Category Archives for "Brisbane"
We received this email from a new driver recently and thought others might benefit from the questions and answers.
G’day Phil and Sam,
Thanks for all the helpful hints.
Being a relatively new Uber boy on the block, around 6 weeks on the Sunshine Coast – south end – I have some questions that I am hoping you can answer for me:
Guys, I hope you can help.
Many thanks and much appreciated.
Hi,
Answering in order.
Regards
Phil
Phil,
Many thanks.
In respect to Point 2, I should have been a little clearer. When you get a job or a ping, are you the only one the signal goes to? Or does it go to 2 or 3 drivers and the first one to responds gets the job?
Also, in terms of getting a return trip to Noosa from the Sunshine Coast Airport, do you simply wait for the next arrival to see if you get a job – and what are the percentages of getting a job?
Many thanks,
Hi,
You’re the only one getting the ping. If you decline it (or fail to accept it) then it goes to the next closest driver.
I check the airport website for arrivals and factor in the 20-30 minutes between a plane arriving and the passengers collecting their luggage. I really dislike waiting, so I’ll only do so if the plane has already landed. That said, your chances of getting a job are fairly high. From my experience, around 80%. Of course, you don’t know whether they’re heading North or South until you start the ride, so it won’t necessarily be in the direction of home!
And unfortunately you can't use the option to get trips towards a destination (such as home) while you're in the airport queue.
Cheers
Phil
In a move welcomed by Uber drivers in Australia, Uber has increased its fare structure.
I believe that this will have no impact whatsoever on the number of riders using Uber. Price is about fifth on the list of reasons passengers give me for choosing Uber over other alternatives.
This post documents the new fare structure for other parts of Australia, as advised to us by Uber.
Yesterday, I picked up a Canadian couple from where they were staying in Noosaville.
The app used one of its nifty new features to tell me it was a long ride (30 min +).
But it wasn't until I got there and started the trip that I found out how long.
They were headed for Eagle Farm, a northern suburb of Brisbane, near the airport. That meant a trip of around 140 km. They were picking up a rental to continue the next leg of their Australian adventure.
The trip to Eagle Farm was mostly on 100 km/hr and 110 km/hr motorways, so that was fine by me.
After I dropped them off and helped them unload their luggage, I completed the trip.
The fare came up at around $155. Even if I got nothing on the trip back, it was still worthwhile.
So I set the "Find trips toward a destination" option and headed back. (I did in fact pick up 3 shorter trips on the way back, so that was good too).
But I soon noticed that the $155 had disappeared!
Legislation passed by the "we must be seen to be doing something about Uber" Queensland Government means that Uber drivers must upgrade their CTP insurance cover to Class 26 (Booked Hire).
Every driver in Queensland must have CTP insurance. You will have paid the CTP premium with your car registration renewal, but can choose your own insurer from a limited selection.
For example, I'm with RACQ insurance, and the yearly premium of around $350 is added to my registration fee.
You may hear a date of 1 January 2018 being bandied about. Don't be misled.
Unfortunately, there’s no one size fits all guide here. Not only does each state in Australia have different rules and regulations, but even the different airports within a state have different rules.
I’m going to cover the two airports that I’m familiar with, namely Brisbane and Sunshine Coast, both in Queensland.
My colleague on this website, Sam Griffiths, will cover the Melbourne airports at Tullamarine and Avalon and we’ll both investigate other Australian airports to bring you their current rules and regulations.
And what was it all about?
Uber drivers being allowed to pick up and drop off passengers at Melbourne airport. Just like they are all over the world and at other Australian airports.