In this short review, I’ll be examining the pros and cons of Rideshare drivers offering refreshments to passengers, while highlighting it’s advantages and disadvantages! How many of you ever walked into a place and immediately wanted to walk back out after being in the place for approximately 2 seconds? How many of you ever walked into a place, immediately wanted to walk back out but then decided to stay once you noticed that good’ole table full of snacks? Be honest guys lol! That being said, imagine it being a car you just stepped into instead of stepping into a room full of boring people. You get where I’m going with this thing right?
Providing refreshments to your riders can change the mood of your ride for both you and your passengers in a few ways. Here at #1RideShareDoc, I’m all about making the public as well as future Rideshare drivers aware of everything there is to know concerning Rideshare driving. Everything the rideshare companies like Uber, Lyft, Via, or Sidecar don’t want you to know about. The good’s, the bad, the highs and the lows. You are not alone when visiting my #1RideShareDoc website! So without further ado, please allow me to share my story and my personal experiences with you. Let’s begin!
This short rideshare review will be divided into the following sections, for better absorption and clearer understanding purposes:
–Introduction
–What are refreshments
–What types of snacks make a good refreshment
–What types of snacks make a bad refreshment
–The advantages/disadvantages of providing refreshments to passengers
–Extras or add ons that the driver could provide
–My conclusion for passengers and refreshments
What Are Refreshments?
Refreshments (in my opinion) are nothing more than small snack “handouts” (usually free), which are generally provided by the host or in this case, the driver. You could look at refreshments as “butter me up”, food sorta speaking! You could also look at it as “second food”, because all it should take is about 2 seconds to eat it! Providing refreshments can definitely send a message to your invites or passengers. The message you’re sending through their mind might be, “he actually cares about his job and his passengers”, “Let me give him a five-star”, or “This is what I call real customer service”!
Something along those lines right? A message you might send to your passengers by providing refreshments might also be, “The world isn’t so bad after all” or “And I thought everyone was mean or selfish”! Especially if they were going through something challenging or simply just having a tough moment. I believe these are perfect examples that demonstrate how refreshing and day changing a sweet snack can really be!
What Types Of Snack Foods Make For A Really Good Refreshment?
Since you’ll be hosting guests inside of your own personal motor vehicle, it might be a good idea to not provide any snacks that may cause a mess, depending on what you’re willing to clean up! That being said, only certain snacks should be given to passengers in your car, unless you don’t mind cleaning up what they leave behind. Depending on the passenger’s age, certain refreshments should be avoided at all costs, no matter what! Now that I’ve gotten that out of the way, the types of foods that make for a good snack or refreshment (in my opinion!) include:
Liquid Refreshments/Bottled Waters- Providing water as a refreshment, has to be one of the most popular and most cleanest refreshments provided on this list! Anyone for the most part can drink some good’ole H2O and be satisfied right? And if a mess occurs, you don’t have to worry about your seats or floors getting sticky. Any spilled liquid can be wiped away or simply left to dry when it’s only water. Well, depending on the area wet or soaked!
Bite Size Candy- Providing “bite size” candies is also another popular snack or refreshment that rideshare drivers could service their customers with. The only problem I encountered with utilizing this option, was the trash or half eaten candy that some of these passengers would leave behind. Especially their kids!
Luckily picking up candy wrappers or half eaten candy bars are nothing hard to clean up, which is really what matters the most right? Some examples of these popular “bite-sized” candies include but are not limited to snickers, twix, kit Kat bars, caramel bars, Three musketeer bars, and more. You know, candies that are hard to make a mess out of..
Fresh Fruit- WARNING!! This could get a little messy depending on your choice of fruits! Servicing passengers with fresh fruit is for the older more mature crowd (I would say)! I mean, who knows of a teenager or young adult that loves to eat fruit? Not to mention making a mess out of it in your car! Some young folks enjoy eating fruit. But not a decent amount!
That being said, this is definitely a good way to literally freshen up an older or more mature passenger’s day. Just be sure to provide them with small fruits like apples, pears, strawberries or plums for example, and not something large or full of juice like cantaloupe, pineapple, or a big’ole watermelon lol. Oh, and napkins will definitely be needed for this juicy snack, unless you want the passengers to use your seats!
Donuts or Pastries- WARNING!! This could also get a little messy. Providing your riders with donuts or pastries will definitely make your customers feel like you care about them. Just not their teeth lol! But everyone needs a little blast of sugar every now and then right? Well, everyone but the kids lol! Then the bigger problem comes into play when they’re finished smacking.
I say this because it’ll look like the passenger didn’t care about your kind gesture or your clean car, due to all the crumbs, white powder, and sticky fingerprints they might leave behind. And these are adult passengers we’re talking about here. So make sure with this particular refreshment, that you use your discretion and that you also provide napkins. I prefer to use wet wipes for situations like this, even though having and using both would be best. Spend what you can afford of course!
Muffins or Bagels- WARNING!! This could also get a bit messy or should I say, crummy! Providing your customers with muffins or bagels would most definitely be another way to freshen up any passengers mood or day. This snack should also only be handed out to mature or older adults who seem to be respectful and like they have a good head on their shoulders. They’ll also appreciate it more. Again, using discretion is key. Don’t forget the napkins and wet wipes, if you can afford it!
Mini Packs Of Cookies- WARNING!! This could get a little crummy as well guys. Providing your customers with “mini packs” of cookies such as Nabisco, Oreos, chips ahoy, or famous Amos cookies just to name a few, is another way to freshen up your rideshare passengers day. Provide napkins to your passengers and be sure to use discretion when handing this snack out!
What types of snacks make a bad refreshment?
Only certain snacks should be given to passengers like I mentioned earlier, depending on what you’re willing to clean up! Depending on the passenger’s age or maturity level, certain refreshments should be avoided at all costs, no matter what! If you do decide to hand out more messier refreshments, be prepared for the cleaning part. Always keep the aftermath in mind when handing out refreshments to passengers! Now here’s a few types of foods that (in my opinion) make for a bad snack or refreshment and a messier clean up:
Picky Type Candies- Providing passengers with what I like to call “picky type” candies, is something I wouldn’t provide passengers with personally! “Picky type” candies for me include mini packs of Skittles, Nerds, Reese’s pieces, M&M’s or Hot tamales to name a few. Especially those tiny nerds! Careful or not, you’re going to drop a few in the seats or on the floor. Especially if it’s at night and the passenger or I can’t see or isn’t paying attention. So for me personally, I always try to avoid this “picky type” of refreshment. I’ll take cleaning up a few little crumbs, over picking up a bunch of small pieces, any day!
Picky Type Foods- Providing passengers with what I like to call “picky type” foods like mini bags of chips, popcorn, pumpkin or sunflower seeds for example, are other foods that I wouldn’t provide my passengers with. I just feel like it will create a nasty situation at the end of the ride. Especially those seeds and especially at night where I or the passenger can’t really see. Again, I’ll take cleaning up crumbs over picking up a bunch of spitty, nasty seed shells or small pieces of rolling around candy!
Sugary Sweets/Liquids- Providing your passengers with sugary liquids like juice or soda (in my opinion) is a no-brainer not to do so, which is why I saved this refreshing, sticky liquid for last. Imagine hitting a pothole in the road or speed bump and your passenger isn’t paying attention. Want to know what happens next? You know I’m going to tell you, even though it’s needless to say!
That sticky juice or soda is going wherever it pleases, as if it has a mind of its own. Starting with landing on your passengers clothes and ending in your vehicles back passenger door, including your window, seats, and/or floor. Oh, and maybe a little bit on the passenger’s face. Or so I would hope lol! This in my opinion is the worst of all the refreshments listed here and can be the hardest to clean up. And if not cleaned properly, it could even bring bugs. No thank you in advance!!
Anything Sticky Or Crumby- Providing anything to a customer that is sticky or crummy, can be a big bummer when you’re trying to freshen up the passengers ride or day. But like I mentioned at the beginning of this section on “types of refreshments”, it’s really all about what you can afford, what you’re willing to deal with, and what your willing to clean up! So if you really care about your passengers, by all means go for it. But you’ve been warned!
In A Nutshell, All Refreshments Can Be A Little Messy- Really to be honest, any refreshment can get messy if handled carelessly or improperly. That’s why using your own personal discretion with whom you provide refreshments to, can really make a difference. Especially when it boils down to having to clean behind them or not. I also tried to distinguish a few snacks from the others to help you make a better decision for yourself, on which refreshment you might want to service your passengers with. But again to be honest, they all really fall in the same boat, including the #1 refreshment which is bottled water! Discretion is key..
Extras or add ons that the driver could provide
I also consider the following to be similar to your everyday refreshments. You could consider these other considerations as refreshing add-ons to the previously listed refreshments. With that being said, there’re other things you could also provide the passenger with that could produce the same possible results as providing passengers with the usual snacks or refreshments. Providing customers with heat when it’s cold and air conditioning when it’s hot, can have the same effect as providing the normal, everyday refreshments. Playing a specific song of the passengers choosing is another way to freshen up a passenger’s ride or day.
Maybe even adding some hand sanitizer to freshen up your passengers hands to go with it. With all this being added on to the list, I feel like it’s safe to say that not all refreshments have to be or need to be consumables. Not everybody’s hungry right? If you ask me, providing these extra add-ons on top of the already existing refreshments could actually enhance the passengers refreshing experience even more lol. It’s the thought that counts!
Advantages and disadvantages of providing refreshments to passengers
With every advantage comes a disadvantage, and with every disadvantage comes an advantage. That being said, providing refreshments to passengers may not always have a good turnout.
Starting with the advantages of providing refreshments, providing refreshments can:
Create A Welcoming Environment- It is very important to make sure your passengers feel safe and welcomed when they’re stepping into your motor vehicle for the first time. What driver would want to create a standoffish passenger, after the first and possible last meeting? When the passenger becomes standoffish, prepare yourself for a very quiet, unpredictable ride. The ride is either going to go really good or really bad.
They say the first impression is everything right? No second chances! I mean what passenger or guest doesn’t want to feel welcomed when you’re arriving to pick them up? Just a rhetorical question actually, to get you to think and understand why welcoming your passengers is so important. Lord knows no one wants to feel unwelcomed. But providing those good old refreshments can do the trick, along with giving a friendly greeting and smile.
Instantly Increase The Drivers Professionalism- One characteristic that all professional workers of any trade have in common, is that they care about their job and how they perform for their customers. That being said, when a passenger feels your professionalism through providing these refreshments (amongst other things), this can open up so many new doors of opportunities. Not just with Rideshare driving, but with anything! Keep in mind that you’ll be picking up any and everything off the streets. Successful and unsuccessful passengers! So in all actuality, you could earn more than a tip or a non standoffish happy passenger. It’s all about being professional while giving off a good first impression.
Possibly change the passengers bad mood/day- Has anyone ever thrown you a surprise party for whatever reason, and handed you a small gift? How about someone just surprising you in general with something they would like for you to have? Do you recall what it felt like before they surprised you? How about what it felt like after they surprised you? I can promise you your mood or feelings changed almost instantly.
Even if the change was minor, something in you still changed. That being said, we all have good and bad emotions inside us that fluctuate throughout the day. But imagine being in a position where you can change their feelings or at least a little. Well imagine no further because you’re definitely in the position to do that, when choosing to provide refreshments to your passengers as a Rideshare driver.
Sometimes Fix Mistakes That Occurred Prior, During, Or After The Ride’s Completed- Providing refreshments to passengers in my opinion, can be another way of fixing mistakes that occurred before, during, or after the ride was completed. Of course it would also depend on the type of refreshment. Maybe donuts with a bottle of water could help lol! I look at it like buttering the passengers up, instead of freshening them up lol. It’s definitely a good way to show the passenger that you’re not a bad person, you care, and the mistake that you made was unintentional. Even if they don’t accept it, it’s the thought that counts. You did what you could. See how important and unique providing refreshments for your passengers can be?
As far as disadvantages go, providing refreshments can:
Make Passengers Feel You’re Doing Too Much or Trying Too Hard- If a passenger feels like you’re already doing enough by being respectful and providing a clean and safe ride, then it could come off as you trying a little too hard or doing a little too much when offering them refreshments. But of course there’s no sure enough way to know if you’re doing too much or too little for a passenger.
That is unless the passenger either tells you that you are or they start showing you those “bad vibe” or “uncomfortable” signs. You know, immature signs like huffing and puffing, rolling their eyes, sucking their teeth, not making eye contact, making too much unnecessary eye contact, talking under their breath, stiffing up their bodies in an angry manner or giving all of their attention elsewhere, other than giving their attention to you. So be very observant and believe the signs when you see them. Some people really don’t believe in proper communication or respect!
Make Passengers Upset Because They Didn’t Ask For It- From my 6 years of experience, it’s rare that a passenger would get upset when a driver is giving them something that they didn’t ask for. Especially if it’s 100% free! But this does happen. Some passengers simply don’t like taking anything from strangers or in this case, drivers. So depending on the energy the passenger is putting off, a refreshment may not be necessary. Try feeling them out first. Maybe a water bottle will do, but nothing more!
Give Passengers The Impression That You Have Money To Blow- Depending on the circumstance meaning the person that I’m picking up or the neighborhood that I’m doing a pickup in, I don’t even think about giving out refreshments. Sometimes you just have to use your street smarts and understand that not everybody has money. Most of them are opportunists! With this being the case, you don’t want to come off like you have money or extras to be handing out because that’s how passengers who don’t have much, might look at it. So try to be a little mindful of each situation, before offering your passengers any snacks or refreshments. Using your personal discretion again is key!
Give Passenger Something To Mess Over, Especially If For Whatever Reason They Just Don’t Like You- If the passenger is already upset at you or something they felt like was your fault for whatever reason and you’re not paying attention, you just might make it worse! What I mean is that giving them any type of snack or refreshment while they’re angry might give them something extra to get back at you with. Please be mindful of this! I had a customer fill my door with water, which I didn’t realize until after the ride was completed. It took a whole roll of “bounty” paper towels to soak every drop out of my door. Thank God it was just water..
My Professional Conclusion For Passengers And Refreshments:
Hopefully I’ve gotten my point across when it comes to why Rideshare drivers should provide refreshments to they’re riders. I tried to give you as much personal experience and details as possible to help you make a better more informed decision when it comes to providing refreshments to your passengers. It can’t always improve the passengers’experience, but it can sure enough help and I’m pretty sure these Rideshare companies would agree!
Well that sums it up guys! Now that we’re at the end of this review, I would like to know what’s on my readers minds? Let me know what you think about providing refreshments to passengers. There’s plenty of space at the bottom of this page, that could be put to good use. It’s that good old comment section lol. Don’t be shy now! Anyways thank you guys for reading, and I will see you on my next review. Take care out there and drive safe!
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If you’re not interested in driving strangers around in the backseat of your car, but interested in having a flexible lifestyle, you could always start a business working from home! If you’re interested, please don’t hesitate to read my review on Wealthy Affiliate. Thank you again for reading..
