# Totally afraid to go online for my first ride...



## JustaGoat4You (Jun 15, 2015)

So I'm at a point in life where I could totally drive for Uber. New to Charlotte. Got a couple cars to drive. Time to kill. So I decided to be adventurous and I signed up a couple weeks ago. I got a text message a few days ago saying I was good to go online and start driving. WHAT?!?! That's it? No test drive? No online orientation? No phone call? I have so many questions!!!

Did I miss a process in this whole thing? Lol Seriously. I think I missed something. I watched a video and then now I'm ready to drive? Can I play music? Can I bring my 18 dogs with me when I pick up my rides? Can I stop at Starbucks if they are cool with it too? I have so many questions!!! 

How did you guys get over your first ride fears/jitters? Do I get to pick which ride is going to be my first or is it going to assign it to me as soon as I select the car to go online with? I can't even find the right information. I feel like as soon as I "Select a Vehicle" on the app, it's going to give me a passenger to pick up in Baltimore and I'm in Charlotte.

Thanks!!!


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## Another Uber Driver (May 27, 2015)

There is a training video that Uber should have e-Mailed to you. If it did not, contact it and ask it to e-Mail the thing to you. Watch it. It will not tell you all that much, but it is better than going in there blind.

You can play music, just do not play it loud and be prepared to have your passenger ask you to turn it off. If he asks you to turn it off, do so. 

Do not bring your aminals. Some people are afraid of or allergic to dogs, cats, birds, snakes and other creatures. 

Cover the trip promptly that the application assigns you.

Transport you passenger directly to the destination that he requests. If he asks you to stop en route, do so, but the stop is for his benefit, not for you to run into Icky-D's or Starbuck's. Do that on your own time, not on your passenger's. If you are not on a call or transporting a passenger, you can take a break whenever you want to, simply go "OFFLINE".

After you watch the training video, when you are ready, go out to your car, turn on the application, acknowledge the call that it gives you, cover it promptly, take the passenger to his requested destination, complete your end-of-the-trip bookwork, then wait for your next assignment. Just keep doing that until you have had enough for the day.

You do not get to pick anything. You log in, it assigns you a trip. It will show you the address of the trip before you accept it. If you think that the address is too far away, just let it go, although for the first few trips, I would recommend taking whatever it gives you, just to get used to it. If it is more than fifteen minutes away, you might let it go, but if it is fifteen minutes, or less, I would take the first few, just to get used to it. Keep at this long enough, you will find your groove.

Unless you are authorised to work both Baltimore and Charlotte, it will not give you something in Baltimore if you are in Charlotte. It might try to give you something in Chapel Hill, Raleigh or Rocky Mount, but I do not know how Uber is set up in North Carolina.

Read some of the topics in Advice, Stories and Complaints. It will give you some idea what to expect.

Welcome to Uber and the Forum.


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## Kingo9 (May 20, 2015)

All great advice from Another Uber Driver. You are wise to not just turn it on and go. Research how uber works and then understand:

Taxes
Uber commission
Surge
Rules in your city (airports, laws, etc)
Your car's depreciation/maintenance/wear and tear
Insurance (The 'gaps' and whether your insurance allows it) <--- I'd suggest looking into this the most)
Rating system
There will be a learning curve, but that should cover the areas you really want to be sure you know.


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## KGB7 (Apr 23, 2015)

Find a local Uber office, bring snacks(for your self), it will be a long day to get all your questions answered.

My advice to you, imagine every PAX are your in-laws. If you are in fetal position as you read this post/thread, then Uber is not for you.


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## UberDesson (Jan 18, 2015)

My suggestion: On your first day driving, drive all day during the day and try to stick to the area u know very well. Once u are comfortable with the app, the pax, & how everything works, then u can drive comfortably anywhere even at night.


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## borneonwingsofsteel (Jun 15, 2015)

It's ok to be nervous. I think most people are in the beginning. Then it will eventually become second or third nature.


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## flashgordonnc (Oct 24, 2014)

JustaGoat4You said:


> So I'm at a point in life where I could totally drive for Uber. New to Charlotte. Got a couple cars to drive. Time to kill. So I decided to be adventurous and I signed up a couple weeks ago. I got a text message a few days ago saying I was good to go online and start driving. WHAT?!?! That's it? No test drive? No online orientation? No phone call? I have so many questions!!!
> 
> Did I miss a process in this whole thing? Lol Seriously. I think I missed something. I watched a video and then now I'm ready to drive? Can I play music? Can I bring my 18 dogs with me when I pick up my rides? Can I stop at Starbucks if they are cool with it too? I have so many questions!!!
> 
> ...


The closest driver gets pinged.
How many drivers do you think are out there closer to Baltimore than you.....probably about 5,000. Drivers more than "about" twenty minutes away (depends on area) are not even pingable.
*Now on the serious side.*
If you have real life phobias contact the free services of support groups from your local MH organization.

P.S. After thousands of pax rides, I still make really dumb mistakes and cetainly will make more down the road.


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