# How can I practice using the driver app?



## SS Driver (Mar 10, 2017)

Is there a way to open the driver app as though you have a rider? I was hoping to be able to practice and learn by playing with app without messing something up.


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## DRider85 (Nov 19, 2016)

Yes there is a training app


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## SS Driver (Mar 10, 2017)

DRider85 said:


> Yes there is a training app


I just googled "Uber training app" I see training but not a "training app" . You wouldn't happen to have a link?


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## NCUberGuy (Aug 27, 2016)

1) Turn app on/go online 2) wait for ping 3) accept ping 4) follow directions to passenger (who won't be at location) (find passenger on wrong side of 1 way street) 5) Start trip 6) follow directions to destination (listen to passenger talk about how great their life is, nod your head and say 'Wow....Nice'..but think to yourself 'this a$$hole has 90k in student loan debt on hardship deferral) 7) Arrive at destination, wait for passenger to exit vehicle, end trip 8) Repeat 1-7.


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## Jagent (Jan 29, 2017)

Get a chair from your kitchen. Put in the living room. Sit in it and hold your hands out, like your driving. Pretend your phone makes a noise..


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## AuxCordBoston (Dec 3, 2016)

SS Driver said:


> Is there a way to open the driver app as though you have a rider? I was hoping to be able to practice and learn by playing with app without messing something up.


Lyft has s training module. Uber doesn't. You just have to go out and pop your cherry


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## Grand (Feb 23, 2016)

DRider85 said:


> Yes there is a training app


There is a common courtesy in this forum that if you provide a response like yours that you also supply a relevant link.
Please provide the link to help your fellow members.



SS Driver said:


> Is there a way to open the driver app as though you have a rider? I was hoping to be able to practice and learn by playing with app without messing something up.


If you are talking about Uber, I am not aware of such a feature. I agree with the above intelligent responses from experienced members.
Try it and you may like it.'







One suggestion is to attend driver presentations that *some* Uber offices have available.

Alternately ......
There are a number of Uber built training videos in YouTube but they are 2+ years old and not (100%) accurate.

This link below was made by a driver.
It is not using the latest driver version but it will give you a good idea of how the app works.




.


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## Cwh (Jan 30, 2017)

Why give smartass answers when somebody's asking for help?

What I did was practice with my son. I dropped him off at the corner and drove back to our house. He had a cell phone and requested a ride. I got the ping, picked him up and drove to his destination a couple of blocks away. It cost a few bucks but it was worth it, and I always got five stars. A couple of times someone else got the ping, so he just cancelled immediately.

The Uber video explaining how to use the app is pathetically inadequate. It teaches only the basic operation and assumes no problems or complications. I'm really shocked that Uber just lets people learn the hard way with paying passengers in the car.


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## DRider85 (Nov 19, 2016)

The most common mistakes are these 2.

1. Forgetting to start the ride. Meaning you have your navigation on and you pick the person up and you forget to close the navigation and start the ride. I did this and drove around in a circle. Newbie mistake.

2. On an Uber pool it's easy to forget to exit the current navigation to go pick up your next passenger. When you are on route to your next pax you have to exit the current navigation.


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## Coachman (Sep 22, 2015)

If you want to practice before you go for real have a friend or family member ping you and take a practice ride like that. That's what I did. You will find very quickly that it doesn't take practice.


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## entrep1776 (Nov 3, 2016)

SS Driver said:


> Is there a way to open the driver app as though you have a rider? I was hoping to be able to practice and learn by playing with app without messing something up.


Whoever gave you referral. Go ride with them to pick up a pax. Get out at pick up point.



Cwh said:


> Why give smartass answers when somebody's asking for help?
> 
> What I did was practice with my son. I dropped him off at the corner and drove back to our house. He had a cell phone and requested a ride. I got the ping, picked him up and drove to his destination a couple of blocks away. It cost a few bucks but it was worth it, and I always got five stars. A couple of times someone else got the ping, so he just cancelled immediately.
> 
> The Uber video explaining how to use the app is pathetically inadequate. It teaches only the basic operation and assumes no problems or complications. I'm really shocked that Uber just lets people learn the hard way with paying passengers in the car.


Without smartass answers which give entertainment value, I don't think anyone would be left on this forum. Some of the responses I found highly entertaining.


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## swingset (Feb 26, 2017)

You won't need training. Seriously. It's ridiculously easy, just watch the youtube videos on how it works.


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## Coachman (Sep 22, 2015)

swingset said:


> You won't need training. Seriously. It's ridiculously easy, just watch the youtube videos on how it works.


It's amazingly easy.

1. Go online and wait for ping.
2. Accept ping and directions to rider appear.
3. Follow directions to rider.
4. Wait for rider and let him in car.
5. Slide green "start trip" slider. Directions to destination will appear.
6. Follow directions to destination.
7. Drop off rider.
8. Slide red "end trip" slider. Rate rider.
9. Go back to step 1.


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## Mikedamirault (Jun 22, 2016)

Swingset is right, just wing it, the app practically teaches itself

Just go out and drive, go online, wait for a ping, when a ping comes in, you will naturally tap the screen (anywhere on the screen will do, though the natural impulse is to tap inside the circle, it'll do), tap navigate, follow blue line, wait for pax, say "hello, how are you doing today?" Or whatever intro you like, segue it into confirming pax, start trip, confirm destination, follow blue line taking cues from pax as needed, say "Have a nice day, thanks for riding" or whatever outro you prefer, end trip and rate appropriately, lather, rinse, repeat

After a while, you should get the jist, ocassionally you will get a hiccup, remain calm, some features are hidden, don't be afraid to play with the app, and remember you can always get help here

Once you get the basics above, play around with the app when you get a chance, like when waiting for a pax, try a fake cancel to get a feel for cancel (for a fake cancel, just don't select a reason, just tap the X to go back), check the waybill, just get an overall feel for it

When waiting for a ping, scroll around the map, zoom the map, tap event/airport pins, zoom into surging areas, check the different tabs, once you get a feel for that, it will feel more natural to just play with the app, anytime you get a ping, it will interrupt, either tap to accept or let it time out

Once you have all that covered, venture out of the app and play around with push notifications, stay online and exit out of the app, browse the web or play on a different app, when you get a ping, it will show you as a push notification and will show you the options accept and cancel, selecting accept will automatically swap back to the driver app and you will be ready to follow the blue line

The more you drive and play around, the more secrets you will find

By that point, you will be a driver app pro, and will know the ins and outs of the app


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## tohunt4me (Nov 23, 2015)

SS Driver said:


> Is there a way to open the driver app as though you have a rider? I was hoping to be able to practice and learn by playing with app without messing something up.


Get out there in the daytime ,between 10:00 a.m. & 3:00 p.m. and get PAID to Practice !
Daylight makes things easier to find.
The hours avoid rush hour traffic.
The hours avoid people in a hurry to get to work.
You just as soon get paid to learn .
Best way to do it.
Just tell everyone it is your First Day.
Should work for 6 months or more . . .
After a week you should be ready for anything.


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## JJL (Feb 3, 2017)

I had the same apprehension before going out for the first time myself. Eventually I just turned it on and went out. 
I let the Pax feel special by letting them know they are my "1st pax", first week of driving... but make sure YOU sound EXCITED.
I had very understanding passengers. I did make mistakes but They all understood. Knowing ahead it's my first, they were more forgiving.

And like 4me said, start at day time. It's slow so you shouldn't get slammed. 
My first day was weekend of NewYears. I wish I had found this forum before my first day. GOOD LUCK!


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## Driving and Driven (Jul 4, 2016)

Make sure you have everything you need, your car is clean and fueled up, and you have designated your preferred navigation app in the settings and checked other settings within the driver app and navigation app to make sure it functions the way you prefer.

Get comfy in the driver's seat and slide that driver app on.

Take a deep breath and wait for it.

It is not that hard and, after five or so trips, you will be more comfortable with it.


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## Silver Cab (Mar 11, 2017)

I agree, it is not hard to operate the app albeit on iPhone it is a bit of a hassle to switch manually between Uber and Google Maps app.


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## Cwh (Jan 30, 2017)

Coachman said:


> It's amazingly easy.
> 
> 1. Go online and wait for ping.
> 2. Accept ping and directions to rider appear.
> ...


Yes, that's the basic operation, but what about when someone wants to add a destination, what about when you've waited several minutes and the passenger hasn't arrived, what about the pool? Sure the basic operation is easy and is usually all you need to understand, but there are any number of things that can happen to complicate things, and Uber provides nothing to help newbies learn this.


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## SailingWithThe Breeze (Feb 22, 2017)

As a newbie myself, I think tohunt4me gave some outstanding advice: head out between 10am and 3pm to get some real-world practice. I just started on Lyft about 10 days ago and that is exactly what I did. It’s much slower during that timeframe and you should have less external stressors. Early afternoon should result in less traffic, paxs that are usually more relaxed, and far fewer challenging situations such as drunk paxs, nighttime navigation, etc.

I followed this advice on my first day and gave 3 rides and earned 2 pax no-shows (which turns out to be fairly rare and has not happened since) and then I called it a day. It was exciting and as silly as it seems now, it felt like I was crazy busy in the short timeframe because I was learning the ropes and pretty darn excited with a touch of nervousness. It helped me tremendously to learn in the slow-moving pace of early afternoon.

The very next day I decided to give Fri afternoon rush-hour a try and it felt much, much easier than the day prior. I was only planning on driving for 3 hours or so, but I was having so much fun as a newbie that I just kept on driving into the Friday-evening going-out crowd. Things were going so well that I just stayed out there all the way until 3am. I saw a lot and learned a lot in that session! But by the end of the long shift, I felt pretty solid handling all of the different situations that seem to arise. Not that its hard, but sometimes you have to experience it to learn how to handle it. Of course, this forum has been outstanding and by reading everything I could get my hands on here, I felt far more prepared than I would have otherwise.

I did 63 rides in my first week of driving and now it seems like second-nature to me. I know there are still many things to learn and experience, but I feel like I’ve got the basics down.

So my advice is to continue to read, post and learn more here...and just get on out there in the early afternoon for a couple of hours. You will learn a lot during that short timeframe and can build upon things from there.


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## Mikedamirault (Jun 22, 2016)

Silver Cab said:


> I agree, it is not hard to operate the app albeit on iPhone it is a bit of a hassle to switch manually between Uber and Google Maps app.


what do you mean? It's simpler to switch between apps on an iPhone than it is an android, when in Google Maps, double tap home to bring up the app switcher, tap the Uber driver app, done, want to go back? Double tap home button, tap Google Maps app


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