What I think New Uber Drivers Should know

You're not going to get rich.

    Uber doesn't give money away. If you're going to make it pay you're going to have to put in a lot of time and a lot of miles.

    This shouldn't really impact part timers just looking to pick up some extra spending money but something to keep in mind if you're going full time.

Clean

    People are incredibly messy. You can separate yourself from the ocean of other uber drivers by simply keeping your car clean.

    I vacuum out my car with a shop vac and then hit the floor mats, doors, and sides with some lavender scented simple green from a spray bottle and a microfiber towel.

    Every so often, once a month maybe, I hit the actual seats with a portable carpet cleaner (the kind that sprays cleaning solution and then you use a wand to suck everything up).

    I keep a bottle of windex and some extra micro fiber towels with me when I go out.

I've ridden in ubers.

My seats look nothing like their seats because I take cleaning them seriously.

I think you should keep your car clean for two reasons.

1. You're going to be spending a lot of time in the car. So spend your time in a clean place, not a filthy one.
2. This is just my feeling, but I think people are more more at ease in a comfortably clean ride, and are more likely to tip.

Gear I recommend:

1. shop vac ($40+)
2. microfiber towels ($30)
3. bissle pro portable spot cleaner ($150)
4. simple green and windex

Illusion of Clean

You can cheat on your cleaning game.

I use the febreeze air vent clips that smell like fresh laundry.

People will judge your car by what they see yes, but smell is also a huge factor that shouldn't be ignored.

People will forgive a little dirt on the floor mats if their nose is telling them the car is super clean.

I can't even begin to tell you how many people when they climb into the car tell me with impressed surprise in their voice how clean it is or how nice it smells (to which my stock reply is: "Thanks, lot's of cleaning, I can tell you.")

I think I get a 5pack for around $8 at my wholesale club and each one lasts a month. A small investment that's worth every penny.

Get All Weather Floor Mats

If it's raining people's shoes are wet.

If it's snowing people are going to track it in and its going to melt in your car.

I had a guy fall asleep and pour out nearly the entire bottle of rum he had with him, leaving me with a lake of booze on the floor of the backseat.

    In all of these cases, not to mention just regular old dirt and debris you need tough floor mats that will contain the mess people make and let you get it vacuumed up or wiped away easily.

    I invested in the premium weather-tech mats but there are lots of cheaper options out there.

Get a dashcam

Expensive, but in this day and age if shit really hits the fan the thing that can save you is dashcam video of the whole thing.

Watch Dashcam videos

I'm a bit of an oddball here, but I think it is useful to watch dashcam videos on youtube.

1. You can see the same patterns of mistakes being repeated over and over which allows you to recognize dicey situations and better prepare or, even better, avoid them.
2. Its a good to remind yourself that people are insane and have no idea what their doing.