Driving for Uber: How to Drive a Rider without Getting on their Nerves

(Image source: Pixabay)

You want to drive your passenger, drop them safely to their destination, and get paid to pay the bills, earn a living, achieve a financial freedom.

You want to not only put a smile on your rider's face with your clean car, but also become a friend with them, and get your 5-star ratings to grow your ridesharing career.

But… it's not that easy. Driving is tough.

Even if you're a professional driver, you'll definitely encounter amateur drivers on the road, learners overtook you wrongly, crazy drivers breaking the traffic rules and a host of other nerve-wracking challenges of the road. Challenges that might get you provoked, push you to act weirdly, and angered your passenger.

To keep getting 5 stars and double your earnings, you need to master the tips and tricks for driving your rider safely without getting on their nerves.

Here's how:

Be patient

Whether you are a waiter, writer, or driver being patient is one of the fundamental things that can grow your career. In fact, patients can do more than that. It can even "grow your genius," as Michelangelo puts it:

Many things might happen on the road as you drive your rider to their destination. Some of these things like a rough driver or crammed traffic can easily put your emotions on fire. Other non-road related challenges, such as dealing with an unfriendly, quick-tempered rider or waking up in a bad mood could let you feel frosty someday, causing you to annoy the people around you, like your rider. Patient cools all these off.

Just take a breath. And be in the moment. Then remind yourself of who you're and what you're supposed to do at the moment. If anything unpleasant happens, don't just suddenly react. Think first. And endure.

Just focus on your rider. Don't try to curse that rough driver that nearly hit your car. Don't speed up just because you have an appointment later in the night with your love. Focus on your rider, and follow your navigation app. Always remember this:

You're servicing a customer and their safety and satisfaction are the levers that can turn your business into a goldmine of 5.0 reviews, repeat sales, money, and financial freedom.

Read your passenger's mood (and act upon it)

A professional Uber rider should behave like a professional psychologist.

During your first contact with your passenger, don't just fake a smile and kick your car. Read your rider's mood carefully before you hit the road. Why? First, you need to know if they're open for some discussions. If your rider has a bad day, the last thing they want is for some Uber driver to upset them with their love story.

(Image source: Caps)

Second, you need to give them the best experience. And the best place to start is by aligning your interest with theirs. If they're in a good mood, you definitely should use that as an opportunity to strike some conversation or play them some music or both before dropping them off.

You might just make their day more fun, enjoyable, and memorable. And that might even get you 5-star ratings. Talking about a win-win for both of you.

Adjust your conversation

I get it: You read hundred blog posts about being friendly to your riders. And once a rider hops into your vehicle, you feel, "that's an opportunity to showcase my friendliness by telling them about my last night dinner with my fiancé."

Well, it doesn't work that way.

Even if your rider is in a good mood and responds to your rants, you need to be cautious: Too much talking is a bad gesture, especially if it is all about yourself.

As a professional driver, you need to talk with some class. Talk to them a little bit about some hot topic you realize they love, and then pause for a while. Listen to them. Give them some time to process your information. Then strike another convo—with style. Listen again. Smile…

Realize they don't like that topic you're discussing? Change new one. Adjust your conversation. This way, you'll get them thrilled, not get on their nerves.

Be friendly

Becoming an amazing Uber driver is not just about shuttling your passengers to their destination.

It is about how you make them feel. The best thing to do if you want to make them go with the best experience at heart is to be super friendly with them. Many Uber passengers say "friendly gesture is one of the top areas drivers can improve [in order to get positive reviews]."

For example, the guy that drove me home last week was an amazing driver that any passenger would love to go out with.

The driver is just very welcoming. He quickly opened my car—with a big smile—when he arrived, and asked me, "How are you doing today"? Inside the car, he told me he has different chargers for different kinds of phones, asking me to pick the one that can charge my smartphone "if you're not going to use your phone now," he respectfully told me.

I really feel like I'm together with my brother or someone very dear to me throughout the trip. The way this driver treated me, I feel like a special person that I am. I gave him 5-stars immediately after he dropped me.

Good manners matters

Good manners matters in every industry, in every endeavor, in any situation.

As an Uber driver-partner, you should cultivate good manners in your work at all the time. This could be as little as asking your rider's permission before making/taking a phone call, or taking your rider's luggage, or driving smoothly with your passenger's best interest and safety in mind.

It might not mean a lot to you as the doer, but for your passenger, those little things will mean a lot to them; it will tell them a lot about who you are.

And if your manners are appealing not appalling to them, they would love to ride with you again.

They'll drop you a 5-star rating.

They'll skyrocket your income, helping you achieve financial freedom.