Campbell - Rideshare Guide: Everything You Need to Know about Driving for Uber, Lyft and Other Ridesharing Companies

Copyright 2018 by Harry Campbell

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without the express written consent of the publisher, except in the case of brief excerpts in critical reviews or articles. All inquiries should be addressed to Skyhorse Publishing, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018.

Skyhorse Publishing books may be purchased in bulk at special discounts for sales promotion, corporate gifts, fund-raising, or educational purposes. Special editions can also be created to specifications. For details, contact the Special Sales Department, Skyhorse Publishing, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018 or .

Skyhorse and Skyhorse Publishing are registered trademarks of Skyhorse Publishing, Inc., a Delaware corporation.

Visit our website at www.skyhorsepublishing.com.

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.

Cover design by Rain Saukas

Cover photo credit Harry Campbell

ISBN: 978-1-5107-3531-6

Ebook ISBN: 978-1-5107-3532-3

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

I'd like to thank my readers and fans for their support over the years. I dont know that Ive made a huge impact on their lives but Ive enjoyed running a profitable business that is based on helping others. My hope is that this book inspires others to do more of the same.

And thanks to my wife (who will probably never read this book), my newborn son, my team at The Rideshare Guy, and Skyhorse Publishing. They all work together to help me look better than I actually am.

Harry

Introduction

Why drive for Uber or Lyft?

I T WASN T THAT LONG AGO that Uber and Lyft were niche rideshare services for techies in San Francisco, and the thought of hitching a ride with a stranger was completely foreign. But once passengers got a taste of hailing rides from their smartphones, paying with a credit card, and rating their driver, they were hooked! The stark contrast of rideshare from the more traditional taxi experience turned average consumers into raving fans. Best of all, these rides were way cheaper than a taxi.

Over the past few years, Uber and its main competitor, Lyft, have exploded onto the scene. Lyft focuses on the United States while Uber is in hundreds of cities worldwide, but both services are still growing rapidly. According to a Pew Research study in 2016, have already heard of Uber and the company is now expanding into other verticals like food delivery, packages, and even UberAir.

But buried beneath all the flashy technology and explosive growth is an army of drivers who keeps these services moving. Uber currently has over two million drivers The rapid growth has created a ton of employment opportunities, but theres also a void in training and information because the industry is so new. Nobody grew up thinking theyd be an Uber driver someday because the company didnt even exist a decade ago! Ill help fill that void with this book.

Whenever I talk to drivers about why they work for Uber, two themes consistently come up. The first thing that drivers care about is pay because, well, everyone cares about how much they get paid, right? After pay, drivers care deeply about the flexibility that comes with driving for Uber and Lyft, and thats what makes this job so unique.

Ive worked all sorts of jobs in my life but it wasnt until I started driving with Uber and Lyft that I got my first sign-up bonus for starting a new job. Sign-up bonuses can vary by city but usually the bigger the city, the higher the bonus. Both Uber and Lyft routinely offer bonuses (or guaranteed earnings) of hundreds of dollars in major cities like New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco and if youre a new driver, its something that well teach you how to take advantage of in .

Unlike other jobs, as a rideshare driver youll see a direct correlation between how hard you work and how much money you make. If you wake up one day and realize you need to drive twelve hours to pay off a bill, you can do just that. But while you can always work more hours, a lot of the strategies and topics we cover in this book will help you work smarter, not harder. In fact, there are a whole host of applications, tools, and strategies that you will be able to apply that will help you outearn your fellow driver.

Most outsiders dont realize how flexible working for Uber can be. Uber uses marketing slogans like Be Your Own Boss and The Ultimate Side Hustle and for the most part, those sayings are true. Theres no set schedule with Uber or Lyft, so whenever you want to drive, all you have to do is log on to the app and work for as long or as short as you want.

Drivers can also set destinations in order to get rides only headed in a specific direction, making it feasible to do a couple Uber rides on your way to work every morning. If your boss is strict, you can even set an arrival time to guarantee that youll be at your final destination on time. Lyft has a similar feature called Driver Destinations; the competition between the two rideshare giants often means that these companies are constantly fighting over drivers and appropriating each others best ideas.

This flexibility makes it desirable for a lot of people and frankly, I cant think of another job that comes even close in this department for both time and money. In 2016, Uber launched a new feature called Instant Pay that allows drivers to instantly cash out their earnings to their bank account as often as theyd like for a nominal fee. Lyft has a similar feature called Express Pay.

Being your own boss is great since you can work whenever you want and as much or as little as you want, but it also means that youre responsible for things like expenses, tracking your mileage, diversifying your income sources, getting adequate rideshare insurance, and thinking about potential liability issues. While that may sound like a lot of work, this guide will help you with everything you need for the journey.

Ive been driving for Uber and Lyft since 2014 (which makes me really old in rideshare years!) but Ive learned a ton about what it takes to be successful at this gig and how to make it worthwhile. In this book, youll learn exactly what you need to get started and I will share all the tips, tricks, and secrets of the trade to help you earn more while on the road.

I wont ever tell you that you should or shouldnt do this job, but I am going to present the factsfacts based off real-life driving experience and facts based off tens of thousands of interactions with real-life drivers. Ive heard it all when it comes to being an Uber or Lyft driver, and I firmly believe that anyone who is motivated to learn this new industry and new line of work will be successful.

So if youre ready, lets hit the road!

.

.

Whats it really like to be a rideshare driver?

I STILL REMEMBER MY FIRST ride as an Uber passenger all the way back in 2013. My driver was telling me about all the fun drunks he was picking up and, most importantly, how he was making a ton of money for a job that was actually pretty fun. That first driver I took a ride with had nothing but good things to say about the company and since my real job at the time had me working all day in a cubicle, getting paid to drive people around and talk to them sounded like a no-brainer.

Now, a lot of you might be wondering How hard could it be to drive for Uber? To be fair, thats usually the first question people ask when I tell them I run a blog that helps Uber and Lyft drivers. My answer to that question is simple: Being an Uber driver isnt rocket science, but it is a little harder than it looks. While most of us know how to drive a car, once you start to involve other people, a ratings system, and alcohol, things get a bit more challenging. Driving for hire is the ultimate combination of customer service, safe driving, navigation, and strategy.