What is Uber’s Power Driver Plus Program?
In some locations, Uber offers a ‘rewards program’ for active & high-performing drivers.
Uber Power Rewards Program first emerged in 2015.
The Uber Power Rewards Program rewarded Uber drivers who completed an extra 80 – 100 trips per week, adding an additional 10% to 20% profit to their revenue totals.
The program only existed in the San Francisco Bay area, and was eventually renamed Power Driver Plus.
Why Has Uber Experimented With The Uber Power Rewards Program?
Uber has become increasingly aware of the importance of offering high-performing drivers new incentive systems — in order to retain its best (and most active) Partners.
Uber decided to ‘match’ a program being offered by Lyft (named Power Driver Bonus) after Lyft’s system was increasingly met with enthusiasm by its rideshare employees/partners.
It’s clear that Uber and Lyft’s rewards programs are concerted attempts by each company to outflank the other — continually matching one another’s offers and driver-incentive systems to increase & maintain trip-volume.
Both companies always need more drivers — and, aside from fare increases — robust incentive systems are considered an attractive prospect for new applicants.
Power Driver Plus – How it Works
Power Driver Plus awards drivers (both full and part-time) cash bonuses after the successful completion of a set number of trips. The PDP system essentially functions as follows:
- Drive an additional 30 trips — earn $50 extra
- Drive an additional 50 trips — earn $100 extra
- Drive an additional 80 trips — earn $225 extra
- Drive an additional 100 trips — earn $350 extra
- Drive an additional 120 trips — earn $500 extra
Currently, PDP is being offered only in San Francisco and Los Angeles — and, while the program is accessible to some, not all qualify.
How Do I Qualify?
Firstly, you must be local to an area where PDP is available. Since Uber is currently offering the PDP program exclusively in the Bay Area and Los Angeles, it won’t be available to drivers in other locations — and, it’s still unclear whether Uber has plans to expand its rewards program into other markets.
As outlined by Uber, in order to be eligible for PDP, you must:
- Maintain a 75% acceptance rate over all hours driven (*in some cases, this has been a 90 percent acceptance rate).
- At this time, there are no peak hour requirements — trips during all hours will count.
- Trips must be completed between Monday at 4:00 AM PST and Monday 3:59 PST.
- No more than 5 rides given to the same passenger will officially count.
- Only UberX partners are eligible, however, UberPOOL, UberX, UberXL, UberSELECT, UberEATS, and RUSH/delivery trips will also count towards the Power Driver Plus program.
- Eligible drivers will receive an email or SMS message informing them of their eligibility for PDP.
If you’re unsure whether or not you qualify, simply reach out to Uber.
Express your interest and inquire about new promotions in your area. Promotions vary widely, depending on the city. No matter where you live, it’s important to look into your options (*there may be bonuses you’re unaware of, especially promos offered on a temporary/trial basis in certain locations).
And finally — for new and existing rideshare drivers: it’s always worth communicating interest in Rewards Programs — the more drivers who share positive feedback & express demand for incentive systems with Uber’s Support Team, the more likely Uber HQ is to adopt a strong, widespread (and permanent) rewards system across North America, and beyond.
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