Earn on your own schedule

Making the most of your time on the road

14 February 2019 / New Zealand

There are plenty of reasons why driver-partners choose to use the Uber app, but for most it’s all about:
Earnings – to bring in or top up an existing income; and
Flexibility – the ability to drive whenever and wherever it suits you best
If you’re looking for some great ways to maximise your earnings, we have some insider tips from higher-earning driver-partners that’ll help you make the most of your time on the road.
What do these higher-earning driver-partners do differently? We’re here to share this knowledge, so you can experience a more rewarding experience with the Uber app.
Shifting your earnings into high gear: 3 things that matter most
The amount a driver-partner can earn while they’re online generally comes down to three main factors: when you drive, where you drive and what time of year it is.
Expand each of the sections below to find out more.

Busiest times to drive
Here’s a quick glance at the busiest times to be on the road:

The higher-earning driver-partners we spoke to paid close attention to which parts of the day were busiest and were online and accepting trips during those times. Some would exclusively drive in peak periods and take a break when the demand was low.

During the week, the busiest times tend to be:
- In the morning: 7am-9am. This is the peak time for people commuting and the majority of riders are heading from the suburbs, into the centre of the city.
- In the evening: 5pm-7pm. Riders are heading home on their return commute, back from the city to the suburbs.
Demand for rides is always at its peak on the weekends:
- Friday and Saturday nights: 5pm-5am. You’ll find most of the demand coming from riders heading to and from your city’s main restaurant and nightlife hot spots.
- Sunday: All day. Demand usually spikes again and is usually busier than any weekday afternoon.
Busiest places to drive
In addition to driving at busy times, higher-earning driver-partners told us they try to minimise waiting time between trips, by heading towards the areas with highest demand. In general, most trips are requested to and from the city centre, with less demand the further you head out. Higher-earning driver-partners suggest that it’s not just about being central – it’s about knowing what’s happening in your city and making the most of events that draw in crowds. This can include festivals or stadiums and events, or even the beach when the weather’s heating up.

We’ve created similar maps for major cities in Australia & New Zealand below:
- Melbourne
- Brisbane
- Gold Coast
- Adelaide
- Perth
- Auckland
Time of year

When the year starts winding down, the demand for rides with Uber starts ramping up. End-of-year celebrations kick off as early as November and when you combine that with better weather and more reasons to leave the house, it all adds up to better earning potential for driver-partners. After the peak in December with Christmas and New Year celebrations, the trip requests dip in January.

A lot of higher-earning driver-partners see this pattern of demand as a great opportunity to take advantage of the November and December peak, then take a break over January and February when the potential for earning dips.

Maximising your earnings using features on the Uber Driver app

Limiting use of Driver Destinations
The driver destinations feature on your app is a handy way to keep earning, even if you’re heading home. Up to twice a day you can use the feature to only pick up rides that are headed in the direction you’re already heading.

The driver destination feature is all about working with your schedule, but higher-earning driver-partners generally limit the amount they use this feature, because it decreases the number of trip requests you may receive.
Watching your time in the Airport Queue

Depending on the time of week, the queue to pick up riders from the airport can get quite long, meaning more downtime. The higher-earning driver-partners we spoke to suggested that if you’ve made a drop-off at the airport and the queue to pick up is long, you’re better off heading back toward the city for a better chance of quicker trip requests.

You can even look at airport flight times online to see when the most planes are landing for the best chance of a fast-moving airport queue.
Maintaining your acceptance rate

The higher-earning driver-partners we spoke to agreed: the more trips you accept, the better the potential for earning. By maintaining a higher rate of acceptance for incoming trips, you’ll spend more time driving and less time waiting. And by accepting more trips, you’ll create opportunities to continue earning while moving between busy areas.

Plan your trip
A little forward planning can go a long way in making your driver-partner experience more organised and more profitable. It’s worth setting out a plan for your week ahead, taking into account what’s happening around your city, and planning your breaks around the expected quiet times. Some things to consider when planning your week are:
Events: What’s happening around town that might cause an influx of potential riders – or potential traffic closures.
Public Holidays: Long weekends and short working weeks are a good excuse for people to get out and get festive. That means more rides requests and more potential for earnings if you know where the celebration hotspots are.
Down time: If you have been online for 12 cumulative hours without a consecutive 8 hour break, the Fatigue Management feature will take you offline for 8 consecutive hours so you can rest. Pre-planning your breaks helps you make most of the time you’re driving.
 
Whether you’re driving with the Uber app because you love the freedom and flexibility, or because you’re looking for the best ways to maximise your earnings, we hope these tips from higher-earning driver-partners help you make the most of your Uber experience.

Posted by Uber

Category:

Drive