One of my most memorable/unfortunate nights as a rideshare driver came last winter when I picked up a group of guys outside a bar.
I should have thought twice about taking the ride when one of them stumbled to my car, and I should have gone ahead and canceled the trip when one of them practically dragged another one into my backseat.
But hey, a ride’s a ride right?
Well, as we were coming to a stop at a red light only 2 minutes after we set off I heard the unmistakable sound of a hurl followed by multiple heaves. And that day I found out that maybe you shouldn’t just take ANY ride.
That’s a lesson that I learned the hard way, but many of us have either been there or heard other horror stories of passengers making messes in a drivers car.
It doesn’t always have to be a late night driver that couldn’t hold their alcohol. Sometime’s it’s the kid that for some reason has been trusted with chocolate in someone else’s car.
It could be the guy headed into the office that thought it would be a great idea to open their coffee to add cream and sugar right before the car stops.
Every so often, it’s the guy that wants to breakout a pizza in the back seat and ends up spreading sauce all over the back of the drivers seats.
We all like to think this wouldn’t happen to us, but in reality, it happens to the best of us all the time. So it’s best that you know how you can ensure that you get properly compensated for your messy passenger.
What exactly are cleaning fees for
Before we talk about how to maximize your cleaning fee, let’s discuss what a cleaning fee is and what it is not.
A cleaning fee is NOT intended to be punitive by any means. It is not intended to make up for the hours that you lost driving. The sole purpose of a cleaning fee is to pay for the cost of cleaning.
Because the cleaning fee is intended to pay for the cost of cleaning, the fee is awarded based on the severity of the mess. We’ve seen cleaning fees range from $40 for minor messes to $250 for major puke jobs.
For a baseline, see how uber awards cleaning fees below.
$0 – items that can be thrown away or wiped up quickly;
any mess caused by water $20 – small interior mess (ex. minor food/beverage spills, dirt, etc.)
$40 – moderate exterior mess (ex. food/beverage mess on vehicle exterior)
$80 – moderate interior mess (ex. larger food/beverage spill on fabric or other hard-to-clean surface)
$100 – major mess involving bodily fluids $150 – any incident that requires cleaning between the window/door or air vents]
Via, Lyft, and Juno also have cleaning fee policies as stated below.
Lyft
If a Driver reports that you have materially damaged the Driver’s vehicle, you agree to pay a “Damage Fee” of up to $250 depending on the extent of the damage (as determined by Lyft in its sole discretion), towards vehicle repair or cleaning. Lyft reserves the right (but is not obligated) to verify or otherwise require documentation of damages prior to processing the Damage Fee. Collected Damage Fees will be passed in their entirety to the Driver whose car was damaged.
Note: Lyft determines the damage fee amount, which is meant to help drivers repair, remediate, or clean affected areas of their vehicle only. We handle damage reports on a case-by-case basis. Damage fees come entirely from passengers.
Via
Our drivers work hard to maintain their vehicles and take pride in their cleanliness. A cleaning fee for damage to the interior or exterior of the vehicle incurred as a result of events such as vomiting or pet accidents may be assessed and charged when applicable. In most cases, this fee will be $100 – $200, but the exact amount will depend on the extent of the damage. Via will always notify members when such a charge is necessary.
How do I maximize my cleaning fee
Since we know that rideshare companies base the cleaning fee on the severity of the mess, we know we need to accurately document the severity of the mess.
Take a video
As soon as an incident occurs, you need to take out your camera and start recording. It would be ideal to catch the passenger in the act, but at the very least you should record the entire mess so that the rideshare company understands how large the mess is.
It’s also a good idea to say the time and date in the video along with a picture of your clock. That way there is no potential for confusion about the time and date of the incident.
Take detailed pictures
In addition to video evidence, take pictures that clearly show how much of a mess was made. Make sure that all of your car lights are on and your flash. You want these pictures to clearly show the damage that was done.
Use your dashcam footage
We all know there are multiple benefits to keeping a dashcam, and catching a messy passenger is one of them. If you have a dashcam installed, you can use it to show the exact moment that a mess occurred. This will further bulster your case and ensure that there is no confusion about who made the mess.
How to report a mess on Uber
Once you’ve gathered all of your evidence, find the appropriate trip in your history and click help on that trip.
Go to earnings, trip history, and select the appropriate trip.
Click on Help at the bottom of the trip summary. Then click on rider feedback, fare adjustment, and then request a cleaning fee.
Add ALL of the details that you can about the incident here and include as many photos as you can.
If you have more photos that will help, just to go to the help section and reply to the ticket to add other photos and videos.
How to report a mess on Lyft
For Lyft, you just select help and then change the subject to damage fee. Avoid the suggestions as that will just send you to the FAQs.
Select driver, then issue with a ride, then select the ride that caused the mess. Fill in all the possible details you can think of, upload all photos you may have, and submit.
Document, Document, Document
The name of the game here is documentation. Make sure that whatever rideshare company that you are driving with understands the extent of the mess that was made clearly, and you have a great shot at maximizing your cleaning fee.
