Switching to Detour from another fleet or owner
Renting weekly, driving an owner's car or on another fleet? How to move without losing your week.
23 October 2026 Detour Knowledge Hub 4 min read
Most drivers who come to Detour are not starting from nothing. They rent a car weekly from someone, drive an owner's car for a share, or are already on another fleet. Moving can feel risky. Here is how to decide, and how to move without losing a week of earnings.
First, what you keep
The biggest worry we hear is about the Uber account. Your Uber profile and your rating are yours, and you never start again from zero.
What changes depends on how you come in. If you drive with your own car, your account stays entirely yours. If you take a Detour car, your profile moves into the Detour Uber fleet while you drive with us, your earnings land in Detour's Uber wallet, and Detour pays them into your Detour account. We tell you this in the application, before you commit.
Step one: know what you have now
Before you compare, write down your current arrangement:
- Your weekly rental or the share you pay the owner.
- What it covers, and what you pay yourself: services, tyres, repairs, insurance excess.
- How much notice you have to give, and what happens to any deposit.
- Anything you still owe your current owner or fleet.
Step two: compare like with like
Work out your real weekly cost, including the repairs and the days off the road, then compare it against the Detour option that fits:
- Own car: a Detour plan from R100 a week on On-The-Go, R150 on Professional Driver or R250 on MyOwnBoss.
- Need a car: a Subscribe to Drive car's weekly amount, with insurance, tracking, maintenance and AA cover, plus the MyOwnBoss plan at R250 a week.
Our guide to renting weekly vs Subscribe to Drive shows how to do the sum.
Step three: plan the move
- Apply on the Detour site and tell us how you drive now, including your weekly rental if you rent.
- An agent calls you and works through the numbers with you. Ask every question you have.
- Once you know your start date with Detour, give your current owner or fleet the notice your agreement asks for. You do the talking. Detour does not contact your current owner or fleet.
- Settle anything you owe them, and get any deposit back in writing.
- Line up your last day with them and your first day with Detour, so you do not lose a week on the road.
Know your numbers before you give notice. The conversation goes better when you already know what you are moving to.
Mistakes to avoid
- Leaving before you have a start date. A week without a car is a week without income.
- Leaving debts behind. They follow you, and they make the first weeks harder.
- Comparing only the weekly amount. Compare what is included, too.
- Moving in a hurry because of one bad week. Make the decision on a normal week's numbers.
Not sure yet?
Ask Kairah, our assistant, on any page of the site, or speak to a person on WhatsApp. We would rather answer your questions than have you guess.
Your profile and your rating come with you.
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