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Program Review

DoorDash

DoorDash

Updated by on July 26th, 2022

DoorDash is the second largest on-demand food delivery service in the US. The service allows customers to order food which is delivered to them in their home, office, etc. This allows an opportunity for you to make money on your own schedule by “dashing.” Deliver food from restaurants in your area to hungry customers by driving for DoorDash.

In order to become a driver for DoorDash a person must: be at least 18 years old; have access to a reliable vehicle; have a valid driver’s license, insurance and a clean driving history; pass a background check; own a smartphone. In some dense cities it is possible to deliver by bike or on foot; in those cases a vehicle, license, etc will not be necessary.

Drivers who are accepted to participate in the program must download the DoorDash app for their Android or iOS mobile device. The app allows drivers to select hours when they will be available to make deliveries in for local restaurants. As customers place orders the delivery details are are offered to drivers who are logged into the app during that time. If the driver accepts the delivery they will then go to the restaurant to pick up the order and deliver it to the customer. Payments for participation are issued weekly, with an option to receive payments daily for a fee.

Details for the delivery include the customer’s order, the delivery fee and tip, the restaurant where the order will be made and the location where the delivery will be made. These details make it possible for the driver to determine the amount of payment offered for the delivery and the time which will be required to complete it.

DoorDash indicates that on average most drivers working for the company will earn a gross income of $15 – $25 per hour. As with all on-demand “gig” type work, individual results will vary based on a large range of factors. Some drivers indicate dissatisfaction with the earnings, making $10 of less per hour. On the other hand, some drivers say they are able to generate good income, making $40 or more per hour.

Some key factors which contribute to hourly earnings include experience, the city where the driver lives, and the hours the driver is available. Opportunities may be limited for drivers living outside of urban locations. Drivers who can deliver during busier order times or on weekends may be able to make more than delivering other times throughout the week. Experience makes every job easier, but it is especially important to spend time to learn the ropes when it comes to on-demand gigs.

Learning the ins and outs of the system helps drivers to make better decisions about which deliveries they should pass over in order to maximize hourly earnings. Experience will help to identify which deliveries offer too little, will take too much time (e.g. deliveries in high-traffic areas), or when too few deliveries will be available. DoorDash does track each driver’s acceptance rate and may terminate drivers who reject too many deliveries (after providing a warning). So it will be necessary to accept some less than ideal deliveries, but with experience it may be possible to avoid the worst deliveries.

Another important thing to keep in mind is maintaining a high rating with customers, and a near perfect completion rating. The fastest way to be booted out of the DoorDash program is by failing to make deliveries. Drivers are rated by customers on a standard five-star scale. So it’s also important to make deliveries as fast as possible, and to be friendly and helpful during the limited interactions with customers.

The last major item to keep in mind about this program is that drivers are responsible for paying their own expenses out of the earnings made from deliveries. This includes items like gas, car insurance, vehicle maintenance, cellphone data charges, and taxes. So if you own a very large or very old vehicle which is expensive to operate, the expenses would subtract a large chunk from your earnings. In that case you would likely be less satisfied with the results you’d get from the program and would likely be better offer not signing up.

In general this is a convenient and flexible way to make money. It allows for a high degree of independence and limited interactions with customers.

Visit DoorDash to Join for Free

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