Hard to judge a book by its cover

Was picking up a passenger yesterday and when I saw the guy, I was almost tempted to cancel the ride request. He had a skinhead and was covered in tattoos from the side of his head all the way down, wearing leather jacket and long black pants. Your typical bikie and he was one. Just left his Harley's at the workshop.

Yet it turns out that he was one of the better passengers I've had. A great conversationalist who talked about his time in prison in his younger days, life in Perth and how the abuse of police authority by the few who are in there for the power rather than protecting the citizens. We had a really engaging conversation.

Guess it is hard to judge a book by its cover.

Unrelated to Uber

So I have been volunteering at the shelter for children for the past 6 months or so just playing with kids and there was this one kid that started off being really violent to everyone. Yet within the 6 months that I spent with him, albeit it being only once a month, there started to be a transformation. His smile was wider, he was gentler and now he gets along with all the other children. Sometimes kids just need that attention and love and today, his foster mom just came up to be and gave me a hug and said "Thank you for being you."

While at the shelter, I also payed with this other little girl who was about maybe 4 or 5 years old. She started being really shy to everyone but soon she started asking me to push her on the swing and from there, every where she went she would grab on to my hands and pull me along. When her mother came to pick her up, her mother was really surprised and later told me that her daughter usually does not interact with any other male figures. She did not say why but I was the first male figure that she's seen her daughter be willing to warm up to and she said "You must be really special."

Sometimes it really doesn't take much to make someones day. Giving some of your time and giving some of your love doesn't cost anything. And I am grateful for their compliments as well.

Uber Driver's Nightmare

1 month into driving and I get every Uber Driver's Nightmare...... the rider puking all over your car. What luck.... I still completed the journey however with the car smelling like the dinner he just had before entering my car. After dropping them off, I basically had to lodge the report.

Uber provides a cleaning fee which is charged to the rider in the event that the rider creates a mess in the car. This is deducted from the rider's account.

What you need to do is to go to the Help function in the app, select trip review and then select request for cleaning fee. Uber will require you to submit photos of the mess which I will spare you readers of the details and a cleaning fee receipt if you have one.

I did not at that time, but I was more eager for the request for compensation to be lodged than to get my car cleaned just in case I don't get the money. The problem with this system is if the rider disputes the cleaning claim, Uber then does not pay you anything. So you're really at the mercy of the rider being a honest person.

Fortunately my rider accepted the responsibility and the next day $150.00 was credited into my account. Not alot of money considering that an interior detailing in Perth costs about $199.00. But at least there is the compensation and it was then up to me to bargain with the car detailing services on their pricing.

Driving Celebrities

Was just reading about this Uber driver in Hollywood who often picks up big celebrities along his way while driving his Uber Black. Thought to myself, nah, no chance in Perth. But guess what, while I didn't get to pick up any Hollywood celebrities, I managed to be the driver for a local footy sports broadcaster Basil Zempilas today! I must admit thought that this is the second footy person that I've driven within the week and I know nothing about footy....The first person was a footy journalist. Maybe it's time to learn something about the game.

ATO Obligations of an Uber Driver

Another regulatory/legal obligation that many Uber drivers fail to adhere to is the tax and GST obligations to the Australia Taxation Office ("ATO"). This is another area that the Uber company does not offer much assistance with.

Under the ATO, it does not matter whether you are a taxi driver or an Uber driver. As long as you are involved in the ride-sourcing business and use your car to transport passengers for a payment, you are considered to be providing taxi travel under GST law and will need to apply for an ABN, register for GST and charged GST on each ride-sourcing trip provided. You will also need to declare your income on your income tax return.

You are also required to lodged Business Activity Statements on a quarterly basis and not an annual basis if you are in the ride-sourcing business.

Although Uber is currently challenging this regulatory requirement, until the law is changed, it is still are requirement and remember, ignorance is no defence.

And unfortunately, the ATO does not charge its GST on the amount that you receive, but instead on the amount that Uber charges the passenger before Uber takes their fees out. So say for example if Uber charges $50.00 to the passenger and takes a fee of $12.50. You are only getting paid $37.50 from the ride and from that amount, you will need to pay thee 10% GST of $5. Your net earnings then will really only be $32.50.

And from that net earning, you still need to deduct expenses and income tax.

Makes you really wonder whether it is all that worthwhile driving Uber.

But in my mind set, having money in the pocket and being in the position to pay taxes is always better than not having the money and being drowned in debts.

For more detailed information regarding your tax obligations, please discuss the matter with your tax agent or accountant. More information can also be found from the ATO website: https://www.ato.gov.au/


If you're interested in signing up as an Uber driver, here's the link:
Sign Up as an Uber Driver

Uber Driver Ratings

What first sounds like an awesome idea where riders and drivers mutually rate each other to ensure an enjoyable experience to everyone slowly becomes the Uber driver's nightmare.

I remember starting off as a 5 star Uber driver (everyone starts with a 5) and then started seeing my ratings fall despite trying to do everything right and knowing that if your ratings fall to 4.6, Uber starts reviewing your account and you may get a notification before they finally decide to deactivate your account.

The problem is that alot of passengers don't understand the Uber rating system. A good ride to them may seem to be a 3 - 4 star which in ordinary terms would mean above average. But in Uber driver's language, anything under a 5 is a fail.

Unfortunately, Uber's system is more skewed towards the riders as they are paying the money. So unless you're around the 4.5 - 4.6 range I'd say not to worry. It's impossible to please everybody. But there are steps to improve your rating. You really got to give the passenger the impression that you are more than just a pick up and drop off service, but a service that goes beyond that and since taking those steps, my chances of getting a 5 star has vastly improved.

Here are some of the changes I made:
- Greeting the passengers with a friendly "Hello" "Good Morning" Etc;
- Offering them mints;
- Offering them water;
- Asking if the air conditioning is alright or if they want it adjusted;
- Checking if they want music;
- Checking if they have any preferred route or if they prefer to just follow the navigation provided.

And I think one of the most important one is ensuring the cleanliness of the car both external and internal and ensuring that there is no odour before picking up the next client. It can be a pain but a dirty car is a sure way of getting less than 5.

I have also heard of drivers walking out to open doors for their riders, but I find that slightly impractical. But if you do, I'm sure it will improve your chances of getting the 5 star rating.

The Uber driver - Every taxi driver's nightmare

Was dropping off a passenger at the Perth Airport today when a taxi driver pulled up beside me and said, "you're an Uber driver aren't you?" And when I replied yes, he muttered something under his breath shook his head and gave me a death starte before driving away.....

Sure, Uber has presented competition to the entire taxi industry but taxi drivers have perks which Uber drivers don't such as being able to wait in the taxi lane. Rather than sulking about the introduction of competition and picking on Uber drivers, perhaps they should embrace the innovation in technology and implement some new programs into the taxi system to give themselves an advantage.

Besides, it has already been 5 years since Uber was first introduced to the world. It is about keeping up with the times and if anything, taxi drivers are always welcome to switch and become Uber drivers if they really think Uber is snatching all their jobs away.

If you're interested in signing up as an Uber driver, here's the link:
Sign Up as an Uber Driver