# Im nervous



## Nico love (Nov 13, 2016)

tomorrow is my firts time driving for uber. Im nervous any advice


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## SEAL Team 5 (Dec 19, 2015)

Nico love said:


> tomorrow is my firts time driving for uber. Im nervous any advice


Brakes are on the left.


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## Bluecrab (Oct 3, 2016)

Nico love said:


> tomorrow is my firts time driving for uber. Im nervous any advice


Three or four beers before you start will steady the nerves.


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## JimKE (Oct 28, 2016)

Relax, be yourself, be polite and professional, use Google Maps navigation, don't try to do too much the first day.


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## joffie (Jan 31, 2016)

Quit whilst your ahead. What are the rates like? Any surges?


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## wk1102 (Dec 25, 2015)

Bluecrab said:


> Three or four beers before you start will steady the nerves.


I prefer a few vodka tonics... less of a chance that someone smells the alcohol


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## theamp18 (Nov 9, 2016)

I was too. On my very 1st trip the GPS had me dropping off my pax in the middle of the street. The house was on the corner right next to the main street but the GPS didn't tell me to turn in the neighborhood. Eventually found it, but it took a few extra minutes. The paxs were totally cool about it. I haven't been driving long and have not had any bad pax yet but I am sure it is coming. I also haven't worked past midnight yet so that might have something to do with it.

Just breathe. Take your time. Take a break every 2 hours and stretch your legs. You will be good. Good luck tomorrow!


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## Peanut hello (Sep 19, 2016)

Nico love said:


> tomorrow is my firts time driving for uber. Im nervous any advice


Get yourself some gum.


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## Ray21 (Sep 2, 2016)

You gonna be more nervous when you realise how bad uber payment is...... Dont expect to much... RIDERS WILL SEE YOU JUST AS A UBER DRIVER, YOU NEED TO SEE THEM (75%) JUST AS CHEAP AS$ RIDERS THAT WILL DEMAND HEAVEN FOR A FEW BUCKS


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## tohunt4me (Nov 23, 2015)

Nico love said:


> tomorrow is my firts time driving for uber. Im nervous any advice


I think we were all nervous.
I started during daytime after morning rush hour.
No bars,no drunks could see in the daytime.
Being nervous is normal for your first day. I still remember my first trip and my first riders.
You just have to get started. Then it will seem natural.


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## SuzeCB (Oct 30, 2016)

Air sick bags. Drunk passengers that start belching need to sit on the right side of the car so you can pull over and they can open the door to puke without fear of them being decapitated. If you're the sort that is compassionate, a bottle or two of water, some saltines or Ritz crackers, and some mints for afterwards.

And Febreeze is your new best friend!


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## tohunt4me (Nov 23, 2015)

SuzeCB said:


> Air sick bags. Drunk passengers that start belching need to sit on the right side of the car so you can pull over and they can open the door to puke without fear of them being decapitated. If you're the sort that is compassionate, a bottle or two of water, some saltines or Ritz crackers, and some mints for afterwards.
> 
> And Febreeze is your new best friend!


I buy Fabreze by the 1/2 gallon. $7.99 at Walmart.


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## unPat (Jul 20, 2016)

Don't worry , relax and drive . Try when there is less traffic , maybe evening when people are more relaxed. 
Drive from your house to 10-15 miles away store with GPS to get used to GPS .


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## UberMeansSuper (Aug 3, 2015)

If your car has an available DC port, a cheap (I'm talking Family Dollar/Five Below/dollar store) iPhone Lightning and Android Micro USB charger that you won't mind much if the pax steals it. 

Goes a long way while not caving to the water/mints/hot towels/vibrating massage seats/red carpet upon exiting B.S. Travis suggests you do for $0.80/mile.


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## The Ombudsman (Nov 2, 2016)

Don't do nights (especially late nights) for the first couple or three days, til you get your feet wet.

Relax. Be polite, drive safely. Don't sweat it if someone gives you a shit rating your first day - it'll be irrelevant after a short time.


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## Fishchris (Aug 31, 2016)

SuzeCB said:


> Air sick bags. Drunk passengers that start belching need to sit on the right side of the car so you can pull over and they can open the door to puke without fear of them being decapitated. If you're the sort that is compassionate, a bottle or two of water, some saltines or Ritz crackers, and some mints for afterwards.
> 
> And Febreeze is your new best friend!


Compassionate ? For what some freaking [email protected]$$ did to themself ???
Ha ! I would likely be compassionate over just about any other thing you could image... Before I would be over alcohol use !
I dont care that alcohol is legal. Impo, its the worst drug on the planet ! Stick to pot, its much safer.


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## circle1 (Sep 17, 2016)

Always ask the pax, "may I have your name please?" If you're picking up at a really busy location like after a show or big games lets out, or at a popular bar and there's a lot of people around. If they seem drunk or sketchy, after they confirm their name, ask them, "which driver are you waiting for?"


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## SibeRescueBrian (May 10, 2015)

Nico love said:


> tomorrow is my firts time driving for uber. Im nervous any advice


Welcome to the forum! There's an excellent advice thread for NYC here: https://uberpeople.net/threads/new-driver-advice.109973/

You also might want to consider NOT posting your exact address underneath your avatar there. Good luck!


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## gofry (Oct 20, 2015)

Keep records of your time spent driving (with passengers and without) for 3 weeks. Total all of your earnings (after Uber fees, gas, car cleaning, etc.), then divide the earnings by the number of hours you've worked. Then decide if it's worth your time.


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## steveK2016 (Jul 31, 2016)

I was nervous when I started too. In fact, I waited 3 months after getting approved before I actually started driving. I regretted waiting so long, the first few times out was bad, I didn't drive Downtown Atlanta before I started Ubering. After a few weeks of driving weekends, I was a pro. Eventually, you'll have picked up from just about every restaurant/bar/hotel that you become familiar with where and how to find your pax easier. 

It takes time, but it's an easy gig to get use to. Learn your hot spots and learn the surge patterns.


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## PhgL (Jul 24, 2016)

gofry said:


> Keep records of your time spent driving (with passengers and without) for 3 weeks. Total all of your earnings (after Uber fees, gas, car cleaning, etc.), then divide the earnings by the number of hours you've worked. Then decide if it's worth your time.


Then you would realize you'll be making minimum wage.


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## EX_ (Jan 31, 2016)

Bluecrab said:


> Three or four beers before you start will steady the nerves.


I prefer wine in a can, for obvious reasons.


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## Delivery Mr.Guy (Aug 9, 2016)

Here is what you do, pick up the first pool, second pool, third pool , spent 24 minutes to pick up 3 pool for the price of one. Most Uber drivers is broke or no money because all the money come in from Uber is going back to the lease of the car or paying rental car.


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## Preacher (Mar 12, 2016)

Just relax and so it. Start days, be professional (I don't offer the water or mints). Most are simply happy to get where they are going (unless I'm in an unusual market). I was very familiar with the town so I started doing nights after 2 days. I'm a very friendly and like to try to engage the passenger(s) in conversation. When that is not happening, I just silently deliver them to their destination quietly. I think that personality plays a role in ratings. Once you start, only you can decide whether this is for you. If you decide that it isn't, get out before the whole thing makes you bitter!! Right now, it works for me. When the day comes where it doesn't I'll move on and keep smiling.


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## Louisvilleuberguy (Aug 3, 2016)

Honestly I have had nothing but positive experiences driving with the exception of maybe 5 people. I don't drive after I'd night and I position myself in upper income areas when possible. I've never felt in danger and honestly I have done well for myself with the contacts I've made and some independent jobs for companies where I've been hired to drive their clients to meetings as such. So uber has been enjoyable with the exception of a very few.


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## Kon1992 (Nov 1, 2016)

Tell your first passenger that they are your first passenger. Do that for your first 10 passengers. They'll understand if you take a wrong turn. You'll get a hang of it after your first 10 rides. Drive safe!


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## Preacher (Mar 12, 2016)

Louisvilleuberguy said:


> Honestly I have had nothing but positive experiences driving with the exception of maybe 5 people. I don't drive after I'd night and I position myself in upper income areas when possible. I've never felt in danger and honestly I have done well for myself with the contacts I've made and some independent jobs for companies where I've been hired to drive their clients to meetings as such. So uber has been enjoyable with the exception of a very few.


I'm in the same boat you are in; I have had nothing but good experiences driving with Uber. Because this is a small relatively safe city, I drive at night and all over the city. Even on weekends late when I'm moving drunks they are almost always pretty pleasant and give me no problems.


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## DJinAC (Nov 3, 2016)

I was and still am nervous about it but I just told the first passengers they were my first and they were very cool about it. They engaged in conversation with me and it was very pleasant. My second passenger was for another country but he also was very polite and understood I was new. I find that talking to the pax make the ride more enjoyable for them and for you. Be polite, drive safely and you will do fine. I am fortunate that my vehicle has a 110 volt outlet in the back seat so I bought small charger so they can plug their sub cord to charge a device if they need to. Good luck.


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## Just Another Uber Drive (Jul 15, 2015)

My problem has never been the pax. It's always been Uber/Lyft Corp. The driving people around part is easy and even quite fun at times.

My tips/suggestions/opinions are...

Get a phone mount.

Get a Bluetooth earpiece and have all navigation info sent to that earpiece. This will make you seem like a pro... unless the GPS screws up. I wear mine on the left side so pax can't even see it. That wasn't intentional, it's just my preferred side. But I like that it goes unnoticed.

How you recover from navigation screw-ups will go a long way toward sparing your ratings. If you drive with confidence many mistakes will go unnoticed. But there are those screw ups that you just have to answer for. A bit of salesmanship is required at that point. Everyone makes mistakes at some point. Recovering from them is key.

Focus on safe smooth driving at all times. The level of distractions that pax can create is amazing. You need to filter out the nonsense. I suspect this is why mom's are good Uber drivers. They are experienced dealing with distractions in the car.

#1 rule of ride-share is don't get in a wreck. All ride-share drivers should approach this job with a sober, mature mind and the full realization that we are responsible for safely transporting our passengers. We may not be paid like pros, but we need to do our best to be pro-quality drivers for our own safety and the safety of the passengers and the public. Never speed or violate traffic laws. We don't earn enough to pay tickets.

Engage in conversations when needed but don't take your eyes of the road.

If you exchange some pleasantries with the pax at the beginning and end of a trip you can generally remain silent the majority of the trip if you so desire. Many new drivers it seems are kind of shy and uncomfortable talking with strangers so don't be afraid to be quiet.

Every pax is different so you have to treat each one differently. Some pax are talkers. Think of it like working as a bartender. You say "yep" and "no kidding?" and laugh at the appropriate times when honestly you're not really listening to them.

Remain calm and confident at all times. Fake it until you make it.

In a week, if not sooner, you'll think nothing of picking up strangers and the confidence will be real.

Never carry a bad experience from one ride to the next. You have to shake that off immediately. You can revisit it when your shift is done.

Don't give out water or candy or gum or any freebies. It can actually hurt your ratings. Makes no sense, but it's fact. Many of us experienced it first-hand when we first started.

Get a dashcam or equivalent app. It is essential.

Your car. Your rules. No exceptions.

Take breaks. Get out and walk around the car. Do some knee bends or whatever to stretch the muscles and keep the blood flowing.

Never pick up a pax with a rating under 4.7.

Anybody who is nervous about starting needs to just go do it. You'll be sorry you delayed yourself pointlessly when you find out how easy this can be.


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## CrazyT (Jul 2, 2016)

And for goodness sake if you get tired and a break with some fresh air doesn't revive you, log off and go get some sleep.

I've picked up quite a few riders lately who are commenting that drivers they had earlier in the day, sometimes in a different city, were obviously exhausted. The one yesterday said her driver in Pittsburgh who took her to the airport at 4am said he was into his 12th hour driving and it showed.


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## 60000_TaxiFares (Dec 3, 2015)

CrazyT said:


> And for goodness sake if you get tired and a break with some fresh air doesn't revive you, log off and go get some sleep.
> 
> I've picked up quite a few riders lately who are commenting that drivers they had earlier in the day, sometimes in a different city, were obviously exhausted. The one yesterday said her driver in Pittsburgh who took her to the airport at 4am said *he was into his 12th hour driving and it showed*.


I drove 36 hrs straight in a cab once, 1st of month, on a roll , behind on stuff. Fell asleep waiting for a call. Wouldn't recommend it.


> he was into his 12th hour driving and it showed


Well there ya go. Dedication. Cleaned up with overtime. Uber on......

Stay Safe

CC


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## circle1 (Sep 17, 2016)

Kon1992 said:


> Tell your first passenger that they are your first passenger. Do that for your first 10 passengers. They'll understand if you take a wrong turn. You'll get a hang of it after your first 10 rides. Drive safe!


. . . Why stop at 1o??


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## 60000_TaxiFares (Dec 3, 2015)

circle1 said:


> . . . Why stop at 1o??


In general , the fares will remember you better than you will remember them by the thousands.

After you've told the same fare 10 times over 6 months you're "his first" at what point does he 1 star you.

When I think about it in my history telling certain individuals they were "_my first_" hasn't really worked out all that well.

Stay Safe

CC


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## UberAnt39 (Jun 1, 2016)

Use google maps as your navigation app. Make sure you're familiar with it before doing a paid trip. If you don't live where you'll be driving, go there and spend a day or two getting to know at least the main streets & areas. Once you start, avoid peak hours for the first week, that's when traffic & bad paxs will hit you hardest especially if you're nervous. Or just get out there on day 1, take all the bad ratings and bring your score back up as you learn.


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## Trebor (Apr 22, 2015)

SEAL Team 5 said:


> Brakes are on the left.


I thought they were on the right.


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## UberAnt39 (Jun 1, 2016)

Stamp on 'em both, see what happens.


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## Lord of ricks (Oct 11, 2015)

UberAnt39 said:


> Stamp on 'em both, see what happens.


left foot braking homie


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## SurgeorSuckit (Apr 3, 2016)

Umm.. you might want to change your avatar get rid of address there Einstein..


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## Lord of ricks (Oct 11, 2015)

lol flash mob at his house


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## joeking (Sep 27, 2016)

pax just want to go from point a to b. don't make it complicated. pickup them up and drop them. drive safely. simple as that.


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## Lord of ricks (Oct 11, 2015)

joeking said:


> pax just want to go from point a to b. don't make it complicated. pickup them up and drop them. drive safely. simple as that.


yeah dont introduce point c. that will confuse them


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## uber fool (Feb 3, 2016)

I was reading fox news statistics and did you know 1 in every 4 new uber drivers is axed murdered in there first 24hrs


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## darkshy77 (Sep 28, 2015)

Nico love said:


> tomorrow is my firts time driving for uber. Im nervous any advice


 Pings pick it up..... don't do the math how much you're making an hour you'll quit right away. every markets different with hotspot think about where the Millennials are.... you not bother with water Gum ext. Uber email can be helpful and at times advise you to do the complete opposite. how much time you was going to take you a month or two to figure out how to make money


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## Crownvic 60 (Nov 3, 2016)

Nico love said:


> tomorrow is my firts time driving for uber. Im nervous any advice


N.o.r.c.o!!


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## Who is John Galt? (Sep 28, 2016)

Nico love said:


> tomorrow is my firts time driving for uber. Im nervous any advice


Don't be too anxious. Keep in mind that your passenger may be feeling the same way. This might be their first Uber trip.
Just imagine....they may have just been released from a criminal psycho penitentiary ......and they may have nothing but hate and revenge in their heart.

Then again.....your first trip may be like mine.....where I was asked to bring her bags inside and then got to park my bags inside.

But most likely.....it will be closer to the first scenario...


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## ZZY (May 10, 2015)

My very first ride directed me to Trump International Golf Club at Midnight. I figured a guard or maybe the Donald was putting in the moonlight. The place was locked up. I called the pax. He was at the Palm Beach airport, miles away. 

I now know to wait the 5 minutes at the pin and cancel. Instead, I waisted 30 minutes and a lot of gas on my dime. 
Now there is a queue at PBI with 5 or 6 cars for Lux there at all times. Once the app said there was a 2-12 minute wait, I was nearby, and only 1 Lux in the queue. I went and waited for an hour before giving up. What a bunch of BS this company puts out.


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## freddieman (Oct 24, 2016)

be sure to swipe the start ride button. push the navigate button to start. be sure to swipe end ride when dropping off pax. then say "where's ma tip biotch?"


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## geekorama (Jun 6, 2016)

Nico love said:


> tomorrow is my firts time driving for uber. Im nervous any advice


- Don't pick up anyone less than 4.5 (or whatever you're personally comfortable with)
- Be polite, courteous, friendly
- No need to get water for your customers, they waste it.. drink half and put it back.
- Don't drive around wasting gas, unless you know you're in a very bad spot where it becomes dangerous for you or low density/low ride area
- Don't pick up unattended minors / kids without a car-seat (you're liable for the ticket)
- Aux chord is like $5-$10, a lot of people will ask for it and it's an easy higher rating.
- When picking up a rider, trust your instinct! Drive off if you're not comfortable
- When picking up smokers and stanky passengers, know that their stank will linger in your car and the next riders will think it's you
- If you do decide to pick up a smoker, put the air conditioner to "outside air" instead of "recycle" - that way the stank doesn't stay
- If you fart, blame it on something in the neighborhood you're in (make it up), if they fart, roll down your windows and say, "daayumm, you smell that?"
- If you ever feel in danger, do what you need to do to stay safe, ie.. drop the customer off, call the cops, taser them into submission 
- Don't get in an accident, there's a $1000 deductible
- If you get into an incident with a passenger, report it before the passenger does - because they lie like a ****
- Don't do anything that will put you in jail

---- Most Importantly ----

- When using the GPS, especially on crazy roads, off-ramps, on-ramps, curves, etc. (follow the images according to where the exit/curve/on-ramp/off-ramp is on the map in relativity to where you are) as opposed to just reading where you're supposed to turn or get off or on. For instance, in Downtown Los Angeles, the freeways are nuts... so, it's best to be spacially aware of where you are on the map.

Lastly...

- Don't post anything on this forum asking for help without searching for previous posts about the same subject, most people are toxic, some aren't


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## Just Another Uber Drive (Jul 15, 2015)

uber fool said:


> I was reading fox news statistics and did you know 1 in every 4 new uber drivers is axed murdered in there first 24hrs
> View attachment 75672


That's only because they don't yet know not to pick up pax below 4.7.


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## Angry Beaver (Nov 18, 2016)

Don't chase the surge. Even if you are smack in the middle of it you are not guaranteed a ping.


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## Goober4Uber (Nov 20, 2016)

SEAL Team 5 said:


> Brakes are on the left.


Lol


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## GrinsNgiggles (Oct 11, 2016)

Nico love said:


> tomorrow is my firts time driving for uber. Im nervous any advice


Based in your new thread about your new 2016 Camry being $400 a week, I'm truly concerned for you. But maybe I'm just not familiar enough with your area $1200+ a month for a vehicle?


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## SEAL Team 5 (Dec 19, 2015)

GrinsNgiggles said:


> Based in your new thread about your new 2016 Camry being $400 a week, I'm truly concerned for you. But maybe I'm just not familiar enough with your area $1200+ a month for a vehicle?


That's actually $1733 a month.


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## GrinsNgiggles (Oct 11, 2016)

SEAL Team 5 said:


> That's actually $1733 a month.


Hence the "+" but yeah I meant 1600+ Math isn't my best subject  either way that's more than my house payment! (That math I can do haha)


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