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Uber and Lyft drivers average somewhere around $17/hour. Do you even know what the term 'gravy train' means?
Quote:
Originally Posted by oceangaia
How much were they making before rideshare?
Irrelevant.
Because 'riding the gravy train' does not mean 'making more than before'.
I once had a paper route. Then I turned 16 and got a job flipping burgers at McDonald's. The latter paid more than the former. I was never under the delusion that making Big Macs was therefore 'riding the gravy train'. Because, you know... it wasn't.
Because 'riding the gravy train' does not mean 'making more than before'.
I once had a paper route. Then I turned 16 and got a job flipping burgers at McDonald's. The latter paid more than the former. I was never under the delusion that making Big Macs was therefore 'riding the gravy train'. Because, you know... it wasn't.
To make an excessive amount of money for little work.
It's still relative to the skills required for the work and the alternative options. $200k/yr might be excessive for a guy mowing the grass but not for a surgeon transplanting hearts. A person who was performing hard labor for $10/hr might consider making $17/hr for sitting in a car to be gravy. Relative to most alternative options requiring no skills, it's easy money.
I do rideshare in retirement, I took a year off during the pandemic before I was vaxed and delivered for UberEats and Grub Hub. I drive about 30 hours a week, this varies but that's the average. Let me clarify a few things as there is a lot of false info in this thread already.
With regard to tipping delivery drivers, at least for the year that I did it, they mostly all tip. You get an "offer" which tells you where to go and how much the pay will be, including tip. The minimum offer is 2.50, they are rare but that means no tip. You simply pass on the offer and wait for a better one. Only the rookies or the idiots would bother with a deliver that pays 2.50. My limit was $10, most of them paid about $13. A few a night paid over $20, a few times I got over $30, and obviously that is mostly all tip. But delivery does not pay as well as rideshare, and of course the window for earning hours is much smaller. It's pretty much limited to 5-9 where I can get ride share rides at any time of the day, even from home and I live in a rural area.
The issue with delivery drivers is they are completely unaware that their personal insurance will not cover this driving. And every insurance company has access to the info that tells them if the driver was driving for one of these gigs. I drove for an entire year after my agent incorrectly told me my business insurance to cover the gaps Lyft and Uber insurance has in between rides covers driving for Grubhub and Door Dash. It does not, only Uber Eats has insurance. So after I learned that I immediately stopped and returned to rideshare as I had already been vaccinated by then. I try to tell this to drivers I meet but they seem unconcerned, they are convinced their "good insurance" will cover them and it is simply not true. Such a shame some will find out the hard way, I've stopped trying to educate them. They're on their own now.
Regarding rideshare no ride will pay $2. The minimum is 3.75, if you reach certain levels you will see the length of the ride. If it's 12 minutes away and a 3 minute ride that is not profitable so you have the option to pass.
I too have read the articles claiming this is a minimum wage job and after 3 years I can tell you it is simply not true. I run mine as a business, I keep track of everything very well. I average $22/hour driving when and where i feel like it. If I had interest in working the late nights I could do much better. But no, I take them to the bars and let the others deal with them when they are ready to leave. On a typical night I average about $125-$150 ( I don't go home before $125) in roughly 6-7 hours using 6-8 gallons of gas. If you record all the business miles you are entitled to deduct you pay virtually no income or FICA taxes. So that $22/hour is more like $28-$30/hour with that savings.
Of course there are expenses to consider, specifically gas, repairs and replacement of the vehicle. This is offset a bit by the tax savings. But those are real cost that is factored into my business plan. You need the right car, in my case an older Civic which is not depreciating at the rate of a newer car, gets good gas mileage, low repair costs and goes for 250,000 miles. I put away $ each week for a replacement car, the gas and repairs I can take care of from my earnings.
Of course all drivers are talking about the gas prices. If that means more drivers drop out that would be good for me. But no I don't see a "major portion" of drivers leaving over fuel costs, nobody in my rideshare group has talked about quitting. As I said I average 6-8 gallons a night, with a dollar a gallon increase that mean I take home about $117 instead of $125. Not a deal breaker and if it becomes a problem literally one more ride pays the difference.
This is not a career. It pains me to see young people doing this full time, they brag about their tax savings and weekly earnings without considering that by paying no taxes that means they are not paying into Social Security and that will be a big deal when they are seniors. But they are not thinking long term, instead they post screen captures of their earnings. I saw a $2,700 week earlier today by a driver in my group so obviously this is not minimum wage job, even after expenses. Many of these drivers rent cars, they make enough to cover that cost, so they are not too concerned about the miles they are putting on the car. I don't which is why I am careful about how many miles I am driving even if they are deductible. But I'm not raising kids or paying rent/mortgage so I'm fine with the earnings and most of all the flexibility to work when and where I damned well feel like it.
Sorry but I routinely get 2.00 trips on Uber eats. Of course you expect a tip but it isn’t guaranteed. Perhaps this is not the same where you are but it is where I am. This is third world type wages. After 5 plus years I am done with Uber.
It's still relative to the skills required for the work and the alternative options. $200k/yr might be excessive for a guy mowing the grass but not for a surgeon transplanting hearts. A person who was performing hard labor for $10/hr might consider making $17/hr for sitting in a car to be gravy. Relative to most alternative options requiring no skills, it's easy money.
I don't know anyone who would consider $17/hr an excessive amount of money. Yes, it's much more than $10/hr, but it's still barely a livable wage. You're not buying a house, going on lavish vacation, or retiring on $17/hr.
But my point is if gas goes to five dollars a gallon (which is predicted), and Uber keeps their pay scale the same it is a recipe for disaster for Uber. I don’t like the look of this and I have turned off my app for now.
I am surprise its the gas price. How exactly do they make money when the revenue has to be split between the app company, the restaurant, and the delivery boy? Someone is not getting paid fairly then. Before if you want delivery, it just the restaurant, and the delivery boy that had to get paid. Now add in the app company.
I am surprise its the gas price. How exactly do they make money when the revenue has to be split between the app company, the restaurant, and the delivery boy? Someone is not getting paid fairly then. Before if you want delivery, it just the restaurant, and the delivery boy that had to get paid. Now add in the app company.
Yep, it is more convoluted these days. On one hand, the Uber app helps keep drivers busy. On the other hand they get their ”take”. It seemingly is a 3rd party that takes part of your income, but it also provides volume for drivers. It is a fragile system and it depends on how many customers will continue to use the app. I am uncertain if these type of deliveries will have a long shelf life. Gas prices are just one complication.
Yep, it is more convoluted these days. On one hand, the Uber app helps keep drivers busy. On the other hand they get their ”take”. It seemingly is a 3rd party that takes part of your income, but it also provides volume for drivers. It is a fragile system and it depends on how many customers will continue to use the app. I am uncertain if these type of deliveries will have a long shelf life. Gas prices are just one complication.
I doubt the volume increased thanks to Ubereats, or door dash and the like. Its not like the invented food delivery. Even before them their was Seamless, and Grubhub except those two not have delivery boys.
If customers wanted food delivered to them, they could just pick up the phone and dial. Not much harder than pulling out your smartphone and interfacing.
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