Here at the Courier Hacker, we talk a lot about using rideshare driver platforms to our advantage. However, have you ever thought about using a passenger app to your own benefit?
As an Uber driver, there are benefits to logging out of the driver platform and in to the customer platform. In fact, you’re likely to earn more by doing so. All you need are a few tricks to play the system.
1. Lower the supply (with the passenger app)
Remember the rules of supply and demand? When supply goes down and demand goes up, prices go up, too. How does this help you?
Learn when surge price times are in your area, and log out of the app just prior. Log in right after surge normally starts, and you’re likely to find prices have increased. Why? Because greater demand during surge times drives the price up anyway. By logging out, you’re lowering the supply of drivers, which drives the price up even further. Then, all you have to do is log back in and take advantage of the laws of economics at work. Cool, right?
2. Add to the passenger pool
If you’re a fan of working the surge pricing, try this tip. Once the surge area lights up, log out of the driver app while you drive there. Instead, log into the passenger side. Why? Uber calculates surge numbers (including pricing) based on the passenger/driver ratio. If you show up as a passenger instead of a driver, you’ll make the system think the surge is bigger than it actually is. That will drive up the price, because the software will think there are fewer drivers and more passengers than there actually are.
3. Use the passenger app to check for competition
Another great reason to log out of the driver app once in awhile is to check on your competition. Are you trying to decide what neighborhood to work during a given shift? Is your normal stomping ground providing you with a disappointingly low number of ride requests?
Since you’re sitting waiting for a rider anyway, try logging out of the driver’s app and into the passenger side. This way, you can see where drivers are in the area, and check out which areas have relatively few drivers.
Remember our law of supply and demand. If there are too many drivers (supply) and not enough demand (riders), the price will go down rather than up. That’s bad news for you. However, if you can use the passenger app to find an area where people really need rides but drivers just aren’t there, the principle works in your favor instead.
4. Don’t always chase surge
Yes, we did just talk about ways to game the surge pricing system. However, chasing surge pricing isn’t always the best idea—period. Think about it. Once surge pricing comes out, everyone goes to that area, leaving way too many drivers for the riders there. If the surge pricing isn’t close by, all the rides are likely to be taken by the time you get there. In that case, most drivers find it more lucrative to stay put and wait for rides there.
