How Adelaide’s top Uber driver made $1800 in tips

Inderjit Chahota has earned the crown of Adelaide’s top-tipped Uber driver by following one simple mantra. Here are the secrets to his success.

Inderjit Chahota earned the crown of Adelaide’s top-tipped Uber driver by following a simple mantra: keep the conversation light.

He’s not big on adding extra personal touches, instead he pays attention to his customers and asks them how they are feeling.

“First I greet them and ask how they are and if they seem tired I will put on some music for them to listen too,” he said.

“I always ask about how their work is too and if they’ve been busy during COVID, as that’s important too and a popular topic right now.

“If they seem happy to chat, then I will ask some more light questions to open up the conversation further and to find out what topics they’re most interested in. The key to having good conversations is to pay attention to your passengers and to pick up on what they say back to you.

“What I found most effective for getting tips is to make sure your customers feel heard and listened to.”

Inderjit Chahota is Adelaide’s best-tipped Uber driver.

Mr Chahota has been driving with Uber for over three years and has racked up over $1800 in tips.

There are more than 74,000 Uber drivers across Australia.

He loves the flexibility of the hours, which allow him to spend more time with his children and squeeze in more time for health and fitness.

He said it was important to listen to a passenger's needs and offers them water of breath mints if they were heading to a work meeting.

“Never argue with customers, keep the conversation light and positive, and don’t talk to customers if you sense they want to be left alone or perhaps have some work to do on their phone,” he said.

“Instead turn on some soft music and let them be. It sounds simple but it really is another effective way of getting tips.”

For other Uber drivers wanting more tips, he simply recommends they listen to their customers.

“Connect with customers through positive experiences and stories, maybe they have dogs, kids and family or love sports — find out and chat to them about it,” he said.

“Be real and genuine and this will help conversations flow naturally.”

Amanda Gilmore, Uber’s Head of Driver in Australia and New Zealand, was pleased to see drivers being recognised “for going above and beyond” in customer service.

“When the global pandemic hit, we naturally saw a drop in trips, with most of Australia in lockdown,” she said.

“Making sure drivers knew we had their backs was our number one priority.”

Ms Gilmore said Uber provided drivers with hundreds of thousands of free sanitisers and disinfectant, as well as education for drivers and riders about how to travel safely.

Providing support and peace for mind for drivers and passengers was the most important thing Uber could do, she said.

“As we move into 2021, Uber will continue working closely with drivers to offer more support and benefits to ensure their experience is a rewarding one.”