[AMA] I'm an Uber Driver in Sydney. Ask me anything

che_97 on 12/01/2016 - 22:15
Last edited 23/01/2016 - 12:04 by 3 other users

I've seen that uber deals get posted a lot here on ozbargain and there seems to be a bit of interest for people driving in their spare time: https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/229564

Maybe you have taken an Uber in the past and want to ask a driver something you'd normally be too uncomfortable to ask in person.

Ask me anything.

Edit: I've noticed a lot of people are interested in becoming an Uber driver after reading about the $200 sign up bonus.

Here is how it works: If an existing Uber X driver recommends a new driver, then the existing driver (referrer) gets $200 only (not the new driver).

This payment is made after the new driver has completed 20 jobs (about 1 full day of work)

Mod: Removed referral code. Please do not mention or solicit referral codes anywhere in this post or in comments.

Introduce Yourself

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RemoteMan213 on 16/01/2016 - 19:20

Do you find that your phone gps becomes inaccurate in the city (due to urban canyons)?

If so, how do you navigate or do you just avoid the inner city?

If not, what phone are you using? My OnePlus always loses gps signal in the city. :(
- che_97 on 16/01/2016 - 20:43
  
  The phones are much better than the stand alone gps units in the inner city as they can use both cellular and gps signal to work out where you are.
  
  The city of Sydney isn't that big at all. So I just remember which streets are one way and such.
  
  You really just need to know where the customer is going to be picked up. If you pick them up In the city it's highly unlikely that they are going to want to go somewhere else in the city in which case you need to know how to get out of the city which I do.
  
  If you are dropping them in the city then you will only have to navigate the city for a short while and you should have time to work out where you need to go long before you lose gps signal.
  
  If all else fails, make the customer direct you. You put the onus on them. This can back fire if you are not clear about this method of operating from the beginning.
leeboy168 on 16/01/2016 - 19:46

Are you Argentinian?
- che_97 on 16/01/2016 - 20:36
  
  +1
  
  No I am not. My user name comes from an old history of using che in my user names. I liked Che Guevara as a kid and adopted the che in my user name.
  - leeboy168 on 17/01/2016 - 08:01
    
    me too, I just read the book hahah :)
outlander on 16/01/2016 - 19:57

Have you made any uber friends?
- che_97 on 16/01/2016 - 20:37
  
  +1
  
  Yes I have! One customer owns a Thai restaurant and we got chatting about his business and I have him some advice. He asked me to come have a chat with him over lunch one day. I did and we really got on.
striker5950 on 16/01/2016 - 21:49

hey man, im about to graduate uni, i have 1 unit left which will hold me back a semester till July, I was thinking of doing uber for that long and once i get a full time job ill start doing it on weekend, but ive been reading a lot on forums and there are many articles saying that uber is minimum wage after you count in all the costs, petrol, gst, cleaning, insurance, servicing, car usage etc. they say after all expenses it goes down to 20 or less an hour (they said as low as 15 an hour), on weekends its different you make more, but weekdays that is the case.
can you confirm whether or not its true?

and also if one worked 9 to 5 (8 hours daily) for 6 days a week, how much would one get after all expenses and gst and everything is subtracted.
than we can work out monthly and yearly total
- che_97 on 16/01/2016 - 22:27
  
  Hey striker, if you were to do it part time you are much better off doing it just on weekends and forgetting about weekdays.
  
  I haven't tried 9-5 but I can say from having worked weekdays that the money isn't good. $20/ h after expenses is accurate.
  
  However if you cherry lock your times you can make $50/h and make $650-$700 after expenses from 3, 5 hour shifts Friday Saturday and Sunday.
  - striker5950 on 16/01/2016 - 22:52
    
    yeh you are right about the friday and weekends, but those are the most dangerous times too, where you are picking up mostly drunks, so chances of throw ups or altercations increases alot.
    - che_97 on 17/01/2016 - 04:40
      
      Also true but I can 100% say that 99% of people are awesome. Having their reputation on the line makes everyone barable at the least for the duration of the trip.
      
      I'm also happy to talk about anything and also listen as well as engage I their conversations (important distinction)
sulmar on 16/01/2016 - 23:05

Sorry i have one more question.

I live in postcode 2770. I know this is fairly far from the city so what do you think about working here? Do you happen to know anyone who works around this area? Any random estimate how much can be made working around here?

I know the ideal place to work is near CBD as shown on uber website but just wanted to know if its realistic to work around this area.
- che_97 on 17/01/2016 - 04:44
  
  +1
  
  You can work around there when you start. Simply make your way to the cbd. You will start findings work somewhere along the way.
  Once you are in a busy area the work flows quickly. Down time between jobs is usually no more than 5-10
  Minutes anywhere. During busy times uber give you the next job when you drop off the previous customer (zero down time)
  
  More than likely there are people who want to get back to your area after a big night. This is probably what you are going to find rather than people starting the journey in your area.
  
  Check the uber passenger app daily to see if there are other drivers near you. If there are never drivers less than 10 minutes away, you have a market all to yourself
peterpeterpumpkin on 17/01/2016 - 09:57

You mentioned that you don't mind driving to the suburbs since there'll often be someone wanting to go to the CBD. Uber has been around for a while now but driver signups may have been previously limited by legal concerns. Do you envisage that the ease of picking up passengers in the suburbs and getting paid surge pricing would greatly diminish once driver numbers swell significantly? Or do you think UberX use would swell proportionately?
Top G on 17/01/2016 - 22:39

nice m8
voter1 on 18/01/2016 - 15:39

What people fail to remember with uber is uber takes 0 risk and 100% reward.
You take 100% risk

tax risk - you pay that
traffic fines - you pay that
car accident - you pay that (insurance and excess)
rowdy passensgers wrecking the inside of your car - you pay that
car maintance/fuel - you pay that
car depreciation - you pay that
uber can also cut you off (or customers) for a bad rating/incident and you basically have no recourse with them or in the courts because you have no rights because you are not an employee.

so also not being an empoloyee you dont have any of those benefits either - superannuation; workcover etc unless you want to pay it out of your own pocket.

ebay even combined with paypal fees is only 13% instead of 20% and at least they take some of the risk/responsibiliyt with refunds etc and the customer clearly pays/understands the costs of postage
- che_97 on 18/01/2016 - 21:02
  
  Fair points there you have.
  
  I disagree that there is no reward. The reward is the money. You are getting paid quite a nice rate per hour in exchange for your time. Your time is expensive as you yourself are paying for:
  -The outright cost of a vehicle
  -fuel
  -your opportunity costs
  -Depreciation
  -Risk of entering into an incident (of any kind)
  -vehicle up keep
  
  What uber are banking on is the fact that a lot of people already pay for these things.
  
  They argue that the extra money earned outweighs the negatives you mention. Those who drive agree with their offering. Those who drive full time are basically buying their jobs and agreeing to the terms.
  
  It's in their interest to maintain a good rating. It keeps the livelihood. Should uber withdraw their offer at any point then you can't really complain as they were the ones also finding you your work, bringing you the customer.
  
  Should they pull out for what ever reason, it is inevitable now that someone else will come into place of them to provide a similar service
striker5950 on 19/01/2016 - 12:42

i was just trying to get some quotations on third party insurance, from what I know only nrma offers uber insurance, but even their third party quote page asks if its private use, ridesharing or business. am I suppose to declare its for ride sharing even tho i'm only getting third party? does it matter?
striker5950 on 19/01/2016 - 13:58

check this out, basically says that uber deactivated him after 3 days for no reason..
http://www.uberpeople.net/threads/my-account-was-deactivated…
- sulmar on 19/01/2016 - 14:45
  
  That was exactly my concern. In the last page i just mentioned this rating system scares me a little and now i can see why.
  
  End of the first page, there's a good post by the user 'Muggs', definitely worth reading.
- Baysew on 19/01/2016 - 14:50
  
  Well there was a reason offered from the same post
  
  It sounds like you were a very bad driver. Passengers didn't like you.
  
  MickEdwards, Today at 4:31 PM
  - sulmar on 19/01/2016 - 14:57
    
    -1
    
    The only time someone will give you a 5/5 is if you go beyond his/her expectations. Say a normal driver does his job fine, he most probably will never be given a 5. If your rating falls below 4.5, you're out…. Meh, just something to think about.
    
    Edit: Reason offered from same post? What?
    - che_97 on 23/01/2016 - 04:11
      
      That's really not true. I don't do anything out of the ordinary and I have a 4.9 rating. I pick when to talk or not talk or listen or make jokes. I ask the client which way they want to go. All pretty standard.
      Also my car is vacuumed regularly. I don't wash the outside unless it's filthy as you can never tell at night anyway.
striker5950 on 19/01/2016 - 20:20

so the way I see it, if you already have a car that fits the requirements, and you have comprehensive insurance you got nothing to loose really, but if you are looking into buying a car just to meet uber requirements I really dont see it as a smart move.
- che_97 on 19/01/2016 - 21:20
  
  That's what they are targeting. People who already meet that criteria. Those like me who have signed up needing a new car, it's given me income
- striker5950 on 20/01/2016 - 00:01
  
  EDIT: comprehensive insurance that covers uber, which is only NRMA, and you have to tick the box hire car, otherwise the price is different for private only. so people who dont have NRMA, have to transfer to NRMA, and those who already have NRMA need to renew their policy to cover hire car.
jdogg on 22/01/2016 - 00:00

+1

The sign up bonus is only for the referrer. The new driver does not get the bonus as well.
- SuperFly 420 on 22/01/2016 - 11:45
  
  Correct.
- jdogg on 22/01/2016 - 15:47
  
  +1
  
  OP you should update this on your post so people aren't misled.
  - che_97 on 23/01/2016 - 03:59
    
    Good point. How do I change it? I don't see an edit option anymore
    I've just checked and it seems that the new driver does not receive the sign up bonus.
    
    I signed up early December with a code my friend gave me back in September so it may well be that this promotion is over.
    
    They do new promotions all the time though
jdogg on 22/01/2016 - 15:46

I have just came across this thread, I am an Uber driver here in QLD. I don't know if it is different in NSW. But up here you don't need a ABN or Comprehensive insurance. Just your CTP that comes with your rego. Obviously if you crash you arent covered but the passenger is with Ubers insurance policy. Also up here you have to maintain above 4.6 star average.
- pufffdragon on 22/01/2016 - 18:35
  
  Thanks for the info. I think the comprehensive insurance was the only thing holding me back from trying it out. Only because I can't afford it.
  
  I just want to ask on your opinion. I have a 2010 Hyundai i30. When you drive off and it reaches 40km an hr, all the doors automatically lock. I'm thinking this safety feature might freak some people out,especially women. What do you think? Cheers
  - ozhunter on 22/01/2016 - 19:18
    
    Thanks for the info. I think the comprehensive insurance was the only thing holding me back from trying it out. Only because I can't afford it.
    
    But the extra it cost for comprehensive, you'd be able to make it back easily.
    
    It's just a guess, but there's probably a setting to take auto-lock off.
  - jdogg on 22/01/2016 - 21:04
    
    Yeah same position I was in with the insurance. I only drive part time. Basically whenever I get bored. I've never had comprehensive insurance but also never had an accident. Been lucky I guess.
    Yeah If you can turn that feature off somehow.. maybe see an auto electrician or goggle it, but I think you would be better off. People honestly rate you down for the most stupid of things!
frankfu1122 on 22/01/2016 - 23:25

Any Uber drivers out there willing to help me out on deciding whether to become a driver?

I just want to drive on weekends (Fri and Sat) and I'm trying to work out how much fuel I would use for budgeting purposes. This would mean a lot to me! Thanks

I've detailed my plans on the spreadsheet below

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/18cZHjRgJZ5JO9xUYy5qL…
- ozhunter on 23/01/2016 - 01:50
  
  OP said it's 10% for him. It would be different for everyone. It depends what car you drive, where the passenger is going, how many trips you do, etc
  - frankfu1122 on 23/01/2016 - 20:43
    
    It's just difficult for me to estimate the kilometers traveled with 10%.
    
    My question was around the distanced traveled between those time periods, rather than the cost of fuel or the cost of fuel divided by the revenue
- che_97 on 23/01/2016 - 04:14
  
  +1
  
  Fuel is cheap at the moment. Near my place in Sydney it's going for less than $1/L (unleaded not e10)
  At this price the fuel is going to represent only a small portion of the revenue. Give it a go and let us know how you went and what car you are using.
  Also looking at your spreadsheet here is some advice:
  Forget about surges. You do make more money if you get them but you are often worse often trying to chase them instead of taking the work that's closer to you. Driving in an empty car (one without passengers) is the main thing you want to avoid. Driving empty across the city in the hope of getting a slightly higher fare is not worth it. When you get to the surging areas, often the price is so high that no one wants an uber. After a while there are so many uber drivers there that the surge disappears anyway. It's great when it happened but don't go searching.
  
  Also. Steer clear of the cbd in Sydney if possible. Too much time in traffic. Traffic is your enemy. Even with a passenger in the car you don't want traffic. You make $0.40/min in traffic compared to easily $1.5-2/min when moving (depending on speed).
  
  The best trips are from the inner west or inner east to lane cove area as its not a long trip but it's not that close so you get a lot of kms very quickly. (Although you'll never have any say in where someone goes)
  - frankfu1122 on 23/01/2016 - 20:41
    
    Thanks for heaps up regarding surging and how you explained it made sense. Would you also stay clear of Sydney CBD during weekend nights too? Or is it mainly just during the peak hours.
    
    Also, my question was more around how much kilometers one would usually travel during those times stated in the spreadsheet and less to do with how much the cost of fuel, and the cost of fuel with respective to revenue earned. I know it's a weird question to ask but I'm asking for budgeting/tax reasons to provide those kind of estimates before i make an investment and purchase a car for the purposes of ride sharing through Uber as a facilitator.
    - che_97 on 24/01/2016 - 12:12
      
      Cbd at night Is fine. In fact its great. All the cars are basically taxis or other Ubers. Plenty of customers around too.
      
      As for kms. It's really a how long is a piece of string. Some nights it's possible to do over 300km.
      
      Cost of fuel relative to revenue has more to do with your car than km travelled. More fuel efficient cars do better
      
      My Honda Jazz is doing 7-10l/100km depending on where I'm driving and this is basically 7-10% of revenue
    - frankfu1122 on 25/01/2016 - 12:44
      
      @che_97:
      
      Thanks for the insights!
      
      Thinking about getting a Jazz too actually. Do you have 1.3 or 1.5 that's doing 7-10L/100km? with or without air con on?
    - che_97 on 25/01/2016 - 13:54
      
      @frankfu1122: avoid the 1.3l at all costs. It's not powerful enough.
      The usage I'm talking about is with aircon. I don't feel that it has much impact on fuel economy.
      I don't notice the difference with and without (and I'm tracking it all the time)
      I have. 2015 Jazz, they don't offer the 1.3 any more.
      
      Jazz makes a great uber car. The rear leg room is great and the car is otherwise a very nice all round city car.
    - frankfu1122 on 26/01/2016 - 01:50
      
      @che_97:
      
      Noted! Yeah I've owned a 2 of them before, they sure get the creative use of space right!
      
      If you were to choose another car besides the Jazz and you had a budget of $20k, what would you choose? For the purposes of Uber.
    - che_97 on 26/01/2016 - 01:58
      
      @frankfu1122: find yourself an ex government Prius at a pickles auction. Don't spend $20k unless you would have bought this car anyway. Think about how long it will take to repay $20000 over say $12000. That's still an addition 8 weeks you have to work full time to pay just the difference in initial capital.
      Find a nice Pruis. That are great on fuel and nice to drive. I didn't get one as I didn't want the get a car that was only a little bit newer that the one I already had. I got a much newer car with much of the depreciation already done to it.
      
      Or a diesel golf. Saw one go at the pickle auction for 16k. 20k km 2012 all leather interior. No scratches. Nice white Colour with no paint defects. Easily worth 24k on private trade.
      
      Those auctions might save you a bunch of money.
    - frankfu1122 on 27/01/2016 - 11:17
      
      @che_97:
      
      My friends have mixed feelings about Pickles, they say that many of the cars there are ones that dealers deem not worthy of selling. On top of that, I don't think i'm able to test drive before making an offer.
      
      Though they might save me a bunch of money, it might cost me a lot too, could be a mixed bag. I'd rather not risk being being out of a car (and hence not being able to earn income from Uber).
      
      On the topic, have you heard of any Uber drivers renting a car (say GoGet) and using it for the weekend for several Uber shift? This would be useful in times when your car is in for a repair or something.
      
      On the Uber Sydney's page it says the following
      
      Bring your Comprehensive or Third Party Property Damage Certificate of Insurance or Policy Schedule showing the following:
      
      Your name as an Insured Driver (if using a friend or family member's car, call their insurer to add your name)
      Vehicle make, model and registration number (must match the rego certificate)
      Current Expiry Date (proof that insurance is both current and valid)
      Type of insurance (either Third Party Property or Comprehensive). CTP Green Slip is not accepted.
      
      What do you think?
dicatalog on 23/01/2016 - 20:11

How long do you work for this job everyday?
pufffdragon on 29/01/2016 - 14:13

Just going through the process of signing up. What happens at the car inspection? Is that like a road worthy test or is it just to see if your car doesn't look like a rubbish tip?
- tyler.durden on 10/02/2016 - 09:02
  
  Probably both.
kenunderscore on 21/02/2016 - 03:52

I saw your comment where you mentioned you wouldn't overload on passengers and was just wondering:

Do you mean overload in the context where you're a P Plater

or

Overload where you refuse to carry more passengers than there are seatbelts in your car?

because to my knowledge you have to be a full license driver to drive with uber, thanks!
- che_97 on 22/02/2016 - 00:24
  
  I can not take more than 4 passengers at once. You need to have held an unrestricted Nsw licence for at least 12 months before you can be an uber driver.
rawm on 21/02/2016 - 16:14
Hey cha,

Massive thanks for all the answers - I'm sure you're helping a lot of fence sitters make a yes/no decision (I'm one!) so kudos to you!

3 questions if that's okay

Driver profile: Can a driver make a 'profile' with a Bio, avatar etc that people can browse before you riding with them? In particular a number of rides eg. Mr. Mark Muhriz (209) so they know your an experienced uber driver?

2: Standing out: I think the main thing turning people off is the fact that maybe Uber doesnt easily differentiate drivers. All I see is little Birds Eye view cars (grey or black) on the app. Is there a way of differentiating yourself to maximise customers, or is it just all 'luck' if and when you get a customer?

3: What if you are parked in a MacDonald's etc with 7 other Uber drivers - who gets the customer? The one who according to GPS figures is closest to the customer 'as the crow flies'? (not taking into account exits etc?

Thanks heaps!
- che_97 on 22/02/2016 - 00:22
  
  +1
  
  No, customers don't get to choose drivers. They just get assigned the closest driver who accepts the job first.
  
  You don't get to pick the car anyway so why would you want to stand out. As a driver you just want to be closest to where the customer is to get the job. Obviously you don't know where that is in advance so you have to guess or tactically position yourself.
  
  This happens all the time and it's just closest person to the customer in minutes on the gps. It's very often wrong but that's how it sort it out.
  I look at the customer app and if there are too many drivers in one spot I move along. You are much more likely to get a job if you are away from other drivers.
  - rawm on 22/02/2016 - 10:52
    
    Thanks che!
    1. Could you elaborate on 'tactically position' yourself? I.e. do you always keep moving, follow other drivers etc?
    2. How's it all going for you as you've now been driving for a few months - Better than the first month or quieter/honeymoon is over etc?
    - che_97 on 24/02/2016 - 08:15
      
      +1
      
      Being in a place nearest to where you think people are going to need a lift. This is pure chance as you don't know where they are until they book but certain areas help.
      Avoid other drivers, uber gives jobs away by proximity only, so being behind another driver will mean they get the first job.
      
      Great. The money isn't life changing but it's enough to keep me happy for now. I'm pickier with the times I work so I now know when is busy, when isn't. I don't bother working when I think it's not going to be busy
Smashgh on 03/03/2016 - 17:02

http://uberaustips.com/how-much-uber-drivers-earn/

Do this guys numbers check out according to you?
Boston41 on 03/05/2017 - 11:31

I have just started in Sydney, do you have any hot tips on good place/times to get on the road. I thought the airport would have been good, but it put me in a queue of about 40 so I bailed.

Also, how much data and hours online would you say you do a month

Cheers!!
- che_97 on 04/05/2017 - 01:05
  
  Yes i do.
  Weekdays:
  Work 5am-10am
  3pm-8pm
  
  Start where ever you are and drive towards the city.
  
  Weekends.
  Friday night from 5:30pm onwards is good until about 9pm then it dies until after 11pm
  Anytime really on Saturday is good except for 3pm-5pm and 9pm-11pm
  
  Sundays are great between 8am-2pm
  Data:
  I drive 40-45 hours a week and probably use 2.5Gb of data.
  
  Check out the uber people forums too. There are a bunch of good resources there for new drivers.

[AMA] I'm an Uber Driver in Sydney. Ask me anything

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