Driving an Uber is quickly becoming one of the quickest and easiest ways to make extra money. However, many people are unsure of how they can become an Uber driver in countries other than the U.S, e.g. in Australia. If you are considering Uber in any city (in Australia) where Uber is available, then this blog post is for you- i.e.: ADELAIDE, BRISBANE, GEELONG, GOLD COAST, MELBOURNE, PERTH, and SYDNEY
Fortunately, it isn’t as complicated a process as you would think. Let’s go over the steps you will need to take to successfully become an Uber driver in Australia.
STEP 1 – Get your Documents Ready
First of all, you will need to prepare a few documents that are essential for you to have before you become an Uber driver. These documents include:
- A Driver’s License, for the city in question
- Must be a valid license
- Cannot be a probationary/temporary drivers license
- Ensure the expiry date is clearly visible in the scanned copy
- Vehicle insurance document (if you already have a car you intend to use)
- You (driver) must be the holder, or at least a listed driver
- Ensure the vehicle registration number is listed
- Must clearly show a valid expiration date
- Must show the type of insurance
- A passport or birth certificate
- If passport, cannot be expired for more than 2 years
- A photograph of you (the driver)
- Make sure it is a clean headshot, with facial features visible.
- Make sure the photograph is professional
- Do not send a photo of your car to uber
- A Driver’s Accreditation (taxi license), if available
STEP 2 – Signup Online
Once you have all of these documents, the next step is to sign up through the Uber website – using our link: uberkit.net/signup. (You get a signup bonus if you use our link, which has our signup referral code already pre-populated).
STEP 3 – Wait for Uber Background Checks
Uber will typically take up to two weeks to perform their background checks. Specifically they will take the documents provided in Step 1, and do the following.
- A Criminal History Check
- A Driving History Check
STEP 4 – Get an Uber Approved Car
As for the vehicle to use, you need to make sure it fits the car requirements specifically for Uber drivers in Australia (or your specific city). Note – Uber has various services, so you should know which service you are interested in before buying a car (if you do not have one). See the section below on “Selecting an Uber Service” for more information on that. Some of these requirements include the fact that the car should be no older than 10 years (A model 2006 or later). The car should also have no major cosmetic damage.
Salvaged or rebuilt vehicles cannot be used, and full-size vans or marked vehicles such as taxis are a no-no, too.
What to Do if Your Vehicle Does Not Fit Uber Requirements
Keep in mind, there is no need to give up, if your personal vehicle does not fit the requirements that are necessary for an Uber vehicle—in fact, many people tend to invest in a new car before becoming professional Uber drivers.
However, I would recommend not going overboard when you are purchasing a new car to be used as an Uber vehicle. It is a good idea to select an average but sturdy car that is not a particularly new or fancy model but fits Uber’s car requirements. Note – See the “Nice to Know” section for due diligence you should probably do, before buying a car specifically for Uber.
Selecting an Uber Service
Another thing to keep in mind when you are selecting a car is which category of Uber you wish to work under.
UberX is the mid-tier cost Uber service, and it also gets the most patronage from Uber passengers across the globe for this reason. This is the category I would recommend starting out with.UberX requires an everyday car such as a Toyota Prius, Honda Accord, Mazda3 or Mazda6, Honda Civic, Chevrolet Malibu, Chevrolet Cruz, etc.
However, if you want to go for one of the more luxurious categories which have higher fares but fewer customers, then you can also go for UberXL, UberBLACK or UberSUV. Just keep in mind that these services require more expensive cars and are not as frequently used by the public.
If your car happens to qualify for more than one type of Uber service, then it is possible that you get requests from several categories, but you can choose to restrict yourself to one category if that is what you want. Personally, I believe that it would be best to accept all the requests, in this case, as it will earn you a higher income.
Nice to Know
If you want to become an Uber driver in Australia, it is necessary to be aware of the fact that you will be forking over a certain amount of money to pay for gas.
In addition to the afore-mentioned you have other costs like car maintenance, insurance costs, car depreciation, and uber royalties. If you are looking to do proper due diligence before acquiring a car and want to assess the profitability of Uber as a business whether as a one man business (a sole Uber driver), or as an Entrepreneur with multiple Uber cars in his/her fleet, then download our Uber kit at the top right of the linked page.
That sums up everything you need to know to get started as an Uber driver in Australia. While there are a few steps you will need to take before you get started, it isn’t as difficult of a process as you might think.
Other Interesting Uber Related Posts
For our blog posts on some of Uber’s Services, see the links below:
For other popular posts you might be interested in, check the links below:
For posts that are related to Uber in Australia, check the links below:
