Legal and Ethical Guidelines for Selling to your Rideshare Passengers

A little fact that isn’t well known by drivers and passengers of a rideshare service is that as an independent contractor you are allowed to offer and sell other services not associated with your rideshare. Because you are NOT an employee of your ride share company, it has no control over any other businesses that you conduct as an independent contractor.

NOTICE: The following contents shouldn’t be treated as legal advice. If you require legal or financial assistance, you should seek council from professional tax and financial professionals or institutions..

Can I sell inside of my rideshare vehicle?

The short answer is YES. However, if you sell any product or service (even a competing rideshare service), you should be careful to not do so at the cost of your rating. A rideshare provider can’t block you from selling, but if you alienate your passenger, you could run into issues. That is our first priority for Rideshare Sellers and our efforts to create solutions that enhance the experience.

Does my rideshare company want me selling?

No. They don’t want you conducting in-vehicle sales for a number of reasons which relate to passenger experience.

Will my rideshare company deactivate me if I sell or advertise within a vehicle?

NO… We promise to keep up to date on each Rideshares’ driver policies and look to the community to share their experiences.

In Uber’s own public statement in a recent article. 

“It is Uber’s goal to make the rider experience as smooth and comfortable as possible,” Carvell said. “We don’t believe that in-ride advertising enhances the ride experience, and we discourage driver partners from working with third party in-ride advertisers such as Viewswagen. Also, it’s important to note that Uber is not affiliated with any in-ride advertising company in any way, and we are not providing information about riders or drivers. That said, this Uber representative was mistaken, and these actions haven’t resulted in driver partner deactivation.”

Educate yourself

I have provided specific information below about labor laws that ensure your side business and ability to sell products/services are not impeded by your rideshare company. This Rideshare Sellers community is about sharing knowledge; therefore, if you have questions, feel free to enter them below.