(Downloaded from the Uber Press kit)

(DISCLAIMER: This is amateur observation, not expert opinion. Any damages incurred involving the use of these tips will be met with token expressions of sympathy and regret, more the first than the second. In other words, caveat emptor, my friend. And thanks for reading.)

1) Restart your phone.

Yes, that’s right.

Turn off your phone and turn it on again.

If it’s taking more than a minute or two for the Uber application to come up on your phone’s screen, reset.

Sometimes, it’s just the bad coverage and/or unstable signals of telecommunications conglomerates, some of which—by the way—happen to own companies that employ people of my general height, weight, and build.

But that’s another story.

2) Rate the driver as soon as your trip ends.

That way, you don’t have to waste time thinking about how great last week’s trip to Alabang was, especially if a sudden downpour threatens to turn EDSA into a swimming pool and you have to rush off to an appointment at the other end of the city in an hour.

Rating your previous trip’s driver will save you a couple of seconds, making the process of ordering your Uber vehicle faster.

3) Have the driver end the trip early, especially if you’re already within a certain range of your destination.

This is a bit tricky.

But it can both benefit both Uber driver and passenger if done right.

Let’s say you took Uber to Megamall, a popular destination (where other Uber users are likely to order their cars from).

As soon as you’re a block or so away from the mall, you can ask the driver to end the trip.

Besides saving you a few pesos—perhaps even more if the roads leading to your destination are tight—having the driver end the trip early also increases his/her chances of getting another passenger faster.

However, the move has insurance coverage implications since ending the trip early indicates you’ve already gotten off Uber and are no longer entitled to passenger protection, in case of accidents.

But having said all of that, ride safe!