Every now and then we come across a rideshare driver with a unique strategy that works well for them and their specific situation.
One of the most unique strategies that we have come across is used by a Gridwiser named Vegas.
Vegas is a D.C. area driver who drives the normal routes in the DMV. He frequents Dulles and Ronald Reagan airports, stays downtown for the rush hour, and sticks to the bars during late nights.
So what’s unique about Vegas’ strategy?
Well, Vegas lives in Newport News Virginia which is about 170 miles away from the District of Columbia. He, along with a team of 2 other drivers head to the D.C. area every week to drive.
“We pack up Thursday morning very early, around 3:00 am so that we get to near D.C. around 6:00 am.” Says Vegas. “From there, we decide what airport we want to go to and just flow from there.”
Why would you drive so far?!?!
Our first question, and I’m sure your first question when reading this article is why would you drive so far just to drive Uber? Well, to answer that question you have to know a bit about Vegas and why he drives.
Vegas, is a man that cares about his family who reside in Newport beach, so he likes to stay close. However, he also craves the freedom and flexibility that being a full-time rideshare driver provides.
And he’s not afraid to put in some long hours to keep that freedom.
Newport News isn’t a large city by any means so there just isn’t enough demand to make sure that Vegas makes what he needs to on a weekly basis. So Vegas decided to take manners into his own hands.
“Instead of just waiting around for a ride in Newport News, we spend 2 or 3 days at a time to travel to D.C., drive hard, hit our numbers, and head home.” Says Vegas.
As you would expect that leads to some long hours and a night or two sleeping in your car, but also a few really fun nights with his fellow drivers.
Vegas and his crew work hard, but they have a great time together
Do rideshare companies allow drivers to drive in other cities or states?
Another question we had when we first talked to Vegas was how exactly he managed to drive in multiple states with Uber and Lyft.
We knew that once a driver signs up to drive in city that he or she can drive in any city in their home state, but how do you cross state lines and drive?
Well, it turns out that Uber doesn’t usually allow this. However, in certain areas where there is a lot of cross traffic like D.C., they will allow you to cross state lines for both drop-offs and pickups. Other transportation companies like Lyft will allow drivers to pick up and drop off passengers without incident across state lines.
Because Vegas and his team are Virginia drivers, they can travel all the way up to D.C. and Maryland and successfully pick up passengers.
What about insurance?
Here is where things get a bit tricky. Most insurance companies work on a state by state basis, so if you decide to drive in another state and Uber or Lyft allow you to drive in another state, that doesn’t mean that your insurance company will cover you.
Many areas with a significant amount of cross traffic like the D.C./Maryland/Virginia area will build in cross state coverage, however, this is something that you would want to individually double check.
The Rideshare guy has a great list of insurance agents that specialize in Rideshare Insurance here.
How does they do it?
If you’re going to drive 170 miles just to start working, you better come with a strategy, and Vegas and his team have built one that relies heavily on airports.
When Vegas starts to get close to D.C. at about 6:00am, he turns on Gridwise and figures out what airports have the most passengers coming in and the smallest queue, and that’s where they head first. From there, he will focus on the morning rush hour downtown, and then meet with his team for a break at lunch before the afternoon rush hour.
If there is ever a lull in demand Vegas will look to Gridwise’s airport demand feature to see what airports are peaking so he can head in that direction.
What’s great about working with another driver is that you have each others back. That means that if one driver isn’t getting any pings and another driver is in the middle of a surge, he can let that driver know that there is a real surge going on and that he or she should head in that direction. Working with another driver also means that if something happens like a flat tire or a dead battery, you have someone to call to give you a hand.
Is it worth it? Who should be using this strategy?
Even if you can drive across state lines, or to more populated cities in your state, that doesn’t mean it will be the best strategy for you.
Vegas is in a unique position where he is able and willing to make the trek up to a larger city while also really needing to in order to meet his weekly quota. However, if you were driving in a city like Ft. Lauderdale or Tampa and considering a drive to Orlando or Miami, that may not always be worth it, unless there is a special event that you want to drive.
For instance, drivers in Atlanta frequently make the trip to Athens to be around for Georgia football games on Saturdays in the fall. This is worthwhile because Georgia football games aren’t just a single event. They are an all-day marathon of tailgates, parties, and then the game.
If you’re in a city that has a good amount of demand, it’s probably not going to be worth your while to chase demand to other major cities. However, if you want to be in town for a certain event. That can certainly be an attractive option.
What’s your strategy?
We love a unique driving strategy and the hustle that it takes to head all the way up to D.C. from Newport News is commendable. But now we want to hear from you guys, do you have a unique driving strategy? Let us know in the comments below!
