Here at Need-A-Cab, we want all drivers to maximise their earnings when working with us!

Check out the following helpful tips, which we feel will help to ensure you can make the most of your time on shift:

• Dispatch system Apps work more efficiently on newer Devices i.e devices made after 2021. Although you can use older phones, you might be missing out on new features and also have less accurate GPS and a weaker Phone Signal.
• Ensure your Phone is running the latest version of Autocab Driver Companion. If you’re not sure, open your play store or App Store to check if an update is available 
• Ensure you phone is using the latest software available. You can check this in settings about phone software update. This software is used in conjunction with Autocab Driver companion, in order to provide the App with the information required to run it.
• Make sure all the Apps you use with Driver Companion are up to date (i.e Google App Google Maps and or Waze app as these can also help). These again can be checked in Google Play or App store.

You all have the ability to reject work, but looking back over statistics in the dispatch system drivers who accept the most work earn approx 15% more than Drivers who regularly reject work. Sometimes some jobs do not look that great but you never know what job it can lead to.

Rejecting work causes delays for passengers and also make the Operations Room Staffs’ job more difficult, as they have to find alternative cars to cover jobs when we are trying to let the system dispatch as much work as possible.
When you are sat empty waiting for a job, try to choose zones with the least amount of cars. This will increase coverage and you will wait less time for your next job, instead of waiting for the cars in front of you to get jobs first.

When clearing in the outskirts (i.e Plympton, Plymstock, Wollwell, Roborough etc) if there are no jobs due in the next 10/20 minutes (this will show in the list on your PDA next to the the zone under the 10 and 20 column) move closer in, as this will maximise your availability for work and result in less empty time.

We struggle to cover work at known busy times and constantly turn down work at these times!

Main busy times are as follows: 

0400 to 0900 Mon to Friday

1400 to 1900 Mon to Friday

Weekends Days and Nights especially Saturday and Sunday early Mornings 0600 to 1000

We have made changes to the Tariffs to make evenings and weekends more financially beneficial.

Tariff 1 now runs Weekdays 0600 to 1800

Tariff 2  now starts weekdays from 1800 to 0600 and also from 1500 Fridays to 0600 Mondays 

New Features on the Autocab Driver Companion App:

Auto Follow on Jobs:

When you are soon to clear in a zone and if there is a job due in that zone, the system will now automatically offer that job to you as a follow on booking.

Auto-bid:

On the bid screen at the top of the screen there is an option to turn on Auto-bid. 

Clicking on this screen, opens up options to enable Auto-bid and set a radius you want to Auto-bid for jobs.

This Radius is a circle around you current location not the route to the next job. With this in mind when setting the radius for each capability, make sure you set a distance that you are prepared to travel for your next job.

Auto-bid only bids on jobs for you if there are no jobs available in the zone you are in, or the backup zones to that zone. (i.e Close by ) if this is the case auto-bid will automatically bid on the next closest available job for you so you don’t need to scroll through the bid page.

We recommend using Auto-bid at quieter times and disabling it at busy periods to maximise the work you receive and reduce dead mileage for work.

Other new features include: 

Android Driver Companion 2.21:

• Pay By Previous Card – Drivers can now
  pay their rent using a previously used and saved Debit/Credit card,
• For LynkPay customers – The Web App can
  now be accessed within the Driver Companion app from the side menu.
  Allowing drivers to cash out your balance straight into your nominated
  bank at anytime, pay their rent and more.
• On Android we have also added support for
  LynkPay Passenger Pay-By-Link, so payments can now be taken through
  LynkPay at the end of a journey.

IOS Driver Companion 9.9:

• • Auto-bid – Drivers can now automatically bid on active work based on criteria they set and based on Zones or Capabilities.
  • Bid For Active – Drivers can now see a list of active bookings and bid for them.
  • Pay By Previous Card – Drivers can now pay their rent using a previously used and saved card,

For LynkPay customers – The Web App can now be accessed within the Driver Companion app from the side menu. Allowing drivers to cash out your balance straight into your nominated bank at anytime, pay your rent and more.