How to Use the Uber Driver App

0
6967
Uber driver app

If you’ve signed up to be an Uber driver and you’ve not yet gone about taking the app out for a spin, then you’ve come to the right place. The Uber driver app itself is insanely simple, and most people are able to figure it out within minutes. Developing the app, however, is no small feat, and I believe that Uber has done a decent job of making the process painless.




Nevertheless, there are a few nuances that drivers should know about in advance. If for anything else, these nuances might help steer you clear of embarrassing moments or mistakes. So buckle up, and let’s go on a virtual tour of the Uber Driver App.

Going Online

Perhaps the easiest and most critical step if you want to make any money, is simply to go online. The Uber Driver App makes this pretty simple. Click the big blue button that says GO! It is that easy. Now occasionally, the app will prompt you to select a vehicle or confirm your identity with a selfie, but that is not the day to day process. If you are ever having trouble getting online, check your internet connection.

Advertisement

Accepting a Request

Now that you are online, it is time to wait for a ride request to come through. There are two ways in which you can receive and accept a request. The app will automatically engage in auto-accepting trip requests, denoted by the blue slider bar icon in the lower-left corner. If you click on this icon, you can manage which type of requests you are currently accepting.

This is a critical step. As you can see, you have the option to select from the available ride request types your vehicle is qualified for. In my case, Uber Eats Deliveries and the standard Uber X/Uber Pool. You can also toggle the auto-acceptance feature. Some drivers prefer to screen their rides, and you might want to as well. After all, the Uber Pro Program does offer this ability as a perk.

Drive to Pickup

Whether or not you have decided to go the auto-accept route or the standard acceptance route, you will eventually get a ride. The Uber Driver App makes this super simple. If you’ve not auto-accepted, you’ll have ten seconds to tap the acceptance screen to grab the ride. If you’ve auto-accepted the trip, it will automatically begin to navigate you to the next ride pick-up point. Just follow the blue line and the navigation cues to arrive at the destination. It is essential to stay aware of your environment as well as the navigation map, sometimes the pin/location is inaccurate you’ll have to use common sense.



Picking Up

Once you’ve arrived at the location, a meter will run as shown above. The rider will have two minutes to show up before they begin to be charged for waiting. Once the two minutes have elapsed, a green highlight will illuminate the timer for approximately three minutes. If the rider has not arrived by the end of the green charging timer, then you are free to cancel the ride. This is important to note if you cancel the ride before the green timer elapses, you need a valid reason. Some reasons are unsafe pickup zone, unaccompanied minor, and a host of others. Once the rider shows, verify their name to be sure you have the right rider. Then slide the green bar that says start.

Drive to Drop-Off

Much like the screenshot above, the navigation will then activate a route to take you to the drop-off point. I like to look ahead and see where I am heading and then verify the general vicinity with the rider. This helps avoid uncomfortable mistakes such as improperly inputted data by the passenger. Once again, follow the blue line to the drop-off and much like the pick-up you will slide the green bar to drop off.

Drop Off

Once you are there, find a clear space to pull-over and safely park the car. Tend to the needs of the rider and make sure they are out of the car safely before you end the ride and pull away from the drop-off.

Drop off areas are not always neat, tidy spaces and sometimes you will have to improvise. My advice is not to get ahead of yourself. Wrap things up with the rider first. Then you can finish the process of the ride by sliding the green bar to end the trip. After you do so, the app will prompt you to rate the rider on a five-star scale.



Check Ratings and Getting Paid

Once you are done giving out rides for the day, it is time to check out how you did. Click the icon with your profile picture to bring up this screen. This screen will show your tips and any relevant notifications. You will also gain access to three critical screens, earnings, ratings, and account settings.

To figure out how much you’ve earned in a given day or week, click on the Earnings tab, where you will see a screen similar to this one. You can view a daily report, weekly report, and you’ll also have the option to cash out, providing you’ve done at least twenty-five rides over the lifetime of your Uber career.

The other important screen to take a look at is your Rating profile. In this screen you will be able to track your ratings for Uber and Uber Eats as well as compliments and your Uber Pro Status.

Wondering if you should have a tip jar or sign to increase your tip earnings? Read our post to find out if you should.

In addition to your Rating profile, you will want to play around with the account settings. There are multiple options including which navigation features you want to utilize, hooking up your Uber Beacon, vehicle documentation, and much more.

Wrapping it Up

In the end, you need to get into the app and play around with it. It is a deceptively simple app that can sometimes give less tech-savvy people fits. However, once you get into the user interface, it tends to grow on you. The Uber Driver App is a streamlined and straightforward way to make money with rideshare, so get out there and start driving.



Not an Uber driver but thinking about signing up? Here’s everything you need to know about becoming an Uber driver in 2019.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here