Looking to make some extra cash this Holiday season? The holidays are a great time to explore driving for Uber and specifically signing up to do Airport Rides, which always prove more lucrative. The holidays are a busy time for travelers and with the Uber driver shortage still at play, signing up to drive right now could earn you some serious cash.
Airports can be confusing places, especially for drivers, but by knowing the basic pickup and drop off information for your local airport can help make sure you’re prepared for your first trip. For specific rules and regulations around picking up and dropping off at airports, follow the steps below.
- Go to uber.com/airports.
- Select your region and airport.
- On the airport page, scroll down to “More information.”
- Below “Driving with Uber,” tap “Airport regulations for drivers.”
Once you have the basics down for your first airport trip, you can utilize Uber’s Rematch, ExpressMatch, and PreMatch features to add more airport runs and cut down on idle time.
What is Rematch?
Rematch allows drivers who’ve just dropped off at the airport to pick up passengers without heading to the staging lot. While this is a great tool and significantly cuts down on idle time, rematches cannot be guaranteed for every airport drop-off as availability varies depending on demand.
What is ExpressMatch?
In an effort to further lower driver and rider wait time, Uber has launched a dispatch technology called ExpressMatch.
According to Uber, “The process for picking up riders at the airport will begin as usual when you join the queue in the waiting lot at the airport. Once you reach the top of the queue in the waiting lot, rather than being matched with a specific rider, you may receive an alert that says Head to the UberX Pickup Zone to join the queue at the pickup zone if there’s space. If you receive and accept this message, you can begin to make your way to the pickup zone. When you arrive at the UberX pickup zone, you can wait to receive a rider request.”
What is PreMatch?
With the PreMatch feature, drivers will receive an alert to head to the airport pickup zone in anticipation of upcoming demand. With PreMatch, Uber will tell you to go to the Airport Pickup location before any match has been made in anticipation that a lot of travelers will need rides in the very near future.
Airport Priority Queue Access
If you are planning on primarily utilizing the Uber system to do Airport runs, you may want to consider signing up for their Airport Priority Queue Access. The main perk of this feature is that whenever you get a short (and not as lucrative) trip from the airport, Uber will still hold your spot in the queue! After you have dropped off your passenger, you can return to the airport and be first in line to get the next passenger. Further, if you choose to do a few non-airport runs in between, Uber will still hold you place in the queue.
While these features can be a big help to those who are looking to capitalize on Uber airport runs, it is also always important to ensure that you car is ready for the passengers. Below are our top tips for ensuring your passengers are comfortable in your Uber on their way to or from the airport.
- Always be willing to help with luggage and more importantly, ensure that your trunk is empty so their luggage will fit easily!
- Have phone charges handy as many passenger’s phone batteries will be running low after their trip.
- Identify your rider by name. Airports are crowded places, so if you’re not sure if you’ve found the right person, ask your rider for their name or say, “Are you Cheryl?” to make sure.
In most instances, if you follow the above three rules, you will notice an increase in tips! Happy Rideshare Driving!
