The world of rideshare driving is on the rise. If you’ve always wanted to make some passive income as a side hustle, or if you just want to get a feel for what your potential customers are experiencing, this might be the right career choice for you.
To help you get started, we’ve compiled a list of the best apps for Uber and Lyft drivers. Here are our favorites!
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best apps for uber and lyft drivers
What’s a road trip without a little company? You could argue that rideshare drivers almost always have company on their trips — their passengers — but, well, they aren’t always the best company. However, another breed of passenger will always have drivers’ backs.
Companion apps have long been a rideshare driver’s best friend. But with the sea of rideshare apps flooding the app store these days, it can be difficult to pick the right co-pilot. Modern Shipper polled the Uber/Lyft Drivers Facebook group to see which apps rideshare drivers are really using.
By a narrow margin, the navigation app Waze was the most popular response among drivers. At first glance, it might seem odd that the app that drivers use the most has two hugely popular alternatives, Google Maps (NASDAQ: GOOGL), and Apple Maps (NASDAQ: AAPL), the latter of which is built into every iPhone. But Waze offers features that go above and beyond the standard capabilities of a GPS app.
As one might expect, traffic is among the biggest nuisances facing drivers. Waze helps drivers solve that problem with its premier feature, its traffic mapping, which uses crowdsourced data from other drivers to plot congested roads in real-time and alert them of alternate routes. That sort of up-to-the-minute information leads to shorter rides and more profits.
But Waze’s crowdsourced data is used for far more than just traffic alerts — drivers can use the app to map out the locations and prices of tolls and gas, crashes, and even road hazards. But perhaps the app’s most helpful feature is its tracking of police sightings. While speeding tickets aren’t fun for anyone, they can get rideshare drivers fired, which makes Waze’s police alerts all the more valuable.
While Waze is great for shorter and safer trips, Gridwise is really all about the money. Without the oversight of a boss, staying organized is key for rideshare drivers, who often handle trips from multiple apps and during inconsistent hours. Data is power, and Gridwise is chock-full of it.
Among other features, Gridwise tracks daily, monthly, and yearly mileage totals, analyzes earnings across apps, provides tax reports, tracks driving expenses, and allows drivers to compare their earnings with other drivers in their communities. That array of data-heavy tools goes far beyond what is offered by rideshare apps like Uber (NYSE: UBER) and Lyft (NASDAQ: LYFT) to keep drivers informed of their finances.
Related: Read: Uber, Lyft and others face a reckoning Read: EVs for all: What Biden’s executive order means for gig economy
Gridwise also offers a suite of airport-related features, which is where many drivers make their money. The app provides real-time data on daily passenger volume, queue lengths, and flight data such as flight sizes, arrival times, and delays, and drivers can customize the app to receive personalized alerts about airport activity.
Stride
One of the biggest ills plaguing many rideshare drivers is their status as independent contractors, which disqualifies them from the normal benefits that come with employment. Stride is well aware of that, and its app is making benefits more accessible for independent contractors and part-time workers of all kinds.
Stride’s focus is on tax savings, with a more comprehensive tax analysis offering than Gridwise’s. The company has a partnership with Uber, through which it automatically tracks driver mileage, savings, and expenses, bundling it all into an IRS-ready tax report.
And through its partnerships with Uber, DoorDash, Instacart, and other gig economy companies, Stride offers portable benefits accounts that make it easier for drivers to obtain health insurance under the Affordable Care Act, as well as dental, vision, and life insurance. The company says that a whopping 40% of its customers are paying less than a dollar a month for health care coverage.
One of rideshare’s most important profit incentives is surge pricing, increased fares that are based on high activity in a particular area. Prices can go up exponentially during a surge, which means profits can too. The trouble is knowing when and where surges are happening, which is where Surge 2x comes in.
Surge 2x provides surge data both in-depth and at a glance. Drivers can view historic and real-time data about the times and places surges are happening, for free. And for a fee of $4.99 per month, Surge 2x’s premium version extends driver capabilities even further, giving them the option to save custom surge tracking locations and receive custom notifications for when surges start, change or end.
While Uber, Lyft, and other apps do provide some surge pricing data, Surge 2x’s surge tracking specialization has helped it provide a more in-depth service than the ridesharing apps, keeping rideshare drivers in the know about moneymaking hot spots.
best rideshare apps for drivers
Five useful apps for rideshare drivers
We all rely on our smartphones and devices in daily life, and the world of rideshare is no different. There are some great apps out there nowadays to help you as a driver, or just serve to make your life that much easier.
From navigation and tracking your earnings to entertainment and discounts, there’s an app for it.
Here’s our round-up of some of the apps that can make driving life better in a variety of different ways.
Waze
While the Uber Driver app has built-in navigation, you’re free to choose another navigation system if you prefer.
Waze is a mapping app that’s been part of Google since 2013, and works by giving drivers accurate directions and real-time traffic information. It receives data from users who are currently driving, but users can also actively contribute real-time information.
This might be road closures, speed traps or anything that can affect how long a trip will take.
Because it’s community-driven, Waze should give you the best and fastest routes – making it good for riders and good for you. It also integrates with Spotify (more on that later).
Unfortunately, you do have to use your mobile data when using Waze, unless your vehicle has Wi-Fi built in. If you have a low data plan with your phone, Google Maps might be a better option, as it only needs data for starting or changing trips.
Watch below for The Rideshare Guy’s take on Google Maps vs Waze:
[vc_video link=’https://youtu.be/iqy-OrfDNac’]
Download Waze (compatible with iPhones and Android phones)
Gridwise
Gridwise describes itself as the ‘ultimate rideshare and delivery assistant’.
It has several features to help rideshare drivers, such as:
- Tracking mileage
- Analyze and compare earnings and performance
- Taxes and expenses support
- Ability to switch between rideshare apps
- Airport alerts
- Events and alerts
Gridwise works by collecting data from a few places, such as traffic services, social media, weather, events and local news. It also uses data from its own network of driver users.
According to Gridwise, around 40,000 drivers are using the app, including for things like best times and days to drive and to be alerted to busy pickup locations such as major events and concerts.
Download Gridwise (compatible with iOS and Android)
Spotify
There’s nothing like a bit of music to lift your mood, or a podcast to break up the wait between riders. With millions of tracks and episodes to choose from, there’s plenty of music or podcasts to match your mood.
You can listen for free or subscribe. Create your own playlists or browse through the collections of artists you follow or friends and family. And if there’s too much choice, Spotify can curate your listening for you.
If you’re after something to help you power through your work day (or night), check our specially curated Uber driver playlist, chosen by drivers for drivers.
Sign up/download Spotify (compatible with iOS, Android, Microsoft and Amazon devices)
GasBuddy
GasBuddy tells drivers what the cheapest gas price is and where the best stations are.
By signing up to the free GasBuddy gas card, you also get access to exclusive deals with savings of up to 25¢ on every gallon.
It works at thousands of gas stations nationwide and can be used at the pump like any form of payment.
Download GasBuddy (compatible with iPhones and Android phones)
HONK
HONK is a way drivers can request towing or roadside assistance services, either through the website or via the app.
It offers a digital way of calling for help if your vehicle breaks down, needs a jump start or gets a flat tire, as well as if you’re locked out of your car, or if you run out of fuel or need a tow.
You don’t need a membership or online profile to use HONK’s services either. If you need roadside assistance you’ll just be asked for a few details like the service you need, what kind of car you have and where you are.
Conclusion
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