every day. Uber is an international company which operates in almost every major city in the world. You basically need as many drivers as there are riders requesting Uber. And there are also quite a lot of people who sign up to drive for Uber but might stop either because they got a full-time job or just don’t want to drive anymore.

5. Where are you from?

Now this is one of the top 5 questions that Uber drivers get asked especially if they look exotic, meaning non-Caucasian. However, this question has multiple intentions depending on who is asking you. Some people are just curious to know where you are from because you either have a slight accent, a really strong accent or just look like you are not white. While some people unfortunately are just plain racist and want to ask you this question in an offensive tone. In any case, the best way to answer is truthfully, unless you just picked up a gang of white supremacist skinheads and their destination is the KKK rally in the boonies. Then you can say you are the great great grandchild of Hitler, or whatever it takes to escape being sacrificed.

4. Do you do anything else besides Uber?

Most Uber drivers drive for Uber on the side as a part-time gig, while there are certainly others that drive full-time as their primary source of income. Some have even quit their full-time day jobs to drive for Uber because they make more money driving for Uber than they ever have working full-time at their jobs. A lot of Uber drivers are also entrepreneurs, or freelancers. Of course, not everyone likes to drive and not everyone is good at it either. So it definitely requires that you do not hate driving and are willing to drive strangers around in your personal car. However, once people sign up to drive for Uber, they usually get hooked and really end up enjoying it. Every day is a new adventure. You just don’t know who you will pick up and where you will end up going that day. That’s one of the best perks of driving for Uber for me personally. So it’s only natural for Uber riders to ask their drivers if they do anything else besides Uber.

3. Has anyone puked in your car?

This is definitely one of the top 3 questions people ask their Uber drivers. Yes it is very possible that when you are driving on the weekend after midnight or 1 am, you might pick up some really drunk people. Most drunk people are aware of what is going on, while there will be some that have no idea who you are or where you are taking them. And then there will be that one person (God forbid) who might even puke in your car. I must admit that it has never happened to me personally maybe because I hardly ever drive past midnight on the weekends. But it is a possibility. Luckily, Uber will reimburse you for it. All you have to do is take pictures of the damage and upload them in the Help message to Uber. You will then be reimbursed for the cleaning fee that you incurred or will incur. Also keep plastic bags handy just in case you can hand it over to the sick person on time, and they puke inside them only.

2. What’s the worst Uber experience you have had?

The number 2 question that you get asked as an Uber driver is about the worst experience you have ever had driving for Uber. Surprise surprise! People like drama. And everyone who has ever worked in the customer service realm will have some interesting stories of their own. People are interesting. Human behavior is one of the most unpredictable of all things in this Universe. Hence, the more you drive for Uber, the more interesting stories you will have to tell. Great material for conversation I tell you. So yes, there will be drunk people and flirtatious people and funny people and angry people and sad people and ecstatic people…just all sorts of people. Hopefully you have a dash cam installed so you can have a record of your most interesting experience. But if I was to ask that same question, I would rephrase it as: “what is the most interesting experience you’ve had driving for Uber?”

1. What’s the farthest you’ve driven on a ride?

Tada!!! And the number 1 most frequently asked question is what the farthest an Uber ride has taken you. Personally, my farthest ride was to San Diego, CA from Duarte, CA which was approximately 130 miles and it took me 2.5 hours. It was a weekday and I picked up a young couple visiting from Massachusetts and before they sat in my car they asked me if I would take them to San Diego. You don’t see the passenger’s destination until they sit in the car and you slide the Start Trip slider. So they just wanted to make sure because another Uber driver could have simply said no and would have asked the couple to request another ride/driver. I made $113 on the ride and was done for the day. I am waiting for the day when I have to take someone to Vegas. I would make as much money as I would usually make in 2 days. And I would simply spend the night and Vegas and come back the next day. Might even gamble a little of it to try my luck 😉

Are you already an Uber rider or Uber driver? Have you asked or been asked the above questions? If not, share with us in the comments section below which ones you ask your Uber drivers (if you’re a rider) or which ones you get asked (if you’re a driver).

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The Do’s and Don’ts of Being an Uber Driver

Uber Driver Now - Complete Guide for Uber Drivers and Riders Posted on by

Please don’t be a dirty, smelly, rapist, pervert, serial killer and pick people up in your filthy Uber car…and you’ve already got a 4.9 star rating. The other 0.1 is just saying “hi, “goodnight” and treating your passengers with respect.

If you have ever been an Uber rider, you have an idea of how each Uber driver is unique in their own way. Some are chatty, while some are quiet. Some are very friendly, while some can be even rude. Some smell funny, while some overuse cologne. And the same goes for Uber riders. We are all unique individuals with identifiable traits, behaviors and all sorts of mannerisms. It is our differences that make us all interesting. And we must be tolerant and understanding of each other. There must be a mutual respect between the Uber drivers and their riders. That being said, there are certain things that Uber drivers should and should not do while being on the job.

The Dos

When you accept an Uber trip request, start driving ASAP

When an Uber rider opens up their Uber app to request a ride, they are given an estimated ETA of the Uber driver to their current location. The rider can see the Uber driver’s current location on a map with a small image of a car that moves as the driver drives towards the pickup location. Imagine how frustrating it would be if you were the Uber rider and you had just requested an Uber to pick you up, but the little car on the map was not moving for 5 minutes. Some riders just request the trip and put their phone away. But some of the riders are in a hurry and may need to be picked up ASAP. Those are the ones that will either cancel the trip after a few minutes of seeing a stagnant Uber car on the map, or will end up having to call you and ask you where you are and why you aren’t moving. So lets save each other the frustration and just be punctual and efficient so both the Uber riders and drivers have a pleasant and smooth experience.

Keep your car clean

No one wants to sit in a dirty, filthy car with used snot tissues on the floor, old fries from a week ago stuck half-way in the seams of the car seat, cigarette ash sprinkled all over the interior, stains on the car seat from God only knows what, dried up mud or dog poop on the floor mats, dirty articles of clothing, etc., etc. (you get the idea). After all, you are supposed to provide a safe and comfortable ride to your Uber rider/passenger in a clean car that doesn’t gross them out especially since they are paying for this service. So please try to get a car wash every week (especially if you drive full-time for Uber), vacuum the car’s interior, wipe off your car seats regularly with a damp washcloth or towel, use a duster to wipe of any dust on the dashboard and center console, and keep an air freshener to keep your car smelling fresh for anyone who enters your vehicle.

Take care of your personal hygiene

  • That means brush your teeth (and tongue) everyday – trust me, there are people that don’t…imagine THAT!
  • Take a shower every now and then
  • Use deodorant/antiperspirant under your arm pits after taking a shower so you don’t smell of bad B.O. after driving in the hot weather for a few hours
  • Wear clean clothes and not the ones you wear when you are painting your aunt’s basement
  • Do not wear a handful of your favorite cologne splashed all over your face and clothes (not everyone likes to suffocate with the smell of Brut Classic violating their nostrils when all they want to smell is NOTHING)
  • Cut your nails – no one wants to see the little pinky nail grown out so you can use it to pick your nose and ears
  • Oh and please don’t pick your nose, or ears, or butt with your rider/passenger sitting 2 feet away

Be friendly and respectful to your passenger

We all as human beings expect to be respected for who we are and treated equally no matter our age, gender, race, culture, ethnic background, mother tongue, skin color, eye color, hair color, body weight, political views, religious views or spiritual views. Therefore, always be friendly and respectful to your Uber riders/passengers and provide the best level of customer service that you expect to receive when you are paying for a service.

Be alert and attentive

Make sure you get enough sleep every night so you are fresh and fully awake before you go online on the Uber driver app. The last thing you want to do is fall asleep on the wheel and put your life, your passenger’s life and the lives of others at stake. Pay close attention to all the traffic signs and follow the rules of the road. You will need to be able to multitask as an Uber driver because you will be driving, looking at your Google maps or Waze app, keeping your eyes on the road and conversing with your Uber rider/passenger. With time, you will be able to do all those things while being safe and not missing a single turn. Be safe.

Drive smoothly and safely

Ok so you are a hardcore gamer when you are not driving for Uber. But please don’t take real life for a video game. You are not Vin Diesel in one of the gazillion Fast and The Furious movies chasing after or racing a bad guy in your pimped up ride. You should accelerate and brake smoothly, with both your hands on the steering wheel at all times if possible. Drive your car as if you had your 70 year old mother in the backseat holding your 5 month old baby in her arms. That way you will be the safest driver on the road. Remember, you not only have to care for your own life, but also the precious life of your cargo.

Greet the riders as they sit in your car

As soon as the rider opens your door and sits in your car, say hi or hello to them. Address them with their name and ask them how they are. That’s all you have to do. It takes 3 seconds. But it makes all the difference in the world. And when you arrive at the rider’s destination, bid them farewell by saying: have a nice day/afternoon/evening/night. Even if you don’t talk for the rest of the ride, just greeting them and bidding farewell to them will be enough for your rider to give you a 5 star – as long as you didn’t drive like a maniac and got them to their destination on time and in one piece.

Confirm the name of the rider and their destination

Many a times the wrong person will sit in your car for whom the Uber ride was not intended. The riders will see your Uber decal and assume you are there for them and they will often just open the passenger door and sit inside. Therefore, make sure that as soon as they open the door, you should ask if they are [insert User rider’s name here]. Upon confirmation of their name, slide the Start Trip slider on the Uber driver app and then confirm their destination. As soon as they confirm, you can begin to drive. A lot of the times, other people request Uber rides for their friends, family and significant others.

So the best way for you to phrase your identity confirmation question is, for example: “hello, is this ride for John Smith?” The rider will then reply with either a yes or explain that John actually called the ride for them. Just please don’t pick up Joe instead of John without confirming and end up taking Joe to John’s contemptuous mother-in-law’s house. No one deserves such a cruel punishment!

Carry a pepper spray or Taser

I must admit that in my 10 months of driving for Uber and having completed over 1500 rides, I have only had 3 bad apples as my riders. That is a pretty good percentage of good people in this world. One was a passed out drunk dumped in the backseat of my car by his friends to be taken to his home who wouldn’t wake up upon arriving at his destination. One was a drunk woman dumped in the backseat by her friends at a bar to be taken back to her house. Last, but not least, there was this one rude girl who was just a disrespectful person. Like I said, that is a pretty good ratio of good versus evil.

Now I’m not going to lie and say that you will not get any weirdos as passengers, because you will. But for those rare instances, you should protect yourself by carrying either a pepper spray or even a taser, if you can afford one. Pepper sprays, however, are small and inexpensive. I must also admit that I do not carry either of those devices. But that’s because maybe I like to believe that my self-defense is my kindness, which can diffuse the majority of undesirable situations. If all else fails, just get out of your car, find a safe place to protect yourself and call 911.

Anyway, enough of all this serious talk. Lets talk about the fun stuff.

The Don’ts

Do not park half a mile away from your pickup location

This point is pretty self-explanatory. The general rule of thumb is to just follow your Google Maps or Waze directions since the Uber driver app is pretty well-integrated with those navigation apps. They will usually get you exactly to where the rider is, represented by the drop-pin on the Uber driver app. Unfortunately however, navigational technology isn’t really up to par with the 21st century and there will be times when the rider might not be exactly where the drop-pin is showing in the Uber driver app. So what I like to do is drive and park at the exact street address indicated in the Uber driver app, even if Google or Waze thinks I’ll be closest to the drop-pin if I go in the back alley. So be mindful of that because Google and Waze does try to get you to the back of houses and buildings more too often.

Do not call or text the rider unnecessarily

If you have waited for 5 minutes and the rider hasn’t shown up, or you are confused about the exact location of the rider, go ahead and text or call the rider. The riders don’t mind at all. But don’t unnecessarily call or text multiple times before even reaching their pickup location. As for Uber Pool rides, you can safely call them after 2 minutes are over, before cancelling the trip for a no-show.

Do not make or answer personal calls during a trip

It is not only rude to answer your phone calls while driving the rider to their destination, but is also unsafe since it will distract you from paying attention to the road ahead of you or the navigational directions being shown on your phone.

Do not fart

This goes without saying people! For God’s sake, all Uber drivers and Uber riders…please do not release your flatulence into the atmosphere of the enclosed cabin of the vehicle. It is extremely disgusting and rude and disrespectful and wrong on so many levels. Yes that also goes for Uber riders because it has happened to me as an Uber driver. How can you, as a decent human being, sit in someone else’s car and fart away? I mean I can understand if you have a medical condition and warn me beforehand so I can lower my windows down and turn off the AC…or wear a gas mask.

Do not drink alcohol or smoke weed

Again people of the Planet Earth…it is NOT OK to bring in your intoxicants into the Uber car and start chugging away at your whisky straight from the bottle, or pull out your weed pipe and start toking from it, or light a cigarette. This goes for both the Uber drivers as well as the riders.

Do not talk to your rider when you have noticed they are non-responsive or quiet

This is a big reason why Uber drivers get rated anything other than a 5 star rating. When you have greeted the passenger, they have sat in your car and you have started driving them to their destination, if you ask them how their day was and they reply only with “good,” “fine,” or an “ok” with no leading question asking you the same thing, that should give you an idea that the person doesn’t really want to talk. So just keep quiet and speak only if they speak to you. Sometimes the riders won’t even reply to a “hi” or a “hello.” Those people deserve a zero star if there was that option.

Do not ask personal questions

Do not ask the riders who their God is. Do not ask them who they voted for in the elections. Do not ask them any personal questions like that, unless they ask you first and you are comfortable enough to reply and take part in such conversations. Otherwise, a good general rule of thumb is just stay out of such personal questions.

Do not flirt with the rider/passenger

Yes it is very exciting when you start driving for Uber and a really beautiful and sexy girl sits in your car. But just because you are giving her a ride doesn’t give you the right to flirt with her. She is not standing next to you in a bar. Your Uber car is a professional work environment. You must respect the people who you are giving rides to and vice versa. Then again, if she is flirting with you (you lucky bastard), you can smile and respond in a positive manner making sure you don’t offend her. After all, we are all social animals.

Do not try to touch the Uber rider in any circumstance unless they want to shake your hand

This is also a BIG no no! There is nothing more inappropriate then touching your Uber rider in any way unless they want to shake your hand. The Uber rider has every right to sue you for sexual harassment or physical assault if you touch them in any way other than a handshake.

Do not have your breakfast, lunch or dinner during the trip

You should not eat anything while driving your car, let alone while driving your passenger. It is highly unsafe to do that. You can, however, drink your water, coffee, tea, juice or soda/pop.

Do not shout insults or display road rage if someone cuts you off

We all get agitated and angry when someone cuts us off on the road but we should all exercise restraint and patience and not start honking incessantly or rolling down our window to shout insults or curses at the offending driver…especially not when there is a customer/rider/passenger in your car.

Do not drive like a race car driver or a 98 year old great grandma

You are not playing your favorite street car racing video game on your Xbox or PlayStation. Nor are you a 98 year old great grandmother with cataract in both her eyes driving back from church on a Sunday afternoon. So lets obey the traffic laws, be mindful of the speed limit and drive with the flow of the traffic, making sure you are no more than 5-7 miles over the speed limit on local streets and 7-10 miles over the speed limit on highways (according to my experience in LA). But use your own discretion depending on the driving habits in your city and according to the flow of the traffic. You know you are driving slower than normal when you notice people either start driving too close to your back bumper or start honking or start pulling up next to you and giving you dirty looks. On the other hand, you might be driving too fast if you are zipping past and leaving all cars on the road far, far behind.

Do not accept the rider’s request to do something illegal

No matter how badly you want to be Jason Statham from Transporter or Johnny Depp from Donnie Brasco, do not make drug runs for your Uber rider or help them put in a really heavy body bag in your trunk. Do not allow them to drink alcohol or smoke weed or do any other kinds of drugs in your car either.

Do not accept a rider’s insulting, condescending or disrespectful behavior towards you

Just because you are driving an Uber rider to their destination and they are paying you for it, does not mean that gives them the right to treat you with disrespect and condescension. You are providing them a premium service in your personal car (not a taxi) and there should be mutual respect between the driver and the rider. No one is beneath anyone here or anywhere else. So if someone disrespects you, you have every right to cancel the ride, park the car in a safe place, and ask the rider to exit your vehicle. After you cancel the ride, the Uber rider is technically trespassing in private property and you can call 911 on them, if they refuse to get out or become aggressive or physical.

Do not hit a rider back if they attack you

Hopefully all your rides go smoothly and safely, but in the extremely rare occasion, if a rider gets physical with you and hits you or even tries to hit you, just step out of the car and immediately call 911. Also inform the rider that you have called the cops on them for physically assaulting you. But do not, under any circumstance, hit them back unless you have to fight them off in self-defense.

Do not have your dog, girlfriend or baby in the car while online

Oh yeah…it is definitely not ok to pick your Uber riders with your girlfriend, boyfriend, husband, wife, mistress, dog, cat or pet snake sitting in your car. Your Uber car, while online on your Uber driver app, should only have you in your driver seat and your passengers/riders in the passenger seats.

Happy Driving!

Are you already an Uber rider or Uber driver? Do you have any interesting stories to share as an Uber driver or Uber rider / passenger? Share with us in the comments section below.

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