Pick people up and drop people off, how hard can it be?
keep your favorite music/radio station on. always be friendly and try to start conversations to ease everyone in the car including yourself. be calm,(I know it was hard my first couple of rides) but passengers can definitely sense if you feel nervous. FAKE IT TILL YOU MAKE IT.
be careful out there. i’m sure you watched the 2 videos of uber pax assaulting and choking out drivers
My first ride I was so nervous I forgot to turn my headlights back on and got pulled over by the police. They were checking if I was one of the drunks. Luckily the cop let me go and I had yet to pickup Pax.
I was nervous to start, too. Just jump in! You’ll do fine. Greet your passenger politely and then if they wanna talk, they’ll speak up. If they don’t, they’ll be quiet. I usually let the passenger control the social atmosphere and I just handle the driving.
Uber will warn you that they will deactivate your account if you don’t drive within two weeks of acceptance. At least, that’s how it was for me.
Start out on a Sunday morning or afternoon. Do two or three rides and go home. See how you feel afterwords and then increase your rides. Don’t hesitate to tell your pax that your new to this. They’ll have a little sympathy for you hopefully and give you decent ratings.
GOlden State’s tips are spot on. One thing I might add is: tell the pax you are new and ask if they have any advice to offer. Most people respond well to a simple request for help, it allows an opportunity to feel good about themselves at very little expense
Here’s the deal. Go get in your car, turn on your app, and start driving. At some point you’ll get a ping and your heart will start racing. Accept the ping. Drive to the location it gives you.
You’ll probably find some nice person standing there waving at you when you arrive. Let them in your car and say hello. Drive them to wherever they want to go. Let them out.
THANKS!!! HAHAHAHA i drove yesterday…and it was my first day…and my first pax was a first timer also…and both of us just got excited LOL!
Incentives can be “guarantees” that uber makes for wages, or can be payouts for bringing in new drivers. Incentives differ between markets.
Go out during the day, in good weather, in an area you’re familiar with, then fire up the app and wait for a ping. Just park somewhere safe and wait for it. Soon you’ll get your first rider and see it’s not that big a deal.
Drop them off, then wait for the next one. Go offline and take a break whenever you feel tired or need to use the bathroom or whatever. Remember you can stop anytime you want. You don’t have to drive all day or do 10 rides in a row without a break or anything like that.
Getting a restaurant job just to prepare for Uber driving is pretty stupid. I’ve worked in restaurants, and there is no comparison. The only thing they have in common is that they both involve dealing with the public.
My girlfriend was nervous when she first started. Drive areas you know and you’re comfortable with. Be confident. Focus on driving. It is your number one priority. Don’t engage in a bunch of conversation until you’re comfortable with picking up and dropping off.