Seven Steps to Become a Better Rideshare Driver
Many times, improving your rideshare driving involves statistics, surge pricings, and spreadsheets. But sometimes the biggest improvements come from most basic changes, like what you eat and how much you sleep. We’ve compiled a list of 7 tips that will not only benefit you but your passengers as well. Whether you’ve been driving for 3 years or 3 days, these tips are bound to help.
1. Make a caffeine schedule for your day
While caffeine might be a necessity to many people, it comes with a few downsides. It costs money and time to make coffee stops a few times a day and it increases the times you need to go to the bathroom, which also eats into your drive time.
If you rely on caffeine, try bringing a cup of coffee with you whenever you start, and have some bottled coffee or caffeinated tea for later in your shift. This will prevent the need to stop at a Starbucks every so often. There isn’t much you can do to solve the need to go to the restroom constantly, other than drinking less caffeine. If this isn’t an option, it helps to know where the public restrooms are around town.
2. Take walks during your breaks
Most rideshare drivers will take breaks while they’re driving. This is encouraged because it lets your brain take a rest from constantly staying alert. If you park and take a short walk during your breaks, it’ll help you recharge. Also, you can stretch your legs and take a break from staring at your phone and you can scout out all the clubs/bars and their parking to see if there will be high demand thus late-night surges around those places.
3. Get a phone connector for passengers
As a rideshare driver, you not only provide passengers with a ride, but also an experience. Your passengers will appreciate the ability for them to play their own music. This is especially important if you’re driving large groups around at night. Whether it’s an aux cord or a Bluetooth hookup, you can’t go wrong and your passengers will be thankful.
4. Bring healthy snacks
Healthy snacks bring two benefits. They’ll provide you with more energy and help you feel fuller for longer, and they’ll also save money because they’ll eliminate the need to eat out during your driving shift. If you look forward to fast food breaks throughout your shift, instead think about taking a break to eat your prepared food. Most drivers have found that when they start to eat not what they crave but what makes them feel best, they enjoy driving a lot more and they can go for longer.
5. Reduce your driving during breaks
As a driver, you know that you’ll run into some lag time in between rides. Instead of driving around to get food, find riders, or to alleviate boredom, turn off your car instead. This will save you gas/mileage and add to your earnings. Plus, you can use that time to get out of your car and stretch your legs. As an added benefit, you can use this time to optimize your earnings - use your down time to track how many rides you receive in various locations, and plan where to take your next shifts.
6. Sleep 8 hours a night
The more you sleep, the better you’ll feel while driving. You’ll have more energy to last you through your shift so you can reach your goal earnings. You’ll also stay more alert, which decreases your risk of accidents. Getting into an accident can be a huge drain on your wallet and is easily prevented by sleeping a good amount. If you drive at night (something almost all drivers do), this 8-hour goal becomes harder to reach. Instead of driving two nights in a row, split them up and mix in some day or evening driving; you’ll be much more alert if you can get 8 restful hours every other day.
7. Get good shoes
If you’re going from brake to accelerator to brake to accelerator, chances are your ankles are going to feel it. This can be remedied with a good pair of tennis shoes that have support in the right places. Wearing the right shoes will cut down on the pain and discomfort and propel you to higher earnings.
These tips won’t tell you where to find the best surges, what to say to get a good rating, or how to increase your ride count. However, they’ll make your time while driving much more enjoyable. They remind you to remember the basic things that keep us feeling good and comfortable. In order to take your driving to the next level, integrate a few of these into your routine and let us know how it goes in the comments!
