Uber driver says providing ridesharing service rewarding
KUCHING: Being an Uber driver has been Mohamed Edi’s new interest since last October.
The 57-year-old father of six finds it rewarding to drive passengers in and around the city.
He simply enjoys offering convenience to not just locals but also foreign travellers.
Mohamed, who works as Uber driver as a part-time job, is happy to share with the world that he makes extra income through providing the ridesharing service.
He works as a contract worker and is able to make between RM50 and RM70 more per working day.
“On my days- off, I can make about RM150 to RM200 per day. On working days, I serve four to five hours as Uber driver and 12 to 14 hours on my day- off,” he said during an interview at The Borneo Post office here yesterday.
Mohamed said he intended to become a full-time Uber driver in a couple of years’ time.
He believes that more and more people will be opting for the ridesharing service, which is far more affordable and easy to use.
“Uber is international and not just passengers benefit from this app or service but drivers like me also enjoy benefits.
“In this world with almost no one running away from information technology, more and more people will use Uber which is cheap and easy to use,” he said.
He said passengers sometimes got to enjoy free rides during promotions offered by Uber especially during festivals, such as during the last Hari Raya Aidilfitri.
“Sometimes they (riders) do not need to pay. They pay only if the ride price is more than the offer.
“For example, if the promotion is worth RM5 and your ride exceeds RM5, you just need to settle the balance, which is worth it,” he said.
Most of Mohamed’s passengers are students, young locals and tourists.
According to him, Uber does not charge extra for the ride offered at odd hours such as early in the morning.
He recalled he once drove a passenger to some place at 5am at the usual rate.
“That was the only one time I remember giving a ride to someone so early,” said Mohamed with a grin.
He said Uber offered benefits for drivers who managed to hit the target.
Giving an example, he said if Uber sets a target of 100 trips worth RM1,000 per week, drivers who hit the targeted number of trips but failed to collect the targeted amount would be paid the shortfall.
“Let’s say you have 100 trips that week but you make only RM700, Uber will pay you RM300.
“But it all depends on the promotion Uber has for drivers. The promotion changes from time to time,” he quipped.
To Mohamed, public transport ‘ is not so efficient’ unlike the service provided by Uber ‘ that everyone can enjoy the trip anytime, anywhere’.
On my days-off, I can make about RM150 to RM200 per day. On working days, I serve four to five hours as Uber driver and 12 to 14 hours on my day-off. Mohamed Edi, Uber driver