4 Facts About Rideshare Vehicle Maintenance You Didn’t Know
Rideshare drivers should not neglect their vehicle’s maintenance. When a vehicle breaks down, it can lead to bad ratings, lost wages and massive financial losses. As a rideshare driver, there are ways that you can avoid breaking down.
Vehicle maintenance is the key most important thing,
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1. Vehicle Maintenance Impacts Profitability
Profitability is impacted by vehicle maintenance, and it’s often that first impression that counts the most. When passengers get into your vehicle, they don’t want to hear the brakes screeching or your ball joint squeaking.
Driver ratings are very important in the rideshare world, and if your vehicle is not up to snuff, you’ll find that these ratings will suffer.
Poor ratings will impact your profitability.
2. Personal Vehicle Inspections Done Monthly
You don’t need to go to the mechanic every month, but you should take it upon yourself to do a vehicle inspection every month. This means spending the time to really glance over your vehicle for signs of wear and tear.
Start with inspecting your tires.
If you have old tires that are worn, this can lead to uneven wear, worse gas mileage and even decreased safety.
You’ll want to:
- Check all of your tire’s pressure
- Check the threads using the penny test
From here, check and top off any of your fluids. If you’re running abnormally low on a particular fluid, don’t be afraid to have the issue checked by a mechanic.
I recommend noting all of your tire and fluid levels to be able to detect any leaks that may be present.
Lyft and Uber both have their own maintenance standards. The leading rideshare companies know that if their passengers do not have a good experience, they’ll hail a ride with the competition.
Imagine signing up for a free ride with a Lyft promo code and finding that the driver’s turn signals don’t work, the windows don’t go down and one headlight is not working. This wouldn’t promote a happy, safe feeling.
And Uber inspects vehicles to make sure they meet the company’s standards. A few of the basics will be checked:
- Headlights
- Brake lights
- Speedometer
- Tires
- Steering
- Seatbelt
- Horn
- Emergency brake
- Turn signals
- Brakes
Other items will also be examined. Lyft also has its own inspection, which is near identical to Uber.
4. Auto Expenses Are a Driver’s Largest Tax Deduction
Drivers can deduct their auto expenses on their taxes, and this means the actual business use of the vehicle. You’ll want to chart all of your mileage spent driving for business to allow for an easy way to keep record of your driving and expenses.
You’ll be able to deduct:
- Maintenance
- Repairs
- Auto insurance
- Payments
- Gas
You may also choose to use the standard mileage deduction, which was $0.535 per business mile. This can save you a lot of money at the end of the year, and it’s a little extra incentive that will keep you on the road and help you absorb some of the costs of driving.
