This driver survived the pandemic-related slowdowns thanks to HyreCar
At Gridwise, we love to hear from drivers.
After all, those conversations let us know what’s really going on in the world of rideshare and delivery driving all over the country. It’s a great way for us to discover new ideas that we can pass along to the driver community.
Recently, we had the pleasure of sitting down (via Zoom) with Donna Campbell, a D.C.-based Postmates driver.
She started driving during the COVID-19 crisis after losing much of her regular income. Although she had to overcome many obstacles, she was determined to find a way to make money with delivery.
The biggest obstacle? She didn’t have a car, or any vehicle she could use to deliver.
That’s when she discovered a company named HyreCar. With HyreCar, Donna was able to rent a car hassle-free, for a reasonable cost, in a way that was totally in compliance with all the rideshare and delivery companies’ requirements.
Her story is inspiring, and what she tells us about her experience is valuable for all drivers.
In this post, we’ll share what we learned from Donna, and fill you in on how her solution might benefit you.
We’ll discuss:
- Donna’s story
- What HyreCar is
- How to get a vehicle from HyreCar
- The other side of HyreCar
- Donna’s thoughts about her HyreCar experience
Donna’s story
Like so many of us, Donna thought she was done in by the events of 2020.
The year was only a few months old when a brand-new strain of coronavirus struck the world—and in a frightfully short period of time, it changed the entire landscape of many people’s lives.
Donna Campbell was one of them. She lost two of the three jobs she’d been holding down prior to the shutdowns, and she needed to earn money fast.
She heard there was big demand for delivery drivers, and that was something she believed she could do. But there was a problem: Donna didn’t have a car, and she was not in a financial position to buy one.
Although that may sound like an impossible situation, she didn’t let it stop her. She seriously considered her options, and when she saw a Google ad for HyreCar, she knew she’d found the answer: a way to deliver without owning a car.
Here’s some information about the company Donna discovered—one that proved to be a game-changer for her.
What is HyreCar?
Founded in 2014 and headquartered in Los Angeles, HyreCar is officially known as a “carsharing marketplace.” As a company that rents vehicles to rideshare and delivery drivers, HyreCar can be a godsend for those who don’t own a vehicle (like Donna) or who are temporarily without a vehicle due to a breakdown or collision.
The cars HyreCar provides are rented out by owners who have an extra vehicle that isn’t being used. Owners can generate passive income by renting their vehicles to drivers on the HyreCar platform. (More on that later in the article.)
How to get a vehicle from HyreCar
If you want to rent a vehicle from HyreCar, you’ll have to meet a list of requirements. But because they’re basically the same requirements you already have to meet in order to drive for a rideshare or delivery company, you won’t find them foreign or difficult to achieve.
You must:
- Be at least 21 years old
- Have a valid, in-state driver’s license that you’ve held for at least one year
- Have a mobile phone in your name so HyreCar can communicate with you
- Have an existing account with a rideshare or food delivery service
- Not have major driving violations (DUI, reckless driving, etc.) for the past three years
- Not have more than two minor driving violations in the last three years
If you meet all these qualifications, you’re ready to set up your HyreCar account and pick up your car. Here’s how:
- Visit the HyreCar site and follow the instructions to set up your account.
- Start the process of booking a car, based on your location and the length of the rental period (minimum of two days).
- Browse available vehicles; pick at least five that would work for you, as they will be allocated based on availability. HyreCar will cancel any bookings you aren’t approved for.
- Fill out your payment information. A $200 deposit is necessary if you’re using a debit card. No deposit is required with a credit card.
- Undergo a background check (for your first rental only). The check is supposed to take only a few hours, but can actually take a day or two.
- If and when you get approved, you’ll be charged for the entire cost of the rental.
- After receiving documents from HyreCar (registration, inspection report, and rideshare insurance provided by HyreCar), upload the documents to your rideshare or delivery company.
- Pick up your car from the owner, being sure to check and record mileage, fuel level, vehicle condition (dents and scratches), and any unusual instructions about operating the vehicle.
Once you’ve picked up your car, and all the paperwork has been approved by your company, you can drive for the specified rental period. When you’re done, return the car to the owner. You can also extend your rental daily, weekly or monthly if you’d like to keep driving. If you decide to drop off the car, be sure to refuel it first, and let the owner inspect the vehicle to make sure it wasn’t damaged while you were driving it.
Here are answers to a couple more questions about HyreCar.
How much does HyreCar charge for rentals?
This varies by location, but the range is between $25 to $40 per day.
Does HyreCar provide long-term rentals?
In many cases, yes. Drivers can rent daily, weekly, or monthly and extend their rental for as long as they’d like to continue driving. The company also has programs that allow local car dealerships to rent out vehicles to rideshare and delivery drivers, giving drivers the opportunity to rent-to-own a vehicle as well.
It’s easy to see how this was a great solution for Donna. She could rent a vehicle, do her delivery driving, and avoid the expense and hassle of owning (and parking) a car in D.C. For her, HyreCar was fabulous.
Sign up to rent a car with HyreCar here.
And it can also be a great deal for car owners. Keep reading to find out how.
The other side of HyreCar
Let’s say you own a car. Maybe you’ve been sidelined from driving due to troubles of your own, such as illness, injury, or legal problems. HyreCar might be a way for you to earn extra money until you can drive again.
You can rent your car to drivers through HyreCar, and make money without putting in very much work at all. Merely be willing to meet up with prospective drivers who’ve already been vetted by the company, hand them the key when they take the car away, and get the key back when they return.
That’s a pretty easy gig, especially when it could bring you as much as $50-$60 per two-day rental period. If you want to learn more about being a renter rather than a rentee, check out this HyreCar Review for more info on that.
As mentioned above, fleet owners and car dealers can also rent out their idle or underutilized inventory to drivers on the HyreCar platform to create new revenue streams for their business.
Donna’s thoughts about her HyreCar experience
Any company can make itself look good on paper, but it’s what customers say that gives you the real picture—and Donna has great things to say about HyreCar. First, she had an amazing post-purchase experience.
She rented a few vehicles that were either dirty or smelly, and when she told HyreCar about it, they replaced the vehicle ASAP. As for customer service, she had this to say:
“I love Brad. He’s super-easy to talk to, and all of the customer service people are very helpful. If you have questions, they do what they can to help, and give you the answer. Everyone was wonderful, and I love it. I tell a ton of people about it. I definitely plan to expand the number of services I’m driving for, and will keep using HyreCar!”
Expand your services, and make more money, without the hassle and expense of owning a car
Donna’s story shows what can happen when a person takes the initiative, finds what she needs, and does what it takes to make it all work. Thanks to HyreCar, Donna didn’t have to stay on the sidelines just because she didn’t have a car.
HyreCar can open up a new world of flexibility and opportunity to you as well. If you’re like Donna, and don’t have a vehicle, renting from HyreCar can be the perfect solution for you. Even if you do have a vehicle, and don’t want to incur the costs of wear and tear and/or extra mileage, HyreCar can help you out.
Let’s say, for instance, you lease your car from a dealer, and driving for rideshare or delivery is eating up the miles you’re allowed on the lease. A HyreCar rental can help you keep driving for delivery without racking up the enormous cost of exceeding those limits.
Also, HyreCar helps drivers work around the disruptive effects breakdowns and collision damage can bring to your life. Time without your vehicle means lost work, on top of the inevitable expense of bailing your car out of the shop. Renting from HyreCar lets you keep working, so you can stack up enough cash to cover the repair bills.
And, if you want to let your car work for you without you in it, HyreCar offers the option to rent it to other drivers.
We know Donna is glad she found HyreCar, and we’re pleased she told us her story so we could share it with you. Ready to give it a try? Check out HyreCar today.
