Quick Tips for Uber Drivers – Driving Smart & Maximizing Revenue

Quick Tips for Uber Drivers: Driving Smart and Maximizing Revenue
Copyright of uberkit.net
Purchased by Malik Akande, inquiries@uberkit.net #5540851

Contents
1. Disclaimer & Confidentiality Notice......................................................................................................3
1.1 General Disclaimer & Confidentiality Notice ................................................................................3
1.2 URL Disclosure...............................................................................................................................4
2. Document Overview .............................................................................................................................4
2.1 Know your Staging Points .............................................................................................................4
2.2 Know Uber Rates...........................................................................................................................4
2.3 Ask Questions................................................................................................................................5
2.4 Weather Forecasting.....................................................................................................................5
2.5 Restaurant Week ..........................................................................................................................6
2.6 Eventbrite is your friend ...............................................................................................................6
2.7 Transit Points ................................................................................................................................6
2.8 Know your consultants .................................................................................................................7
2.9 Anticipate Surge Patterns .............................................................................................................7
2.10 Downtown.....................................................................................................................................8
2.11 Nightlife.........................................................................................................................................8
2.12 College Students ...........................................................................................................................8
2.13 Lyft & Others.................................................................................................................................8
2.14 Where is your Competition?.........................................................................................................8
2.15 Fare Review...................................................................................................................................9
2.16 Uber Weekly Summary .................................................................................................................9
2.17 Be nice (tips)..................................................................................................................................9
2.18 Tax Planning................................................................................................................................10
3. How to get free Uber Rides.................................................................................................................11
4. Let us refer you (new Uber Drivers)....................................................................................................11
5. Message to our Readers .....................................................................................................................12
6. Our Products:......................................................................................................................................12
5.1 The Handbook of Uber Drivers Kit” ............................................................................................12
5.2 “How to Own an Uber Black Fleet Kit” .......................................................................................12

1. Disclaimer & Confidentiality Notice
1.1 General Disclaimer & Confidentiality Notice
GENERAL Disclosure
• The information provided in this report is confidential information of and
proprietary to Honcho LLC and is being furnished with the mutual agreement that
you shall keep such information confidential. No part of this document can be
reproduced in any manner whatsoever without prior consent of the author.
• This document and the information contained in it CAN BE DISCLOSED/ SHARED
WITH OTHERS AS LOG AS IT IS KEPT IN ITS ORIGINAL FORM and not modified.
• This document IS NOT FOR RE-SALE
• In preparing this assessment, Honcho LLC has not sought to independently confirm
the completeness or accuracy of the information and will not be responsible for any
omission or misrepresentation in its Assessment arising out of reliance on such
information.
• This assessment was based on the Dallas, TX Market. Honcho LLC identifies what we
believe are the key assumptions for this assessment and believes they can be
extended to other markets accordingly. It is your responsibility to ensure that you
adjust the key assumptions that are relevant to your own market
• Honcho LLC does not warrant or make representations in respect of the accuracy or
completeness of this Assessment.
• You shall be responsible for determining whether to use or refrain from using any
suggestions or recommendations made by Honcho LLC
URL Disclosure
• The information provided in this document has some urls/links and codes which are
affiliate in nature. You may get a free ride or other forms of compensation if you use
them.
Published:

• February 20th
2015 by Honcho LLC; Copyright © 2015 by Honcho LLC
• Published by Uberkit.net: A Division of Honcho, LLC. Uberkit.netTM
is a Trademark
of Honcho, LLC.
• For more information contact us at www.uberkit.net
1.2 URL Disclosure
The information provided in this document has some urls/links and codes which are affiliate in
nature. You may get a free ride or other forms of compensation if you use them.
2. Document Overview
In this short document, I will quickly give you (the Uber Driver) a couple of Tips that will come in
handy in driving smart, rather than hard, and ultimately help in maximizing your revenue!
2.1 Know your Staging Points
A staging point is essentially a stopping place or assembly point en route to a destination. It is
the place you wait for your Uber customers/ riders. Knowing where to wait for fares will make
the difference between picking up 1 customer per hour to maybe 5 per hour.
Some common staging points are at hotels, restaurants and airports. In selecting staging points,
it is important to observe customer behavior and keep a detailed log of rides picked up and at
what points in the day. Also important is talking to other rideshare drivers. Over time it will be
obvious when and where you need to respond to requests for Uber cars by customers.
2.2 Know Uber Rates
In order to maximize your income, it is also important to know the rates for different cities. For
example the rates for Springfield IL and Saint Louis Missouri (which are about an hour away by
car) are widely different (as at 01/30/2015). If you live in a border town, you might be able to
take advantage of the more lucrative routes in the nearby city. For example –
City Base Rates Safe Rides Fee Min. Fare Cancellation
Fee
Springfield, IL $2 Base Fare
+$0.20 per minute
+$1.65 per mile
$1 $5 $5
Saint Louis, MO $7 Base Fare
+$0.45 per minute
+$3.55 per mile
N/A $15 $10
See the current rates for the cities mentioned above here:
 https://www.Uber.com/cities/springfield-il (Springfield, IL)

 https://www.Uber.com/cities/st-louis (Saint Louis, MO)
2.3 Ask Questions
As previously mentioned it is important to ask a lot of questions. Talk to other Uber Drivers and
also your clients (Uber customers) if they are willing to chat with you. (FYI – don’t push a
discussion though if they are not particularly chatty or you might get dinged by the user when it
comes time to get rated). The answers to these questions can help you refine and get the most
optimal staging points for your Uber driving schedule.
Some questions you can ask other drivers (and also yourself) are:
a) Can you tell me where your good staging points are?
b) Can you tell me what times to be at these staging points (follow up to the first question
above)?
c) Are there certain events I should pay attention to in the coming weeks?
d) What events calendar do you use?
e) Where is the nightlife?
Some questions you can ask your passengers (if they are chatty) are:
a) So where are you going to today?
b) Are you a regular Uber passenger?
c) What type of events do you typically call Uber cars for?
d) Do you use Uber at specific times?
The aggregate answers to the afore-mentioned questions from different passengers can help
you with selecting staging locations and planning your driving schedule. You can also come up
with other interesting questions too. Just remember to make sure the conversation is relaxed,
and does not feel like a job interview. Just let the conversation flow!
2.4 Weather Forecasting
The Uber pricing regimen includes a concept called “surge pricing”. According to Uber “… rates
increase to get more cars on the road and ensure reliability during the busiest times (i.e. lots of
passengers, but not enough Uber drivers). When enough cars are on the road, prices go back
down to normal levels…”
As an Uber driver you should be aware of patterns in weather that can cause this price spike
(sometimes up to 5 times the normal rate). Keeping a detailed driving log can help you with a
high level data analysis, and make you the “surge price” soothsayer.
As a rule of thumb, if you don’t feel like driving because the weather is bad, so do other drivers.
The scarcity of drivers will cause an imbalance in the Uber ecosystem: This is good for you!!!
$$$$ You can take advantage of this, and make up to 5 times as much money when others don’t

and take a break later. (Note – be wise and use discretion, ultimately you cannot make money if
your car is totaled, or worse you are in the morgue).
2.5 Restaurant Week
Have you ever read an ad similar to this in a newspaper or website:
“San Diego, CA – San Diego Restaurant Week is ecstatic to celebrate 11 years of culinary
excellence by offering an entire week of delicious discounted dining at some of San Diego
County’s finest restaurants! For ONE WEEK ONLY, Sunday, January 18th through Saturday,
January 24th, foodies will be able to eat their hearts out at over 200 participating restaurants
that will offer three-course prix-fixe dinner menus for just $20, $30, $40 or $50 per person and/or
two-course prix-fixe lunch menus for only $10, $15 or $20 per person”
- http://www.sandiegorestaurantweek.com/press
If you love food and have a little bit of cash, then you probably got excited like me. Restaurant
weeks across the country are typically cash cows for restaurants, and now they are cash cows
for you - the Uber driver. Wherever there are lots of people, especially young, hip, and trendy
people then there is an opportunity for you to make money driving with Uber.
2.6 Eventbrite is your friend
By now, I would assume that you are starting to see a pattern! Wherever there is demand for
transportation by young people, trendy people, or professionals, there is probably a demand for
Uber. This means sporting events, music events, concerts, and conventions are prime venues to
pick those Uber passengers.
Once you have gone through the event websites, and determined the events which lots of people
will be at, plan to be there 10 to 15 minutes before the scheduled end of the event to pick up
customers.
I have a personal bias for eventbrite (https://www.eventbrite.com); however, there are other
sites I recommend which you can monitor for events. You should probably do this on a weekly
basis as you plan your driving schedule.
Some other popular event sites:
 www.ticketmaster.com
 www.meetup.com
2.7 Transit Points
Where there are lots of people, especially in the cities, there is probably a demand for Uber. Even
better is where there are lots of people trying to go from point A to point B. Airports, train
stations, and some bus stations are excellent staging points for some people. At airports
specifically, the rates for picking up people might be a lot higher than normal rates. Now be
careful to follow the rules in these areas (or you might get fined).

2.8 Know your consultants
Now as a career consultant myself, I know that there are lots of opportunities for Uber drivers to
make money from consultants. Here are a couple of things that make consultants the perfect
customers for Uber drivers:
a) They travel every week to their client site: Typically they fly out Sunday night or Monday
morning to their place of work (client site) and they do this every week. As an Uber driver, if
you know where there is a concentration of consultants, you can make more money by having
a staging area when and where these consultants are known to want transportation to the
airport (early in the morning on Mondays -4am to 6am, or Sundays after 4pm).
You might be asking “how do I find where these consultants congregate?” Well it is by asking
questions. Remember that section we went over?
b) They typically go to work every day in their client’s city: Sometimes there are constraints that
prevent consultants from renting cars. i.e. – Client restrictions, cost restrictions, or sometimes
parking in the city they are in is a hassle (for example - Washington DC).
If you know where the consultants lodge (you can find scores of them at some hotels, from
different consulting firms) you can make these particular hotels your staging area. On
Mondays through Wednesdays, these consultants will typically leave to work from their
hotel between 6am and 9am. You might be able to make multiple round trips in that time!
c) They typically go back to their hotel every day in their client’s city: Many consultants will
leave work between 5pm to 8pm, from Monday through Wednesday, to go back to their
hotel. Setting up your staging area around their work place(client office) at this time might
also be a good idea, and you might be able to make multiple round trips again! Remember
ask lots of questions if you are trying to find these work locations. (Hint - Fortune 100
companies and Government clients tend to be these clients).
d) Consultants need to fly home too: Consultants will also typically leave for their home city
once a week. Typically on Thursdays or Fridays. They will leave anytime from 3pm to 7pm
from their clients’ office to the Airport directly. Yes you guessed it! This is another great time
and place to make your staging area.
2.9 Anticipate Surge Patterns
This section has an overlap with a lot of the other tips previously mentioned. As a general rule
of thumb whenever a lot of people want to leave to/from a particular place at the same time the
Surge pricing will probably kick in (See this article here http://blog.Uber.com/2012/01/03/surge-
pricing-followup). In general try to stage yourself 5 to 15 minutes earlier than the closing time so

you can catch this spike in demand for Uber rides (dearth of supply). Some examples of times and
places where surge pricing will probably kick in:
a) When a very large dance club closes on Thursday/ Friday/ Saturday night:
b) New Years Eve celebration at New York Times Square (or your own version of that in
your city)
c) Large Job Fairs
d) Large Professional Conventions
e) Large Technology Conventions (Techies love Uber)
f) During bad weather, or right before it ends
g) 5pm (closing time for a lot of work places), where there are large fortune 100
companies.
Some of the above are only examples, but try to be creative and anticipate “THE SURGE”.
2.10 Downtown
Conversations I have had with multiple Uber drivers suggest that in most big cities (with
surrounding suburbs), there is more demand for Uber service downtown during the day (8am to
5pm). In the evening (6pm to 11pm), the demand is more in the residential areas (suburbs). Know
the specific patterns for your city!!
2.11 Nightlife
Knowing where the hot clubs and bars are in your city is also important, especially if you are
comfortable with driving at night. From about 10pm to 3am in most major cities, there would
probably be lots of people leaving to/from a club. Know the specific patterns for your city!
2.12 College Students
Most college students do not have cars. College students present a very lucrative demographic for
the Uber driver if their demand patterns are known. Know their travel patterns. Their
demographic also ties in very closely with the demographic of the nightlife crowd. Know when
your college campuses in your community are on holiday and when they are back in school and
plan around their schedules.
2.13 Lyft & Others
Another way to supplement your income is to stack your rides, as they say. Use Uber as well as
other ridesharing services at the same time that way when Uber doesn’t have a potential
passenger for you Lyft (or one of the other services) does! You increase your income potential
odds by doing this.
2.14 Where is your Competition?
Like with most things, the ride sharing industry is competitive. In particular with Uber you are in
competition for passengers with fellow Uber drivers. You should make sure you know where the
other drivers are for two reasons.

 To Identify good staging zones and times
 To Identify areas where you have minimal competition for rides.
You can gain an upper hand on the competition by downloading the passenger Uber app, and
regularly checking what your competition is doing. Ultimately the more rides you get the more
money you make.
2.15 Fare Review
Uber Fare Reviews can be initiated by an Uber driver under two circumstances:
 An overcharge was made to the passenger
 A passenger was undercharged for a trip.
In some circumstances, an overcharge might be made to a passenger when for instance you
made a brief detour during a trip to get gas. In this instance you would need to initiate a fare
review with Uber via the app, and explain to them why the specific passenger was overcharged.
If by chance you forgot to start the fare (via the Uber app) half way into the journey, you can
initiate a fare review once the trip is completed. You would have to explain via email why the
specific Uber passenger was undercharged and the pickup and drop-off location for the
passenger. In this particular instance, you reduce the amount of lost revenue by doing this.
2.16 Uber Weekly Summary
Review the Uber weekly Summary email which details the busiest hours of the previous week
(Sunday at 4am to Sunday 3.59am is defined as a week by Uber). Uber also aggregates what times
you worked compared to the busiest hours for Uber Drivers in your locale. Study this email, and
compare it to your schedule for the next week, and adjust your staging area and staging times
accordingly. Doing this can make a very big difference in your bottom line on your revenue per
hour of driving.
2.17 Be nice (tips)
Be nice to your passengers. Some passengers do tip, even though Uber doesn’t necessarily allow
tipping for most of their services (through their app). Some of the things you can do to encourage
tipping are:
a) Present a professional appearance. People appreciate this!

b) Present passengers with a choice of music or news, go for the generic ones, nothing too
ostracizing. For example I love hip hop music, but that might not be a good choice for the
average rider, unless they ask for it.
c) Ensure your car is always clean: Consider having barf bags in your car in case you carry a
rider who wants to throw up.
d) Consider keeping bottles of water in your car for those thirsty riders.
e) Be kind and courteous to your riders at all times.
f) Have conversations with your riders, if they encourage it – sometimes people want to be
left alone and being able to read your passengers will help keep them happy and
generous.
g) Be on time when picking up your passengers.
2.18 Tax Planning
If you notice in this write up, I have frequently said “work with Uber”, not “work for Uber”. That is
because as an Uber driver you are not their employee, you are an independent consultant and
essentially self employed. Uber will issue you a 1099 document for each year you work with
them. As an independent consultant the difference between a big refund and a negligible
refund is keeping track of your expenses. (You should probably talk to your Accountant about
other things you should keep track of). Some of the items you should keep track of are:
 Your Mileage (Keep a mileage log handy and document your trips each day)
 Meal Costs
 Personal Food Expenses
 Food Expenses for Riders (for example if you give them free water)
 Car Maintenance
 Auto Repair Expenses
 Auto Maintenance Expenses
 Gas Costs
 Phone Costs (Document calls made to passengers and minutes used)
 Health Care Costs
 Insurance Costs
 Professional Service Fees (Accountants, Lawyers etc)
 Retirement Savings Account related fees
Note also-

 Tax Liability: Independent consultants make payments to the IRS quarterly if their tax
liability is more than $1000 each year. The IRS has a form 1040-ES which helps you
calculate your estimated tax payments.
 Self Employment Tax: As a self employed independent consultant you are also
responsible for paying your Social Security and Medicare taxes; however this is usually
done at the point you file your taxes in April of each year. Note –a portion of these
taxes are also deductible from your previous year’s revenue in the tax form 1040.
Note – to get more information on Tax planning , other ways of maximizing revenue
and other useful topics that concern Uber Drivers not covered in this report -take a look
at the “Our Other Products” section at the end of this document.
3. How to get free Uber Rides
To get your first free ride with Uber:
a) Use the following URL to get your free ride with Uber.
https://get.uber.com/r/share/me/MM2472/3yphk
b) Download the Uber mobile app on your phone
c) Request a ride with Uber!
4. Let us refer you (new Uber Drivers)
As at February 7th 2015, in order to get referral credit from Uber when you sign up you
need to have custom referral links provided to you or an invite code. We have provided ours
below. If you have never driven for a rideshare company, use this link (Up to $100 credit) :
https://get.uber.com/drive/?invite_code=M3OKV
If you have driven for Lyft or another rideshare company in the past, use this link(Up to $1000
credit) -: https://get.uber.com/cl/rideshare500/?invite_code=M3OKV
Use our links and once the referral credit has been paid to us, we will give you in addition to what
Uber pays you, $49* (Essentially, you would have received the kit ,which this handbook is a part
of) for little to no cost. Email us at inquiries@uberkit.net if you have any questions about this.

5. Message to our Readers
Dear Reader,
Thank you for taking the time out to read this short document. I enjoyed assembling and
analyzing this information for you and I hope you enjoyed reading it. If you would like to see the
full version of this document and other helpful materials send us an email at
inquiries@uberkit.net. Also, we appreciate any testimonial you might have for us!
Thanks in advance!
Malik Akande.
6. Our Products:
5.1 The Handbook of Uber Drivers Kit”
Are you interested in maximizing your revenue as an Uber Driver? Do you want to
learn everything you need to know as an Uber Driver? Do you want to learn how to drive
smart and learn those essential tips needed for Uber Drivers? Then you should check out
the “The Handbook of Uber Drivers Kit” (coming soon)
5.2 “How to Own an Uber Black Fleet Kit”
Are you interested in growing your fleet of cars, and making passive income from
uber? Do you want to turn this into a business, instead of another job? Then you should
check out the “How to Own an Uber Black Fleet Kit” at www.uberkit.net

Quick Tips for Uber Drivers – Driving Smart & Maximizing Revenue

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