RIDEGURU
Pretty common practice for UberBlack and UberSUV drivers, but what about UberX?
Now, my experience is that I have not seen this practice on UberXs. I'm in DC metro. Is that pretty standard across the country?
As an UberX driver, do you provide gum, mints, water, charger to your passengers?
Posted 5 years, 9 months ago
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Posted By
JBurd
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Comments
Generally I keep bottled water in the door drink holders. Truth is only perhaps 1-15 riders actually take one. On longer rides I offer gum and mints as well, and keep phone chargers readily available for the back seat and front.
I will say however that NOTHING is as important as keeping your car spotlessly clean. EVERY day, all the time!!! At least 50% of my passengers comment on my car - that it's "so clean" that it's "really nice" and quite a few "nicest Uber we've ever been in" comments.
2K rides with a 4.96 rating, i feel blessed, but I also work to keep it that way.
I drive for Lyft instead of Uber, but I also drive the cheaper type of vehicle. I do not provide water/gum/mints and would not even if I had chosen to work for Uber. The cost is not significant, but it is more likely to cause you to need to clean your upholstery, need a towel or two to dry spills and need to remove trash between fares. This additional time cuts into revenue far more than the actual expense of the items.
I do provide cell chargers for both iPhone and Android. I do not mind a single expense that does not create any possible messes. This makes people happy but is not a steady expense.
It's interesting that many of these driver answers are to do with keeping the cars clean. I have a new appreciation for how much care goes into this.
Guys...mints are cheap. A box of mints is like $1.50 and thre are like 30 of them inside. That's like a nickel. water? Get a huge box at costco. probably turns out to be like $0.10 each. i bet your increasedpay chek will warrany for that $0.15 uptick in expenses per ride.
See, the thing is... People who are needy and ask for lots of stuff on an Uber are the least likely to tip. Trust me on this. I've driven several hundred passengers, and those who ask for volume up and certain station to be played, AC/thermostat be adjusted, ask for route changes are the worst tippers.
Those are the "me me me" people. Sort of make sense, right? These are the people who cannot NOT have things their way. They want the temperature adjusted? Listen to certain stations? They cannot imagine not having it their way even for a few minutes. Just get over yourself.
$0.15 is a lot, man. With the profit on a short ride being like $2.00, $0.15~25 expense on every customer is just way too much.
I just googled this. Is this really a thing?
That's totally a thing. It's very effective. It makes people feel guilty for using their thing. It's a polite shove.
Pretty standard. I am in Boston, and I never see mints and such.
I've been doing Uber for a long time since the days before UberX, and I got used to getting water, newspaper, and mints. That was pretty much expected. When I went to Phoenix and took a few Uber rides, I also noticed, large cooler full of beverages in most UberBlack vehicles.
but not UberX.
Everyone thinks it's so cheap to stock cars, but when we are making such slim margins these, the math starts to fail completely.
A water bottle for two passengers on a ride? How much do they cost? $0.25 a bottle? On a short ride, that can mean a matter of profit vs. loss. On many days, I am driving 20~30 people. That adds up quick.
Well, there's no doubt there's an expense involved. The question is how much would improved customer service translate to an increased revenue. (i.e. more tip)
WEll? So which is it? more or less tips?! Enough to cover expenses or what?
Like this?
Combine it with a tip box. You are sorta selling it, I guess.
How about a nice chocolate Exlax bar for your uber ride home and I even throw in a mint.