The 2am Playbook: Handle Drunk Riders Without Losing Your Account

Late night is where the money is. Late night is also where 90% of driver complaints happen. Here's how to work the bar shift without becoming a statistic.

Before they even get in

• Dashcam recording, 100% of the time. Front + cabin minimum.
• Doors locked until you confirm the rider's name. 'Hey are you [Name]?' — wait for yes.
• If they look unsafe to themselves (can't walk, vomiting before they get in), cancel. You can mark 'rider unsafe' and you won't get penalized.

During the ride

• Music at the LOWEST volume. Drunk riders get loud over loud music.
• Windows cracked. Fresh air keeps people lucid AND saves you a $150 vomit fee — which sounds great until you realize that's 4 hours cleaning your car at 3am.
• If they get aggressive: pull over safely, calmly say 'I need to end the trip here for safety.' Do not argue. Get out if you need to.

If something happens

• End trip immediately via the app.
• Document EVERYTHING in the in-app safety report within 24 hours: time, location, what was said.
• Pull your dashcam footage and back it up to cloud.
• If physical: call 911 and file a police report. Send the report number to Uber/Lyft safety.

Your dashcam footage is the single most powerful tool you have. Without it, it's your word vs theirs — and the rider's complaint hits your account first.