Your guide to driving on New Year’s Eve

The night will start getting busy at 7pm on 31 December and continue into the early hours of the morning. We expect highest demand between midnight and 3am on the morning of 1 January.

Think about resting between 10.30pm and midnight. It'll help you get ready for the big rush after midnight.

Get your car ready for a busy night: check your tyre pressure, water, oil and windscreen washer fluid and make sure you’re starting on a full tank of petrol. If possible, have a backup smartphone and charger so that you can use a different phone if you have problems.

Make sure you've got drinks and snacks to keep you going. Very few shops will be open on New Year's Eve and into the morning of 1 January.

Check your documents tonight: upload any documents that are due to expire so you won't miss out on driving on the busiest night of the year.

Know where there are road closures in your city. For example, large parts of London are closed for the New Year’s Eve fireworks and other celebrations. Riders will be notified if they are requesting in an area that is difficult to get to. This year, there are road closures in London, Newcastle, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dublin and Manchester.

See road closures in your city here

Set your interior lights to go on when the door opens. This will make it easier for riders to check the seats. Do a quick check of your car after every rider to make sure there is no lost property left behind. If anything is left in your car, keep it safe and return it to the Uber office as soon as you can.

If a rider makes a mess, don’t be angry with them. Take them where they need to go and let them know that Uber will be in touch. Take photos of the mess and send them in, along with the cleaning receipt and the trip number, via the help section of your app and Uber will compensate you.

Remember that there are no car washes or valets open over New Year’s Eve. It’s worth bringing some simple cleaning products with you - tissues, water, cloths and air freshener. This can help to ensure one incident doesn’t take you off the road for the rest of the night.

Uber requests only come through the app. As you know, it is illegal for you as a private hire driver to accept street hails.

To be sure that it is a legal trip, we suggest confirming the request with the rider. Ask the rider to confirm his or her name and where they’re going before beginning a trip, especially in areas with lots of people looking for rides.

Only accept a legal number of passengers. If the rider has more people with them than you have seat belts for, you should ask them to request another car for the rest of their group.

You can use the navigation feature in the app to help ensure you get the rider to the correct destination efficiently.

No matter how small, it’s important to report any incident to Uber that may happen during a trip. If you feel unsafe or uncomfortable at any time, do not hesitate to call the police and report the incident to Uber.

After a night of celebration, some passengers could be intoxicated. Make sure to stay professional. Don’t let the little disruptions get to you, and remember, a safe ride and a professional, calm attitude are the most important factors to having a successful night.

Drop riders off on the correct side of the street. It means riders don’t have to cross the street in dark or high-traffic areas.

We have a rating system both for riders and drivers. Leave further feedback if you want to provide more information.

If anything out of the norm happens on a trip, please send us feedback about it right away via your app.