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MAKE MONEY WITH YOUR CAR

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Whether it is gas costs, repair costs, maintenance costs or cleaning costs, vehicles can be quite expensive to own

and operate. Luckily, recent developments in smartphone technology have opened up various options for drivers

to make money using their vehicles outside of their own personal use. Whether you are joining a ridesharing

service such as Uber or Lyft or simply using your car to transport friends and family for a fee, there are many ways

to make a little extra cash on the side while you drive. To find out how to safely and responsibly make money with

your vehicle, read the sections outlined below.

Drivers throughout the United States

take to the streets each day for their

daily commutes knowing that they will

be spending money simply by driving.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

How to Make Money Using Your Car

How to Connect with Other Rideshare Drivers

How to Stay Safe Working with Ridesharing Services

Things You Should Know Before Becoming a Rideshare Driver

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Best Car Accessories to Make More Money Driving

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HOW TO MAKEMONEY USING YOUR CAR

Luckily, there are ways that car owners can gain some return on the investment they have made on their cars. To

learn more about how to make money using your personal vehicle, read the sections outlined below.

Driving every day to and from your daily activities can be an expensive endeavor. Between gas prices, car payments and the cost of parking, car owners can find themselves shelling out a lot of cash for the right to drive.

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Be a School Commute Driver

Make Repair Videos

Be a Delivery Driver

Many parents have to work in the morning and find it difficult to juggle their own morning routines with their children’s. If you have children and have any free time in the mornings or afternoons, offer to take your friends’ children, or speak to the parents of your children’s friends. Try and find a few people who live in your general vicinity to make the most efficient use of your time. Many parents would be happy to pay a small fee for you to open up some more time in their morning.

Drivers who are familiar with the internal workings of

their vehicle can use their expertise to make money

online. Using a camera, you can make simple step-

by-step repair videos that you can then post online to

sites like Youtube. Through advertising and internet

traffic, you can make money off these videos by

growing your online follower base. Make your videos

creative and entertaining to increase your chances of

going viral.

Many businesses need drivers with reliable vehicles

to drop off purchases at customers’ addresses. If you

have a reliable vehicle and do not mind being on the

road for extensive periods of time, try applying for a

position as a delivery driver. Restaurants, pharmacies,

retail stores and many other types of businesses

hire delivery drivers regularly. Additionally, you can

use your car to transport people’s pets to and from

grooming appointments. Other opportunities are

available at wholesale farms, where farmers deliver

organic vegetables to restaurants and residences in

the area. Meal delivery service apps like Postmates

and Uber Eats pay drivers to pick up and deliver food

to customers in their local area.

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Join a Rideshare Service

Use Car to Advertise

Today, ridesharing services such as Uber and Lyft are extremely popular for people who need a ride and do not

have access to a vehicle. With ridesharing, drivers register their personal vehicles with the main service (i.e. Uber,

Lyft) and go through a screening process to ensure both the driver and passengers’ safety. From there, drivers are

notified through an app on their smartphone when there are passengers in their area seeking a ride. Drivers are

paid electronically once they drop the passenger at their destination.

Companies are always looking for new and innovative ways to advertise. Companies are also always looking for

space on which to advertise. If you do not mind having large decals on your vehicle, consider renting the space

on your doors and windows out to local companies for advertising. This way you get paid simply for driving around

town.

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HOW TO CONNECT WITH OTHER RIDESHARE DRIVERS

The idea behind ridesharing is that drivers are already on the road throughout the day anyway, so they can

make some extra money by transporting other passengers to their destinations. However, ridesharing drivers must

operate their vehicles—and their businesses—by themselves during their ridesharing shifts. This can become pretty

lonely after a little while. Beginning rideshare drivers can also benefit from tips and guidance given by veteran

rideshare drivers.

Ridesharing in the United States is a job that many drivers have taken on over the past couple of years.

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Ridesharing Social Media Groups

Phone Apps

Be a Passenger

While Waiting on a Fare

Personal Meet-ups

Ridesharing drivers for companies such as Lyft and

Uber have a huge array of driver-related discussion

groups on Facebook and other social media

platforms such as Twitter and Reddit. In these

discussion groups, drivers can trade stories, ask each

other for advice and discuss the administrative side

of ridesharing.

Various walkie-talkie apps exist for smartphones

these days which can be a great tool for rideshare

drivers. With apps like Voxer and Zello, drivers can

speak over the phone while waiting without using

phone minutes on their wireless plan. You can even

use the services to give each other real-time updates

regarding accidents and other traffic incidents.

One of the best ways to meet rideshare drivers is to be

a rideshare passenger yourself. Whenever a rideshare

driver orders a ridesharing service for him or herself,

strike up a conversation with the driver. Rideshare

drivers often know a lot about the city due to the

extensive amount of time spent traveling around

it. Therefore, if you are looking for pieces of advice

on things to do, they can help you with that. For

rideshare drivers, connecting with other drivers while

a passenger can help make an instant connection

and help you have a little more company while you

are using your car to make some money.

Many times rideshare drivers will be on duty but

not have any fares, at which point they must find

something to do while they wait. This can be a perfect

time to mingle with other rideshare drivers. Check

out spots where rideshare drivers typically hang out

waiting for fares, such as any popular bars or hotels

in the area. If there are any special events going on in

your city, hanging around those venues is probably a

good idea as well. Find other rideshare drivers, strike

up a conversation and start sharing stories.

Some people do not like approaching other people

out of the blue, so talking to other rideshare drivers

while you are out on the job can be difficult. For

these individuals, rideshare companies like Lyft and

Uber typically hold local meetings for drivers to meet

and mingle. Likewise, you may be able to run into

other drivers at rideshare companies’ support offices

if they are located in your area. Rideshare drivers can

also organize meet-ups for other rideshare drivers on

social media. Just pick a venue, plan the event and

start mingling.

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HOW TO STAY SAFE WORKING WITH RIDESHARING SERVICES

Recent developments in GPS technology have allowed ridesharing services such as Uber and Lyft to enjoy increased success.

With ridesharing services, drivers use their personal vehicles to transport passengers

to their destination using an app on their smartphone. The app notifies drivers

of passengers in the area, tells them the passenger’s destination and passenger

rating, then pays the driver once they drop the passenger off. Though this is an

extremely convenient way to make money while simply driving your car, there are

some risks associated with ridesharing. To make sure you stay safe while working

with a ridesharing service, read the information below.

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Why Ridesharing Drivers Should Be Careful

How to Stay Safe

Do Not Resist

Gauge the Conversation Situation

Stop Aggression

Always Conduct Safety Checks

There are a few risks associated with working for a

ridesharing service. Risks arise mainly from the fact

that ridesharing drivers work alone, with strangers

entering their vehicles while they are driving.

Ridesharing drivers also typically work at times when

they are more vulnerable due to darkness, such as

early morning and late night. Rideshare services

place drivers in isolated environments with people

they do not know personally, which puts them at a

higher risk of attack.

To remain as safe as possible while working for a

ridesharing service, drivers must remain alert at all

times. Be aware of your surroundings and control as

many factors involved as possible, especially if you are

working at night. The following tips can also help you

stay safe on the road.

Though it is not common for rideshare drivers to get

robbed when picking up a fare, it is a possibility. In

the event that you find yourself in the middle of a

robbery, cooperate fully with the perpetrators until

you are able to safely remove yourself from the

situation. Arguing or fighting with robbers could

result in a dangerous altercation.

Some passengers enter a rideshare vehicle with the

intent on making light friendly conversation for the

entire ride. In this case, engaging with the passenger

is often encouraged. However, many passengers

enter their rideshare vehicle wanting to simply

receive their ride without any conversation from

Avoid conflict within your vehicle by approaching

each fare with no aggression. People who are in the

middle of an argument are much more susceptible

to getting physically violent. To avoid any dangerous

confrontations that could end in injury, handle each

situation as gently as possible.

Before you head out to work as a rideshare driver,

inspect your car and all its safety features to make

sure they are all in working order. This includes

checking your lights, tires, battery and radiator.

Additionally, drivers should regularly change their

oil and flush their transmission. This will save you the

hassle of dealing with a breakdown while you are out

on the job.

the driver. In these cases, drivers should respect the

passenger’s wishes to travel quietly. Failure to respect

their wishes could result in an altercation, which

should be avoided at all costs.

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THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW BEFORE BECOMING A RIDESHARE DRIVER

Being a rideshare driver in the United States is a great way to make some extra money on the side while you are driving your car.

The amount of money you make depends entirely on

the amount of fares you can pick up. So essentially

rideshare drivers dictate their own salary. However,

even though ridesharing has many benefits, there are

some factors that rideshare drivers should factor in

when deciding whether or not they want to commit

to the position. Read the information below to find

out a few things you should know before becoming

a rideshare driver.

Be Realistic About Your Financial Expectations

Drive for More than One Company

Try it Part Time First

According to a 2014 survey, only two percent of

rideshare drivers make $75,000 or more a year. The

vast majority of drivers—over fifty percent—make

$10,000 or less a year. Though driving full time may

seem like it will help you rake in the cash, there are

other factors and expenses you must consider such

as fuel costs, insurance premiums, salary taxes and

car repairs.

Ridesharing companies do not have rules against drivers also working for other ridesharing companies. Therefore, it pays to sign up with other companies to maximize your profit. This tactic allows drivers to sign into another ridesharing service when the first one is slow or the servers are down. Multiple companies means a wider range of possible fares and earnings.

There are certain times of the day and week when

drivers make the bulk of their money. These happen

to be during evening and weekend hours when

passenger requests are at their peak. During the day

though, there are not as many rideshare requests.

Therefore, drivers who work part time during peak

hours will maximize their time to make the most

amount of money within the hours they choose to

work. Working full-time can actually end up cutting

into your earnings as you will have to spend more

money on fuel and other driving-related costs.

Check for Legality

Before you sign up for a local ridesharing company, make sure to do your research and ensure the company is operating legally. Some states and cities have laws against companies like Uber and Lyft operating in their area. In cities and states like these, you will not be able to properly function as a rideshare driver and should wait until the law changes before signing up.

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Car Wear and Tear

One of the biggest factors many rideshare drivers tend to forget about is the wear and tear that excessive driving puts on their vehicle. All the additional miles add up to a lot of work on your car engine, which means increased car repair and maintenance costs. Additionally, most rideshare services have peak hours during the times of day when traffic is busiest, adding stop-and-go traffic to the list of causes for wear and tear. Make sure to factor in additional repair and maintenance costs when you sign up for a ridesharing service.

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BEST CAR ACCESSORIES TO MAKE MORE MONEY DRIVING

Rideshare services operate through an app on the drivers’ and passengers’ smartphones which helps to keep

everything coordinated. Essentially, all a rideshare driver needs to be fully operational is a smartphone and a car.

However, here are a few additional accessories which can come in handy in the long run.

Ridesharing services allow drivers to use their personal vehicles to pick up passengers, drop them at their destination and get paid electronically.

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Car Mount for Smartphone

Log for Miles

Car Phone Charger

Phones are distracting and can cause accidents if you are holding them and not paying attention to the road. To

help alleviate this issue, purchase a car mount and mount your phone to your dashboard. This way you do not

have to look down while driving, you only have to look ahead to your dashboard.

The U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) offers rideshare drivers a standard mileage reimbursement rate when they are filing taxes. This means that you can get reimbursed for tax expenses that are business-related, even if those tax expenses are simply the miles you put on your vehicle while working for a ridesharing service. To provide the IRS with an accurate assessment of your mileage for the year, keep a book and record the number of miles you drive each day while driving for the rideshare service.

Ridesharing services rely on smartphone apps to help drivers and passengers coordinate both their pick-up and drop-off at their initial location and destination respectively. You cannot use the rideshare service if your smartphone is not charged and operational. Therefore, having a car charger can directly impact how much money you make as a rideshare driver.

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Gum/Mints/Candy/Water

Paper Towels

Sunglasses

Tire Pressure Gauge

Air Freshener

Though most ridesharing services are used for short

trips that don’t allow much time for socializing,

having something to drink or snack on in the car that

you can offer your fare can help with your rideshare

rating. Additionally, it can be a good conversation

starter

Accidents happen, especially when it comes to food

and drinks. Make sure to keep a roll of paper towels

in your glove compartment in the likely event that

something eventually spills inside your vehicle.

For your own safety, make sure to have sunglasses in

the vehicle with you. Driving towards the sun when

it is directly in your view can cloud your vision and

cause you to make bad decisions on the road. Make

sure you can see by putting on sunglasses to stop

the glare.

With so much driving taking place, you need to

make sure your car is in working order. One of the

biggest issues that arises concerns tires that are

underinflated and therefore a hazard on the road.

Always keep a tire pressure gauge in your vehicle to

check your tires’ air pressure before heading out.

Various strangers coming in and out of your vehicle

repeatedly coupled with you sitting in the driver’s

seat for hours can create a less-than-desirable smell.

To alleviate the issue, make sure to always have air

freshener in your car to mask any objectionable odors.

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Make Money With Your Car Guide