In this article, I will present to you the twenty two essential items you will need for a successful Uber/Lyft driving career. Each tool has a specific purpose which when used correctly and applied at the right time will ease your driving experience and keep your ratings high.
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Hand Vacuum
This handy and essential tool will remove all the dirt and debris from your carpets and seats really fast. The model I chose is a Flex Black and Decker, and it comes with a pet hair removal attachment as well as a few other attachments. You will always need a good hand vac. You will need to keep your car clean at all times. The one I chose costs around $50 and you get it on Amazon.
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Dash Cam
This is one of the most important security items you can get and is absolutely mandatory. It has a lot of uses, and the more you invest in a versatile model, the more features you can utilize for a number of actions. Let’s start with recording the inside of the car; this is very important when since you never know when you will get a bad passenger and you will need proof of their actions. Nothing beats recorded video in court. The second reason is to record the front and back screens during driving, so that if you are in a collision, you have a recorded video of the collision, again, proof for use in insurance and law enforcement issues. Finally, as a vlogger, you can use it to record vlogs as well as detach it from the dash and take it outside. So you need to invest in a proper dash cam like this one. This comes with dual lenses so you can get two images recorded, back and front.
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Lint Roller
You will always need this basic tool since a lot of passengers come with their pet dog or cat and you get a lot of pet hair all over the upholstery. It doesn’t matter if you have leather or fabric seat covers, or upholstery, the hairs will be all over it. It’s important you choose one that is easy to hold for difficult seat areas, so this is the one I prefer.
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Mobile Device Mount
This is also an essential gadget to have, the reason I called it a mobile device mount and not a smartphone clip is because some of us use an iPad or Android pad, and also have a smartphone too. So you need to consider buying a clip for the device that you will use for the Uber drivers app as well as a clip for your phone. You don’t want to take your hands off the wheel to answer any calls or deal with the driver app. Apart from being illegal, it is really unsafe. There are so many models, and so many different car dashes, it’s really up to you what kind of mount you want.
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Flashlight
This is a very handy tool to have at any time; a LED light is the best since they have a strong, clear white light. This is very useful for a number of functions, such as searching for the front seats during the daytime, looking for any forgotten items at night and also helpful when changing a tire at night.
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Glass Cleaner
You need a good water resistant glass cleaner, it really helps to keep your windshields and windows clean from water as well as just clean and shining for your customer’s satisfaction. There are many types, I prefer to use RainX, but again, this is a personal choice only.
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Car Odor Eliminator
This is a must, OK, a MUST, you never know who is going to get into your car, and you never know what is going to happen if you decide to drive for UberPool. You do know what to expect when picking up after party and bar night passengers. So, you have to be prepared for all the most unusual smells. It’s not enough that you have a car fragrance stick or pack, you need something to spray quickly and remove bad smells so you can continue to drive a shift.
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Charger for Mobile Device and Smartphone
You are going to need more than one charger; I bought two for my rides, one that services my phone and another that I keep for passengers. Sometimes you get a passenger with low battery status, and they are nervous as hell, and if you don’t have their model charger, they are even more frustrated By keeping all the options available you make a good rater out of your passenger. Note that the one I display has a USB port, very important to make sure you get one that has a USB port connection and make sure you have either enough ports in your car or have a multi-port adapter. It is also useful for when you take many passengers, and you have a solution for more than one at the same time.
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Aux Cable
This is a must for all music lovers, and you do get those passengers with demands for music, only not yours. As long as you explain to them that the volume is yours to control, you should give them the chance to play their own music. -
Vomit Bags
An absolute must. This is useful for car sickness as well as drunks. You will eventually get one or the other, and if you drive nights, you will definitely get a lot of drunks. By keeping this item in your array, and in the back seat close to the passenger you are well prepared to deal with this noxious substance. The worst thing that you can have in your car is vomit; it even outdoes cat or dog poop. Don't forget to take a photo of the vomit before you clean it up; you need proof for Uber's cleaning fee refund. -
Squeegee
Very useful item for dealing with rainy days when every time the door opens and rain comes into the car, as well as raincoats that leave the back seat wet. You need a good squeegee to suck up all that rainwater and keep your car dry. -
Microfiber Cloth
A very important cleaning tool for windshield, windows and car exteriors. This little cloth will remove all signs of fingerprints keeping your car shiny at all times. Very important for UberBlack drivers to wipe the door handle areas after every ride. -
Pen and Paper
Yes, you will need these prehistoric devices, very useful for quickly writing down stuff like telephone numbers, e-mails as well as offering it to young kids that ride and won't keep quiet. -
Bottle of Soapy Water
Remember the vomit bags, well this item is part of that kit. IN fact, there are three parts to the kit, and the next item finalizes the kit. You will need a bottle of soapy water; fragrantly is mandatory. I make mine at home, so you don't need to buy any. Just take a standard plastic bottle, fill some soap and water in it and you are ready to wipe away the vomit. -
Rubber Gloves
This is the final item of the vomit cleaning kit. You must wear long rubber gloves, the kind used in a kitchen. This will keep your hands and arms safe from contamination. You really don’t want any vomit sticking to you at any time. Don’t forget to take a photo of the vomit before you clean it up; you need proof for Uber’s cleaning fee refund.
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Umbrella
This is the ultimate five-star rating prop. On rainy days, getting out of the car with an umbrella, and escorting the passenger from the car to wherever they need to will get you five stars as well as a good commendation. You can also go one step further and when you arrive to pick them up, if they don’t have an umbrella, go meet them and escort them to the car. Unless you have a serious parking problem, this is one of the best and easiest ways of being appreciated.
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Disinfectant Wipes
Yet another cleaning tool, we have so many, and each one is as important as the next to make sure your car and yourself are clean at all times. These are useful for wiping your hands after cleaning vomit. Yes, your hands were in gloves, but still, you need to feel that extra layer of sterilization. You can also use these wipes to finish the vomit cleaning job. You also use these for cleaning up passengers with the sniffles that forgot to use the tissue to wipe their nose. -
Tissues
Always very useful to have a pack of tissues in the glove compartment. You offer them to your passengers when they enter sneezing or sniffling. Just make sure that you clean up with the disinfectant wipe after they touch anything if they rub their noses with their bare hands. You can also use them to clean up the vomit if you don't want to use the disinfectant wipes to start off with. -
Bucket
Yes, a bucket, but it can also be a plastic container to hold all the small cleaning items in one place in the back. Or, if you have an SUV, place it in a compartment. You should consider this seriously; you don't want to start wasting time and getting frustrated when searching for one of the smaller items. -
Waze
This is a digital item, not a physical one. It’s the best GPS navigational app out there. It works through the number of Wazers connected and driving at any given moment. So you get a comprehensive and accurate update to traffic times, congested area’s as well as a seeing other Wazers on the map around you and important services such as gas stations, traffic cam cops, etc. The ETA on this app is close to 99% and is the best one for saving driving time.
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Miele IQ
This is another app that tracks your miles and records them. This is extremely important since it helps you report your tax miles at the end of the year and if managed properly will save you a lot of money.
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Personal Website
This is for the fulltime driver more than the part-time one. If you work for Uber only or for more than one company, you should consider opening a personal website. It's a big hit when you give your business card with referral code and website. Passengers can go online, see your blog, and use the links with your referral code to signup online to whichever services you work with. I also added a lot of FAQ's which helped many people understand some of the more complicated rideshare functions, such as how to calculate your fare. It's extremely useful for online internet marketing platforms too. So research this a bit and consider this marketing presence.
