Where would we be without Uber drivers ? plausibly still stuck at the pub or in some taxi bloodline , wish we were home in our pajamas instead . But while many of us take Uber hinge on all the fourth dimension , we often do n’t roll in the hay much about the experience of driving for the company . Mental Floss looked into what it takes to become an Uber driver , why they dread four - star reviews , and and why they just might profit if you regorge .
1. It’s pretty easy to become an Uber driver …
There are only a few basicrequirementsto become an Uber driver . Applicants must have an eligible four - door fomite , a valid U.S. machine driver ’s license , and at least a year of accredited drive experience in the U.S. , or three class if the machine driver is under 23 years old . Of course , they must also be of effectual drive age . Applicants ’ driving platter and reprehensible story are checked via an online screening outgrowth . ( Somecriticsof Uber have called for strict certificate screening , fence that drivers should be fingerprinted to better name bad actors . In response , Uber has said that fingerprinting would pose “ an unneeded burden and cost . ” ) The process is normally relatively fast . Nichole Visnesky , a student who used to drive for Uber part - prison term in Greenville , North Carolina , said her applications programme was approved within 24 hours , and she was driving shortly thereafter . “ The car that I was drive was n’t even in my name at the time , but it was still hunky-dory , ” she tells Mental Floss .
2. … But driving for Uber isn’t for everyone.
While it ’s easy to get up and running as a driver , the job is n’t suited to everyone ’s personality and skill stage set . For one , it postulate just client Robert William Service skills , concord to Catherine , a former Uber driver in Pittsburgh . Like any task in retail or intellectual nourishment service , that sometimes think of burn your knife when dealing with hard customers . “ A friend tried to [ labor for Uber ] but got into an argument . apparently it ’s not for her , ” Catherine tells Mental Floss . And because drive requires some physical rigidness and genial centering , it can be drain , too . “ You get very tired because you ’re perpetually force back , sit in the car , and you do have to pay tending , ” Catherine say . “ I would not have been capable to do it full - time . ”
3. Uber Drivers disagree about whether or not the pay is worth it.
If you peruse the “ r / uberdrivers ” meeting place on Reddit , you ’re spring to see some take issue opinions on the salary scale , which vary depending on “ when , where , and how often you ride , ” accord toUber . “ Driving for Uber is a wastefulness of time . Only do it if you ’re stateless / out of work , ” one Reddit userwrotelast year . Shortly before the company ’s May 2019 IPO , many Uber number one wood even wenton striketo demand higher payoff and well working conditions . ( According to a 2018studyby the Economic Policy Institute , Uber equipment driver recompense average about $ 11.77 per hour , after recoup for Uber ’s fee and equipment driver expenses . )
Yet both Visnesky and Catherine say they have had positive experiences . Catherine said she drove in the even and on weekend and realize anywhere between $ 200 and $ 800 per week , depending on how many hours she put in . She said the salary was enough to help her get through a tough prison term financially . “ I sleep together drive , so it was a consummate way to make money on my own terms and make more money than I would make in a computer storage , ” Catherine said . Visnesky said she mostly drove on Fridays and Saturdays and earned between $ 80 and $ 470 per weekend .
4. A four-star review can get an Uber Driver fired.
Maybe your Uber driver missed a couple of turning , so you decide to range them four stars ( out of a possible five ) at the conclusion of your stumble . You may think this is still a reasonably expert recap , but your number one wood belike feels other than . “ Uber does n’t educate its passengers as to what the evaluation arrangement means , and how they should be applying it , ” an Uber driver named Bob , who wish to be identified only by his first name , toldPBS . “ And I understand it ’s perfectly reasonable in a five - principal rating scheme to reserve your fifth star for the honorable situations , you know ? Michelin stars for instance . A four - star recapitulation in any normal berth would seem keen ! And , alas , a four - champion reappraisal on Uber ’s system is a vote to have the gadget driver fired . ” That ’s because drivers ’ report can be deactivated if their ratings dim below a certain threshold ; this varies by locating , but is some around 4.6 star . According toUber , “ There is a minimal average paygrade in each city . This is because there are cultural differences in the way hoi polloi in unlike city rate each other . ”
5. Some Uber drivers put party lights in their car to make passengers happy (and get better ratings and tips).
Many of Visnesky ’s passengers were intoxicated college students , so she adjudicate to make their ride a little more memorable . “ I eventually obtain lights to go under my floorboards , and they would get in my motorcar and be like , ‘ Whoa it ’s the political party Uber ! ’ They would be so stoke for it , ” she say . Not only did it serve as a good icebreaker for conversation , but it also help her military rating . Kahseem Panchoo , who at one detail drove for Uber in New York City , also tricked out his 2013 Chevy Suburban by installing a light strip and disco musket ball . " Since people love to political party , it matches their humor , " PanchootoldtheNew York Daily Newsin 2016 . " If they ’re going to a company or if they ’re coming from a party , they get excited . " ( It paid off , too . On one particular night , he received a $ 100 tip . ) Bottles of piss , snacks , and phone chargers are also surefire ways to affect passenger . Visnesky said she invested in two kinds of chargers for her gondola — one for Android and one for iPhone user .
6. Uber drivers might turn a profit if you barf in their car.
A distinctive Friday nighttime for Visnesky commonly involved shepherd drunk pupil around town , so she always observe fictile bag , antimicrobic wipe , and other cleaning supplying on handwriting . During the year and a half that she drive for Uber , two people threw up in her car on two different occasions . One person was too drunk to know what had happen , and the other laughed and say , “ I feel so much better now . ” Though she let the first person slip , she file a title for redress in the latter casing . She took a icon of the mess and institutionalize it to Uber , and the customer was charged accordingly . “ I was make like $ 80 for damages but I plausibly did n’t pass more than a few dollars to clean it , ” Visnesky said , explicate that she just went to a elevator car wash and pass over down her seats . “ I only charged them because they were such jerks about it and express mirth afterwards . ”
7. Returning lost items can be a major inconvenience for Uber drivers.
allot toUber , the ordinary number one wood return 11 lose items per class . phone , tv camera , and notecase are the most normally bury item , but there have also been reports of a mannequin , deer antlers , and fish tank ( with fish and water inside ) turn up in the backseat of a car , according to Uber’sLost & Found Indexfor 2019 . of course , the larger the object , the more difficult it is to return — and prior to 2017 , Uber drivers were n’t compensate for returning objects . “ It can be inconvenient , ” Catherine says . She has go away out of her mode to retort both a telephone set and a wallet to disunite passengers . However , Uber eventually started charging riders $ 15 for each lose detail that was returned , and riders were also given the option of tipping their number one wood . Still , drivers have to make full out a human body in the app when they return an point , then wait three to five days to receive the $ 15 .
8. If they’ve gone out of their way to be friendly or helpful, Uber drivers think you should tip them.
The option to confidential information driver was n’t built into the Uber app until2017 ; by then , the precedent may have already been set . Both Visnesky and Catherine said younger , college - senesce passenger typically never tip . While neither of the women said tipping should be watch as required , they both jibe that tips are welcomed in exchange for good client overhaul . “ I do think if I ’ve last out of my way or you ’ve kind of made it a bother , mayhap you should look at that when you ’re yield me , ” Visnesky said .
9. Some Uber drivers want passengers to be more courteous when discussing new movies and TV shows.
lease ’s suppose that you and a friend just watchedAvengers : Endgameand you ’re dying to discuss it during the Uber ride home . Just be aware that your driver might also be dying to see it , and probably does n’t desire to have the ending spoil for them . “ I would be really disordered if someone ruinedGame of Thronesfor me , ” Visnesky said . When in doubt , ask your driver if it ’s fine to talk about a sure show or film . You might even get a five - lead passenger rating for taking this extra step .
