Uber’s latest driver app updates make being a driver-partner easier

Ride sharing giant Uber today shared more about what motivates their drivers and more about the little seen side of the Uber experience – the driver-side app. The Uber experience consists of two different apps that are sides of the same coin – one app is for users who need an Uber ride and another specifically for Uber drivers that matches them to customers. “The driver app consists of everything that is needed to manage their business at their fingertips,” said Leigh Wong, Head of Communications for Malaysia and Singapore. “Drivers are able to decide how, where and when they earn.”

Leigh Wong, Head of Communications for Malaysia and Singapore

In a press conference, Leigh shared more about an internal survey with Uber’s driver-partners that was conducted in Singapore. According to the survey, most driver partners are family-oriented and they desired a sense of autonomy and control over their lives with 76% of driver-partners wanting to have flexible time to spend with family, 70% want to be in control of their work and 69% want to be their own boss. 76% of Uber’s driver-partners mostly drive to supplement their daily expenses, 45% want to save for retirement, 36% want to save for their child’s education while 35% want to save for a vacation.

For the Uber driver-partner app Leigh highlighted more about the innovations in their driver-partner app based on compiled feedback from their driver-partners that have been included in the app in a series of iterative upgrades since 2015. For Uber’s driver-partner app, they’ve incorporated an intelligent dispatch algorithm that helps to efficiently stack a successive series of trips for a driver-partner based on a driver’s current location and intended destination. A heat map also shows hot spots that encourage drivers to congregate near an area. Both measures aim to maximise profit for a driver-partner.

When working, driver-partners are also able to temporarily pause their trips if they need to take a time-out for lunch or a break. One particularly novel feature with the driver-partner app is that drivers are able to select, twice a day, a trip matching their destination which comes in handy when a driver wants to make a last trip of the day when heading home.

On the passenger side of the app, Leigh mentioned that riders are able to give specific feedback based on their experience with a driver-partner with a series of badges that specifically compliment them on unique aspects of their ride such as having a clean vehicle, being a great conversationalist and more. To enhance safety, Uber is also conducting a series of random spot checks on driver-partners to take a selfie in order to authenticate their identity when behind the wheel. “Out driver-partners are pivotal to the entire Uber experience. This is why we are constantly striving to make driving better for them. With the features provided on the Uber driver app, each of them is their own boss. That, there, is the power of choice at the touch of a button,” Leigh concluded.

Leigh (right) with Uber driver-partners Jayson and Zaiton.