It’s been a few weeks since my <a href="https://steemit.com/uber/@robmolecule/uberlyfting-routines-entry-1">first entry</a>. I’m still driving but have been doing it a bit less, while still making a similar amount of money. Here are a few more tips and observations on driving for rideshare companies. Keep in mind that these probably apply best to smaller markets. I drive in a city (Buffalo) with a metropolitan regional population of around a million people, and that includes Niagara Falls. ![DSC01168.JPG](https://steemitimages.com/DQmPyjx6kLC8E4XNZcHKG86aHVqpkPSf4LHTcHEto4wvRfA/DSC01168.JPG) <h3><b>Don’t make this a full time job</b></h3> This is not to say it could not be your main job. It’s just that if you think you are doing well driving part time 20 hours a week, you aren’t going to double your pay by working 40 hours a week. Drivers should really get out of this mindset. Despite any push to be treated as an employee, you are still an independent contractor as far as the pay goes. You can pick when you work, so find a balance between what is most profitable and what is the least stressful. Few jobs allow you to pick either of these on your own so use this to your advantage. <h3><b>Sunday mornings can be the best time to drive</b></h3> Friday and Saturday nights are huge money nights. Many drivers work all night Saturday and then sleep in Sunday morning. If you made a bunch of money that night, that makes sense. But if you just went out, worked another job or just didn’t want to deal with late night drunks, Sunday morning is the best opportunity to make easy money without much hassle. Most drivers are sleeping so there is little competition. These are your typical Sunday morning passengers: <ul> <li>People going to church</li> <li>People finding their way back to their cars in the morning - They may be hungover, but that is much better than transporting them when they are drunk the night before.</li> <li>People going to work - They are mostly going to be people going to low-paying jobs, so this is not going to be the people who tip, but they are usually easy to connect with. We are both working Sunday morning. In my city, the buses run less often and don’t go to as many suburban locations. Sunday becomes a big day to rely on ridesharing to get from the city to these suburban workplaces This can mean some fairly decent distances, so it’s fine not getting a tip.</li> <li>People going to brunch - They probably won’t be drunk on the way there, just hungover. You may get a few inebriated brunchers later in the afternoon. But they’re not nearly as bad to deal with as the late night drunks.</li> </ul> I can easily make $20-$25 an hour working anytime between 9am-3pm on Sundays. For a small city like Buffalo, that is worth the time. <h3><b>This is the modern digital age version of hitchhiking</b></h3> This isn’t a tip so much as my thoughts on the fun of ridesharing. I watch a lot of old movies, especially ones from the 60s and 70s. Despite films like <a href=”https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hitch-Hiker”>The Hitch-Hiker (1953)</a>, hitchhiking seems to have just been a normal thing for that generation. It wasn’t until sometime later that people seemed to think every hitchhiker was a potential serial killer. In reality, the hitchhiker had more to fear, since nobody would notice a missing hitchhiker. Most people today have probably never hitchhiked. I have only hitched a couple short rides in my lifetime. I’ve only once picked up a hitchhiker, and that was only because she happened to be going to the same music festival that I was already heading toward. But now ridesharing comes along. Although it costs money, no cash changes hands. For many, this is the closest one comes to the hitchhiking experience of getting in a car with a complete stranger. It’s similar for the driver. I don’t know who this stranger is, getting into my car. <h3><b>Learn how to start conversation (and learn when someone doesn’t want to talk)</b></h3> I really enjoy the conversations, when they happen at least. Not everybody wants to talk. I get that. And there plenty of people I might rather not talk to. I begin every ride with 3 basic questions: <ol> <li>Confirming the name</li> <li>Confirming the destination</li> <li>How is your day/night going?</li> </ol> The answer to the last question can usually give me a good read on whether they want to pursue a conversation. They will usually ask how my day is going. I keep it brief, maybe telling them I just finished working my day job, if that’s the case. If they want to talk they will either divulge more about themselves or ask more about me. If they only give brief answers, I assume they do not want to talk. I’ll leave them be. If they put headphones on, this pretty much confirms they want silence. It also helps to offer the radio or headphone jack so they can play their own music over the car radio. I usually play a playlist of old 40s and 50s R&B. I have only once had someone ask to put something else on. There’s also a balance between being courteous and overextending yourself. I don’t need to offer free drinks and snacks to get tips. Good conversations will result in tips. At the least, it can make the job more enjoyable. <center>[<img src="https://steemitimages.com/DQmarWRv4wXiqPZbmtDCDRTwE5jewDQrG1ATrXcFrTThxht/Gifbanner.gif">](https://steemit.com/qurator/@qurator/qurator-3-0-update-post-guidelines-or-registration-details-or-tier-changes)</center>
post_id | 42,093,043 |
---|---|
author | robmolecule |
permlink | uberlyfting-routines-entry-2 |
category | uber |
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created | 2018-04-04 21:28:24 |
last_update | 2018-04-05 10:55:54 |
depth | 0 |
children | 7 |
net_rshares | 13,896,103,017,839 |
last_payout | 2018-04-11 21:28:24 |
cashout_time | 1969-12-31 23:59:59 |
total_payout_value | 31.885 SBD |
curator_payout_value | 10.201 SBD |
pending_payout_value | 0.000 SBD |
promoted | 0.000 SBD |
body_length | 5,486 |
author_reputation | 25,442,252,331,525 |
root_title | "UberLyfting Routines - Entry #2" |
beneficiaries | [] |
max_accepted_payout | 1,000,000.000 SBD |
percent_steem_dollars | 10,000 |
author_curate_reward | "" |
voter | weight | wgt% | rshares | pct | time |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
gregory-f | 0 | 603,933,540 | 0.25% | ||
coar | 0 | 7,887,012,448 | 100% | ||
pangur-ban | 0 | 20,979,740,534 | 100% | ||
scaredycatguide | 0 | 133,383,813,373 | 100% | ||
sylph | 0 | 21,520,935,135 | 26% | ||
anritco | 0 | 206,829,108,662 | 100% | ||
oleg326756 | 0 | 206,505,946 | 0.17% | ||
assasin | 0 | 18,495,680,470 | 100% | ||
scrooger | 0 | 233,451,783 | 0.12% | ||
jerrybanfield | 0 | 1,617,424,276,486 | 7.89% | ||
mys | 0 | 1,810,807,878 | 2% | ||
rycharde | 0 | 21,758,403,025 | 30.46% | ||
masterthematrix | 0 | 29,312,773,140 | 100% | ||
blacklux | 0 | 300,578,497 | 1.9% | ||
appreciator | 0 | 3,063,241,203,031 | 4.69% | ||
masummim50 | 0 | 17,238,016,242 | 100% | ||
theleapingkoala | 0 | 131,196,299 | 0.21% | ||
samiwhyte | 0 | 54,084,018 | 0.08% | ||
mitthradiumn | 0 | 94,850,303,163 | 100% | ||
dong262514 | 0 | 207,401,304,701 | 100% | ||
rocky1 | 0 | 4,232,094,013,203 | 6.71% | ||
fishyculture | 0 | 408,502,565 | 1% | ||
gadgetsan | 0 | 13,116,341,102 | 100% | ||
accelerator | 0 | 335,526,271,593 | 38.08% | ||
jorlauski | 0 | 7,390,840,501 | 100% | ||
ajremy | 0 | 8,628,026,065 | 100% | ||
qurator | 0 | 47,097,856,167 | 0.85% | ||
opaulo | 0 | 38,155,705,983 | 10% | ||
nuges | 0 | 14,521,646,265 | 100% | ||
zoneboy | 0 | 10,840,716,602 | 100% | ||
lennaburt | 0 | 163,745,079,949 | 100% | ||
bigbraincciuto | 0 | 11,798,509,576 | 100% | ||
wolfenlord | 0 | 6,723,780,889 | 100% | ||
pushup | 0 | 548,796,133,895 | 15.04% | ||
iwanderela | 0 | 1,191,590,069 | 1% | ||
diogosantos | 0 | 4,825,051,805 | 100% | ||
theuxyeti | 0 | 8,273,759,811 | 100% | ||
peppermint24 | 0 | 52,713,347 | 0.04% | ||
dynamicrypto | 0 | 169,328,771 | 1% | ||
leiche | 0 | 15,064,331,417 | 100% | ||
mercurybot | 0 | 171,990,864,947 | 2.09% | ||
mahtabansari370 | 0 | 7,693,504,376 | 100% | ||
passive | 0 | 41,710,088,110 | 100% | ||
robomode | 0 | 11,708,003,926 | 100% | ||
jesseluther | 0 | 87,285,632,794 | 100% | ||
musicapoetica | 0 | 71,575,004 | 9.52% | ||
maxhohenburg | 0 | 8,755,260,978 | 100% | ||
therising | 0 | 1,584,907,925,228 | 6% | ||
bobzone | 0 | 4,747,408,817 | 100% | ||
hyipi | 0 | 16,982,927,644 | 100% | ||
thatsabingo | 0 | 3,751,517,695 | 100% | ||
thephotographers | 0 | 12,386,876,293 | 100% | ||
puppybot | 0 | 620,009,007 | 42.44% | ||
robmolecule | 0 | 3,542,653,109 | 100% | ||
hotbot | 0 | 1,662,848,409 | 50% | ||
postresteem | 0 | 100,474,405 | 42.44% | ||
plantedtank | 0 | 212,996,590,416 | 25% | ||
estabond | 0 | 577,123,737,173 | 15.07% | ||
clayjohn | 0 | 3,569,570,699 | 100% | ||
stay4true | 0 | 7,162,512,254 | 100% | ||
cinnamonsunset | 0 | 1,073,742,062 | 100% | ||
i2015park | 0 | 55,364,414 | 100% | ||
dflhs21 | 0 | 203,933,987,892 | 100% | ||
pacboss | 0 | 186,614,241 | 100% |
To listen to the audio version of this article click on the play image. [![](https://s18.postimg.org/51o0kpijd/play200x46.png)](http://ec2-52-72-169-104.compute-1.amazonaws.com/robmolecule__uberlyfting-routines-entry-2.mp3) Brought to you by [@tts](https://steemit.com/tts/@tts/introduction). If you find it useful please consider upvote this reply.
post_id | 42,099,776 |
---|---|
author | tts |
permlink | re-uberlyfting-routines-entry-2-20180404t224209 |
category | uber |
json_metadata | {} |
created | 2018-04-04 22:42:09 |
last_update | 2018-04-04 22:42:09 |
depth | 1 |
children | 0 |
net_rshares | 0 |
last_payout | 2018-04-11 22:42:09 |
cashout_time | 1969-12-31 23:59:59 |
total_payout_value | 0.000 SBD |
curator_payout_value | 0.000 SBD |
pending_payout_value | 0.000 SBD |
promoted | 0.000 SBD |
body_length | 349 |
author_reputation | -4,535,933,372,579 |
root_title | "UberLyfting Routines - Entry #2" |
beneficiaries | [] |
max_accepted_payout | 1,000,000.000 SBD |
percent_steem_dollars | 10,000 |
Nice to share your experience with Uber and Lyft. As for customer, I prefer Uber
post_id | 42,102,436 |
---|---|
author | kengtong |
permlink | re-robmolecule-uberlyfting-routines-entry-2-20180404t231224319z |
category | uber |
json_metadata | "{"app": "steemit/0.1", "tags": ["uber"]}" |
created | 2018-04-04 23:12:24 |
last_update | 2018-04-04 23:12:24 |
depth | 1 |
children | 1 |
net_rshares | 3,379,772,507 |
last_payout | 2018-04-11 23:12:24 |
cashout_time | 1969-12-31 23:59:59 |
total_payout_value | 0.000 SBD |
curator_payout_value | 0.000 SBD |
pending_payout_value | 0.000 SBD |
promoted | 0.000 SBD |
body_length | 80 |
author_reputation | -140,892,828,816 |
root_title | "UberLyfting Routines - Entry #2" |
beneficiaries | [] |
max_accepted_payout | 1,000,000.000 SBD |
percent_steem_dollars | 10,000 |
author_curate_reward | "" |
voter | weight | wgt% | rshares | pct | time |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
robmolecule | 0 | 3,379,772,507 | 100% |
As a driver, I prefer Lyft because it pays more per ride. But Uber will give you more rides. Lyft also gives more bonuses, but I sometimes need to turn Uber off to get those. Otherwise, I just run both simultaneously. There's an app called Mystro that will auto-accept ride requests and turn the apps on and off for you.
post_id | 42,113,284 |
---|---|
author | robmolecule |
permlink | re-kengtong-re-robmolecule-uberlyfting-routines-entry-2-20180405t010426750z |
category | uber |
json_metadata | "{"app": "steemit/0.1", "tags": ["uber"]}" |
created | 2018-04-05 01:04:24 |
last_update | 2018-04-05 10:58:06 |
depth | 2 |
children | 0 |
net_rshares | 0 |
last_payout | 2018-04-12 01:04:24 |
cashout_time | 1969-12-31 23:59:59 |
total_payout_value | 0.000 SBD |
curator_payout_value | 0.000 SBD |
pending_payout_value | 0.000 SBD |
promoted | 0.000 SBD |
body_length | 320 |
author_reputation | 25,442,252,331,525 |
root_title | "UberLyfting Routines - Entry #2" |
beneficiaries | [] |
max_accepted_payout | 1,000,000.000 SBD |
percent_steem_dollars | 10,000 |
It's nice to hear a driver's perspective, thanks for sharing!
post_id | 42,147,050 |
---|---|
author | cinnamonsunset |
permlink | re-robmolecule-uberlyfting-routines-entry-2-20180405t062817674z |
category | uber |
json_metadata | "{"app": "steemit/0.1", "tags": ["uber"]}" |
created | 2018-04-05 06:28:21 |
last_update | 2018-04-05 06:28:21 |
depth | 1 |
children | 2 |
net_rshares | 3,839,245,260 |
last_payout | 2018-04-12 06:28:21 |
cashout_time | 1969-12-31 23:59:59 |
total_payout_value | 0.000 SBD |
curator_payout_value | 0.000 SBD |
pending_payout_value | 0.000 SBD |
promoted | 0.000 SBD |
body_length | 61 |
author_reputation | 17,289,314,635 |
root_title | "UberLyfting Routines - Entry #2" |
beneficiaries | [] |
max_accepted_payout | 1,000,000.000 SBD |
percent_steem_dollars | 10,000 |
author_curate_reward | "" |
voter | weight | wgt% | rshares | pct | time |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
robmolecule | 0 | 3,839,245,260 | 100% |
I initially did this just as an experiment, to see what it was like for drivers. I didn't make much money the first night and thought it was just good to have seen this other point of view. But then I tried it a few more times and realized I could make just as much as I do at my day job.
post_id | 42,176,230 |
---|---|
author | robmolecule |
permlink | re-cinnamonsunset-re-robmolecule-uberlyfting-routines-entry-2-20180405t105752006z |
category | uber |
json_metadata | "{"app": "steemit/0.1", "tags": ["uber"]}" |
created | 2018-04-05 10:57:54 |
last_update | 2018-04-05 10:57:54 |
depth | 2 |
children | 1 |
net_rshares | 0 |
last_payout | 2018-04-12 10:57:54 |
cashout_time | 1969-12-31 23:59:59 |
total_payout_value | 0.000 SBD |
curator_payout_value | 0.000 SBD |
pending_payout_value | 0.000 SBD |
promoted | 0.000 SBD |
body_length | 288 |
author_reputation | 25,442,252,331,525 |
root_title | "UberLyfting Routines - Entry #2" |
beneficiaries | [] |
max_accepted_payout | 1,000,000.000 SBD |
percent_steem_dollars | 10,000 |
That's a cool idea, I bet you learned a good deal. Making money though, comparable to your day job is a nice little bonus, that's super! There's something new with every pickup I'm sure :)
post_id | 42,297,430 |
---|---|
author | cinnamonsunset |
permlink | re-robmolecule-re-cinnamonsunset-re-robmolecule-uberlyfting-routines-entry-2-20180406t044251694z |
category | uber |
json_metadata | "{"app": "steemit/0.1", "tags": ["uber"]}" |
created | 2018-04-06 04:42:51 |
last_update | 2018-04-06 04:42:51 |
depth | 3 |
children | 0 |
net_rshares | 3,330,029,320 |
last_payout | 2018-04-13 04:42:51 |
cashout_time | 1969-12-31 23:59:59 |
total_payout_value | 0.000 SBD |
curator_payout_value | 0.000 SBD |
pending_payout_value | 0.000 SBD |
promoted | 0.000 SBD |
body_length | 188 |
author_reputation | 17,289,314,635 |
root_title | "UberLyfting Routines - Entry #2" |
beneficiaries | [] |
max_accepted_payout | 1,000,000.000 SBD |
percent_steem_dollars | 10,000 |
author_curate_reward | "" |
voter | weight | wgt% | rshares | pct | time |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
robmolecule | 0 | 3,330,029,320 | 100% |
very informative article - your logic on Sunday morning seems to makes good sense - I have a hybrid vehicle and have considered doing Uber on the weekend to make some extra scratch... thanks for the info... you should do one on how to get set up with Uber and lyft ... the requirements ... how long it takes get approved and so forth ...
post_id | 42,573,575 |
---|---|
author | jorlauski |
permlink | re-robmolecule-uberlyfting-routines-entry-2-20180408t040610366z |
category | uber |
json_metadata | "{"app": "steemit/0.1", "tags": ["uber"]}" |
created | 2018-04-08 04:06:12 |
last_update | 2018-04-08 04:06:12 |
depth | 1 |
children | 0 |
net_rshares | 0 |
last_payout | 2018-04-15 04:06:12 |
cashout_time | 1969-12-31 23:59:59 |
total_payout_value | 0.000 SBD |
curator_payout_value | 0.000 SBD |
pending_payout_value | 0.000 SBD |
promoted | 0.000 SBD |
body_length | 337 |
author_reputation | 5,141,751,827,683 |
root_title | "UberLyfting Routines - Entry #2" |
beneficiaries | [] |
max_accepted_payout | 1,000,000.000 SBD |
percent_steem_dollars | 10,000 |