Tips to earn more in Rideshare - Do What the Pros Do!
We want to help you succeed and so we interviewed successful Animo members. We're highlighting tips and tricks from one of our successful members today in order to help improve everyone's rideshare and delivery knowledge!
Meet Animo Member: Keuana W.
Today's tips are brought to you thanks to Keuana, an Animo member and rideshare pro! She's here to share tips on how to earn as much as possible (and her advice is valuable whether you're a new or veteran driver).
Who she is:
Keuana is an experienced Uber driver of almost two years. She started driving Uber part-time after leaving her accounting job and has since gone full-time. She has also introduced Uber to both her sister and her cousin. Today she is sharing some of the tips she uses to earn over $1,000 a week after Uber and Animo fees!
Why she loves Animo:
Keuana turned to Uber when her primary rideshare vehicle, a Toyota Prius, was involved a bad accident. Her other car, a Lexus, was too expensive with all the out-of-pocket costs to use for rideshare. She looked around for the most flexible option that would allow her to keep driving and found Animo!
Tips to earn more in rideshare - what the Pros do!
Lesson 1: Schedule Yourself For Success
Demand for rideshare services ebbs and flows throughout the week. Keuana sets a loose weekly schedule for herself that aims to take advantage of the peaks and valleys. She doesn’t drive all these hours, but says they’re the windows of time she typically aims to drive.
Monday-Wednesday, 1am-11am
Thursday-Sunday. 3:30pm-4:30am
→ Keuana’s tip: Keuana brings a blanket with her for her shifts, and uses it to stay warm when she pulls over for a quick power nap!
Lesson 2: Earn Big During Events & Holidays
There is one major reason Keuana says she shifts her schedule: Events. She keeps track of concerts and big events and adjusts her hours to take advantage of the surges that often accompany them. She also always plans to work the big holidays because that’s when there is tons of demand, and often not as many rideshare drivers working.
→ Keuana’s tip: Passengers often have helpful knowledge about lesser-publicized events like trade shows and conferences. Network with them! Find out when they plan to leave the event for an inside track on potential future surges. On some occasions Keuana has earned over $300 from just one trip thanks to surge pricing when an event lets out!
Lesson 3: Location, Location, Location
Through lots of trial and error, Keuana has learned where pickups are more likely to lead to long trips versus short trips, and uses this intel to maximize her earnings. For example, she generally steers clear of Beverly Hills because the rides are usually short and not as profitable. She changes her strategy, though, when being offered a guaranteed hourly rate by Uber, which has a minimum per hour requirement for rides. In that case, B.H. is a great option for easy rides.
→ Keuana’s tip: Head to Downtown L.A. or Santa Monica for longer trips. Keuana finds passengers in these locations tend to be going across town. Though, she notes, that’s a general trend - it’s still luck of the draw with each individual passenger.
Lesson 4: Take Off from LAX ... Sometimes
LAX is an easy place to find passengers, but it’s not always worth the wait. Keuana says she’s had most success when there are big events, trade shows and conferences for out-of-town visitors. In those cases, there are plenty of rides to go around and she plans her schedule to maximize her earnings. She often drops off a passenger, turns her Uber driver app off, and returns to the airport. Rinse and repeat.
→ Keuana’s tip: When there are large events with lots of out of town guests, head to the airport the day prior to the event to catch high demand, and definitely plan to be at the event when it lets out. Keuana says she often catches 4-6x surges!
Lesson 5: Know When to Fold
Keauna says one of her biggest lessons learned is to know when to call it a day. If demand is light and she isn’t making money, she goes home instead of staying out on the road. “You have to think strategically about how to make money, not spend time out there losing money,” she advises.
Animo members, we want to hear from you! Let us know if this lesson was useful to you by emailing us at tips@driveanimo.com.
