Meet My Uber Driver-Partner Monette

*This post was sponsored and paid for by Uber. All opinions and thoughts are my own and my Uber driver-partner, Monette’s.

Being a traveler I am, I often hire drivers to take me where I need to go. Being available in over 500 cities around the world, Uber has the convenience of having an app to visually see my route and other features. Getting the chance to meet my Uber driver-partner, Monette, for the day gave me a better understanding of what goes into the backend of being a driver-partner and what inspires them to do the work they do!

I got the opportunity to interview Monette, who is a driver-partner for Uber, one-on-one to discuss her day-to-day duties, her career and what motivated her to become to become a part of the team.

Monette, a Dallas native, has been an Uber driver-partner for the past 2 and a half months. She entered this career path due to health reasons and to fulfill her overall purpose. In speaking with Monette, her passion is to work closely with people and to motivate them. She is able to hear their stories and also simultaneously, provide them a service. Prior to working with Uber, she worked a corporate job, in which she would be sitting all day, not interacting with people. At this time, she lost all inspiration and motivation to do this job, so she found peace and happiness in Uber. She was able to be her own boss and set her own schedule!

Besides becoming an Uber driver-partner to fulfill her purpose, she does it to earn extra money and to have flexibility to move around without time constraints.

Uber not only gives Monette extra money to pay a few bills, get her hair and nails done and other pampering services, but it also allows her spare time to finish her books (she’s working on multiple right now for release!). Outside of driving for Uber, Monette is an inspirational writer, associate minister at her church, motivational speaker and is also the host and founder of the Women Revive Conference. She has been writing and ministering for 10 years. For her day-to-day job, she is an employee in the hospitality industry, where she is also thriving, and being able to live her dreams of continuing these while driving for Uber has been the ultimate gift from God! She is able to not only accommodate her riders, but also interact with them!

Training for Monette to become an Uber driver-partner only lasted 24-48 hours. It was the simple process of watching a video from an Uber driver-partner on the east coast about him discussing the Uber app and also consulting with her family members who are also Uber driver-partners, including her husband and brother-in-law. They were able to answer any outstanding questions she had and give her insider tips and advice!

When Monette was little, her aspirations were the total opposite; she aspired to become a singer. If she wasn’t doing the jobs she was doing currently, she would write and travel, motivating women all over the world, while encouraging them to grow and discover who they are. She would teach them about how there’s a blessing in being broke and also how to restore faith.

When first riding with Uber alone, I had my reservations. I thought of all the bad things that could happen. I eventually got past my worry and just took a leap of faith, knowing I would be in great hands. Monette reassured me by giving her advice to first-timers. Her advice to driver-partners taking their First Trip would be to take the leap and enjoy the ride. Have no fear and be confident in your ability to perform. Also, gauge your customer. There will be some who are quiet, so don’t force them to talk. If they do engage, be personable, have a positive attitude and talk to them.

As far as safety, she wants to let future driver-partners know that you have to be careful wherever you go, whether it’s the grocery store or driving. Keep safety in the back of your mind, not the forefront. This will help ensure a successful drive and ride!

To prep for your first ride, Monette says planning shouldn’t go unrecognized. Have a clean car and check for gas. To ensure a flexible schedule, she only drives 3 hours in the morning and 3 hours in the evening. She doesn’t drive at night or on the weekend. Her biggest challenge when first becoming a driver-partner with Uber was not fully knowing the city and downtown area, being that cities often have hidden and one-way streets that aren’t always traveled on a day-to-day basis.

One of Monette’s favorite features is Instant Pay. It allows her to instantly get paid instantaneously with no wait. It goes straight into her bank account and she doesn’t have to wait a certain period of time for a paycheck.

Another feature Monette loves is the Destinations feature. It works for her because on certain days, she switches her focus. Sometimes she does courtesy runs and other days she focuses solely on airport runs. She suggests using this feature wisely so you’re not just focusing on one task, such as only uberEATS.

One feature she has not yet utilized is uberPOOL, but she loves uberX and is looking forward to utilizing uberPOOL in the near future!

Monette suggests that Uber provide a 24 hour training mentorship so the person who refers another Uber driver-partner can get paid, maybe 8 hours of training where the driver who referred the prospective driver can ride in a car together to show the ins and outs to get a better feel for the job. She even suggested this addition be called “You Are Not Alone.”

Uber has your back at every turn, no matter where you are. They offer 24/7 phone support at your fingertips. The Uber App not only allows you to book a ride, but it shows driver-partner destinations, arrival times and gives in-app navigations. There are how-to videos and content and advice from other driver-partners. It has features such as Instant Pay and Tipping, making it convenient for both you and your riders to pay and get paid.

Drive with Uber, where quality and safety are top priorities. Let me know if you have any other questions in the comments below!