Table of Contents
What is Uber and how does it work?
How much money can you earn driving Uber?
Requirements needed to start a Uber Business in Nigeria
- 4-door sedan in good condition.
- Seat at least 4 passengers in addition to the driver.
- Working windows and air conditioning.
- No full-sized vans or trucks.
- No taxi cabs, government cars, or other marked vehicles.
- No salvaged or rebuilt vehicles.
CAR REQUIREMENTS FOR UBER
- Any car to be used for Uber must be in a sound physical condition; it must be neat.
- It is Al’s required of the car to have a functional air-conditioning system.
- The radio system of the car must be in a good condition too.
- Th car must have four doors.
- Finally, the car must be under the coverage of insurance.
If your car meets these requirements, then you are good to go. We can then go ahead to give the list of cars accepted by Uber.
CARS ACCEPTED BY UBER COMPANY IN NIGERIA
You should understand at this point that there is no official document stating the brand of cars to be used for Uber hailing services. The primary need is that the car meets the requirements listed above.
Thus, here is a mere suggestion of car brands or models you can use for Uber. But even at that, Uber only approve cars that are either SUVs or Saloon/Sedan cars.
What are these cars we are talking about?
- Toyota Prius
- Toyota Corolla
- Toyota Yaris
- Toyota Matrix
- Kia Cerato
- Kia Rio
- Honda Civic
- Mazda 3
- Hyundai Elantra
- Hyundai Accent
- Mazda 6
- Honda Element
- Honda Accord
- Toyota Camry
- Hyundai Tucson
- Honda Civic
- Hyundai Sonata
- Toyota Avalon
- Toyota Avensis
- Rav4
- Toyota Venza
- Nissan Xtera
- Mazda CX-7
- Nissan Maxima
- Nissan Rogue
- Kia Sportage
- Infiniti Q50
WHAT MAKES THIS LIST OF CARS OUTSTANDING FOR UBER?
Well, you could be wondering why we have just selected this few out of the host of car brands in Nigeria. But one thing you must know. We have chosen them for certain reasons:
- They are cheap and common in Nigeria.
- These cars have the physical qualities required.
- The cars are easy to maintain and repair, in case of breakdown because there spare parts are readily available.
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Pros and Cons Of Driving for Uber
1. Flexible Schedule
Possibly the biggest advantage to a job like this is the flexible schedule. You can work as much or as little as you would like and during any hours. No need to schedule your driving around other activities. You can drive when you have time.
Often, part time jobs with a flexible schedule come with a salary fit for a high school student working their first job. That’s not going to work for a budding entrepreneur.
According to Uber, drivers make around $17 per hour.
But what seems like a pro could actually be a con. Another study found that after expenses, drivers in Houston, Detroit, and Denver were making less than $13.25 per hour and even worse, drivers in Detroit brought in only $8.77 per hour. In contrast, Walmart pledges to pay its employees at least $10 per hour.
Like any job of this type, as drivers learn the platform, they’re able to maximize their efficiency driving up their hourly wage and if Uber were to respond, it would likely say that the flexibility of the work is a better value to its drivers than the fixed schedule of Walmart.
2. Taxes
Courts ruled that Uber drivers are independent contractors rather than employees. Because of that, drivers are not eligible for overtime pay or benefits and the driver is responsible for paying their own taxes. Fortunately, as an independent contractor, you can deduct expenses associated with your business income, including taking the standard mileage deduction for the miles you travel for your business. A good rule of thumb is to save 25% of your income for taxes but you’ll likely pay much less after deductions.
3. Insurance
As a for-hire driver, your personal auto insurance policy doesn’t cover your vehicle when you’re functioning as a driver. Many have mistakenly said drivers have to provide their own commercial policy but Uber provides commercial insurance that covers the vehicle from the time the trip starts to when it ends. Also included is uninsured motorist coverage along with other coverages including coverage when the driver is between trips. Read more here.
4. Wear and Tear
You’ve heard it before. Cars depreciate rapidly and probably the biggest enemy to your car’s value is the number of miles. As you pack on the miles, the value of your car falls and the amount of repairs increases. There’s also the normal wear and tear of having people in and out of the back of your car. There will be stains, spills, accidental damage, and the normal wear and tear that comes with frequent use.
Although Uber will help you with some expenses—cleaning up vomit or other stains, for example—the wear and tear on your car is an expense that falls on you. Save a portion of your earnings to purchase a new car. You’ll need that money long before the casual driver will.
5. Your Safety
Most people would think twice about picking up a hitchhiker but as a for-hire driver, you’re letting strangers into your car. Uber does its best to screen riders by having a feedback system where both driver and rider rate each other but there’s no way to completely mitigate the risk to your personal safety. There are also plenty of reports online of passengers making inappropriate advances on drivers and the reverse. But like any service as large as Uber, the reports of negative incidents will always gain more attention than the majority of trips that happen without incident and end up being an enjoyable experience for all involved. All drivers should take appropriate precautions and be safety-minded at all times.
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How to Start Driving for Uber And Get Paid.
In order to ensure a positive customer experience, Uber requires that all of their driver-partners and their cars meet basic minimum standards.
The minimum standards for drivers include:
- Be 21 years old or older, have an in-state driver’s license, and be licensed for at least one year (or three years if you’re under 23)
- Have a valid Social Security Number
- Have in-state auto insurance with your name listed on the policy (you don’t necessarily have to be the policy holder)
- Able to pass a seven-year background check, including:
- No DUIs or drug-related offenses in the last 7 years (10 years in California)
- No major driving infractions, such as fatal vehicular accidents, reckless driving charges, or incidents of driving without a valid license or insurance in the last 7 years.
- No speeding violations in the last 3 years
- No other criminal history in the last 7 years, such as felony or misdemeanor theft, burglary, or robbery
The minimum standards for cars include:
- A four-door vehicle that is 10 years old or newer
- Must pass an Uber vehicle inspection
- In-state license plates with current registration
Note: these are the minimum basic requirements in most cities, but some cities may have different or additional requirements. For example, Uber driver-partners in Nevada must secure a Nevada TNC permit sticker as well as a Nevada state business license. In New York City, Uber driver-partners must carry a valid commercial car insurance policy and a taxi and limousine commission license.
Step 2: Sign Up to Drive with Uber
There are three parts to signing up to become an Uber driver-partner:
1. Sign Up Online
If you pass all of the minimum requirements listed above, the next step is to sign-up online. You will be asked to provide your complete name, email address, phone number, city, and the type of vehicle you plan to drive.
2. Have Your Vehicle Inspected
Uber will require you to send photos of your car, and your car will need to pass a safety inspection. In many larger markets, Uber provides free inspections at locations called Greenlight Spots, Greenlight Hubs, or Inspection Centers.
Because you’re using your own vehicle to drive, passing a comprehensive inspection is Uber’s way of ensuring that both you and your passengers are kept safe. While the specifics vary by location, some of the points that the inspection will consist of include:
- No major body damage
- Working headlights, tail lights, and indicator lights
- Functioning foot brake and parking brake
- Windshield integrity
- Functioning safety belts for the driver and any passengers
- Tires, including tread wear
- Interior and exterior rear view mirrors
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How do I create a Business Profile?
To set up your Uber Business Profile:
- Open the Uber app and tap the top left corner and navigate to Settings.
- Scroll down to Profiles and click Business Profile.
- You will be prompted to add you work email, corporate credit card and to select your preference for weekly or monthly billing summaries.
- You can also link your account to Concur, Expensify, Chrome River, or Certify expense management programs, according to your businesses’ preferred software.
- That’s it! Your Uber Business Profile is set-up.
From a computer: Click here. Simply login and you will be taken through the steps to create a Business Profile
How the Uber Driver App Works
The process of picking up and dropping off passengers involves a few steps:
- Log in to the Uber Driver app and click “Go Online” to list yourself as available for pickups
- Wait for a ride request — your phone will start beeping once you receive a ride request and you can see the rider’s pick-up location and destination
- Tap on your phone screen to accept the request
You only have about 30 seconds to accept a ride request before it’s passed to the next available driver-partner. If you choose to decline the request, it will be passed to the next closest Uber driver-partner.
Once you have accepted the request, do the following:
- Click on the “Navigate” button at the upper right-hand corner of the app to use the app’s built-in GPS, or you can use another navigation app like Google Maps
- Notify the passenger right away when you arrive, verify their name to confirm you’re picking up the correct person, and greet them into your vehicle
- Verify where you’re driving with your passenger before you start and then start the trip in the app
Note: You will be able to choose a personal destination twice a day. This allows you to only receive trips that have a destination near a particular location. Otherwise, you do not have control over the passenger’s destination.
Once you’ve reached your passenger’s destination, end the trip by:
- Dropping the passenger off at their destination
- Ending the trip in the app
- After you have completed the trip you will be asked to rate your passenger on a scale of 1-5 stars with the option of leaving comments and your passenger will have the option of rating you as well
Bottom Line
Uber provides an attractive option for people who would like the freedom that comes with being an independent Earner, Almost any 4-door vehicle that is 10 years old or newer will qualify you as long as it is in good mechanical and cosmetic condition however there was a recent study which brought out the obvious downside from Uber, such as increased congestion, higher traffic fatalities, huge declines in transit ridership and other negative impacts Although after some few indepth research 80% of uber drivers that quited driving for uber gave their reasons based on their expectations from customers, The Star Rating system in Uber was being misused by Customers, a customer can rate an uber driver poor even when the driver was good enough to be given a 5 star.
This might just be a downside for Uber Services, Probably the best way to solve it is by removing the 5 star rating system from the uber app, But is that really Neccessary?
You can share your Driving Experience with Us.
