- Dozens of gig drivers say they are getting fired from apps like Uber, DoorDash, Lyft, and Uber Eats.
- Driver advocate Sergio Avedian of The Rideshare Guy gives his best tips for preventing deactivation.
- Frustrated gig workers turn to him daily for help. “I’ve literally become Uber and Lyft support.”
Food delivery and rideshare drivers say they are getting booted off apps like Uber and DoorDash in droves. Many say they are falsely accused of unsafe driving or excessively late deliveries.
As drivers struggle to defend themselves, they’re turning to Sergio Avedian, a Los Angeles-based industry advocate for gig workers.
Avedian, a multi-app gig driver who shares his best practices on The Rideshare Guy, said he receives about 1,000 emails each week from gig workers seeking his advice. He helps drivers with everything from app glitches to fixing earning disputes. He does his best to advise them unofficially.
“I’ve literally become Uber and Lyft support,” said Avedian.
He said the unjust deactivation of drivers is a huge problem lately.
Uber said removing a driver’s access to its platform is a serious decision. However, in some cases, “we may need to deactivate an account without warning” if they receive information that requires immediate review for legal or safety reasons, or if a driver or delivery person “has engaged in unlawful or fraudulent behavior.”
Grubhub declined to comment for this story. DoorDash did not respond to specific questions, and referred Insider to its “deactivations newsroom.”
Lyft said it is directly against its business model “to deactivate drivers unnecessarily.”
“Fair deactivations is an important issue, but it must be done in a way that doesn’t jeopardize the safety of riders on the platform,” Lyft told Insider.
Still, Avedian called avoiding deactivation “a game of Russian Roulette.”
The 56-year-old former Wall Street broker estimates he has logged about 12,000 trips over eight years driving for DoorDash, Uber, Uber Eats, and Lyft. He cherry-picks the best rides or orders from each app to ensure he makes $35 to $40 an hour, he said.
“My time is for sale to the highest bidder,” said Avedian, who recently interviewed Lyft CEO David Risher on The Rideshare Guy YouTube show, “Show Me the Money Club.”
He spoke with Insider and shared his best tips for preventing gig drivers from getting fired from apps.
Don’t talk too much
Avedian offers quiet and courteous rides.
“I’ll say, ‘Good morning if it’s a morning trip. I’ll say, ‘Good evening,’ if it’s an evening trip. Then, I’ll shut up.”
“Do not speak until you’re spoken to,” he said. “Your job is to take somebody from point A to point B safely. You’re not there to socialize.”
If a passenger insists on talking, he says he keeps his answers short.
“I stay away from topics such as politics, gender, finance. We can talk about the weather,” Avedian said.
It is essential to avoid these topics because they can lead to a heated debate.
“Let’s say you like Biden. I like Trump. The passenger could take the first punch and say I’m a racist,” he said.
Customers can’t complain about you if you’re quiet, he said.
“My job is to drive you. Not to play shrink to you. If you are a jibber jabber, I’ll go with the flow. You want to talk, we’ll talk. My answers will be vague.”
Drive like a grandma
Don’t risk being reported as an unsafe driver, Avedian said.
“Focus on the road. Be a good driver. Drive like a grandma. You have someone’s life in your hands,” he said.
Don’t flip through your phone while driving. Don’t text. Don’t talk to your girlfriend. Don’t speed.
“You can get booted by somebody saying, ‘This guy is driving like Mario Andretti.'”
Document everything with dash cams and screenshots
“The top tool to protect your ass is a dash cam,” Avedian said. “I have a dash cam. It’s a deterrent to a passenger when you get in my car.”
A dash cam sends a clear message. “I’m being recorded,” he said.
If a passenger asks him to turn off his cam, he declines and tells them he is using it for his safety, as well as their safety.
If a passenger ever makes a false report about him, he can defend himself with proof provided by the dash cam, he said. “Video is not going to lie.”
Screenshots can help your case, as well, he said. It is especially important for food delivery workers. When restaurants are late with food orders, he texts customers to notify them that the restaurant is running behind.
Most of the time, the customer is understanding, he said. “I text the customer. That’s my proof. I take a screenshot of that text.”
These screenshots can be used in any appeal, he said.
Uber drivers are free to install dash cams in their vehicle and record their trips. Lyft said, “We leave the decision whether or not to use dash cams to our drivers.”
De-escalate or take the first punch
Don’t get into a verbal argument with a passenger. If a passenger, for example, questions his driving directions, he says: “Sir, that’s what the GPS is telling me.
“You’ll need to learn how to de-escalate as opposed to push back. Because if you don’t de-escalate, you get into a verbal match with this guy.”
If de-escalation doesn’t work and you sense a passenger will file a false report on you, then “you have to take the first punch,” Avedian said.
“You need to complain about them first,” he said.
Don’t wait until the end of your shift to complain about a passenger. “Immediately report to Uber first,” he said. “Report them as rude. Then they have a record of it.”
He said the apps tend to “believe” whoever reports first.
Lyft and Uber said safety reports from riders and drivers are rigorously investigated.
“When an incident is reported to us, we make every effort to conduct a thorough investigation, which may include temporarily placing a user’s account on hold pending the investigation,” Uber said. “We make every effort to speak with all involved parties to ensure we understand all parties’ perspectives.”
Provide good service and a clean ride
Providing good hospitality and a clean car will keep tips high and complaints low. Avedian said he provides his customers power cords and free Wi-Fi in his car.
“I’m not going to give you foot massages,” he said. “I’m courteous, prompt, and I’m on time with a clean car.”
Avedian, who drives in Los Angeles where Cannabis is legal, says he keeps air fresheners in his car because every once in a while some passengers smell like pot. If it lingers in the car, the next passenger might accuse him of smoking pot while driving. “Before I accept a trip, I get rid of the stink because the next passenger will think that I’m high.”
Are you a delivery app insider with insight to share? Got a tip? Contact this reporter via email at [email protected].
Read the full article here