Uber’s extravagant car services such as Uber BLACK and Uber SUV provide its riders with the chance of an on-demand ride in a luxurious SUV or Sedan. You’ll notice that the highest-earning Uber drivers are usually driving for Uber BLACK. This is because Uber BLACK rides generally cost twice more than UberX, UberXL, and Select rides.
Significant features that differentiate driving for Uber BLACK from other Uber services are:
- Uber BLACK drivers have commercial licensing and registration. The acquirement of commercial insurance and registration is expensive and time-taking.
- Vehicles under Uber BLACK are latest modeled luxurious cars or SUVs. There’s a limit to the number of the vehicles that can come under Uber BLACK which is directly governed by Uber.
Many drivers prefer Other Uber services because they don’t require any:
- Insurance,
- Particular license,
- Vehicles.
UBER BLACK AND BLACK SUV DRIVER REQUIREMENTS
Contents
The driver requirements are:
- All required local permits and stickers and other designations for commercial vehicles in the state you’re in.
- Commercial driver’s license (CDL): Commercial driver’s license depends on your city and state. Not every state demands UberBLACK drivers to have CDL. Also, CDL is needed by those drivers who drive vehicles with larger capacity, however, every state has its own necessities.
In order to view what type of licensing your Uber BLACK vehicle might need, visit uber.com/drive/*your-city*/.
- Commercial insurance
- Commercial registration
- Vehicle inspection.
Furthermore, to know more about the vehicle requirements for Uber BLACK and Uber SUV, click here.
WHICH VEHICLES QUALIFY FOR UBER BLACK AND SUV?
Qualifying sedans:
- Cadillac Escalade ESV
- Infiniti QX56, QX80
- Chevrolet Suburban
- Lincoln Navigator L
- GMC Yukon XL
- Mercedes-Benz GL-Class
- Lexus LX
Qualifying SUVs:
- BMW 5 Series and more
- Infiniti Q70
- Audi A6 and more
- Lexus GS
- Cadillac XTS
- Mercedes-Benz E-Class and more
- Jaguar XF
Model year requirements:
The vehicles should be of the model year 2012-2014 and up. However, the model year requirements differ from city to city. For example, Los Angeles demands a model year of vehicles 2012 or newer while the other require a model year of 2014 or newer. To have detailed and exact information, go to help.uber.com.
While in some cities, Uber BLACK vehicles consist of full-sized luxury models like Mercedes-Benz S-Class, Audi A8, and Lexus LS, in others, these models come under UberLUX service.
THE CONDITION OF VEHICLES FOR UBER BLACK AND SUV
The cosmetic conditions of these services have to meet up with a strict and unvarying standard. The maintenance up to this standard requires more consistency and is difficult to achieve rather than the services for UberX. The conditions are:
- The exterior should be black.
- There shouldn’t be any visible dents.
- Minimal paint scratches.
- No pasting of stickers.
- There shouldn’t be any paint flaws like oxidation.
- Body parts should be properly repaired.
- The vehicles should have factory emblems.
TWO PATHS TO BECOMING AN UBER BLACK DRIVER
The two paths to become an Uber BLACK driver are:
Use your own car and complete all the required necessary documents and regulations as stated by Uber:
Process on how to drive:
Buying your own qualified car is an expensive and challenging decision. Especially for those people who have just entered into this particular professional field.
Becoming a driver for this specified service with your own vehicle requires commitment and dedication. You need to remember and note that you’re about to embark on a new journey where owning a business deals with all the costs and responsibilities that goes with it.
Steps to become a driver on your own:
- Own a qualifying car.
- Acquire commercial insurance.
- Commence with a business entity such as LLC, S-CORP, etc.
- Attain all the required local licensing and permits.
- To be accepted by Uber.
Though the process is time taking and highly priced, you must know that the aftermath is quite satisfactory. Your job compared to other Uber services is more consistent and adjustable.
Limitation to the number of Uber BLACK accounts:
There’s a limitation to the number of active black cars in the market so as to maintain control over the supply and demand. In comparison to the other Uber services, working for Uber BLACK service require the account acceptance by Uber first. In order to know whether there’s a vacancy or not, you’ve to contact Uber support. This will save you from all the troubles you might face if there aren’t any openings.
Vehicle transitioning:
When your vehicle becomes too old to drive, it automatically gets re-qualified for lower cost services. This aging of the vehicles is known as transitioning. If you’re able to replace your vehicle with a new one within the time frame that Uber has provided, then and only then, you’ll be able to retain your status as a black driver.
Work for a car fleet owner who has an Uber BLACK account and qualified cars:
Rent from a fleet owner:
There are two causes which may prevent you from driving for this service:
- Uber isn’t accepting any new account.
- You don’t have the money to purchase your own qualified car.
In such cases, you could depend upon your local livery market. It’s a qualified participant in the UberBLACK market and follows all the regulations that come under professional driving.
The vehicles that are qualified for this service are mostly owned by fleet owners whose purpose is to utilize their cars for any kind of professional driving service. They do this by renting or leasing their vehicles to local and Uber drivers.
You’re required to pay a weekly fee to the fleet owners who bear your insurance expenses. Through this process, the fleet owners will connect you to their account and then, you have the liberty to rent the car on a daily or weekly basis. However, many Uber drivers do splitting of their fares wherein both the company and the driver received 50% of the fares.
How to get hired ?
- Explore Craigslist.org jobs section for jobs in this service.
- Associate with the fleet owner and register.
- Get your background and driving record check through Uber.
- The fleet owner will accordingly add you in the account.
- Pay your weekly fee to him.
Advantages of working under fleet owner:
- Vehicle maintenance is covered.
- You’re provided with gas credit cards.
WHAT IS THE BENEFIT?
The most important benefit of this service is that it increases your earning power. To be more precise, you get to earn three times more than the Uber drivers who work for services such as UberX and more.
INSURANCE
Along with personal vehicle insurance, drivers should also attain commercial insurance for protection purposes and liability coverage in case of an accident. However, commercial insurance is a little costly in comparison to personal vehicle insurance but it’s highly effective when you go for Uber BLACK services. To know more about these insurances, click here.
