Using your car as a side hustle to get extra income or as a full-time job that you can make your career, is a relatively new concept. Therefore, people looking to delve into this tend to have a lot of questions about how to get started. Since your vehicle will be your biggest asset, you need to know how to make sure it is ready for business. Here are a few tips on how to do just that.
Mechanically Sound
No matter what the vehicle looks like or how clean it is, if it isn’t in mechanically great shape, there isn’t a rideshare company in the world who will let you drive for them.
The company you subcontract with will give you an inspection sheet that must be filled out by a licensed and certified mechanic before they will do business with you. The sheet will include such things as brakes, exhaust, belt restraints, and a lengthy list of other items that need to be inspected. If you plan on driving for multiple rideshare companies, you may want to review an auto blog like this site that discusses this aspect of vehicle ownership and more of what to expect from such an endeavor.
Clean It Up
If you want someone to pay you money to get in your car for a ride, you will definitely need to clean it up and make sure it is possible. This is an instance where it is definitely worth it to have someone perform a thorough detailed cleaning.
This should be done on a very regular basis. At the very least, you will want to have it professionally cleaned once a month, but it is preferable to have it done more often if you are carrying a vast number of clientele on a weekly basis. This will eliminate smells, stains, and other unpleasant things that are just part of the territory when you are a rideshare professional.
Track That Mileage
While you cannot deduct mileage for personal miles driven, you certainly can for business miles, and those miles add up fast. Your best bet is to download an app to your phone that can you can turn on and off whenever you have a rideshare call, that way it is tracked automatically and stored until you need the totals for the year. An app will also help protect you in case of an audit as it will also automatically keep track of the starting point and destination for the drive.
Keep Chargers on Hand
As a matter of customer service, it is a good idea to keep different phone charging cords on hand. Having newer ones as well as older ones from both iPhones and Android devices will be key to providing great customer service. It may also be a good idea to have an auxiliary cord handy so that a passenger can play their own selection of music if they want to. This is important to keep people happy who are on the way to a bar or another celebratory event.
