Looking for a driver for your Uber or Bolt car? How to find one you can trust

The driver is the business. The same car earns a steady daily amount with one driver and becomes a months-long argument with another. Here is how owners who do this well find and keep the right one.

Where owners find drivers

• Referrals from other owners. The best source by far. A driver another owner is sorry to lose is worth waiting for.
• Your current good drivers. Ask them. They know who works hard, and their name is on the recommendation.
• Driver groups on WhatsApp and Facebook. Plenty of drivers, very mixed quality. Use them to find candidates, then check everything below.
• Stages and ride-hailing hotspots. Drivers waiting between trips will tell you who is reliable and who is not.

What to check before you hand over the keys

1. Driving licence with PSV endorsement. Look at the original, check the dates, take a copy.
2. Certificate of good conduct from the police — recent.
3. National ID — original, and a copy for your file.
4. His driver app. Ask to see his rating, his number of trips and how long his account has been active. A long history with a high rating is the best reference there is. A brand-new account is not a red flag on its own — everyone starts somewhere — but it means the other checks matter more.
5. Two references from previous owners. Call them. Ask: did he pay on time? How did he handle the car? Would you give him a car again?
6. Where he lives, and a next of kin. Visit if you can. It changes how seriously both of you take the arrangement.

Start with a written agreement

Settle, before the first day, the daily amount, which days are owed, rest and garage days that are not, who pays for fuel, fines and repairs, and what happens after unpaid days. Our free template covers all of it.

The first two weeks tell you everything

Treat the start as a trial, and watch three things:

• Does he pay the same day? A driver who pays every evening in week one usually keeps paying. One who is already "sending tomorrow" in week one will not get better.
• Are the days he says he worked the days the car moved? A tracker answers this without an argument.
• Does he tell you before a problem, or after? A warning light mentioned on Monday is a good driver. One you discover on Friday is not.

Keeping a good driver

Good drivers leave owners who argue about money. Make the numbers visible to both of you: what he owes, what he has paid, which days were rest or garage days. A driver who can see his own balance does not feel accused, and an owner who can see it does not need to accuse.

Gariboss gives each driver his own page with his balance and history, and a Pay button that sends the money to your till. He gets a reminder in the evening, so you are not the one chasing.