Ther are many advantages I working for Uber or any other ride-share company. Taking into consideration all the rules and regulations you need to meet and standards you set to set to maintain your ratings. Still, many drivers quit after one year. In fact, according to Uber, 50% of all drivers stop working after 12 months.
Here is a list of reasons why drivers stop working for Uber.
Honeymoon Period
Most people think that it’s easy to be a driver, you just get behind the wheel and drive. Everyone gets a wakeup call after working for a few months as a professional driver.Have you ever considered why people are not part-time taxi drivers? Is it because you need a special license and you didn’t bother to get one? So when you applied for your ride-share contract, did you think that ride-share driving would be any different to being a Taxi driver? After a few months, drivers start to wake up to the new reality, and this happens because of the following causes:
Micro-Pains
When driving for long periods, sitting, holding the steering wheel, getting in and out of the car and just sitting when parked. All these activities for an average person will accumulate over a few weeks or months and start to create pains in parts you never knew existed. All part of the professions downside, so when preparing to be a full-time driver, read up about driving position tips, seating options and gadgets that will make your driving experience easier.
Driving Experience
Professional driving is not just getting from one place to another; it’s about planning the route, knowing the alternative routes, driving safely, maintaining a calm exterior, opening up in conversation or being silent. Dealing with unruly passengers, dealing with cancellations, dealing with Uber requirements. There are so many driving-related issues that the list goes on and on. Uber does not invest in training its drivers, (at least not yet).
From Rookie to Veteran in 1 day
There is no training period, no acclimatization. From the day you start working as a driver, you are expected to perform by regulations. For many, this is not an issue, but for the rest, it is a problem, especially if they do not have the necessary social skills to handle all the different kind of passengers you may receive. You might be lucky and have an easy first few days, or you might be unlucky and be pinged with Uberpool on your first day.
Income expectations
There is a big difference between reality and fantasy. Many new drivers think that they will start to earn huge amounts of money from working with Uber. Then they realize that as with any employment opportunity, you need to work hard to generate income, and more so, you need to invest in your car to make it more income worthy too.
One of the biggest misinterpretations is of the earning per hour. What drivers do not take into account are the expenses, the Uber fees and the taxes they will have to pay. Uber presents income as $25/hr, but in reality, it is closer to $10. Add onto that unexpected expenses and end of year taxes!
Bonuses
Sign-up bonuses are great, but what happens when you finish the money. It’s $500-$1,000, and then you spent it all. Did you go through all the process to become a driver for a bonus? A one time bonus at that. Now, what about all the hours of work you have to do? Remember, you signed up to be a ride-share driver.
Comparing income
One of the biggest mistakes people make is comparing their income to someone else. Concentrate on what you make, if you think it is too small, work harder and find ways to increase it. Don’t grumble that other drivers make more; they make more because they work hard at finding ways to make more.
Customer Support
Part of the work you have to do is customer support. Answering e-mails and writing reviews and rating passengers. Paperwork (back-office) is always a part of fieldwork. There is more to ride-sharing than just driving.
Ratings
A huge part of the Uber culture is rating. Driver rating, passenger rating. Trying to maintain a high rating is hard work. Trying to be a 5 star rated driver is even harder work. It does help to be a 5-star driver if you do reach the 5 star status than this article is irrelevant to you, because you work hard on all fronts to reach the top of the pack.
Fare Price Cuts
To remain competitive, Uber cuts rates on a constant basis, the lower the rate, the lower the income. After a while, some drivers find the work-income ratio to low and realize that ride-shared driving is a hard business. (Guess what, do you know of any rich taxi driver?)
UberPool
Uberpool is a harder system for drivers to work with, and they receive the same income. What Uberpool does is save passengers 30-40%, but drivers get paid the same for more work. This overwork puts a strain on some drivers.
Uber Business Method
Uber is a customer-centric operation, which means that customers are important, drivers less. Uber views drivers as chaff in a field, there will always be more drivers to replace other drivers, but customers will not return if the service is bad. So the concentration is to the customer at the driver’s expense. Uber methods might frustrate you, and it should, because it will take time for Uber to realize that it has started a new professional occupation and should invest in training and enrich it’s drivers knowledge base and experience. Once Uber invests in its drivers, it will be investing directly in its customers, because the driver is the Uber interface with the customer.