Earn, Keep, Enjoy More

It’s hard making ends meet right now. There are a couple of Rideshare Unions popping up these days, and I guess we probably need them, because the government and Uber etc. take advantage of us every day.

But DAV can help! We want you to succeed! We will help you EARN more, KEEP more, ENJOY more. Whether you drive for Uber, Lyft, etc, or a food delivery app one as DoorDash, your service and your car are you own business and it should be treated as one.

But how do we do that?

1. Say no to unprofitable jobs. You may think you have to accept every job, but it simply is not true, and you will often lose money on a job. In fact, UberEats is almost never worth it. Profitability comes when your costs are lower than your pay. If you are getting $23 for a ride, and it takes you :14 to get to the client, and :18 to do the ride, and :26 to get home, your time spent is :58. If you travel 27 miles in that span, it may cost you $4 in gas, $2 in tolls, and $4 in wear and tear. So really, your net is only $13 for almost an hour. Only you can decide if you are worth $15 per hour, but given the risks, it’s probably not.

I’m sure you know you can cancel a ride once you know the time to client, and where they are going, but you ought to do some calculations ahead, so you know which client pickup areas are good (close), and which client destinations are profitable (long rides, short return home time). Hope that is helpful, and not too obvious.

You may think if you cancel too much, or say no too often, you will have a lower rating, etc., and that may be true in the short run, but we all need to be honest and do what is good for us, and let the corporations learn how to treat us better.

2. Fill up with gas at the lowest price station around. Scope those out around you! For me, it’s SuperPetroleum in Dedham or Waltham, Patriot Gas in Wellesley on Route 9, or Cumberland Farms (Smartpay!) in Maynard on 27. From this, you can see I’m based in Metrowest. Wherever you are, use Gas Buddy app if helpful, to save on gas. Remember, you don’t need premium, and pay cash to get the cheapest. This the direct link to Gas Buddy: https://www.gasbuddy.com/gasprices/massachusetts/

If you follow the above two tips, you are already reducing your costs.

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Great! Here are some more tips…

3. Make business cards (UPS Store, Uprinting.com, Vistaprint, etc.), and hand them out only to people who you like, and want to do future business with, in your area. Build your own client list, and you are off to great places!

4. Buy water bottles for your clients to enjoy. I always get Acacia water from Stop & Shop. It’s like $.23 per bottle, and it really makes people happy.

5. Put a few magazines in the car: Boston Magazine, Fortune, Cosmo, etc. I always keep my car odor-free, watch out fo the ads in the middle! Reading material is good, and it’s also a good way to brag about your college degree, kids, etc.

6. Bring a lunch and keep snack bars in the car, to avoid overpaying at the airport, gas station or DD.

7. Go to Starbucks, Dunkin’, Networking Meetings, Family Gatherings, Parties, Logan, Logan Express, We Work and tell everyone you have your own driving business. MeetUp is a good web site to find networking events. We Work is a coworking space with locations all around the Boston Metro area.

MeetUp: https://www.meetup.com/

WeWork: https://www.wework.com/search?slug=boston–MA

8. Develop your own territory, with pricing based on distance, time, daypart, # of passsengers, waiting time, etc.

9. If your car can be cleaner, or more well-equipped, make it so! Get a Scrub-a-Dub membership, vacuum the crumbs from under your seat, offer tissues, mints, etc. in addition to bottled water (Acadia from Stop & Shop!)

10. Finally, don’t drive around and waste gas, but lurk around bus stations, Logan Express, Bars, etc., with your App OFF, and get your own customers, by PUTTING SIGNAGE/MAGNETS ON YOUR CAR.

Be sure to come back for more new content later. If you would like to schedule a one on one consultation please fill out the form below or contact us directly at: rideswithdavid@gmail.com or via phone 508.333.4153