Must-know rideshare tips

Tip 01

Work the peaks, not the hours

Hourly earnings swing widely across the day. The reliable windows are weekday mornings before 9am, weekday evenings from 4pm, and Friday and Saturday nights, with the strongest surges usually late, between about 11pm and 2am. Twenty well-chosen hours regularly beat thirty random ones.

Tip 02

Anticipate surge, do not chase it

By the time a surge zone appears on your map, every nearby driver is heading there and it usually collapses before you arrive. Position yourself ahead of predictable demand instead: near the Valley and the CBD before closing, at Suncorp Stadium or the Convention Centre before an event finishes, at Surfers Paradise late on weekends.

Tip 03

Learn the airport queue

Brisbane Airport pays well on early business departures and late arrivals, but the holding area can hold you for an hour in the wrong period. Check the queue length in the app before joining, and treat a long wait as time you are working for nothing.

Tip 04

Rain is the best shift of the month

Queensland storms empty the footpaths and fill the apps. If the weather turns and driving is still safe, get online. Avoid flooded roads entirely, which are prohibited under every rental agreement and not covered by damage cover.

Tip 05

Run more than one app

Multi-apping is the single most consistent earnings strategy. Stay online with Uber and DiDi together, accept whichever offers first, and pause the other while you complete the trip. Waiting time, not fare rates, is what quietly destroys an hourly average.

Tip 06

Know what each app takes

Uber's service fee is around 25 to 27.5 per cent of the fare. DiDi's published rates are materially lower, so you keep more of each trip, though Uber generally has more trips available. Bolt also sits below Uber on commission. Ola left Australia, so Uber and DiDi are the two volume platforms in Queensland.

Tip 07

Read the promotions tab first

Uber Quest pays a bonus for completing a set number of trips in a window, Boost multiplies fares in nominated zones, and Uber Pro unlocks tiered benefits. DiDi runs its own per-trip and weekly guarantees. Check both before you plan your week, then build your hours around the ones you can actually finish.

Tip 08

Use delivery to fill dead time

Uber Eats, DoorDash and Menulog pay less per job but keep you earning between 2pm and 4pm when passenger demand drops. They also mean no passengers in the car, so less wear on the interior.

Tip 09

Costs decide your take-home

Running costs commonly swallow 30 to 40 per cent of gross earnings. A hybrid is the simplest lever there: in stop-start city work it uses roughly half the fuel of a comparable petrol sedan, and that saving lands in your pocket every single shift.

Tip 10

Kill your dead kilometres

Every unpaid kilometre costs fuel, tyres and weekly allowance. Do not drive across town on an empty hope, and use the destination filter to earn on the way home instead of deadheading.

Tip 11

Fuel and tolls add up quietly

Fill up mid-week rather than at the weekend price peak, use a fuel app to find the cheapest nearby station, and make sure tolls are being passed to the passenger correctly on every trip that uses one.

Tip 12

Quiet beats chatty

Greet the passenger, confirm the name and destination, then let them lead the conversation. A clean interior, cold air conditioning and low music earn more five star ratings than small talk ever will.

Tip 13

Protect acceptance and cancellation rates

Platforms track how often you accept and how often you cancel. If you do not want a trip, decline it rather than accepting and cancelling later. Repeated cancellations cost you bonus eligibility and can lead to deactivation.

Tip 14

Clean between shifts, not weekly

Five minutes with a vacuum and a cloth before a Friday night shift prevents the complaints, cleaning fees and one star ratings that follow a messy car. Keep water, tissues and phone cables within reach.

Tip 15

Run a dashcam

A front and rear dashcam settles fault in an accident and protects you against false complaints. Tell passengers recording is in progress, as required, with a small visible notice.

Tip 16

You can end a trip

If a passenger is aggressive, will not wear a seatbelt or is unsafe, stop somewhere public, end the trip in the app and report it. No fare is worth an incident, and platforms support drivers who report properly.

Tip 17

Fatigue ends careers

Long night shifts blunt reaction time as much as alcohol. Break every two hours, and finish the shift when you notice yourself drifting. Queensland's alcohol limit applies for hours after your last drink, so treat any drinking day as a day off.

Tip 18

Put GST aside weekly

Passenger drivers must be registered for GST from the first fare. Move a portion of every payment into a separate account the day it lands, and the quarterly BAS stops being painful.

Tip 19

Keep a logbook

A twelve week logbook establishes your business use percentage and is the basis of most of your deductions. Apps can record it automatically. Without it you are guessing, and the ATO does not accept guesses.

Tip 20

Claim everything you are entitled to

Rental payments, fuel and charging, tolls, car washes, phone plans and mounts, water for passengers, platform service fees and the cost of your accountant are all commonly deductible for the business-use share. Keep the receipts as you go, not in June.

Tip 21

Judging a week by gross earnings

The number in the app is not your income. Subtract the platform fee, GST, fuel and your weekly vehicle cost, then divide by hours online. That figure is the only one worth improving.

Tip 22

Driving with the wrong cover

A private CTP class or a comprehensive policy that excludes rideshare leaves you personally exposed after an accident. Confirm your cover matches booked hire use before you take a single passenger.

Tip 23

Ignoring the weekly kilometre limit

If you rent, know your included kilometres and track them. Excess kilometre charges are easy to avoid with a glance at the odometer and impossible to argue after the fact.

Tip 24

Reporting damage late

Rental agreements require damage to be reported within 24 hours, and require you to collect the other driver's details at the scene. Missing either can cost you the benefit of your damage cover or add an extra excess.