Seeing his excitement when he picked up his brand-new Toyota Camry Hybrid, it was obvious that Uber driving is more than just a job for Steven. He decided to become an Uber driver four years ago, and he’s still as passionate about it as the day he started.

I love being my boss, having my own space, and choosing the business hours that work best for me. Interacting with all kinds of passengers from all kinds of different backgrounds, hearing their stories makes it genuinely interesting, and I always look forward to my next shift.

Steven’s philosophy is that you should always give a little bit more than just showing up and taking the rider from A to B. He always tries to go the extra mile and provide an experience rather than just a journey.

I like to always leave them with something to remember, even if it’s as simple as a smile, a compliment, or just an overall pleasant experience.

As Steven has a stellar, 4.97 Uber rating, we couldn’t miss asking him for some advice to other drivers who want to give their reviews a little boost.

One of the biggest things is just being very courteous to passengers. Be very polite and try to make their experience as pleasant as possible. I always pay attention to keep the conversations light. Some drivers aren’t careful enough and get into all kinds of sensitive topics. With me, everything personal or controversial is off-limits, unless the passengers bring it up themselves.

He also had some great advice for preparing your car before hitting the streets:

My thought process is simple: when I call an Uber I like to get in a nice, clean, comfortable car – that’s the experience I expect, therefore, that’s the experience I’ll give. If it’s a hot day, make sure your car is refreshingly cool and that there’s always a fresh bottle of water in the cupholder. One new habit I’ve developed since the pandemic started is keeping hand sanitiser – people love it. Cleanliness is also a massive thing, so keep some auto wipes at hand – especially the glass should always be spotless, with no fingerprints.

He also thinks it’s best to be prepared for everything, whether it’s a slow day or a difficult passenger, and simply expect the unexpected.

When it’s a little bit quiet, it’s okay – those days happen, but don’t get down. Just go offline for a while and grab a coffee, or move to a different part of the city. I do that and sometimes I get heaps of requests for long trips. When it comes to avoiding difficult situations, my best friend is my dash camera. People see it’s there, they know everything that happens in the car is being filmed, and they feel safe – and so do I.

The reason for his recent visit to the Splend Hub was a special one. After two years with Splend, he decided it’s a milestone he wants to celebrate with a brand-new Toyota Camry Hybrid on a Flexi own subscription.

I’ve been with Splend for two years now, and it’s just very handy – having the car always ready, not worrying about insurance, mechanicals. I just pay my weekly fees, chuck some fuel in the car and away I go. Everything else is covered, it’s a great package deal – it just works.

The new Camry is his first new car ever. The newest he’d owned before was a 2005 model, so he was struggling to hide his excitement.

Experiencing that new car feeling without having the burden of car finance and that excessive interest behind you is just great. I chose this new hybrid for the fuel efficiency of the car. It outperforms everything when it comes to savings. I can get it all the way down to 3.9L/100km while other cars I drove averaged around 7 litres.

How much can you save by driving a hybrid car?

There’s no denying that hybrid cars save money at the pump. It’s why they’ve come to market about a quarter of a century ago, and it’s what has brought them unbroken popularity among taxi companies, rideshare and delivery drivers, commuters, and generally people who drive a lot, especially in city traffic. How fuel-efficient is a […]