For those who are looking for a new job alternative, making extra money or even start a new career, becoming an Uber driver can be a good choice. The purpose of using your own car on a taxi mode is spreading around the world and evolving to a popular and attractive way of earning money.
Considered to be a flexible type of work, the driver is the one who chooses when and how much time he wants to drive, is paid weekly or you can cash out daily if you wish to do so and you can even choose which direction you want to drive and what time you would like to arrive there, that is called destination drip where you choose your preferred destination in your Uber drivers app and that will allow you to only receive trips going along or near the route to your chosen destination.
Multicultural and touristic, the largest and most populated (with over 8 million people) London is possibly the best place to become an UBER driver. However, to become a Uber driver in London, there are a series of requirements and a process to be followed through before you can log on to your drivers app and start accepting jobs.
Everything You Need To Get Started To Drive With Uber
- Be eligible to drive in the UK
Firstly, it is indispensable to meet the requirements to drive
- Be over 21 years old
- Have a valid UK or EU driver’s license for at least 3 years
- Get a private hire license
Uber provides a free and helpful information programme, known as Uber Ignition, that orientates the drivers to get licensed. In this session, you will be guided on how to get your medical checkup and insurance, training for the map reading test and how to apply for your private hire license.
You can make an appointment and bring the following documentation to one of the Uber greenlight hubs in London
- Passport
- UK Driving License
- National Insurance Number
- Proof of Address
Uber team will be able to explain in details the requirements and process to be licensed. Basically, here is what you will need to provide
- A Medical declaration from your general practitioner
- A police check (or DBS – Disclosure and Barring Service)
- A certificate of good conduct (necessary if you have lived outside the UK for more than 3 consecutive months, in the past three years)
- A topographical skills certificate, that will show your abilities on map reading, route selection in local and long distances
- An English language test proving a satisfactory level – English Language courses for Uber drivers
- Some extra application forms
The license will be obtained from Transport Of London (TFL). For London, currently the license cost is as follows:
- TFL Application PHV/230 – Cost £250
- Medical Declaration TPH/204 – Cost £60-110
- CRB Check – Cost £60
- Topographical Skill Certificate – Cost £50
- TFL Englis Language Requirement – Cost £200
- Have an eligible vehicle
More than private hire license, you will need a qualified vehicle that obeys minimum Uber parameters. They are:
- Must be 2008 (58 / 08) plates or newer
- 4-door car with a minimum of 5 seats
- Good condition with no cosmetic damage
- No commercial branding
Uber classifies vehicles in types, each one with specific requirements and different range of service prices: uberX, uberXL, uberEXEC, uberLUX and uberACCESS. For more information, please check it at List Of Allowed Cars For Uber
Nevertheless, if you don’t have your own vehicle, you can also rent a car from Uber partners or privately as long as the car is PCO registered and has up to date PCO licence. You can find a good selection of Uber ready PCO cars on Gumtree. PCO car rents start from £80 a week up to £250 a week depending on the car and whether the insurance is included or not. Cars that are suitable for uberEXEC or uberLUX can even set you back around £500 a week.
Don’t want to rent? Uber also has financial deals to buy or lease a car from selected third party partners or you can just buy your own car and take it to one of the TFL inspection test centres where you will be issued a PCO licence for your car which is valid for one year and will cost £100 for that period.
After signing up online and creating an Uber partners account on Uber website, downloading an uber app to your phone and attending to their induction session where you can submit all the required documents: Insurance, MOT test certificate, V5C Vehicle log book (2page) or new keeper slip, private hire license, PCO licence for a car, DVLA plastic licence, DVLA electronic counterpart check code and then you have officially become an Uber driver in London or an UBER partner as they will like to call you.
I have just gone through this blog post How To Become An Uber Driver and I have added up all the cost that I would incur if I’d go through the process of becoming an Uber driver and it doesn’t seem right to me. Let’s look at getting private hire licence for instance.
TFL Application PHV/230 – Cost £250
Medical Declaration TPH/204 – Cost £60-110
CRB Check – Cost £60
Topographical Skill Certificate – Cost £50
TFL Englis Language Requirement – Cost £200
The total cost of this would be about £650, then if we add the PCO licence for the car that is £100 and the PCO car rental cost that what I have checked out and is £500 for the deposit and first weeks rent that is £250 then I am looking at total cost about £1500 that I need to become an Uber driver.
Ok, that would be fine, although it is quite a lot of money to come up with, I have heard from UBER that you will make about £20 an hour, and that sounds reasonable for a cab driver, so I can make that money back in the week. However, I am a bit sceptical as I have taken an uber as a customer few times and it is so cheap so I am wondering where is the money coming from if the customers are only paying so little and uber is taking their fee on top of that. So that is basically my dilemma at the moment that I want to figure out before I invest all that money into becoming an Uber driver
If you renting a car then you don’t have to worry about the PCO licence, the car rental company should take care of that for you.
To rent a car for £250 a week is too much, that’s 1K a month. I know you can cover it by making £1500 a week but I think it would still be much more cost effective just to buy your own car.
What is the Contact number for Uber in London? I just can’t find it. I want to ask them few questions about joining up. If anyone has Uber phone number or even email address please post it. Thanks.
How much cash do Uber drivers really line their pockets with at the end of the day? Due to the advertised image of the cab service and the image it creates in the mind of the potential driver, the actual experience may not live up to it. Other than reality falling short, it is also the matter of fare-cuts. Uber has adopted business strategies that involve frequent cuts in fares and they also keep increasing the fee they take from the driver. In London now the cut that Uber takes from each job is now 25 percent. If you do a pool jobs then the cut uber takes from each matched up job is 35% which ultimately slims what drivers take home at the end of the day. Not to mention that picking up fares is unpredictable and they may devote their time to finding passengers that never come.
I do know quite a few Uber drivers and as a regular user of this rideshare service, I can say that many Uber drivers are quitting because of Uber’s customer-centered approach. They deliver well as a services company by placing their customers first; however, they realise that there are replacements for the drivers they hire so they treat them just so – as disposable drivers. To become an uber driver it can be a short-term job till you can find something better but for the long term, I don’t think it is a viable option.
I thought Uber crashed in the UK? I must not be paying enough attention lol I guess with the other places like Taxify popping up, there is plenty of competition for something like this. I mentioned in another article that a friend of mine drove for Uber in the US. He seemed to really enjoy it and said it was a great way to meet interesting people. I told him they were only interested in his accent. haha
Yes, Uber’s licence was not renewed after it expired on this September. Uber, however, still continue to operate till the appeal is being processed and that could take months till the case will get through the court system. Also, Uber lost an appeal on this Friday 11.11.17 that overturns the decision by a tribunal which said that Uber drivers deserved workers’ rights such as the holiday pay and the minimum wage. So it is not looking good for the company at the moment.
It is funny because most people around my age (22) don’t have a good car cosmetic wise. I mean the one I own is a hand-me-down from my older sister. It is an 09 which would work for Uber but the quality would likely not fly. A lot of rust damage! I also read it is very hard to get in with them without jumping through hoops over your own car. It is still a nice job option for people who don’t want to be stuck in a shop or office all day. I heard some people make A LOT doing it too!