How Melbourne’s top Uber driver made a $200 tip from one ride

Melbourne’s best-tipped Uber driver is so popular he is regularly plied with thank-you gifts for his service. Here are the secrets to his success.

Bespoke playlists, Turkish sweets and an emergency stash of perfume has made Thamer Alkhammat Melbourne’s most top-tipped Uber driver.

The physiotherapy student, who drives in his spare time to generate income, is so popular with his loyal customers he is regularly plied with thank-you gifts for his service.

“Lots of tips! Not just money, but gifts like chocolates, homemade cakes and hot coffee sometimes too. I drink lots of coffee,” he says.

The friendly driver, whose nickname is Smiley, mainly covers his home base of Melbourne’s southeastern suburbs for Uber, which has more than 74,000 drivers across Australia.

His biggest tip for a job, he says, has been $200 while his smallest was $1.

Thamer Alkhammat, Melbourne’s top-tipped Uber driver, says attention to detail is everything.

With sweet-smelling essential oils, relaxing music, bottled water and mints, Mr Alkhammat’s immaculate vehicle is a haven for harried passengers.

“I always have essential oils going in my car, my favourite scents are strawberry and jasmine, and these help customers relax and enjoy the ride.

“I don’t play the radio, I create my own playlists with relaxing music for them to listen to,

“I have cold water in every car door and always offer mints and Turkish lollies — Turkish lollies are a hit with many of my passengers.”

The thoughtful Mr Alkhammat also has the work needs of his Uber passengers covered, offering WI-FI and cable chargers for phones, necessities which he says all drivers should have on hand.

This attention to detail, he says, will not go unnoticed by grateful customers.

“I have cologne and perfume for men and women if they need it, if they’re going to a meeting, they can have a quick spray before they get out of the car,” he says.

“This is random, but I always carry spare notebooks and pens, in case someone heading to the city for a work meeting has forgotten theirs and needs one, or perhaps someone wants to write up a quick grocery list before they get to the shops, all these small touches really add up and make such a big difference to your service.”

Uber driver Thamer Alkhammat always goes above and beyond when it comes to customer service.

Mr Alkhammat says he never plans to get tips, but believes paying attention to your customers, and tailoring the journey for the individual’s needs, will give Uber drivers a financial boost.

“During the first 30 seconds of every trip I will smile and ask them a few questions to get to know them and to figure out what kind of personality they have.

“If they’re chatty and friendly I will then keep asking them questions, while offering them water, mints, lollies, phone chargers or whatever else they might need. If I see they’re tired and would prefer to be left alone then I will do so.

“I will put on some quiet music and let them be. This is a skill you can only acquire with practice and by doing many trips.

“As soon as someone gets into my car I can figure out pretty quickly what kind of person they are and will then drive with that in mind.”

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.”