Uber Technologies, Inc. is an American multinational ride-hailing company offering services such as peer-to-peer ridesharing, ride-service hailing, food delivery, and a micro-mobility system. It is based in San Francisco and has operations in over 785 metropolitan areas worldwide.
As of 2019, Uber has 110 million worldwide users and a 67% market share for ride-sharing, and a 24% market share for food delivery in the US. If you are interested in becoming an Uber driver-partner, here’s what you need to know.
Why Driver-partners?
Uber drivers are called driver-partners because that is just what they are – they partner Uber and they share in each other’s success. The more successful Uber is, the more successful the driver-partners are, and the reverse is equally true. As Uber gets a happy and successful driver-partners, the business also becomes successful.
Ultimate flexibility & great rewards
The great thing about being a driver-partner is that you can drive and make as much money as you want. There’s no office and there’s no boss, so you are in charge of your own time.
Many driver-partners just work part-time to help fund their dreams in other areas. Likewise, some have gone on to become Uber entrepreneurs, setting up their own mini-fleet of drivers.
The Basics
While signing up to become an Uber driver-partner takes no more than four minutes, there are some basic requirements needed to join. First of all, you must be at least 21 years old and have a valid driving license. You also need to have your vehicle registration documents and insurance.
All the documents should be in your name (as a driver) or you must be listed as a driver. The name on the documents should be your official birth name and be the same name you provide on the Uber signup page.
Basics Checklist
You will need the following:
- To be aged 21 or over
- A valid driving license
- Vehicle registration documents
- Vehicle insurance documents
Uploading Documents
When you sign up, you will need to upload copies of the above documents in image format, preferably as jpegs. You can use a camera phone to take the pictures but make sure all the details are clear by taking them in good light. Keep your or the phone’s shadow out of the pictures as this makes them harder to read.
Know Your City
With your documents ready, you can sign up quickly and easily here. You will then need to go through what is known as an onboarding process. This is used to ensure driver-partners are up to the high standards set.
Part of this is some general knowledge, especially about areas of your city, some main driving routes and major sights and attractions. If you know of any existing Uber drivers, speak to them and ask their advice on what you need to know.
Read Also: How Uber works in Egypt
Safety First – for driver-partners and riders
Uber prides herself on providing a safe, clean and efficient service that helps protect both the riders and the Uber driver-partners. As such, Uber has to do some checks on drivers before they can start. These can take between two and four weeks, so there is a need for patience as it’s important for everyone to make sure things are done in a correct manner.
Checks that will take place are:
- A criminal background check
- A driving record check
You will also have to complete a drug test.
Basic Training
As earlier said, driver-partners have no office – and that’s true, but there is an Uber head office in each city in which Uber operates. If you’re successful in your application, you will be asked to undergo a standard 30-minute training session, some of which is in partnership with the anti-sexual harassment charity Harrasmap.
Choose an Uber service, choose a car
Depending on which city you are in, there are three Uber services in operation in Egypt:
- UberX –the low-cost service allows riders to get around a city in a comfortable vehicle at affordable fares.
- Select – this is a more luxurious service allowing riders to travel with Uber in style, whether going to the airport, a business meeting or out for a romantic evening with a partner. The service is a little more expensive and the quality of cars reflects this.
- Scooter – a single-seat ride with a scooter driver-partner, ideal for beating the city traffic if you want to get somewhere quickly.
Whether you have a car or are thinking of buying one especially so you can become an Uber partner-driver, it is worth noting that cars will be rejected if they have major damage or have been salvaged.
A Few Final Things
It’s important to remember that being an Uber driver-partner is not as simple as driving around and being paid. Driver-partners are effectively running their own business and you need to take into account the fact you will need to spend money to keep your vehicle clean, maintained and with enough fuel to be able to drive, as well as paying Uber royalties (the portion of the fares kept by Uber). You can find out more about these when you sign up.
