So now you've signed up, gotten your tools, mentally prepared yourself, and picked up your car. You're all ready to go!
Now the all-important question comes: where do I go to get bookings quickly?
Obviously, because every km of driving costs money, you want to minimize the time your car is empty. Also, it is obvious that nobody knows exactly where the best rides are at any given time, and that you can't choose where you end your trips, so this post is more of some guidelines rather than hard-and-fast rules.
My first advice based on my experiences would be to think about where the passengers might be coming from. If it's close to the time people get off work, everywhere is game, even industrial areas like Paya Lebar/Ubi/Henderson, not to mention CBD of course. On the other hand, HDB residential areas will have relatively lower demand around 7-8pm, since fewer people will be heading out, and there will likely be many empty Uber cars in the areas after they drop off their passengers. On weekends it is really random because people are going all over the place. HDB and private estates which are really inconvenient (far from MRT stations) will tend to have better demand.
For me, I usually pick up my car at Yishun at 6pm on weekdays. I have found that around 6pm, the camps/airbase around Sembawang/Mandai area provide reasonably strong demand for rides. More importantly, they are usually rather long-distance rides, helping you to keep your car occupied for longer.
What's next?
It all depends on where your last trip ended. If you're in a high-demand area like town, Marine Parade, Changi Business Park, Novena, or Bukit Timah, good for you! Chances are you're going to get another trip quickly. Otherwise, you'll just have to make your way slowly back to the high-demand areas and hope you get another booking along the way. Don't be discouraged if this happens; there will always be good days and bad days. And for what it's worth, at least you don't have a trips per hour requirement to meet or lose your incentives!
You can also use the Boost and surge areas to give yourself some direction. Do note, though, that surge is often very fickle; a red-hot area such as CBD or shopping areas like Suntec can yield surprisingly few bookings. (My guess is that there are many taxis in the area, and passengers would rather not pay much more for Uber when they can easily get a regular taxi). And surge changes every few minutes, so if you're more than 5 minutes away, chances are you will not get there in time to take advantage of it. Nonetheless, there may be still a few budget-conscious passengers who were waiting for the surge to end to make their booking, so feel free to try your luck!
Lastly, if you (unfortunately) find yourself in a low-demand area, do consider using the chance to go for a toilet break or refuel the car if it's running low on petrol. You never know if the next few hours are gonna be super busy and fruitful!
Don't believe me? why not give it a try! Sign up and start earning pocket money while helping passengers go places!
Existing drivers, you have any preferred pick-up areas? Feel free to leave a comment below and help your friends!
Now the all-important question comes: where do I go to get bookings quickly?
Obviously, because every km of driving costs money, you want to minimize the time your car is empty. Also, it is obvious that nobody knows exactly where the best rides are at any given time, and that you can't choose where you end your trips, so this post is more of some guidelines rather than hard-and-fast rules.
My first advice based on my experiences would be to think about where the passengers might be coming from. If it's close to the time people get off work, everywhere is game, even industrial areas like Paya Lebar/Ubi/Henderson, not to mention CBD of course. On the other hand, HDB residential areas will have relatively lower demand around 7-8pm, since fewer people will be heading out, and there will likely be many empty Uber cars in the areas after they drop off their passengers. On weekends it is really random because people are going all over the place. HDB and private estates which are really inconvenient (far from MRT stations) will tend to have better demand.
For me, I usually pick up my car at Yishun at 6pm on weekdays. I have found that around 6pm, the camps/airbase around Sembawang/Mandai area provide reasonably strong demand for rides. More importantly, they are usually rather long-distance rides, helping you to keep your car occupied for longer.
What's next?
It all depends on where your last trip ended. If you're in a high-demand area like town, Marine Parade, Changi Business Park, Novena, or Bukit Timah, good for you! Chances are you're going to get another trip quickly. Otherwise, you'll just have to make your way slowly back to the high-demand areas and hope you get another booking along the way. Don't be discouraged if this happens; there will always be good days and bad days. And for what it's worth, at least you don't have a trips per hour requirement to meet or lose your incentives!
You can also use the Boost and surge areas to give yourself some direction. Do note, though, that surge is often very fickle; a red-hot area such as CBD or shopping areas like Suntec can yield surprisingly few bookings. (My guess is that there are many taxis in the area, and passengers would rather not pay much more for Uber when they can easily get a regular taxi). And surge changes every few minutes, so if you're more than 5 minutes away, chances are you will not get there in time to take advantage of it. Nonetheless, there may be still a few budget-conscious passengers who were waiting for the surge to end to make their booking, so feel free to try your luck!
Lastly, if you (unfortunately) find yourself in a low-demand area, do consider using the chance to go for a toilet break or refuel the car if it's running low on petrol. You never know if the next few hours are gonna be super busy and fruitful!
Don't believe me? why not give it a try! Sign up and start earning pocket money while helping passengers go places!
Existing drivers, you have any preferred pick-up areas? Feel free to leave a comment below and help your friends!
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