Category Archives for "Sunshine Coast"
September 6, 2018
More Uber Driver FAQs
A Recent Email
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:
- The Sticky Uber signs are not very sticky and keep falling down. Any suggestions?
- How does the “call centre” work. When you get a ping, are other Uber drivers getting the same ping or is it just you?
- I dropped a rider off at Mooloolaba last weekend. A guy was just standing there and sat down and said could I take him to Sippy Downs. I said yes but you will need to book the ride. He booked the ride and it was accepted by another nearby Uber Driver so he cancelled. It then came up on my phone and I accepted it. How does that happen?
- The Uber GPS system could be improved.
- I was in Mooloolaba this morning and for 30 minutes I kept seeing the message: “You are in a busy area, expect trips soon!” I got nothing! WTF?
- How do I register to pick up riders at Sunshine Coast Airport and Brisbane Airport after doing drop off’s?
Guys, I hope you can help.
Many thanks and much appreciated.
Hi,
Answering in order.
- I just leave mine on all the time and don’t have any problem. Just contact Uber and ask them to send you new ones.
- By Call Centre, do you mean Uber help? If so, call 1300 091 272, work through the menu and you’ll get onto someone to ask. They’re not on deck until 10:00am though.
- Presumably because the GPS doesn’t measure time and distance all that accurately. Exactly the same thing happened to me (just once) in the Maroochydore Plaza shopping centre car park. The rider was sitting in the passenger seat at the time!
- The Uber nav drives me mad. Often, it works perfectly, but other times it just freezes up or reverts to directions from an earlier ride. You can sometimes fix it by exiting the driver app, turning your phone off and on again and then reloading the driver app.
- This is a recent feature and probably still buggy. Maybe it’s only looking at the number of riders, rather than the balance of riders and drivers. It can be useful to have a look at the rider app. If you see yourself centred on screen and surrounded by other drivers, it might be worthwhile moving so that you’re outside them and at least covering one quadrant.
- For Sunshine Coast airport, no registration is required. If the Uber driver app is on, you are automatically placed in the queue. Drop off and pickup just like a taxi or a private vehicle. If you want to park and wait for an incoming flight, you can do so by turning left at the big roundabout as you come into the airport. Street parking is free and there’s a great little coffee shop in Cessna Avenue.
For Brisbane airport, you have to register your e-tag and there are designated pickup and wait zones. You can get all the information at https://pages.et.uber.com/ANZAirportStep1.
Regards
Phil
A Follow-Up Email
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
September 2, 2018
Uber Driver Support: A Positive Experience
We've published plenty of feedback here from drivers who've suffered from unsatisfactory Uber driver support.
So it's good to be able to report a positive experience.
My own, in this case.
This morning, I picked up one of my favourite fares, from Noosa to the Sunshine Coast airport.
It takes about half an hour. The first half on the very scenic coast road and the second half on a 100 km/hr motorway.
It normally pays around $42. Not bad for an easy half hour drive and I usually pick up a couple of extra rides on the way back.
Uber Fare Lower than Usual
Except that this time the fare came up as $24.32! In other words, a reduction of 43%. Not acceptable, Uber.
April 26, 2018
Local Businesses: Still Rocking.
I acknowledged the great service I'd received from two local businesses in a previous post Local Businesses Rock! I recently went back to both of them and again received such excellent service that it's worth highlighting.
Again, I recommend Bridgestone Tyres at 132 Eumundi Road, Noosaville and Sunshine Wheel & Mechanical Repairs at 3 Kelly Court, Buderim.
Bridgestone Tyres Noosaville
It was a rainy Saturday evening and I was taking my last Uber passengers for the day from Hastings St in Noosa Heads to the Tewantin caravan park. I was looking forward to getting home to dinner and a nice bottle of red. The riders were three young ladies whom coincidentally I'd picked up earlier in the day from Tewantin.
About halfway through the trip, we heard a nasty sound coming from the front of the car. I stopped and discovered an almost flat front driver's side tyre.
Fortunately, there was a service station near by so I stopped to pump the tyre, but no luck. The air was leaving at the same rate it was entering.
December 11, 2017
- in Brisbane , Melbourne , Rideshare Earnings , Sunshine Coast , Uber Earnings by Phil Lancaster
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- 17 comments
More Profit for Uber Drivers Part 2
Uber Increases Fares
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.
December 10, 2017
More Profit for Uber Drivers
Uber Increases Fares
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 the Sunshine Coast in Queensland where I work, but I'll cover other areas in Australia in subsequent posts over the next few days.
December 9, 2017
- in Brisbane , Getting Paid , Sunshine Coast , Uber Driver , Uber Earnings by Phil Lancaster
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- 8 comments
For Uber Drivers, Long Trips Have a Dark Side
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!
November 20, 2017
Local Businesses Rock!
This post is to acknowledge two local businesses that went above and beyond. In Uber terms, 5 stars!
But first, the back story...
Does Uber Driving Increase Car Damage Risk?
Statistically, it would seem probable.
It was certainly the case for me last Friday.
November 18, 2017
What’s with the Uber Navigation App?
There are many things to like about Uber's navigation app.
- It kicks in automatically as soon as you accept the ride, tells you where the pickup point is in both text and voice and starts directing you to it.
- Similarly, as soon as you start the trip it tells you where the destination is and starts directing you to it.
- Directions are clear. "Continue straight through the roundabout", rather than "Enter the roundabout and take the second exit", for example. This is very useful in Noosa, which has 100 roundabouts and just 1 set of traffic lights!
- The voice is an Aussie female and the volume is governed by your phone's volume control. This means I can set it so that it doesn't interrupt my playlist music and it's like she's talking to me, rather than everyone in the car.
I'll have a separate post on what I consider to be the ideal setup for music and navigation.
Uber Navigation Has Serious Issues
November 13, 2017
I’m an Uber Driver: Who Dinged Me?
When I first saw this post from our sister site in the U.S., I thought it would be about someone bending your fender or scratching your door in a car park, but it's not. It's about the passenger who gives you a low Uber rating after you've dropped them off.
Now I don't personally relate to any of the stories in this post. I currently have a 4.96 star rating and defend it jealously. While I like to think my rating is because I'm a really nice guy, I also understand it's partly because I drive in a really nice area. The Queensland Sunshine Coast is populated by really nice people.
But I thought the "Who Dinged Me?" post from therideshareguy.com was pretty funny but nonetheless contained some valuable insights.
October 23, 2017
New CTP Requirements for Uber Drivers in Qld
Uber Drivers Must Update Their CTP to Class 26
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.
Uber Drivers and CTP: When Does This Happen?
You may hear a date of 1 January 2018 being bandied about. Don't be misled.