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10 Embarrassing Mistakes Even Veteran Uber & Lyft Drivers Make

We’ve all been there. Making mistakes is not uncommon, and your years of experience in the field don’t matter. When it comes to driving for ridesharing companies like Uber or Lyft, you might keep doing mistakes like ignoring to update your documentation or drinking that second cup of coffee that you know will not make you any good. But if you want to work successfully, you should also avoid doing some mistakes.

Let’s have a look at what are the major mistakes that even veteran Uber or Lyft drivers make. This list, by senior RSG contributor, is a great way to learn from some common mistakes and be aware of them and make sure you don’t commit them anymore!

I’ve made choices that if I could go back in time I would avoid. I’ve been able to spot what are the most common mistakes that look small on paper but that in reality has a high impact on your value as a driver. I want to share the list of those mistakes so that you avoid doing the same. I hope you’ll learn something from my list of the top mistake that I committed since when I started being a driver and I do even now sometimes

1- Drink Regular Coffee Which Stimulates Peeing More Frequently

I wanted to put this on top of the list because it is very common. Coffee has the power of energizing us, but also to increase the metabolic activity in our bodies. A cup of coffee will make us want to pee badly within an hour or two, it is guaranteed!

I usually start my day with a Cold Brew from Starbuck. Such a drink would generally last me about five hours. Because I start my day at 5 AM, at around 10 AM I would be looking for something else at 10 AM, the rush of the morning starts dying down and to me, it is a great time to take a small break after having driven for five hours.

At 10 AM I normally order another cold-brew. I say normally because sometimes I get attracted by something else, usually including regular coffee. I tell myself “just for this time, nothing will happen, I deserve it”. So stupid of me! As soon as I get into the car again and some clients, I already feel I have to go peeing. But I have riders in my car, so I can’t stop. Sometimes I have to hold it for so long I feel like I’m exploding.

Cold Brew doesn’t work as a diuretic as much as regular coffee, so it is the best alternative for a good, tasting drink to sip on while driving. Having to pee can affect the quality of our service as drivers, and having to stop in the middle of rush-hours is just so stupid that you should avoid it.

Try not to drink regular coffee, at least not if you want to make good money while driving!

2- Forgetting To Wash the Car’s Windows First Thing In The Morning

Some day I want to believe that my car doesn’t need to be washed. But as soon the morning sun starts to come out, I can see debris all over the windows. Skipping the morning wash does not eliminate the need to do it later. Unfortunately, the sun shows it all, which is why all rideshare drivers should include essential cleaning supplies (which you can find here) in their car.

3- Stop Exercising and Having A Sore Back

We all do it. We start hitting the gym, we start exercising regularly and it takes time to get into the routine. Then suddenly, we skip one day and we find reasons to stop excercicing at all. Regular physical activity can help with back pain, it helps me. As soon as I stop exercising my back starts aching again and I feel horrible.

To counteract the pain I use Back Shield, that relives my back and eliminates the pain.

If you want to check out BackShield, use the code RSG10 for a 10% off on your purchase.

4- Forgetting To Update The Documents On The App On Time

This happened to me more than once. I do get the notification in one (or more) of the ridesharing platforms I am using about the expiration date on my documents approaching soon, but still, I somehow I ignore them or forget about them. I keep pushing the day to fix the problem. Then, suddenly, without me realizing it, the expiring date is more than passed. I cannot drive anymore. Forgetting to update the documents of time results in losing one day to getting them, being inspected and upload them. I also lose all the time while I wait for the platform’s approval.

Procrastination is bad for every job. Pushing things off does not do any good, avoid doing so to eliminate the risk of having to do everything last minute and loosing more time.

5- Taking Longer Trips In Peak Hours

You should always check the address of the destination! It happens sometimes that I take a long trip during rush hours, which stops me from exploiting the rush-hour higher fare which is more profitable for small trips. What happens is that I assume that a rush-hour trip will be a short one because that is how it usually works.

Lyft makes it pretty easy to check and you can decide not to take a trip if it doesn’t suit you. However, at least once a week I’ll have a ride I’d rather not take. Even if some drivers refuse to take him, I would take the ride. These passengers are often the nicest and might give a good tip, which is better than nothing.

6- Driving Without Getting Good Sleep

There’s a reason why many stress with the importance of good eight-hour-long sleep. It makes you feel energized, you are sharper, more attentive and focus. I know myself and I can tell the difference in my performance when I sleep eight hours versus when I don’t.

7- Forgetting to use more than one app Slow Times

I mainly work with Lyft. During the rush time, everything is fine, I’ll usually be very busy. But in the morning, around 10 AM, the traffic and requests start slowing down. Sometimes I forget I have Uber as well, which might increase the chances of finding a ride. Instead, I will drive with no direction and no passenger for a while, angry for not finding any good passenger for me. You must maximize your chances and use various ride-share application during slow times.

Do you have Uber but not Lyft? Join Lyft with our referral code. Do you want to signup for Uber? Use our referral code for Uber here.

8- Not Helping Passengers

Driving for long hours is not easy. Sometimes I get very lazy, I’m comfortable in my seat and I see that the destination to pick up my next passenger is the airport. I get there and I see someone waiting for me with two luggage. Some might have a lot of stuff, looking as if they just found an Ibotta Promo discount code.

From times to times, instead of jumping out the car, welcoming the passenger and offer to handle their luggege, I sit quietly, open the trunk and wait for them to take care of their luggage.

This is the best way to lose a good tip. Help your passengers with luggage, they’ll show their appreciation!

9- Get Angry At Passengers

Passengers can be late, eat inside the car or ask questions I don’t want to answer. I might lose my patience from time to time, resulting in me not delivering a good service because something upset me. By not treating passengers kindly and politely at all times, I lose many tips. Being crossed does not mean to completely screw your possibilities to have a nice tip. Instead, keep cool and passive, while ensuring your passenger gets a nice rideshare experience.

10- Miss a Turn and Drive Extra Miles or Extra Time

Sometimes missing a turn can mean that you’ll have to drive for at least 5 minutes to be able to turn again. It is all about concentrating. Keep concentrated on your drive and you won’t have to spend precious time and gas because of a missed turn.

The Bottomline

It is common to lose focus, after all, we’re not robots, we can’t be spotless all the time. However, we can try to put the best of our efforts to making mistakes but with good consciousness. The goal is to keep getting better each time.Good luck and be safe!

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