Uber Nigeria car requirements 2021 & How much you can earn from Uber business

Uber driving is a lucrative business in Nigeria with an average weekly salary of a driver is between ₦60,000 to ₦120,000. If you want to become an Uber driver here in Nigeria, then you should read the Uber Nigeria car requirements 2021 now! The post includes Uber requirements for cars, and things you should know about Uber drivers in Nigeria. See below:

1. Uber Nigeria car requirements 2021

As mentioned above, Uber Nigeria doesn’t accept every type of vehicle. So, what cars are accepted by Uber? In general, your car must meet the following requirements:

• Not older than the 2000 model year
• Is a 4-door sedan
• In good working condition and aesthetic condition
• Able to carry at least 4 passengers
• Has functional windows, air conditioning, and radio

** Note: The following vehicles are NOT eligible for Uber in Nigeria:

• 2-door cars
• Full-size trucks or vans
• Taxies, government-owned vehicles, and other marked vehicles
• Salvaged, accidented or rebuilt vehicles

Which car is best for Uber in Nigeria?

A car with good fuel economy is what every driver desires to have. As an Uber driver, all your earnings won’t be going to fuelling only the car. Besides, as the car is used for commercial purpose, it needs to get serviced more often, so a car which is easy to maintain is ideal. Here is the list of cars that meet both criteria well:

• Toyota Corolla
• Toyota Camry
• Honda Accord
• Honda Civic
• Honda Element
• Hyundai Elantra
• Hyundai Sonata
• Hyundai Tucson
• Kia Rio

**Note:

• You can be paired with Uber partners looking for drivers if you don’t have your own car.
• The income of an average Uber driver can pay off a car loan of ₦2million in 6 months if you drive yourself, or in 18 months, if you rent a driver.

List of Uber accepted cars

UberX

Uber X is the entry-level service of Uber. It is the most affordable option for Uber riders, hence the most popular. The cars that are eligible for UberX are as below:

UberSelect

UberSelect is the more premium service of Uber. It offers riders with professional drivers and luxury cars. Find below the models accepted by UberSelect:

2. Uber Nigeria requirements for drivers – How do I become an Uber driver in Nigeria?

To become a Uber driver in Nigeria, you must:

• Have a valid driving license in Nigeria
• Be 21 years old or older

Ok so I have a good car and a driving license, now how do I register with Uber? It isn’t complicated as long as you follow these steps:

Step 1: Get your vehicle inspected

Uber partners must get their vehicles inspected at Uber partner inspection centers for a fee of ₦2000. Below are the lists of all Uber inspection centers so you can find the nearest one. You must contact them to book an inspection.

• List of VisaCheck Inspection centers
• List of Cars45 Inspection centers

Step 2: Prepare your documents and upload to Uber

• A valid driver’s license
• A vehicle inspection report
• A valid vehicle insurance document (for the car you will be using for the Uber business). On the insurance document, be sure your car’s registration number is listed, the expiration date must be valid. Your official name, the name written on the insurance document with the name you will use to sign up on Uber page should all match.
• A certificate of vehicle roadworthiness (See the procedure to get a vehicle roadworthiness certificate in Nigeria)
• Your identity card
• A passport photo

Once you have all the documents, you should upload them to your account. Watch the tutorial below:

How to load your documents | Uber Support

Step 3: Sign up on Uber online platform

Once your documents are ready, then go to the Uber website to sign up at uber.com/a/join-new?ec_exp=1&exp=70801t

Step 4: Onboard process

After you’ve signed up and uploaded the necessary documents, you’ll go through what they call the onboarding process. It’s a means Uber uses to ensure the proper qualification of drivers and also to meet Uber standards for its riders.

To get through this step, you must have registered as a driver on the Uber platform with your documents uploaded. Uber drivers here, go through a general knowledge test such as their usage of the Uber mobile app, knowledge of the city you will be operating in and aptitude test. The drivers also go through a psychometric test.

Step 5: Uber background check

This is the final step to your signup process. The Uber background check is about going through the documents you made available in step 1 to check:

• Criminal history
• Motor vehicle record
• A thorough check of your driving record

3. Uber business in Nigeria – How much can I earn?

How much do Uber drivers make weekly in Nigeria?

This is not a generalized earning as a number of factors can determine how much you can earn, such as:

• location (Lagos is more lucrative than Abuja)
• the number of trips you are able to make
• the number of hours you work

Due to the fierce competition faced now by Uber from other ridesharing services like Taxify and Oga Taxi, Uber has reduced its service rates across Lagos by 40%.

UberX Lagos rate is ₦200 as the base fare, ₦60 per km and ₦11 per minute. If an Uber driver makes an average of 2 rides each hour, he can earn about ₦2066 per hour. And if he is to work for 30 hours weekly, he will earn ₦61,980. His take home at the end of the month will be ₦247,920. This is a lucrative business. And one even gets to earn higher if he drives his own car.

This monthly salary, however, excludes

• Fuelling: up to ₦35,000 per week
• Uber 25% fee
• Taxes
• Car maintenance cost

4. How to maximize your income with Uber – the insights shared by an experienced Uber driver

When applying for such ride-hailing services as Uber, hard work is not the key factor to increase your income, given the many complex rules in the Uber system matrix. Below are some tips from experienced Uber drivers for your reference!

4.1. Make friends with experienced drivers

Build rapport with a senior Uber driver who is willing to share precious tips about how to earn more in this business. There’s no book or course to teach you those things, refer to people with hands-on experience.

4.2. Hotels and shopping centers are great places to get riders

A recently published post by Uber on top destinations to get riders in Lagos, has hotels making up 28.1% and shopping malls, 26.1%. They are great places to get requests. You should also keep a daily log to track the times and places that often bring you the most rides. According to the driver who shares these tips, here are the areas with the most riding needs in Lagos:

• Lekki
• Surulere
• Victoria Island
• Ikeja
• Maryland
• Yaba

4.3. Spend more time at work on days with concerts and big events

Those events are filled with fans and tourists who need transport around town. They are a great time to get more rides and earn more income.

4.4. Maintain a good relationship with the security guards of restaurants or hotels

Sometimes they have guests who need a late ride to get back home and they may call you. You should share some money with them after those rides so you have more of such opportunities.

4.5. Try going around the suburbs

If you need a change, try the suburbs. People often book rides to city centers from these places.

4.6. Offer rides to random passengers on the road

It doesn’t always work, but it’s worth a try.

4.7. Driving during rush hours

It might be more of a chore to drive in heavy traffic, but the demand and fees are significantly higher. Busier times include morning rush at 6-9 a.m., evening rush at 4-9 p.m., and weekends.

4.8. Choose a good spot to park your car

It should be near major roads but far from heavy traffic areas so you can save time and fuel to pick up your passenger when you get a ride.

4.9. Get tips

Tips can be an important part of your earnings if you know how to increase your take-home in this area. Besides smooth and safe rides, you can offer help when your riders obviously need it, such as opening the door or boot, and loading luggage even it is heavy. And wishing your rider a nice day can go a long way.

4.10. Tell your family and friends about your job

Finally, you can sometimes get more rides from your relatives, friends, and neighbors who know you are in the Uber business. The driver who shares these tips has a little customer who commutes daily to and from her primary school. Her rich parents got a reference from an acquaintance about him, and hired him as a private chauffeur for their daughter :). See? That’s easier than you think.

5. Things you might not know about Uber

Uber is a taxi cab transportation and delivery network company from the stables of Uber Technologies Inc, which makes use of the online platform to help passengers link up with drivers who use their personal cars. Uber, as a ridesharing network company, was founded in 2009 with its base in San Francisco, California. They moved into Africa in August 2013 and launched in Nigeria in July 2014. The peak economical and efficient services they provide which brought a change in the economy is now cited as Uberisation.

While Uber riders get to know how much they will be paying for a taxi ride, Uber also has a dynamic pricing model where the prices of fares are increased when the demand for an Uber ride rises,  meaning that the same route will be rated at different price rates based on the availability and volume of request for Uber drivers at the time the ride is requested. Uber has different payment options for passengers, ranging from Google Pay, the credit card on file, cash to Apple Pay.

6. Uber Nigeria contacts

Lagos

• Address: Retail unit no. 5. Second upper floor, Maryland Mall, 350/360 Ikorodu Road
• Working hours:

Monday – Thursday: 9am – 4pm

Friday: 9am – 3pm

Abuja

• Address: Top Floor, Jabi Lake Mall, Bala Sokoto Way, Abuja
• Working hours: 

Monday – Friday: 9am – 4pm

Friday: 9am – 3pm

Website

uber.com/ng/en/drive/

Facebook

facebook.com/UberNigeria/

Twitter

twitter.com/ubernigeria?lang=en