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Uber Select - Passengers

Uber Select – Driver Guide To Uber’s Higher End Service

Uber Select: Your Complete Driver Guide

To accommodate a growing market, rideshare companies like Uber have expanded their offerings. Now, riders get to choose from a variety of categories, from basic to high-end. One of the ride tiers that benefits passengers and drivers alike is Uber Select. If you’re interested in becoming an Uber Select driver, find out what it takes in this guide.

What’s Uber Select?

Uber Select is the first tier of luxury ride options offered by the rideshare company. Rides in this category offer the middle ground between the affordability of UberX and the grandeur of Uber Black. Essentially, Select trips provide everyday opulence instead of special occasion ambiance. Trips in this category consist of one to four passengers, and the vehicle and driver standards are higher than UberX.

How Does Select Differs From Other Ride Styles

For drivers, Select differs from other styles in both earning potential and requirements.

Earning Potential

Riders have to pay more for luxury, and as result, Uber Select drivers make more per trip. The fares vary based on location, time of day, and market demand, but Select fares are often about twice as much as UberX fares. However, your overall earning potential depends largely on the local demographic. If you live in a working-class community, then the lower cost of Uber X will be in higher demand, resulting in less opportunity for Select requests. On the other hand, the middle or upper class demographic in larger cities is likely to favor higher-end rides.

Uber Select Driver Pay

In comparison to Uber Black, Select drivers make less per trip. The highest Select fares typically match up with the bottom base rate for Uber Black. But, since both options offer luxury, many riders are likely to choose the slightly lower fare of Select over Black.

 

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Here’s the Uber Select rate card for Los Angeles.

Uber Select Driver Rate Card

Qualifying Criteria

Both Uber X and Select drivers have to meet the rideshare company’s basic requirements, including licensing and driving history. However, Uber is more restrictive than other companies as to who can drive for their higher end services. In fact, Select drivers need to achieve and maintain a high rating, and they must also utilize a luxury style of vehicle.

One of the biggest differences between Uber Black and Select drivers is that the former is a professional chauffeur. Not only do drivers in the top tiers have to have a commercial driver’s license, but they also need previous behind-the-wheel experience as a professional. Considering these additional requirements, it makes sense that Select drivers make slightly less than their Uber Black counterparts.

Uber Select Driver and Vehicle Requirements

To become an Uber Select driver, you need to meet all of the company’s criteria. Uber Select requirements are less stringent than Lyft Lux requirements. There are some crossover requirements between Select and other Uber ride levels, but here are the basics:

Uber Select Driver Requirements

Drivers need to offer these qualities:

  • Clean driving and criminal record
  • Top Uber rating
  • Over the age of 21
  • Valid driver’s license

Uber Select Vehicle Requirements

All Select vehicles must meet these criteria:

  • Model year 2009 or newer
  • Leather or vinyl interior with no tears
  • Seat at least 4 passengers in addition to the driver
  • Working windows and air conditioning
  • No full-sized vans or trucks
  • No taxi cabs, government cars, or other marked vehicles
  • No salvaged or rebuilt vehicles

Uber Select Eligible vehicle models

Below is the Select list for Chicago. Most cities have a similar list, but may vary slightly.

  • Acura – MDX, RDX, RL, RLX, TL, TLX
  • Alfa Romeo – Giulia, Stelvio
  • Audi – A3, A4, A5, A6, A7, A8, S3, S4, S6, S7, S8. Q3, Q5, Q7
  • Bentley – All
  • BMW – 3-series, 4-series, 5-series, 7-series, M5, X1, X3, X4, X5, X6
  • Buick – Enclave, LaCrosse, Regal
  • Cadillac – ATS, CTS, DTS, SRX, STS, XTS, XT5, Escalade, Escalade EXT
  • Chrysler – 300
  • Genesis – G80, G90
  • Hummer – H2, H3
  • Hyundai – Equus, Genesis
  • Infiniti – EX, FX, JX, G Sedan, M, Q40, Q45, Q50, Q50L, Q60, Q70, QX4, QX50, QX56, QX60, QX70, QX80
  • Jaguar – X-Type, XF, XJ, XJR
  • Kia – K900
  • Land Rover – Discovery, Range Rover, LR2, LR3, LR4
  • Lexus – ES, GS, GX, IS, LS, LX, NX, RX
  • Lincoln – Continental, MKC, MKS, MKT, MKX, MKZ, Town Car, Navigator
  • Maserati – Ghibli, Levante, Quattroporte
  • Maybach – All
  • Mercedes-Benz – C-Class, CLA-Class, CLS-Class, E-Class, G-Class, GL-Class, GLA-Class, GLK-Class, GLS-Class, M-Class, ML Class, R-Class, S-Class
  • Nissan – Armada
  • Porsche – Macan, Cayenne, Panamera
  • Rolls-Royce – All
  • Tesla – Model S, Model X
  • Volkswagen – CC, Touareg
  • Volvo – XC90

How to Become an Uber Select Driver

Even if you meet all of the driver and vehicle qualifications, you don’t automatically get to drive for Select. Instead, you need to first reach a few milestones on the lower tier. This process includes:

  • 50+ UberX Trips: This step ensures you’re comfortable on the road and with the basic system arrangement.
  • 4.7+ Rating: The high-end ambiance of Select rides requires that drivers offer top-quality service to their passengers.
  • 80% Ride Acceptance Rate: This factor doesn’t apply to every market, but it’s important to keep in mind in case it’s a requirement for your location.

Once you meet these additional vehicle and driver qualifications, Uber’s system will upgrade your driver status to include Select options. As a result, you’ll receive requests for all the rideshare tiers that fit your circumstances. If you feel like you’ve reached the additional criteria but haven’t been upgraded, contact the Uber customer support team for assistance.

If you are an Uber Select driver, you can choose to receive UberX and UberPool requests as well. Or, you can choose to only accept Select requests.

Start Driving Uber Select Today

By meeting the criteria for Uber Select rides, you can drastically boost your income as a driver. If you’re ready to take advantage of the higher driver fares, make sure you reach your full earning potential with our Uber sign up bonus. Simply utilize our referral link or input the code – i9tz1 – when you apply.

Or you can click the button below to start your application with our promo code applied. New Uber drivers can receive an Uber sign up bonus guarantee of up to $2000!

 

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Uber Driver Requirements

Uber Driver Requirements: Can You Drive for Uber?

Uber Driver Requirements 2019: Can You Drive for Uber?

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If you’re interested in signing up to drive for Uber, make sure you satisfy the Uber driver requirements.

Uber is currently available in over 600 cities. This opens up potential opportunities for those interested in driving for extra cash in their spare time, or as a full time job.

Currently, Uber is offering sign up bonus earnings guarantees of up to $2000. Guarantee amount is determined by city. See our Uber sign up bonus page for more information.

Uber does have a few driver requirements, but they’re pretty simple. So, if you’re interested in signing up to drive for Uber (or UberEats), here’s everything you need to know.

Uber Driver Requirements

Before you apply to drive for Uber, make sure you meet all of the following requirements to drive passengers on Uber. Uber Eats driver requirements, and Uber vehicle requirements are further down the page.

  • You must be at least 21 years old. 
  • You must have a valid driver’s license (issued by a U.S. state or territory) and insurance. You must have had your license for at least one year. If you are under the age of 23, you must have had your license for at least three years.
  • Use an eligible 4 door vehicle.
Uber Driver Requirements

You also must pass a background check and a driving record check.

For the one year license requirement, your driving experience does not need to have taken place in the state in which you are applying. The only requirement is that the driving took place in the United States; international driving does not count. However, if your license was recently issued, you may need to submit proof of your licensing history, including a previous driver’s license or license number.

Although Uber does not perform a credit check or drug test, it does use a company called Checkr to complete a thorough background and driving record check over the last 7 years. A couple of speeding tickets shouldn’t be a problem, but DUIs, driving with suspended license charges, and criminal activity may be grounds to reject your Uber application.

Click the button below to start your application with our promo code (i9tz1) to be eligible for an Uber earnings guarantee of up to $2000 (guarantee amount determined by city).

 

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Uber Driver Requirements – Uber Eats

The Uber driver requirements for Uber Eats (Uber Delivery) are less strict. If you plan to use a vehicle, these are the requirements

  • You must be at least 19 years old.
  • You must have a two or four door vehicle made after 1998.
  • You must have a valid driver’s license and insurance.

However, you can also deliver for Uber Eats using a scooter or even a bicycle. For more information on delivering for Uber Eats, check out our Uber Eats Driver Guide.

Uber Vehicle Requirements

All vehicles being used for rides on the Uber app must meet the following requirements. However, certain cities have stricter requirements when it comes to the age of the vehicle, so be sure to check the specific requirements for your city.
  • Must have 4 doors and be able to transport a minimum of 4 passengers
  • Must be 15 model years old or newer
  • Title cannot be salvaged, reconstructed, or rebuilt. 
  • Rental vehicles – except those from an approved Uber lender – are not allowed.
  • Vehicle cannot have any cosmetic damage, missing pieces, commercial branding or taxi paint jobs. 

If you plan to drive a vehicle you do not personally own, you must be listed as an insured driver on this vehicle’s insurance policy. Uber will not approve a vehicle if the driver’s name is not on the insurance document.

Although trucks, minivans, and cars are all acceptable, full-size vans cannot be used to drive for Uber.

Vehicle must have seats and seatbelts for at least four passengers besides the driver. This is imperative and will be confirmed during the vehicle inspection.

If your vehicle does not match the requirements above, you may still be able to use your vehicle for deliveries on the Uber app. Or, you can rent or lease a vehicle through Uber during the application process.

UberBlack and UberSUV Requirements

If you have a newer model luxury vehicle, it may qualify for UberBlack or Uber SUV, luxury branches of the rideshare service.

UberSUV includes vehicles like the:

  • Cadillac Escalade ESV
  • Chevrolet Suburban
  • GMC Yukon XL
  • Infiniti QX56, QX80
  • Lexus LX
  • Lincoln Navigator L
  • Mercedes-Benz GL-Class

Model year requirements for UberSUV vary by market. You’ll need at least a 2012 model year. However, in many cities the requirements are even more stringent, requiring a 2015 or 2016 model year or newer.

UberBlack includes vehicles like the:

  • Audi A6, A7
  • BMW 5 Series
  • Cadillac XTS
  • Infiniti Q70
  • Jaguar XF
  • Lexus GS
  • Mercedes-Benz E-Class

You’ll need at least a 2013 vehicle to qualify for UberBlack. As with UberSUV though, many markets require a 2015 or 2016 model year or newer to qualify for UberBlack. Also, the vehicle generally has to be painted black, and be in pristine condition.

UberBlack and UberSUV have the same driver requirements previously mentioned for driving for Uber.

However, in many markets, you need a commercial registration (livery or chauffeur’s license), and commercial insurance to driver UberBlack or UberSuv.

Another thing to consider is that UberBlack restricts the number of vehicles on the road in a given city, so you’ll need to first ensure Uber is accepting new UberBlack/UberSuv drivers for the city you plan to drive in. Before you go through the trouble and expense of obtaining commercial registration and insurance, be sure to check with Uber so that you’re sure there is a spot available.

How To Start Driving For Uber – Application Guide

If you meet the driver requirements, click the button below to start your application with an Uber driver promo code, so you get a sign up bonus. For more information on the Uber application, see our post on How To Ace Your Uber Application.

 

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What It’s Like to Drive for Uber

Now that you know about the Uber driver requirements, let’s talk about what you can expect when driving for the company.

How much can you expect to make driving for Uber?

Your compensation will depend on what city you drive in, what time of day you drive, and what day you are driving. However, driving Uber can be worth it, if you take the time to determine what hours are the most lucrative. This takes trial and error, so be prepared to experiment with your driving schedule when you begin. You should also keep track of your expenses as they will help you identify your true profit, both for your own knowledge as well as for your taxes.

The national average for Uber drivers is around $16 per hour, but in larger markets, top drivers routinely earn over $20 per hour. If you plan on driving full time, you can earn between $1000 and $1500 per week in most markets, sometimes more.

What should I do to prepare?

Passengers will expect to be picked up in a clean vehicle, so make sure your car is free from any trash, clutter, or funky odors. It is also a good idea to keep the exterior of your vehicle relatively clean to ensure a good rating. Besides cleaning your car, you will also want to invest in a car charger and a phone mount to make your driving experience as easy as possible. Since you’ll be using your Uber Driver app continuously, you’ll need to keep your phone plugged in so that it maintains its charge, and the phone mount will allow you to keep tabs on the GPS route without taking your eyes off the road.

Should I talk to my passengers?

One of the trickiest parts of driving for Uber is determining whether you should make conversation with the passengers you pick up. There is no hard and fast rule, and you’ll just have to follow your instincts. After greeting your passengers, gauge how enthusiastic their responses are and whether they are actively participating in the conversation or giving short answers, looking out the window, or browsing their phones. Your priority is to give your passengers a comfortable and enjoyable ride.

What if I don’t want people in my car?

The experience of picking up strangers in your own vehicle can be less than exciting for some. If that’s the case, consider signing up for UberEats, Doordash, Caviar, or another delivery service in your area.

 

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What Are You Waiting For, Start Your Uber Application Today

If you drive full time for Uber, you can earn between $1000 and $1500 per week in most cities, sometimes more. As a solid side hustle, it’s a great way to make extra cash to make ends meet, pay off loans, or even save up for a trip.

So, if you meet the Uber driver requirements, click the button below to start your application using our promo code and be eligible for an Uber earnings guarantee of up to $2000.

 

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Lyft driver working towards her Lyft driver bonus

How to Reap the Rewards of Uber & Lyft Driving

Uber & Lyft are the new taxi. Both have become the faces of the booming rideshare industry, and with that claim to fame comes the tricky work of making a semi-freelance business work for everyone involved – up to and including the people who decide to work there on a sudden whim. I myself began driving for both Lyft and Uber a few years ago with that same sort of suddenness most new drivers begin with, and even now find myself feeling some commiseration for new drivers every time I use the service as a passenger. I can’t help but wonder if they won’t be one of the many new drivers to get past their promotional period and find themselves completely overwhelmed.

There’s a lot to love about driving for Uber or Lyft. There are a slew of promotions going on at all times of the year, promising everything from double and triple surge pay, to guaranteed weekly earnings. For certain folks who think they can make it big, and who have a good credit score, there are even some leasing options for cars if the one you currently own doesn’t quite check all the boxes on their vehicle standards list. The freedom of being able to work the hours you want on the days you prefer is enough to lure in most anybody, and that’s precisely what they seem to be counting on to draw in new drivers all throughout the year.

So, what’s the catch? When I first started driving, I had no idea the sort of hard work and challenges that went into being an Uber or Lyft driver. The app always seemed busy, and there were so many forums and support groups out there, I thought I’d have the skills to make it big in no time. Turns out, though – it’s a little more complicated than that. Whether it’s the small print on their promotional contracts or the reality of the learning curve involved with being a new driver, there was a lot of work needed to improve my performance and really make a name for myself as a skilled, reputable driver.

Below are a few pointers and facets of rideshare, which I think are the most important for new drivers to figure out during their initial step into the world of Uber and Lyft. With any luck, it’ll help keep you on the right track for success!

Be Careful of Fine Print

Experienced rideshare drivers have it all figured out – or so it appears. From the rider’s perspective, it looks like the easiest job in the world. You get picked up, dropped off, and your driver carries on to the next ride without any sort of apparent hassle. In actuality, there are a number of things that your driver is keeping track of at any given time; these become immediately obvious when you’re first starting out as a new Uber or Lyft driver. There are not only a million things to keep track of, but a million more that you’re expected to take care of in order to earn those famous bonuses.

It is crucial to monitor the fine print involved with being a driver. When I first began, I made the mistake of not quite reading the details as carefully as I should have. I was promised a thousand dollars a week (yes, a week!) for the first four weeks – just for signing up with a simple promotional code. What I easily overlooked? The tiny writing beneath, which spelled out the requirements I needed to fulfill every single week in order to actually make that sort of money. What once seemed easy became a strenuous grind of meeting the ‘as long as you spend fifty hours online and complete fifty rides, per week’ rule that dictated if I’d be making that thousand dollars come payday.

Since I already worked a part-time shift at another job, it seemed next to impossible to add fifty hours of driving into my schedule. Plus, not only was I faced with the daunting task of finding more hours in the day, I quickly learned the nightmarish truth that unless I was working those hours during primetime, there was little chance of magically capturing fifty rides in a week. It was two to three times harder finding rides in the middle of a weekday than it was on the weekend, and what started as a promising extra paycheck quickly became a huge stress.

Another thing worth noting in promotional details is that this cash, at least during the time I was driving, is subject to taxes. The promise of one thousand dollars shrank to eight hundred dollars, which was a big enough difference to threaten the budget I’d made while expecting another two hundred padding my bank account. Thankfully, tips aren’t subject to taxes, but neither are they guaranteed.

In addition to long nights and crazy hours spent hounding rides, you’ll also be expected to keep your ratings above a 4.6. This shouldn’t be too hard so long as you are a courteous and reliable driver, but never underestimate the power of one cranky passenger with a trigger finger for low ratings. Uber is especially unforgiving, averaging your rate from your past five hundred rides, while Lyft is generous enough to only hold you accountable for your past one hundred rides. Either way, one bad set of stars can gravely affect your overall driver rating, and that alone could be enough to deny you any sort of bonus or the promotion you’re expecting. Worse yet, low ratings can quickly lead to your permanent deactivation as a driver – and low, again, is anything less than a still surprisingly high 4.6.

If you don’t spare the time to read the large and small text of any promotion you’re about tackle, there’s a chance you could set yourself up for failure from the beginning. Make sure you have the time to commit to a promotional period if that’s what you end up going for, otherwise it might prove less stressful to find a different bonus, like the ‘one lump sum’ sign-on bonus.

You may also be interested in:

Remember: Service With a Smile!

Ratings are absolutely critical to your success as a rideshare driver, no matter if you’re working for Uber or Lyft. Ratings alone can determine whether or not you even keep your job as a driver for very long; they’re that important. If you’ve ever used a ridesharing app like Lyft or Uber, you’ll recall that at the end of your ride, you have the option to rate your driver and even offer advice on how they could provide you with better service next time. What you may not have known is: if you, as a driver, fall below a four-star average, you get a written warning about your continued employment with the company within minutes of falling below that average. If your rating stays below the mandatory score for a certain period of time, they will terminate you with little more than an e-mail explaining your deactivation as a driver from that point forward.

Uber driver on way to Uber driver promo

There are a few ways you can leverage a rating to your favor. As a whole, the consensus on forums and support groups alike is that service with a smile gets you everywhere. Be attentive to your passenger and their individual needs. Consider keeping snacks, tissues, or water bottles in your car to offer as a courtesy to your riders. Pay attention to your passenger and how things may be changing throughout the course of the ride. I once turned around what I thought would be a poor rating from an ornery rider, just by recognizing how short they were becoming in conversation and asking how their day had been. By allowing them to vent to me on the trip to their destination, they changed from being angry (and possibly taking out their agitation out on me) to thanking me, tipping me, and giving me a five-star rating while commending my interpersonal skills as a driver. Recognize those social cues in your passenger, and neither you nor your rating will regret it.

Beyond this, remember that it goes both ways; ultimately, the companies look at everyone who was involved in the rating if things get that bad. Riders, too, have ratings of their own, and even though these ratings won’t prevent their obtaining rides via Uber’s discretion, it does get displayed next to their nameplate when a driver goes to accept their request for a lift. You do have the option to decline them. Don’t be afraid to decline a particularly low-rated rider, especially if your promotional pay depends on keeping a higher average for yourself. (But do make sure you don’t decline too many rides, or you may end up on the chopping block for that too.)

Acceptance Rates

Let’s delve into that a bit more. Acceptance rates are actually a key part of being an Uber or Lyft driver, and you’ll need to keep track of where your personal average is, so you don’t accidentally receive disciplinary action for declining too many rides.

Your acceptance rate with either Lyft or Uber, as a driver, is a percentage that reflects your tendency to accept or deny rides. This rate has to remain over ninety percent at the end of the work-week. If it does not, you might not get your promotional pay and you may find yourself with a warning e-mail in your inbox. This can get a little tricky, because your acceptance rate is based on your weekly average – rather than your overall average – and that can make it a pretty scary thing to keep track of, especially when you’re just starting out and might be uncertain about which rides to take and which to avoid. Remember that at the beginning of your week, those numbers might look a lot scarier than they actually are. Commonly, the numbers will even back out by the end of the pay period, so long as you don’t have several consecutive days of declining passengers. (This is especially important when working toward promotional earnings, which rely heavily on your ratings and the number of rides you’re completing!)

Over time, you’ll build up the experience to know which rides are appropriate to decline, but overall, drivers tend to avoid any passenger with a rating below 4.5. That saves drivers from potentially dealing with troublesome riders that could end up threatening their driver rating, but it does eat into your acceptance rating every time. It’s a stressful dance of maintaining two apparently opposing ratings, but eventually, you should get the hang of how the two work together.

The Lure of Surges and Primetime

When you’re tempted by the lure of surges and primetime, here’s the long and short of it: don’t. As a new, promotion-seeking driver, you need to be especially careful about wasted time. If you need to stay online for fifty hours, and you waste three or four a day chasing unreliable surge zones, you’re going to end up as disappointed as I was. Typically these zones will disappear long before you reach them, potentially leading you well out of your way for absolutely no benefit at all. Remember that every single driver in your area can see these zones, and the majority of them are going to flock to that location, so if you’re more than five minutes away from a sudden surge or hot zone, you’re better off ignoring it.

This is a pretty solid piece of advice – which I didn’t listen to until I’d already made that mistake a number of times myself. If you happen to be in the middle of a surge-area when it starts or prime-time is right where you are, take advantage, but don’t chase it! On the contrary, hold out to be one of the few who stays put. You might actually find yourself with an abundance of rides given up by those who decided to get out of range to chase the surge somewhere else.