Tips to be a great host on Drive mate

By now, you must have read plenty of posts about passive income and the utilisation of your car. So, you finally decide to jump on the car-sharing bandwagon by becoming a host on a car-sharing platform. As a start, you first select the platform (Kudos you picked Drive mate!) then you create your account, add photos of your car, and decide on the pricing.

What next? Sit back and watch tons of booking requests flow your way? In an ideal world, yes! But in reality, it’s not that breezy. Given that car-sharing platforms have thousands of members and car listings, you can’t simply sit and hope that guests will always find and choose your car. To make sure that your listing gets noticed and picked by guests, let us share a few things that great car hosts do.
When someone joins Drive mate as a car host, we share the following 6 key tips with them which help them in providing a great experience to our guests as well as improving the visibility of their listing on the platform.

Be honest

Car sharing is a community-driven initiative. To ensure the safety and satisfaction of all, hosts and guests need to be honest with each other. As a car host, communicate your expectation clearly to the guests. Answer all questions from guests about availability, car condition and important rules to be followed. As a car host on Drive mate, if you are not sure about something, our team is available 24×7 to help you find the right answers. You must communicate your expectations clearly so that the guests understand and abide by them. Doing so will ensure that both parties have a great experience.

Create an Appealing Listing

Think of your listing as a social media profile for your car. Be creative, let your imagination run wild! Perhaps a catchy title for your car listing? Whilst a listing that says '2005 White Toyota Corolla' might appeal to some, why not list it as ‘City friendly Toyota Corolla’ or if you are renting out something different, make sure you highlight it's uniqueness, for example 'Toyota Corolla Hybrid with Custom Red Leather Seats'.Whatever unique feature your car has, use it to your advantage to try capture guests’ attention because no two cars are the same if you give it a bit of character. Upload photos to match your listing from different angles (just like your Instagram selfies, add a bit of dazzle!) and fill in all details requested by the platform. And if you want some examples of ideal listings, you can find them in our help section.

Set Clear Rules

Be very clear in how far the guests can drive, are pets allowed in the car, or is smoking permitted. Setting clear rules will help avoid misunderstandings between you and the guest. So, specify the maximum mileage and any particular rules that need to be followed to ensure a smooth experience for you and the guest.
We encourage our hosts to specify the rules in detail so that when guests book your car, they know exactly what is allowed and what isn’t. When you specify all the rules, it helps in filtering the number of booking requests as only guests willing to abide by the rules will send requests. Setting clear rules and communicating them to guests also helps in resolving any issues that might arise in case the guest fails to abide by them.