Most common questions about working on the Uber, Bolt and FreeNow apps

No, and this is one of the biggest advantages of working with DEPartner. As a recommended fleet partner of Uber, Bolt and FreeNow, we take care of the whole formal side: registration on the platforms, settling income from rides, paying taxes and contributions.

You work with DEPartner under a civil-law contract (umowa zlecenia) or a B2B agreement, do rides and get paid every week: legally, transparently, without red tape. You don’t set up a company, you don’t pay ZUS as a business owner, you don’t issue invoices. This makes starting much easier, especially if you treat driving as casual work or a side job alongside a full-time job.

The agreement with DEPartner is a contract for passenger transport services. After you fill in the application form, our consultant calls you the same day, agrees the details and invites you to the office in your city (or we arrange remote signing).

The agreement sets out: settlement rules, pay, the scope of support (licence, documents, driver panel), and car rental rules if you use the fleet. The agreement is open-ended, with no penalties for leaving: you can end it at any time with 7 days’ notice.

Keep the partner’s cooperation terms separate from the official document fees. Confirm the current offer with the office. Licence and extract (wypis) fees depend on the specific case, and medical test prices depend on the facility. KRK (the criminal record register) charges 30 zł for a paper document and 20 zł for an electronic one; confirm which format is accepted.

Procedures and sources.

You can start working with us without previous taxi experience. At the office you will learn the requirements of the chosen offer and get help with the documents.

Preparing for your first rides.

Choose a cooperation model and agree a start date with the office. We will help you through the documents, car preparation and app activation.

For the meeting at the office, bring a Polish driving licence, an identity document, a criminal record certificate, a medical examination and a psychological assessment. When you have the examinations done and show an invoice issued to our company for them, you will get your costs refunded.

Uber requirements · Starting with Bolt.

Don’t assume every KRK certificate is accepted for six months. Platform verification and the office may require a document from the last month; check the exact procedure.

The licence is held by the business that carries out the transport. When working with a partner, confirm the carrier, the area covered by the licence and the extract for the car. Your driver documents are a separate requirement.

Licence vs extract.

It is the colloquial name for the TAXI annotation concerning the vehicle. Check the required inspection, documents and entry with the vehicle registration department. It does not replace the carrier’s licence or account activation.

Preparing the car’s documents.

The extract applies to a vehicle covered by the carrier’s licence. With your own car, arrange the registration and the legal title to the vehicle; with a fleet car, confirm that the documents are ready. The relevant document is issued by the office according to the procedure.

Extract details.

It depends on the city and your starting situation:

• A full licence of your own from scratch: 2-3 weeks (Kraków, Warszawa, Wrocław), up to 4-6 weeks in smaller cities. The time goes on medical/psychological tests (~3-5 days), the criminal record certificate (1-7 days online), and the application at the office + decision (7-21 days).
• Vehicle extract from the DEPartner licence: 1-3 working days. We issue it after the cooperation agreement is signed, once your vehicle is ready (or you use the fleet).
• Updating an existing licence: if you already have a licence for another vehicle or in another city, the change usually takes 5-10 days.

While you wait, you can already gather the other documents and be ready to start on the day you receive the licence.

The platforms’ requirements are similar but differ in the details:

• Year: most categories require a car from model year 2015+ (UberX, Bolt, FreeNow). Premium categories (Uber Comfort, Bolt Plus): 2018+.
• Doors: at least 4 doors, opening from inside and outside
• Air conditioning: mandatory, in working order
• Technical condition: valid inspection, no visible body damage, working seat belts in all seats, clean interior
• Colour: not required, some cities may require specific standards for taxis

DEPartner also accepts older cars (from model year 2005) in our own fleet if they are in very good technical and visual condition. We check every vehicle before admitting it to the fleet.

Yes, and it is a frequently chosen model of cooperation, although not the most popular. If you have your own car that meets the platforms’ requirements, we offer:

• Issuing an extract for your vehicle from our licence, with no need to set up your own business
• Help with getting the taxi stamp and passing the technical inspection
• Support with OC TAXI insurance (required for Bolt)
• Full settlement of earnings: we pay the taxes
• Access to the DEPartner driver panel with an up-to-date summary of your earnings

The only costs on your side are standard car upkeep: fuel, insurance, servicing and possibly lease instalments. Most drivers earn much more with their own car than when renting, because they don’t pay the fleet rent.

Yes, we have our own fleet of around 800 vehicles in all the cities where we operate. The cars are prepared specifically for the Uber/Bolt/FreeNow platforms: with the taxi stamp, a valid inspection, insurance and full servicing included in the rental price.

Available options:

• Long-term rental: fixed weekly rate, the car is yours alone
• Shift rental: you share the car with another driver, lower costs
• Rental with a purchase option: after a set period the car becomes yours

Prices depend on the city and model: they start from ~200-300 zł a week for a shared car and go up to ~500-700 zł a week for a car of your own. We provide cars without a deposit and without hidden fees. We will give you the exact price list for your city at the first contact.

Ordinary OC covers a vehicle used for private purposes. If you start carrying passengers for payment, the insurer may refuse to pay compensation after an accident, because you are driving commercially and your policy doesn’t cover it.

OC TAXI is an extended version of OC for vehicles used for paid passenger transport. It costs about 2-3x more than ordinary OC (~2 500-4 500 zł a year instead of 800-1 500 zł), but it protects you and your passengers on every ride.

Bolt requires OC TAXI as mandatory. In some cities Uber and FreeNow accept standard OC combined with a taxi licence, but this is changing, so check the current requirements in your city. Cars from the DEPartner fleet have OC TAXI included in the rental price, so you don’t have to worry about it.

Renting a car from our fleet is an all-inclusive model: practically all fleet costs are included in a fixed weekly rate:

• The vehicle itself, ready for work and fully serviced before pick-up
• Taxi stamp and extract from the DEPartner licence: nothing for you to arrange
• OC TAXI + AC insurance: full protection in case of accident or theft
• Valid technical inspection and periodic inspections during the rental
• Ongoing servicing and repairs: tyre changes, brake pads, breakdowns, all on our side
• Emergency replacement vehicle in case of a serious breakdown

All that remains on your side is fuel and car washes. This makes starting much easier: you don’t need capital to buy a car and you don’t have to worry about breakdowns. Most of our drivers start by renting and after a year or two decide whether they want to buy their own car.

Real earnings depend mainly on the city, the number of hours and the time of day you drive. Based on data from our ~5 000+ drivers:

• Full-time (8-10h a day, 5-6 days a week): 6 000-9 000 zł a month net, after the ride-hailing platforms’ commission. In Kraków and Warszawa regularly 8 000-10 000 zł.
• Part-time (4-5h a day): 3 000-5 000 zł a month. This is a popular model for students and people in full-time jobs earning extra after hours.
• Weekends + evenings: 2 000-3 500 zł a month at about 15-20h a week, with the best hourly rates thanks to night traffic and bonuses.

Bigger cities = higher earnings, but also more competition. Tarnów, Toruń or Włocławek have lower rates per ride, but also fewer drivers on the market: you earn less there, but more steadily. You will find full calculations with costs in our article Costs of working as a Bolt/Uber/FreeNow driver.

Payouts are weekly: this is the standard for all three platforms, and DEPartner pays the same way. The schedule:

• Settlement week: Monday 00:00 to Sunday 23:59, the weekly period in which your rides are counted
• Generating the settlement: Monday-Tuesday of the following week, when we calculate earnings and deduct costs (if you rent a car)
• Bank transfer: Monday-Tuesday, the money goes to your bank account

You get a detailed settlement in the DEPartner driver panel and by email: you see every ride, the platform commission and the net amount.

Platform commissions are transparent and almost identical across all three apps:

• Uber: ~25% of the value of each ride (sometimes 28% in some categories)
• Bolt: ~25% as standard, with periodic promotions of 15-20% in some cities
• FreeNow: ~25-28% depending on the category

Yes, driver earnings are taxed like any other pay. The advantage of working with DEPartner is that we settle everything for you:

• PIT income tax: we pay advances during the year, and at the end you get a PIT-11 for your tax return
• ZUS contributions (for an umowa zlecenie contract): calculated on your pay and deducted automatically
• VAT: handled on our side as a VAT payer

You receive clean payouts: the amounts on the settlement are already after all deductions. At the end of the year you get a PIT-11, which you enter in your annual tax return. If you run another business or have a full-time job, we combine it without any problem. Settling with the tax office is a standard procedure.

Yes, and many of our drivers do. This is one of the biggest advantages of working with the apps: full flexibility of hours. You can drive when you want, as much as you want, where you want (within the city).

Popular models among our drivers:

• Students: 15-25h a week, mainly evenings and weekends, 1 500-3 000 zł a month
• Side job alongside full-time work: 10-20h at weekends + afternoons, 1 200-2 500 zł
• Seasonal: full-time in the summer holidays, less during the year, fitting around other commitments
• Work between jobs: for couriers, taxi drivers during breaks, freelancers

There is no minimum number of hours or rides: if you don’t drive, you don’t earn, but you don’t lose anything either. You can log in to the app once a week and that’s OK. All that matters is that your account stays active (usually 1-2 rides a month are enough to stop the platform from blocking your profile).

Yes, and we strongly recommend this model. Our best drivers use Uber, Bolt and FreeNow simultaneously. In practice it works like this: you have all the apps switched on, on one or two phones. When you get a ride from one, you switch the others off for the duration of that ride, and when it ends you switch them all back on.

Benefits:

• More rides, because you pick up orders from 3 platforms instead of 1
• Shorter breaks between rides: less idle time in the car
• Higher earnings: drivers with three apps earn on average 30-50% more than with one
• Bonuses from every platform: you take part in loyalty programmes everywhere

DEPartner registers you on all three platforms in a single procedure and under one cooperation agreement. You don’t have to wonder which one is better: you take them all.

Main differences in the platforms’ requirements:

• Uber: requires the taxi stamp in the registration certificate, a vehicle extract and standard OC. Fastest verification: 24-48h.
• Bolt: requires OC TAXI (instead of standard OC) and a taxi licence, but not the stamp everywhere. Fastest account activation: 6-24h.
• FreeNow: requires the taxi stamp and extract, OC TAXI in some cities, and additionally a taxi licence. Activation 24-48h.

All three platforms require a common set: a category B driving licence, a criminal record certificate, a medical certificate, psychological tests and a taxi licence. DEPartner handles all the differences for you: you collect the documents once, and we adapt them for each platform separately.

The driver apps are free and have a similar interface:

• Bolt Driver: after logging in you press “go” and wait for orders. Each ride shows: price, distance, passenger rating, pick-up point. You accept or decline within 10 seconds. After the ride the passenger rates you on a scale of 1-5.
• Uber Driver: very similar, you switch to “online” and accept orders. Uber gives more route information up front (length, time), but requires a quicker response (5-10 seconds). 1-5 star rating system.

Technical requirements: Android 8.0+ or iOS 16+, GPS, reliable internet (a data plan of at least 30GB a month is recommended), a phone holder in the car. DEPartner helps with the initial setup: at the start a consultant will show you everything step by step.

System Protektor is DEPartner’s own driver protection programme, available to all our drivers at no extra cost. It includes:

• 24/7 support: an on-call contact number in case of a breakdown, collision, conflict with a passenger or a problem with the app
• Replacement vehicle in case of a serious breakdown or collision of a fleet car: we deliver it within 1-3 hours during the day
• Legal help: access to a lawyer in matters related to working as a driver (collisions, fines, checks)
• Mediation with the platforms: if Bolt/Uber/FreeNow blocks your account or lowers your rating, we step in

System Protektor is something you won’t get by registering with the platforms on your own, and that’s why our drivers stay with us for years.

Yes, bonuses are a key part of earnings, and each platform has its own system:

• Uber Pro: a loyalty programme with Blue/Gold/Platinum/Diamond levels. The higher the level, the higher the cash rewards (up to +30% per ride at peak times), fuel discounts and access to educational programmes.
• Bolt: weekly bonuses for the number of rides (e.g. 50 rides = +200 zł, 100 rides = +500 zł), weekend night bonuses, extra bonuses at peak hours.
• FreeNow: a bonus for 10/20/30 rides a day, rewards for the first month, bonuses for intercity rides.
• DEPartner: there is also the Polecaj kierowca programme. You get 500 zł for every driver who joins on your recommendation and works for at least 1 month.

In practice, bonuses can raise your monthly earnings by 20-40% if you use them actively. Our consultants will show you how to plan your work optimally around current promotions.

DEPartner has 14 walk-in offices with dedicated consultants, and in each of them we will help you in person:

• Małopolska: Kraków (head office, ul. Opolska 12/106), Tarnów (ul. Kochanowskiego 37)
• Podkarpacie: Rzeszów (ul. Siemieńskiego 14)
• Świętokrzyskie: Kielce (ul. Wesoła 51/130)
• Lubelskie: Lublin (ul. Cisowa 11/106)
• Mazowieckie: Płock (ul. Zbożowa 7/8), Radom (ul. Krukowskiego 1/109)
• Kujawsko-Pomorskie: Bydgoszcz (ul. Grunwaldzka 229/55), Toruń (ul. Polna 65), Włocławek (ul. Wysoka 15b/8)
• Śląsk: Bielsko-Biała (ul. Kamińskiego 19/405), Opole (ul. Drobiarska 2A/17)
• Podlasie: Białystok (ul. Mikołaja Kopernika 93/3)
• Warmińsko-Mazurskie: Olsztyn (ul. Poprzeczna 15A)

If your city is not on the list, we can still help you. We also serve neighbouring cities (e.g. we serve Wrocław, Warszawa, Poznań and Łódź remotely + through the nearest office). Leave an application and we will check.

DEPartner provides comprehensive support at every stage:

• Before you start: a dedicated consultant guides you through all the formalities: licence, documents, choice of car. One person, one contact, no passing you between departments.
• First week: onboarding that covers app training, the best routes in your city, peak hours, how to raise your passenger rating and how to avoid common beginner mistakes.
• First month: weekly contact with your consultant, analysis of your first earnings, optimising your working hours.
• Ongoing cooperation: access to the DEPartner blog with guides, a WhatsApp group for drivers in your city, the 24/7 helpline and the driver panel with up-to-date settlements.

Our goal is for you to earn as much as possible with minimal stress, which is why we invest in long-term cooperation, not just in account activation.

We have a 24/7 helpline for DEPartner drivers.

• Breakdown of a DEPartner fleet car: immediate contact with our Fleet department, towing + a replacement car within 1-3h (daytime) or by the next morning (night). No costs on your side.
• Road collision: the on-call staff member helps with the procedure: accident statement, claim to the insurer and, if needed, a replacement car.
• Problem with a passenger (aggressive, attempted fraud): contact with our on-call staff, a report to the platform and legal help if needed.
• Problem with the app (account block, incorrect settlement): we mediate with Bolt/Uber/FreeNow on your behalf.

That’s why we say that as our driver you are never alone: System Protektor (see question 24) is a guarantee of support.

Yes, changing city is possible and does not require a new agreement. The procedure:

• You report the change of work location to your consultant (by phone, by email or in the panel)
• DEPartner issues a new vehicle extract for the target city (1-3 working days), if needed
• We update your profile in Bolt/Uber/FreeNow (24-48h)
• Documents (licence, tests) are valid throughout Poland, so you don’t have to redo anything

In practice: if you drove in Kraków and are moving to Lublin, the change takes 3-5 working days. You can also work in two cities at once (e.g. you go back to Kraków at weekends and drive in Lublin during the week), in which case we need extracts for both cities. No penalties, no loss of ratings, no history reset: your platform accounts stay the same.

We have several contact channels to suit your preferences:

• Phone: +48 573 580 800
• E-mail: biuro@departner.pl. We reply 8:00-16:00 on working days, on average within 2-4h.
• Online form: departner.pl/aplikuj. It takes 2 minutes to fill in, and we call back the same day between 8 and 17.
• Walk-in offices: 14 locations across Poland. You can arrange an online meeting or drop in in person (opening hours 8:00-16:00 on working days).

The fastest way if you are just starting: leave your number in the form and we will call you back within 30 minutes to 4 hours (usually straight away).