The people who drive vehicles for Uber, Lyft, and other transportation network companies (TNCs) are a fascinating cross section of the general population.
Their job is straightforward: to prepare their cars for riders, wait to hear from riders who call them through an app, pick up riders, and drop riders at their destinations.
Because of the nature of their jobs, rideshare drivers need many of the same products and services that make driving their cars easier.
Some essentials include accessories; equipment, such as dash cams, and safety and cleaning supplies; fuel; car maintenance; and car repairs. Drivers also need services and tools to make running their business easier. Other must-haves include help with tracking their mileage and other tax deductions, assistance with legal issues and accounting, and options for insurance.
The fascinating thing about the rideshare driver population is, while they have all these common needs, they’re incredibly diverse in terms of age, education, family life, and social status. Because of this, there are all kinds of products and services that can grab their attention—and if you know how and when to appeal to them, you can hit a very responsive target audience.
To help you envision what the rideshare population is like, let’s look at a few pertinent facts. Data from our July 2020 demographic survey of more than 750 rideshare drivers present a picture of the breadth and depth of the rideshare driver population, and this provides ideas for how you can benefit from marketing to them.
Who are rideshare drivers?
The detailed breakdown of the many characteristics of rideshare drivers is rather surprising.
Take a look at the age, gender, marital status, and other demographic data to imagine how you can leverage this driver group to market your services and wares.
Rideshare drivers are generally 30 years or older
Our survey shows that the vast majority of drivers are actually over 30 years with the highest density of users being in the 50-59 year old range.
More men than women drive, but there’s still a healthy mix
Rideshare drivers are predominantly male, but women are certainly represented.
Many are married
Rideshare drivers are split down the middle when it comes to being part of a couple or staying single.
Even more have children
Many rideshare drivers relish the flexibility of their jobs so they can work around the kids’ crazy schedules.
The majority of rideshare drivers consider themselves full-time drivers
Many gig workers consider themselves full-time workers and put in 35+ hour weeks behind the wheel regularly.
Rideshare drivers are well-educated
Rideshare drivers are a educated bunch with a many having advanced degrees. At the same time, a number of drivers would be open to learning more about trades and skills that allow them to work in jobs other than rideshare driving.
Most rideshare drivers are on multiple platforms
Drivers have options when deciding where to focus their efforts. As they adapt to new economic conditions, we see them increasingly using more than one app to find riders. Many are crossing over to mix delivery driving in with rideshare.
Most rideshare drivers work for both Uber and Lyft, but there are still sections that choose to work with only Uber or only Lyft.
Uber attracts the most drivers, to be sure, but Lyft also has a great deal of appeal. “Other” consists of apps like Juno, Roadie and Via.
Most rideshare drivers also do delivery work
Most drivers are also working for grocery and food delivery on apps like Postmates, Instacart, Grubhub, Shipt and Doordash in addition to rideshare driving.
More drivers own their cars than lease them
Most drivers do own their vehicles instead of leasing or renting from places like Hertz or HyreCar.
Many drivers have a vehicle specifically for rideshare
Surprisingly, more than half of all drivers purchased their vehicles specifically for rideshare driving. This means they likely have more than one vehicle, and could benefit from more than the average share of vehicle maintenance and care products.
Cleaning is crucial for rideshare drivers
Drivers are constantly being rated by their customers, and cleanliness is a crowd-pleaser. Here you can see that drivers clean their cars a lot, so products and services that make this easier for them will be in demand. This chart shows how frequently drivers clean their cars.
Rideshare drivers generally prefer to be independent contractors
Rideshare drivers keep close track of their earnings and goals
Drivers also keep a close eye on their rideshare miles for tax purposes
Many drivers have you purchased rideshare insurance
Most rideshare drivers do not have a separate business bank account
Drivers are conscientious about tracking information related to calculating their net income, but many would benefit from knowing more about rideshare insurance and banking. Those who market products in such areas will definitely find, in rideshare drivers, a population in need of their services.
And, as the next chart shows, the rideshare driver population has a healthy income level. This means they can afford products and services that will allow them to increase their profits and improve their lives—and even have a little fun.
Not sure how you can market to rideshare drivers? Let the Gridwise team build a multichannel strategy for you!
Still not 100 percent sure how you should be engaging with rideshare drivers?
No problem!
At Gridwise, we have a team of marketers and designers who are experts in engaging and converting rideshare drivers across all channels and we’ll be happy to design a personalized strategy for you!
Simply reach out to sales@gridwise.io and we can set up a strategy session.
