In the competitive world of ride-hailing services, you need to fight to attract and retain drivers. Almost all drivers have one primary ride-hailing app and one ride-hailing app in the background. It takes drivers only 3 days to decide whether they will use your app as the “primary” app.
How can you make drivers choose your app?
- Balance the drivers vs customers ratio
It’s a common mistake to start with a large taxi fleet, but drivers are not disciplined and not loyal: they’ll leave your app if there isn’t enough work for them.
So start with a small taxi fleet - about 10 drivers, and then you’ll have enough customers to ensure that all of your drivers are busy.
- Introduce a no-commission period for the first month
You need a carcass of 10 loyal drivers at the start. You might not be able to offer your drivers a competitive commission, so offer them a free month instead.
- Get personal
You’ll only have a small number of drivers. So make sure you treat them as your partners: get face-to-face, make phone calls, gather feedback, and encourage communication. Call when they don’t show up for work, and ask what’s wrong. Build relationships - they will last.
What are your best practices for attracting and retaining drivers? Share with us, and we’ll add them to the list!