[mbilung]

Great thread sir. I was thinking to start a network of taxis and register it under uber and ola.

Your experience is not only a quick start but a deep insight into what should l prioritise, like recruiting and other aspects of human resource management.

Thanks for sharing the uber stats aswell. I was unaware about this aspect. Need to worry less about errand drivers.

Hope your experience helps me in building a very customer centric and reliable network of taxis.

Regards.
MB

[auxsend]

Originally Posted by nishantbhatia84

Good to see a fellow Bhpian also driving with Uber!
Although I'm no longer driving with Uber and have shut down my business for good, this is a good opportunity to share my experience of the 2yrs I drove with Uber in Mumbai!

All in all, whilst it was a amazing experience driving with Uber for around 2yrs, it's all over now!

Originally Posted by blackwasp

I didn't take extended warranty as there was no 1L km / 5 year option when I got the car. So I stuck with the standard 2 yr / 40k km..



Each driver gets a separate ID on which the car selected can be changed. However only one car can be assigned to one driver at a time.

Tip of the hat to both you gentlemen. Has made for a great & informative read.

[ashishy]

Today I got to know from Ola Auto driver that Ola gives destination location before pickup, which Uber doesn't. This is why they prefer Ola over Uber

[stirfriedvinyl]

Hello Team BHP

Iam looking for some advise on running a Sumo as an interstate taxi in Northeast between Aizawl and Guahati

I have never done this and seeking advise on behalf of a friend who wants to make an investment to help family

Sumo seems to the most popular vehicle to accomplish this or is there a better option?

What are the expenses in operating such a service?

Is there an existing thread on any such query? If so kindly lead me to it.

Please note that the person operating this service as an owner is a woman with men being drivers, is there an advantage for a women in setup and operations in such endeavors

What are the things to look out for while setting it up and during operation

I have no clue on this but have referred to the Forum for all things car and it has been a blessing to have so many unbiased enthusiasts and moderators provided invaluable advise.

Would really appreciate the assistance of MODs to point and place this in the right direction.

[abhishek46]

Originally Posted by stirfriedvinyl

Hello Team BHP

Iam looking for some advise on running a Sumo as an interstate taxi in Northeast between Aizawl and Guahati

I have never done this and seeking advise on behalf of a friend who wants to make an investment to help family

Sumo seems to the most popular vehicle to accomplish this or is there a better option?

What are the expenses in operating such a service?

Is there an existing thread on any such query? If so kindly lead me to it.

Please note that the person operating this service as an owner is a woman with men being drivers, is there an advantage for a women in setup and operations in such endeavors

Consider the Bolero as well.
In my opinion, Bolero has lower maintenance costs in the long run.

The Sumo has better ride quality though.

[blackwasp]

Originally Posted by stirfriedvinyl

I have never done this and seeking advise on behalf of a friend who wants to make an investment to help family

If this is a way to get some additional income for the family, I's say avoid. However, the goal is to start a transport business with a goal of operating a large fleet someday, do proceed.

Sumo seems to the most popular vehicle to accomplish this or is there a better option?

Think long term. If everyone is offering a Sumo, can you offer something better?

What are the expenses in operating such a service?

Very difficult to answer as I have no idea about operating conditions in that area.

Please note that the person operating this service as an owner is a woman with men being drivers, is there an advantage for a women in setup and operations in such endeavors

Women owners get some concession in interest rates on loans, etc. Otherwise not much of a difference. Also most RTOs have a separate queue for women, so things move faster (comparatively).

What are the things to look out for while setting it up and during operation

• Trust worthy driver, operational expenses for a minimum of 3 months in hand
• GPS system fitted in the car that works (hilly regions might have signal problems)
• Pay local stopping points to keep an eye on the car and report no. of passengers in the car
• If there is a local taxi association, go meet them and talk about it, highlight a woman handling things
• Have an account set up with a local pump for diesel fuel ups.

[Keychain]

Good insights. I would like to have some queries answered purely based on your experience.

Assuming we take 350 trips in a month
1) What will be the total earnings? (Including incentives)
2) How many kms the car would have covered?
3) How much Uber charge as their commission?

Thanks

[Hayek]

Fabulous thread and great to see young people taking the plunge and trying something new. You seem to have a very analytical mind and will probably do well at whatever you do.

I used to use Uber Black in the past - but have now moved to using Premier as Black cars are too few and far between. Ola has really upped their game recently - and I now use them (esp Pr Ola Prime Play) for long trips as you get good music through their tab. Best of luck

[nishantbhatia84]

Originally Posted by Keychain

Assuming we take 350 trips in a month
1) What will be the total earnings? (Including incentives)
2) How many kms the car would have covered?
3) How much Uber charge as their commission?

Thanks

1. It's impossible to come up with a figure as earnings are heavily dependent on traffic conditions and the drop areas for that day. There's really no average here imho.
2. 350 trips a month is a long shot. In a city like Mumbai it is hard to complete 5-7 trips per day considering the traffic during peak hours. 5 to 7 trips would mean a garage to garage running of around 200-250 kms on an average.
3. Uber charges 20 percent of the fare as commission.

[blackwasp]

Originally Posted by Keychain

Assuming we take 350 trips in a month
1) What will be the total earnings? (Including incentives)
2) How many kms the car would have covered?
3) How much Uber charge as their commission?

Originally Posted by nishantbhatia84

1. It's impossible to come up with a figure as earnings are heavily dependent on traffic conditions and the drop areas for that day. There's really no average here imho.
2. 350 trips a month is a long shot. In a city like Mumbai it is hard to complete 5-7 trips per day considering the traffic during peak hours. 5 to 7 trips would mean a garage to garage running of around 200-250 kms on an average.
3. Uber charges 20 percent of the fare as commission.

Adding my experience.
1. Weekly payout for the basic category (WagonR) ranges from 8k to 20k depending on the incentives and how many trips done and where. It varies a lot and there is no certain figure.
2. 70-75 trips a week is pushing it ~ max 280-300 trips a month. For this driver has to put in 12-14+ hrs a day. While doable, won't recommend it due to extra stress on the driver.
3. 20% commission.

[blackwasp]

We sold off the car two months back to one of my drivers as I was not able to commit the time to it.

My aunt still is running her cars and infact the total tally now is of 4 cars. I help her from time to time, but all the day-to-day co-ordination is done by her.

The post lockdown scene was a bit hard as there were no night shifts operating. Thanks to multiple cars, we were able to stay afloat. Things are getting better now, but this business makes sense only if you have a fleet of cars. A Single car (unless you drive it yourself) no longer makes a viable proposition.

Cheers.

[blackwasp]

Saw the thread when I was going through the threads I started.

A small update. Currently have entered back in the fleet business with 2020 and 2021 WagonRs. I have around 10 vehicles doing both Uber work and contract work.

Incase anyone wants to ask any question, the answers might have changed from last time.

Cheers,

[SandyN]

Originally Posted by blackwasp

Saw the thread when I was going through the threads I started.

A small update. Currently have entered back in the fleet business with 2020 and 2021 WagonRs. I have around 10 vehicles doing both Uber work and contract work.

Incase anyone wants to ask any question, the answers might have changed from last time.

Cheers,

@blackwasp Is the commission from Uber still the same as 20%?
From all the posts and replies it seems like finding and managing the drivers is the hardest part. How do you find the drivers?

Thanks

[blackwasp]

Originally Posted by SandyN

@blackwasp Is the commission from Uber still the same as 20%?
From all the posts and replies it seems like finding and managing the drivers is the hardest part. How do you find the drivers?

Thanks

Commission from uber is at 20% on paper. But with incentives and other benefits, it's usually little lower. I don't worry about Uber's cut as long as I get a decent per km rate.

Yes, driver management is the real key here. Pay them well, don't deduct damages from them and if they need, give them advances.

Right now, my business from Uber is around 33-35% of my total revenue. The balance is from contract work and non uber trips. Planning to bring this down to under 25% by the year end.

While Uber is great, the uncertainty in work is what bothers me. Somedays are good, some days are average and at times there are outright bad days as well. So Uber serves a good way to fill up demand after doing my regular work. Further, I'm able to offer my clients one way trips to Pune, Nashik etc. as I know I can get a return Uber trip. Its a win-win for me, my clients and uber.

That said, unless you drive the cab yourself, Uber is always going to be as a gig job and never a full-time work, especially for someone like me who has a fleet and fixed overhead costs.

[Gamemaztr]

Originally Posted by blackwasp

Commission from uber is at 20% on paper. But with incentives and other benefits, it's usually little lower.

Is there a specific city permit that you were required to take to ply your vehicles? It seems Maharashtra was planning to notify aggregators rules back in May-June 2023. Does this cause any additional financial burden on fleet owners?