Drivers. A collective title, for different platforms. Existing or new, those who are considering to be a part-time driver to supplement your income, taking it as a past time while you source for your next job, or even for those thinking to make it your full-time career. This guide is for you!
This is part 1 of our complete guide for Grab/Uber drivers, navigation links for other parts are listed below.
Our Complete Guide for Grab vs. Uber Drivers:
Part 1 – About whether to drive for Uber or Grab (You are reading this now)
Part 2 – About signing up
Part 3 – About types of riders
Other Grab/Uber Reads:
What Grab and Uber don’t tell you – Digging Deeper
A Short Message from Drivers to their Riders
*As a non-sponsored article, we are not biased to or against any company, as you will be able to tell from the content. We seek your support in giving us your viewership instead by sharing this article*
This guide is not your typical “earn $6000 a month!” kind of article, instead, we look beyond monetary value. If $6000 a month is possible, then you should understand the parameters behind how to earn that amount of income, or which company to drive with, anything that makes you a happier driver!
We decided to break the guide into parts, this part is more technical, the other parts will cover on the practicality of the applications, then there would be more about GOSSIP! Rider types, patterns and how some of them ‘play’ with the system. Remember to follow us HERE to get updates when the next article is published! Ultimately, we wish to provide you with information which might be advantageous to you, some may save you money!
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Disclaimer: We have consulted drivers in this area. We don’t like to beat around the bush so this article will be straight to the point. We will try to be as accurate as we can.
Registration and Application Interface for accepting jobs
Your first step would be to register at their office. You may start once your account is activated. Both companies enable user accounts rather quickly. Usually within a day if you registered early, the day after if you registered later. If you are an existing driver with one company, there are many ambassadors of either company around to register you without the need to go to their office. *Tip: There are also rental businesses that waives rental for your first and last day. Negotiate!
Uber – Application interface for accepting jobs
Let’s start with Uber. Uber can be run on both Android and iOS. Upon receiving a booking, a screen prompting the booking would appear, it would show the pickup location, the rider’s rating and the surge (if any).
Uber Drivers would have roughly 8-10 seconds to decide. Uber does not show the drop-off point, and the price of the ride before the trip begins.
Navigation
Uber has a navigation feature integrated with its booking screen when the reservation is accepted, drivers can immediately navigate to the pickup location without having to press and wait for a separate navigation application to appear. This helps for nearby pickups, or when the car is moving. In some cases, like the CBD or some “Ulu” locations, using navigation apps would be much more reliable. *Note that the integrated navigation also seems to updates your position a little slow*. This function actually helps when you are returning back to the app to see the rider’s exact block number, where you do not need to switch back to your navigation application again when you’re nearing the carpark.
Another thing about Uber is that it is quite integrated to a certain extent with the navigation application “Waze”. For Uberpool when a new rider is accepted while en-route, the destination on “Waze” gets updated as well. It also works when your current rider cancels and you get a new booking. *based on iOS*
On the same screen, drivers can see the passenger’s name and the option to “confirm you’ve arrived”. This option would automatically change to “start trip” once the GPS senses the driver is near the pickup point. Riders are automatically notified of their driver’s arrival. With a slide of the finger, the driver can start the trip.
Related: 9 Proven Ways Singaporeans use to Earn Money Online
Decent feature to note
The good thing about Uber is that the back-2-back jobs, which are bookings that comes minutes prior to dropping off the current rider, would appear in a form of a small banner at the top for drivers to tap to accept without interfering with your screen. Upon accepting, it will switch for a short while to the Uber application and then back to the navigation application.
Drop off is complete with a swipe followed by giving the rider a rating.
Now for Grab. Grab started running on Android, they launched a beta version for iOS, which has been undergoing frequent updates, the last update allowed drivers to track their trips eligible for incentives, they are also able to finally receive Grabshare jobs.
Grab – Application interface for accepting jobs
When Grab drivers receive a booking, the booking screen will show the pickup location, the price of the ride, the distance to the pickup location and it would state “higher price” if there is a surge.
Once the driver has accepted, the next screen would be the pickup location only in text, an option to call or message the rider and to cancel the booking. Drivers will have to click on a button to launch their navigation application.
Navigation
Grab driver application does not have any integration with navigation applications, so you would have to click a button for the navigation app to load. Back-2-back jobs would appear with the entire screen changing to a booking screen, so if you were to be in an unfamiliar location and need the app for every turn, that would spell trouble.
Related: Part-Timers: Appear Professional and Get Hired Fast
Decent feature to note
There is a messaging option integrated into the application, drivers can send template messages, like “I’ll arrive in 2 minutes” or “stuck in traffic”. This means drivers can focus more on the roads. Riders are notified when their driver clicks on the “I’m here” button, although tests showed that the application also automatically informs the rider to prepare when the GPS shows the driver getting nearer.
Drop off is complete with two taps, there is a page to add tolls (if any). There is no rating of riders for Grab.
We hope you liked our breakdown on the technicalities of the interface. The next part would be covering application usage experience, drivers experience, keeping your costs low, rentals, and riders profile you tend to meet. Like us HERE to keep updated for our next publication!
Our Complete Guide for Grab vs. Uber Drivers:
Part 1 – About whether to drive for Uber or Grab (You are reading this now)
Part 2 – About signing up
Part 3 – About types of riders
Other Grab/Uber Reads:
What Grab and Uber don’t tell you – Digging Deeper
A Short Message from Drivers to their Riders
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