# What's taking so long



## james demoin (Mar 14, 2015)

I'm 21 have a minor record like no insurance tickets and one wreck, I have full coverage witch is why I need this part time job also a 2014 hatchback good on gas uploaded all my info and it has been saying pending for a couple days now how long does the background take. I emailed uber and they replied saying they will be calling me shortly that was over 24 hours ago. If I go to the office in Dallas how helpful will they be would they be able to tell me right then and there if all be a driver or not I turn 22 on the 20th of March. How clean does your record have to be. And at the moment I'm using a rental till the dealership gets my new car in? Why do they not have a phone number on google


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## limepro (Mar 7, 2015)

I applied Wednesday got approved Sunday with a spotless record at 33


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## james demoin (Mar 14, 2015)

Well it mite be because you have a spot less record I don't think everyone is an angle who drivers a car. It's been 4 days if I don't get a reply in 8 days I think I'm head up there or just give up on it


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## limepro (Mar 7, 2015)

I was implying it takes time even with a spotless record, lyft took even longer I got their approval after a week.


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## kane (Feb 28, 2015)

james demoin said:


> I'm 21 have a minor record like no insurance tickets and one wreck, I have full coverage witch is why I need this part time job also a 2014 hatchback good on gas uploaded all my info and it has been saying pending for a couple days now how long does the background take. I emailed uber and they replied saying they will be calling me shortly that was over 24 hours ago. If I go to the office in Dallas how helpful will they be would they be able to tell me right then and there if all be a driver or not I turn 22 on the 20th of March. How clean does your record have to be. And at the moment I'm using a rental till the dealership gets my new car in? Why do they not have a phone number on google


Most likely they saw the incident on your record and they are reviewing it to see if you would qualify. To find out what they look for go their blog and search for driverscreening


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## Bob Reynolds (Dec 20, 2014)

james demoin said:


> I'm 21 have a minor record like no insurance tickets and one wreck, I have full coverage witch is why I need this part time job also a 2014 hatchback good on gas uploaded all my info and it has been saying pending for a couple days now how long does the background take. I emailed uber and they replied saying they will be calling me shortly that was over 24 hours ago. If I go to the office in Dallas how helpful will they be would they be able to tell me right then and there if all be a driver or not I turn 22 on the 20th of March. How clean does your record have to be. And at the moment I'm using a rental till the dealership gets my new car in? Why do they not have a phone number on google


There is no way that Uber will approve you driving a rental. That is just not allowed.


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## james demoin (Mar 14, 2015)

Alright by the time I get approved all have my new car


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## Duane McCormick (Mar 13, 2015)

Be patient! I'm 53 and have clean personal and driving records for the past 12 years. I have a federal gov't job (annual background checks) and it still took me a week+ to get cleared with Uber's.


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## jackstraww (Jan 20, 2015)

take the waiting time to be stress-free ...you,ll be ubering soon enough


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## Sydney Uber (Apr 15, 2014)

james demoin said:


> I'm 21 have a minor record like no insurance tickets and one wreck, I have full coverage witch is why I need this part time job also a 2014 hatchback good on gas uploaded all my info and it has been saying pending for a couple days now how long does the background take. I emailed uber and they replied saying they will be calling me shortly that was over 24 hours ago. If I go to the office in Dallas how helpful will they be would they be able to tell me right then and there if all be a driver or not I turn 22 on the 20th of March. How clean does your record have to be. And at the moment I'm using a rental till the dealership gets my new car in? Why do they not have a phone number on google


You're putting on a NEW car?

That good record of yours wont last long under financial pressure you've started on


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## jackstraww (Jan 20, 2015)

Sydney Uber said:


> You're putting on a NEW car?
> 
> That good record of yours wont last long under financial pressure you've started on


True Dat


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## everestsdad (Feb 24, 2015)

OP needs to read more before making the plunge. It will not work as structured. Stop lying to yourself. The idea is wonderful but implementation will ruin you.


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## Bob Reynolds (Dec 20, 2014)

james demoin said:


> Alright by the time I get approved all have my new car


You must understand that when you apply to be a Uber driver--there are several requirements. One of those requirements is that you already have a suitable registered vehicle with the proper insurance. Uber will do a "background check" on the vehicle as well as the driver. If you do not already have a suitable vehicle already registered then you would not be approved. You can be turned down for other reasons as well. For example, if Uber has enough of that type of vehicle in the market already then you would not be approved at that time.

Keep in mind that Uber will not allow you to simply "substitute" one vehicle for another. You will be approved based on the vehicle you submitted. If you later change vehicles, then you will have to get the new vehicle registered and approved (with Uber) BEFORE you start using it for Uber activities.

Uber has and will terminate drivers for not picking up passengers in the registered and documented vehicle. You can't use a friends vehicle or a rental vehicle for Uber. This insures that passengers know the vehicle they are looking for and the driver is the correct driver that has gone through the background checks.

The registered driver must go with the registered vehicle. You can not substitute drivers either. If someone else shows up driving your vehicle to pick up a Uber passenger then you will be terminated if you participated in this scheme.

If you have an accident in your vehicle and it can not be driven, Uber does not allow you to use a rental vehicle for Uber activities even while your vehicle is being fixed.

As others have said, it does not make any sort of financial sense to go out and obtain a new vehicle to be used for Uber activities. You will go broke. It's just a matter of when.

In my opinion the best vehicle for Uber is a 5 year old minivans. You can buy them fairly cheap. They hold 6 passengers and qualify for UberXL rates (double UberX rates) . And passengers like them. They also can handle just about anything that the customer needs hauling. (luggage, etc). I had a call the other day from the mall. The rider had purchased a canoe at the mall. The canoe would not fit in his rental car so he pinged UberXL for a minivan. I took the rider and his canoe to his hotel in my minivan with the seats folded down and the tailgate partly open. Yes he was happy and he did tip. There is a lot of flexibility with these vehicles.

At this time, I would not even attempt to purchase a vehicle to be used for UberX. You just can not make it on 60 cents a mile no matter how you try to work the numbers.

There are two kinds of miles you have with your Uber driving. You have paid miles and you have unpaid miles. Paid miles are what you receive when you have a rider in your vehicle. Unpaid miles are when you DO NOT have a passenger in your vehicle.

In our area (Orlando, FL) we drive about 3 unpaid miles for every paid mile. In some places it's one mile unpaid for every paid mile. In other areas it can be 5 unpaid miles for every paid mile.

If Uber would allow riders to add a "hailing fee" for Uber drivers more than 3 miles away, this would not be an issue. But at this time there are a lot of riders that can not get a Uber because the driver is simply too far away to be able to make money on the fare. So they let the pings go and the riders can't get a Uber.

You, the driver, pay for ALL miles you drive--both paid and unpaid.

So if you drive 10 miles to a fare then you will spend $5.70 of your own money (according to the IRS) getting to that fare. If that customer only wants to go 2-3 miles then you will only get paid $3.20 in UberX. If you then have to drive 5 miles to the next ride then you will spend another $2.85 of your own money. So you can end up losing money on every fare and not even realize it until you simply run out of money or credit card limits. It will likely show up when you need tires, brakes or repairs. Your vehicle will need something and you will not have the money to pay for it.


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## Lidman (Nov 13, 2014)

OP, you'd be better off not getting approved. Whether is uber x or xl, pax had been to order xl with uber x rates. Do you really want to drive when the fare ratio is .90/mile in Dallas?


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## james demoin (Mar 14, 2015)

What's wrong with using a new car?


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## james demoin (Mar 14, 2015)

You say a new car won't work but mine is more gas friendly then my friend all he makes is 345 bucks a week after expenses that seems pretty good for 15 hours my friend uses the new white charger


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## james demoin (Mar 14, 2015)

Another thing your not required to drive around when you don't have a passenger. Everyone I talked to told me they just chill in a Starbucks parking lot for the free wifi... You won't have to worry about me driving around wasting gas


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## james demoin (Mar 14, 2015)

I'm not getting a new vehicle because I want to work for uber i already bought it lol


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## james demoin (Mar 14, 2015)

I live in grapevine/ southlake home of the rich Texas white girls and wealth men there's a lot of 1%ers in the city all the CEOs for gas company's live hear so I'm pretty sure they will tip even if I tell them no, a pizza delivery driver makes about $15 an hour if you add the tips they make and the airport is close by that's why it seems like a good idea to. The high school gives out 29 full ride scholarships to Arkansas I've had women tip me 100 for holding the door open so it seems like a good idea


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## thehappytypist (Oct 9, 2014)

The thing that concerns me is that you've been cited for no insurance before. According to the blog, you can't have been cited for that within the past 3 years. The other thing is the accident, that may be a problem as well. I wouldn't put your hopes up TOO high because there are some problematic things in your history but you might get through.


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## Bob Reynolds (Dec 20, 2014)

james demoin said:


> Another thing your not required to drive around when you don't have a passenger. Everyone I talked to told me they just chill in a Starbucks parking lot for the free wifi... You won't have to worry about me driving around wasting gas


So you are going to ask the passenger to walk to the Starbucks parking lot to pick up their UberX ride?

What are you going to do when your drop the rider off at their house in the gated community? Wait in their driveway until the neighbor walks up needing a ride?

Dude you are going to have 1 to 5 dead miles for every paid mile. That's just the way it works.

Uber X will pay you .72 cents a mile in the Dallas area. It will cost you .57 cents a mile to own and operate your vehicle if you can get standard insurance. If you get sub prime insurance your cost per mile will be higher.


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## Desert Driver (Nov 9, 2014)

james demoin said:


> I'm 21 have a minor record like no insurance tickets and one wreck, I have full coverage witch is why I need this part time job also a 2014 hatchback good on gas uploaded all my info and it has been saying pending for a couple days now how long does the background take. I emailed uber and they replied saying they will be calling me shortly that was over 24 hours ago. If I go to the office in Dallas how helpful will they be would they be able to tell me right then and there if all be a driver or not I turn 22 on the 20th of March. How clean does your record have to be. And at the moment I'm using a rental till the dealership gets my new car in? Why do they not have a phone number on google


Truthfully, not getting approved may be the best thing to happen to you in this little adventure. Driving for Uber is no picnic. It's fun for a week, then you realize how little money you're making and how much of a beating your car is taking.


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## newsboy559 (Oct 14, 2014)

james demoin said:


> Another thing your not required to drive around when you don't have a passenger. Everyone I talked to told me they just chill in a Starbucks parking lot for the free wifi... You won't have to worry about me driving around wasting gas


Yeah, you just wait. After you sit and sit... and sit with no request, you'll get tired and want to move to a new location for better luck. Multiply that times a few times a day and suddenly you're putting on 20-30 extra miles on your brand new ride every day. That turns into thousands of extra miles long term. All in the name of trolling for fares. You'll depreciate your brand new vehicle into worthlessness in no time.


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## everestsdad (Feb 24, 2015)

Unless it is paid for, check for the exclusion in your loan/lease that prohibits carrying passengers for hire or being used for business.


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## Sydney Uber (Apr 15, 2014)

james demoin said:


> I'm 21 have a minor record like no insurance tickets and one wreck, I have full coverage witch is why I need this part time job also a 2014 hatchback good on gas uploaded all my info and it has been saying pending for a couple days now how long does the background take. I emailed uber and they replied saying they will be calling me shortly that was over 24 hours ago. If I go to the office in Dallas how helpful will they be would they be able to tell me right then and there if all be a driver or not I turn 22 on the 20th of March. How clean does your record have to be. And at the moment I'm using a rental till the dealership gets my new car in? Why do they not have a phone number on google


Look you seem like a nice guy, you have a nice car, here's a 50:50 Strategy if I was young, single, still competitively rowing, have nice threads and know what a Woman wants to hear (that is their own voice for 95% of a conversation which you've encouraged her to open up).

Oh! wear some, (not a lot) really nice cologne.

Engage in some deep & meaningful social intercourse, really draw out what the Female rider wants to talk about, say something like "University studies report that 85% of people prefer talking to someone they've never met before about their most private fears/desires/ambitions. At the end of the convo tell'em that the same study showed that first convo led to a wonderfully Adult relationship for 78% of woman & 82% of Men. End it off by looking her in the eye, holding your hand out for her to reach out to touch you whilst giving her your phone number.

You're either gonna get reported to UBER within a few weeks or you'll have a great deal of fun till that happens! (when it does, your car is saved!)


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## Desert Driver (Nov 9, 2014)

everestsdad said:


> Unless it is paid for, check for the exclusion in your loan/lease that prohibits carrying passengers for hire or being used for business.


Also, be sure to check your automobile insurance policy for the livery exclusion.


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## Desert Driver (Nov 9, 2014)

Sydney Uber said:


> Look you seem like a nice guy, you have a nice car, here's a 50:50 Strategy if I was young, single, still competitively rowing, have nice threads and know what a Woman wants to hear (that is their own voice for 95% of a conversation which you've encouraged her to open up).
> 
> Oh wear some, (not a lot) really nice cologne.
> 
> ...


You always have the perfect strategy.


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## Desert Driver (Nov 9, 2014)

Bob Reynolds said:


> So you are going to ask the passenger to walk to the Starbucks parking lot to pick up their UberX ride?
> 
> What are you going to do when your drop the rider off at their house in the gated community? Wait in their driveway until the neighbor walks up needing a ride?
> 
> ...


$.57 per mile is NOT what it costs to own and operate a vehicle. That's the IRS-allowed deduction. If you want to get a truer calculation of what it costs to operate a given automobile, here's the link I use. It's pretty helpful. Using this tool I was able to determine that my car costs just a little bit more than $.26 per mile to operate. However, I can claim expense of $.57 per mile as allowed by the IRS. And since I have other income that I need to offset, I make $.31 per mile before I ever put a pax in my car.

http://www.afdc.energy.gov/calc/


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## Bob Reynolds (Dec 20, 2014)

Desert Driver said:


> $.57 per mile is NOT what it costs to own and operate a vehicle. That's the IRS-allowed deduction. If you want to get a truer calculation of what it costs to operate a given automobile, here's the link I use. It's pretty helpful. Using this tool I was able to determine that my car costs just a little bit more than $.26 per mile to operate. However, I can claim expense of $.57 per mile as allowed by the IRS. And since I have other income that I need to offset, I make $.31 per mile before I ever put a pax in my car.
> 
> http://www.afdc.energy.gov/calc/


This is not even an accurate way to measure the business use of of vehicle.

That site you reference only gives you the operating costs of the vehicle (fuel, tires, insurance, repairs). 
*
It does not include the cost of the vehicle. *

Since vehicles are not free and the car dealer will charge you thousands of dollars to obtain a vehicle, you must include the cost of the vehicle in your calculations. This number will be around $6000+- a year depending upon the vehicle you have. When you do that (as the IRS has done) then you will find out that your cost will be closer to 57 cents per mile for a late model reliable vehicle. Remember a Uber driver is going to put 30,000-50,000 thousand miles a year on their vehicle. Those 30,000-50,000 miles must be paid for. They are not free.

Your justification with this type of false data is why Uber is able to get idiots to drive for 60 cents a mile.


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## Desert Driver (Nov 9, 2014)

Bob Reynolds said:


> This is not even an accurate way to measure the business use of of vehicle.
> 
> That site you reference only gives you the operating costs of the vehicle (fuel, tires, insurance, repairs).
> *
> ...


Yes, it does include the purchase price of the vehicle. That's one of the values you must input.

Anything else I can clarify for you, Bob?


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## Bob Reynolds (Dec 20, 2014)

Desert Driver said:


> Yes, it does include the purchase price of the vehicle. That's one of the values you must input.
> 
> Anything else I can clarify for you, Bob?


You might input the vehicle cost, but it totally disregards the vehicle cost in the per mile calculation. Don't believe it? Change the price of the car to $100,000 and you will see that the cost per mile will not change.

Your calculator gives the operating costs per mile--not the total ownership cost.

I just saved you and a bunch of other Uber drivers a lot of money.

The fact remains that UberX drivers lose money on each and every trip. They just don't know it.


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## Fuzzyelvis (Dec 7, 2014)

newsboy559 said:


> Yeah, you just wait. After you sit and sit... and sit with no request, you'll get tired and want to move to a new location for better luck. Multiply that times a few times a day and suddenly you're putting on 20-30 extra miles on your brand new ride every day. That turns into thousands of extra miles long term. All in the name of trolling for fares. You'll depreciate your brand new vehicle into worthlessness in no time.


Then learn to be patient. Troll at first when you're new . That's what I consider a business start up cost. But once you know the areas that will get a ping don't move just because you're bored. That's your own stupidity.


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## Laurie Uebbing (Oct 13, 2016)

limepro said:


> I applied Wednesday got approved Sunday with a spotless record at 33


I applied a month ago, have never heard back except "awaiting approval," I want to start driving, whats the hold up?


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## Honey Badger (Oct 1, 2016)

Took almost a month for me , they were missing a document but didn't bother telling me


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