Uber and Lyft Drivers-How to Deal With Drunk Passengers/Riders

As people have become more and more familiar with using services like Uber and Lyft, usage of these services has become more and more diverse. Whether it’s Las Vegas, Delhi, New York or Thailand, drivers have to unabashedly handle those puking, heavily drunk, loud or obnoxious riders, at least once during their driving career. They can be frightening sometimes but can be amusing as well. Driving past late night can earn you a considerable amount, but land you with drunk passengers too. Yup, they’re difficult, but with a few tricks, some patience, and a smile, you can deal with this nasty part of the gig smartly as an Uber or Lyft driver.

Here’s how you can potentially avoid or resolve such stressful situations and provide your best driving service:

1. Playing safely:
It’s Saturday or Sunday, and most of the people are heading to the bar to grab a few drinks or get a whole lot of drunks. You can easily imagine the scenario here when you have to drive a drunk rider safely. Does that bother you? If not, then you are competent to handle such situations all yourself. But if you can’t bear to get your back seat getting dirty due to vomit, it’s best for you to avoid driving on the weekends, mainly after midnight.

It’s safer to drive until evening as most of the people would be either heading out for dinner, shopping or getting back home.

2. Get prepared:
Though Uber or Lyft might compensate you up to $200 as cleaning fees, yet having a dirty seat that also means awful smell that might hug your car for a while and no more ride for the day.

It’s best to keep necessary things like vomit or barf bags, towels, tissues, air freshener, mints, and mini cleaning supplies in your car rather than getting cleaning fees. Plus, the dash cam records both the path and the inside of your vehicle and are an excellent way to protect you from any threatening situations. You’ll always have the proof that you behaved correctly. Also, people tend to avoid brawling when they realize video recording is going on.

3. Scan you rider
The best way to deal a drunk or vomiter rider is to avoid them. If you’re an experienced driver, you probably are well aware of the drunkest spots in your city. If you’re not in the mood to handle them, you can always avoid driving to these places.

Somehow, if you can’t decide, step out of the car to look at the passenger or greet the passenger with a handshake. It will help you to scan the drunk ones. You might encounter with passengers that insist on drinking in your car, directly notify them that it’s against the rules and can cancel their rides if needed.

Tip for passengers: It’s pretty easy to move your location pin when requesting a ride, accidentally. And when you’re drunk, it’s even easier. Now you know what to do next!

4. When in trouble:
Okay, so you are already regretting letting that heavily drunk passenger slide on the back seat of your car. Now, you don’t want to handle the vomit-scenario and yet don’t want to cancel your trip.

What’s the plan? Remember that you’re the boss in your car. Try not to lose temper in any situation. Calmly let the riders know what’s not allowed in your car and let them know in which cases you can report them to Uber or Lyft. Drop them off to a well-lit spot or better, if to a 24-hour open diner. They can quickly get another ride from there.

5. The driver taking control:
You don’t mind riding with a drunk passenger, as long as they’re not a problem. You may want to drive them safely.

If passengers are drunk, but not aggressive, it’s best to keep up a light conversation, avoiding any sensitive topics – you don’t want them to go mad with rage and pick a fight with you. Try to make them feel; you’re safe and humane. And at the same time, let them know that you’re in power too.

6. Get help if needed:
When you feel threatened or not in control anymore of the situation, you can always ask for help. Don’t hesitate to cancel or request your rider to step out of your car, if you think that the rider is under the heavy influence of alcohol or drugs and is threatening or behaving aggressively with you.

Don’t hesitate to call for help from police or drop them to the nearest police station if needed. Always remember that your life is crucial than anything else, hence, the sooner you act, the better.

7. Avoid too many cancellations:
Nobody likes to have rude, drunk, or aggressive riders. The odds of someone throwing up in your car are low. It’s easy to spot a drunken passenger, but you can’t cancel each trip as it might put you on the blacklist on Uber or Lyft. Moreover, this will also waste your time, and you have to wait again for a new rider too.

You have to understand that often canceling rides can make the company suffer as it puts a bad name out there for Uber or Lyft. The whole point of these services is to transport drunk people. Hence, avoid too many cancellations.

8. Stay alert:
When you decide to drive at night or dropping hoppers and drunkards from the bars, it’s essential to be alert and be ready to face any unexpected situation. Make sure you had enough sleep and stay up to date with Uber or Lyft rules, in case you need them to explain it to the riders.

We hope that these little tips and tricks will save you from getting into unpleasant drives and help you to avoid and prepare for vomiters. After all, you’re out there to earn some good money and meet interesting people.

We wish you gentle, polite, and pleasant riders and safe trips!

If you are an experienced rideshare driver, you know that drunk riders are a dime a dozen and most of the time you might have to face many difficulties when dealing with such passengers. Most of the drivers have their way to manage such things, but a majority has no experience how to control or avoid such passengers. You will meet these kinds of people mostly at night, and if you are a night rider, you probably should know some techniques to control drunk or, passengers who are high on drugs. These are some techniques and ways how to manage and deal with such customers.

Always stay hushed
You know that drunk or high passengers are not much conscious at all and they might act weirdly in your car. But you have to remain calm on whatever happens because your aggression can pave the way to a disaster. So always think twice before taking any action against those kinds of travelers. Speak friendly and kindly so that they will know that you are a right person and stay calm until the end of the trip. And also, when such a person gets into your car, greet them with a handshake and introduce yourself to him/her. It is one of the best ways to manipulate drunk passengers.

Build up a conversation
Another way to deal with a stewed person is to build up a simple conversation and continue it until the end. Sometimes those kinds of people need someone to talk with because all the hidden troubles in their mind come out when they are not sober. So if they look sad or depressed ask them what is the problem and try making up their mind. Suggest positive solutions and always stay by their side. Listen to them quietly and never put the guilt on them by trying to be rational and keep in mind that you are not dealing with a regular guy or a gal.

Make sure that the passenger is safe
When a person is intoxicated, they don’t care what is right or wrong, so it is your responsibility to take them to the destination safely. Check whether the passenger is wearing the seatbelt and if not remind them to put it on to avoid any harm that can happen in case of an accident. Another critical point to keep in mind is that to check if the doors are locked before and during the ride. You have to keep the doors shut before the right person gets in because when you stop near a bar or a club there might have many drunk or high people waiting for their taxi and they might mistake the right vehicle. So keep the doors locked until you recognize the correct person. And keep the doors locked during the ride because the person might exit the car at the wrong place since they are not sober.

Keep water bottles and sick sacks in your vehicle
You know it will be a problem for you if someone vomits inside your car. So if someone is too drunk, it is possible for him or her to puke inside your vehicle. As a precaution, you can store some sick sacks (vomit bags) inside your car and hide it in a place where the passenger can’t see and only give it if the person seems ill. You can buy these sick sacks from any drug store, and you can also purchase through online stores such as Amazon or eBay. Furthermore, keep some water bottles in the car for your passengers to use if they want to. Not only for drunk passengers, are these items useful even when a sick person gets into your taxi.

Check the vehicle before finishing the trip
Drunk people tend to leave their belongings in your car. Sometimes they might drop stuff which is small and valuable inside the car like a wallet or a phone. So make sure to check the seats and floor before the person leaves and handover anything which they had left.

Distract the rider
It is a useful method to keep your stewed passengers concentrated on something so that you can drive carefully without any harm. Tell a joke or show something on the road and start talking about it to keep them distracted. You can use this trick if the person tries to behave uncontrollably.

These were some simple ways to control and deal with drunk passengers and sometimes these things might not work on some drunk people. They might start an argument with you and even try to fight with you. Being aware of methods to apply in this kind of situation will be beneficial for you. So these are some steps you can take if the condition goes out of control.

Keep a protective device with you
If the person starts a fight with you or tries to harm you and if you don’t have time to call the police, one of the best ways to control them is by using a small self-protective device. Two best and handy tools to use are a pepper spray or a stun gun. Keep in mind that you should only use this if the condition is worse and try to control the person as much as possible.

Call for backup
If you feel that your security is at risk, don’t be afraid to call for backup. It can be a friend, another driver or police. Making the passenger to know that help is on the way, it will aid in getting the condition under control.

Cancel the trip or Call the police or drive to a police station

You should stay as calm as possible with the passenger, and if he continues to behave uncontrollably, you have the complete right to cancel the trip and politely and kindly ask the customer to get out of the vehicle.apolice station
If all these above methods don’t work, call the police, or go to the nearest police station and hand over the person to the police.