Sydney Hotspots For New Uber Drivers
We recently went through a checklist of everything you would need to get started as an Uber driver in Sydney, which included some suggestions of Uber rental cars in Sydney for new drivers.
After securing your Uber rental car, the next step is to do a bit of research into some of the hot spots and surge times around Sydney. It’s not quite as simple as saying “the airport, and where the pubs are”, because Sydney almost literally has a pub on every corner, and the airport requires a bit of preparation.
Sydney is, as you would be aware, very large, and very densely populated. It’s all about due diligence and then finding your zone.
Different zones, different busy periods
Before you take off for the CBD, you need to be aware that different sections of Sydney experience differing levels of demand depending on the time of the day and week.
Weekdays — 5AM-9AM
Every weekday morning, the whole metropolis is teeming with work commutes and airport travellers. But curiously, there are four areas of the city that surge more than others.
On weekday mornings, it’s recommended that you focus on the CBD, the Eastern Suburbs, the Northern Suburbs, and Sydney Airport. (More on the Sydney Airport below).
Weekday Evenings — 5PM-8PM
Knockoff time. Sydney has a pub culture, with workers heading to pubs and restaurants for midweek drinks and a meal.
Unsurprising, then, that areas of focus for these times should include the CBD, Inner-western suburbs, and Lower Northern Sydney.
Sidenote: the Inner-west, particularly Newtown and Enmore, is a live music and dining hotspot that can prove a decent ride source for any evening of the week.
Weekends — Evenings
Sydney’s super-busy weekend nightlife has the potential to provide drivers with a steady stream of riders from 7PM to 1.30AM/3AM in the Inner-west (particularly Newtown and Enmore; see above), and what’s known as the CBD Entertainment Precinct.
This precinct covers Kings Cross, Darlinghurst, Cockle Bay, parts of Surry Hills, and the CBD itself.
Ironically, Sydney’s ‘lockout laws’ have provided drivers with a semi-accurate means of predicting surges in and around the CBD on weekends—all pubs and venues are required by law to close their doors to customers at 1.30AM, and to eject all clientele at 3AM.
Weekends — All day
The Rocks and the Eastern Suburbs. No surprises there. Tourists and Sydney residents want to visit iconic landmarks and go to the beach, respectively, and then return home.
Additional suggestion
The number of business parks and business estates—office complexes outside of the CBD—in Sydney is steadily on the rise. This means a high chance of a trip request around 5PM with a low risk of competition from other drivers.
Plan around events
Sydney has a constant turnover of big events, with Moore Park, ANZ Stadium (Olympic Park), and venues in the CBD drawing often huge crowds.
Pay particular attention to Rugby League (NRL), AFL, Rugby Union, cricket fixtures, Sydney New Year’s Eve fireworks, and the many music festivals for a reliable source of Uber riders.
Just to get you thinking, here are a couple of the big ticket events coming up around Sydney.
The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo
This is a three-day major event held at ANZ Stadium, near the western suburb of Homebush. ANZ Stadium seats up to 83,000 people, and is frequently hosting events. You can keep an eye on upcoming stadium events here.
When: Thursday, October 17 – Saturday, October 19
Where: ANZ Stadium, Edwin Flack Ave, Sydney Olympic Park
Pickup/Drop-off: There is an officially designated rideshare point located at Dawn Fraser Ave., however there is also a taxi rank on Olympic Boulevard.
Downer Rugby League World Nines
This is a major Rugby League event taking place over two days at Bankwest Stadium in Western Sydney. The stadium seats 30,000 people, so is guaranteed to be a source of ride requests.
When: Friday, October 18 – Saturday, October 19.
Where: O’Connell St, Parramatta
Pickup/Drop-off: Officially designated pickup and drop-off points are located at Marist Place near Victoria Rd, and Villers St near Victoria Rd.
Suggested waiting point: You will get a lot of ride requests at Parramatta Train Station. The bulk of ticket holders will be catching the train to Parramatta station, from which point they will have a ten minute walk ahead of them.
Before you start experimenting with known surge periods and large-scale Sydney events, you will need a vehicle. Keyz offers a wide selection of Uber rental cars for Sydney drivers. The range is competitively priced, fuel efficient, fully insured, and satisfy all of the requirements specified by Uber.
