I do almost no surge because i’m about 45 minutes away from Atlanta. However, i sit right behind a bar where i live thats just as busy as any bar in Atlanta. I usually catch 4 rides per hour (i ignore every non-bar request) and even though i only make $4-$6 on each one i do so many back to back that i do really well. Theres almost zero traffic after 9pm so i just zip around. Not bad for 20-25 hours a week. But Uber really should be paying AT LEAST $1.15 per mile
It depends entirely on your exact situation including other options and your location. But for most people I think the trend is for rideshare to be a $5 an hour gig. The days of making $15-$20 an hour with rideshare are rapidly sunsetting. Some lucky ones can still do it but it seems oversaturation, UberPool, and lower rates have taken a toll.
I agree that “Worth it” is driver dependent. My worse night of driving, minimal surges and minimal select rides, i can usually net $20 an hour still. On a good night, i can creep up to $30/hr
An outstanding night with great tips, i can get close to $40/hr
Outstanding nights dont happen every time out, but enough to balance things out.
In general, it’s a bottom of the barrel job, that should be approached with realistic, low expectations. If it fits your specific situation, or you are an outlier with unusual success, it’s worth considering as a part-time gig.
If you mean full time, then only a few locations, Palm Springs is not one of them. It works for part time income, driving during peak hours but only if you enjoy it. You will not get a fat wallet.
I have no clue how full-time drivers are able to make ends meet doing rideshare. I only do it as a part-time gig and I struggle to get pings.
This is a part-time, seasonal side-gig in my opinion. It’s not a substitute for a full-time job with benefits. I’ll drive as long as it’s profitable for me. Have to treat your driving like it’s a business.
I was out driving twice a week, I have a minimum set goal of rides per day and I try my best to attain it. I check the riders app (both lyft and Uber) on a separate phone and now I got a very clear idea where most ping generates any given time of the day.
Meaning my federal refund was twice as much after my W2 for my full-time job was entered. After entering uber/lyft income from the 1099k, the refund went down about 450 bucks.
I live in a city full of kickbacks, where people fly in with wads of cash to burn and good tipping is common. I can make almost anybody laugh, and I have a lot of great advice for tourists that will save them money. As a result, I get tipped maybe 30% of the time. And for me, it is an ok, far from great, job. I’m still improving, however.
A problem for me is I have a decent car, but not at XL/Select level. So I’m losing several K a year grinding it down. Points being, you need to be some balance of being probably in the 80th percentile grossers and having a car that suits the job. Someone out there is a 99th percentile grosser in a 2008 Prius. And he makes a middle class living.
You didn’t do it right then. If you don’t know how to do taxes, you really should let a professional tax service that is familiar with ride share or even taxis do your return. I would say that in most markets in the US, you lost money. I use turbo tax, it takes your through your return step by step, but if you didn’t know that ubers commission, booking fees, airport fees, toll fees, business lic, tnc lic, vehicle inspection ect were deductible, you shouldn’t do your taxes by yourself.
If you say so, remember, I’m driving Select as well. Outstanding nights usually involve getting at least 2 Select rides going a solid 30+ miles at $2 a mile + tip and catching good surges at bar closing… plus tip. If you aren’t getting tips, it’s you.
I work 6 hours a day, starting at 10am and finishing around 4pm. I pick up a few pax in the am…switch to uber eats during the lunch rush local to my home and finish my day with a few more pax rides. My interaction with the pax is professional…I choose to do business hours and ask everyone what they do for work…lawyers, doctors, engineers…overall a good mix of white collar workers.
I’m doing it because I got laid off and so while I look for another job I am doing this in the meantime to have some income. For me it’s not going to be a long-term job. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with doing Uber and I don’t get why people criticize it so much. It isn’t mean to be a full-time career.
Yup. I completely understand anyone who does it FT to cross a bridge. I also never really understand why people criticize it so heavily. It’s not even marketed as a FT gig, but something as extra income. Anybody who does it full time would end up feeling salty about it because it’s not geared to benefit a FT gig.
I just heard a commercial for it this morning on the radio and one of the things the ad said was that it’s the “ultimate side-gig”. Uber does not market being a driver as a full-time career, yet some people think it should be a full-time permanent job and then complain about how little money they make. I don’t get it.