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Old 06-21-2018, 06:12 PM
 
Location: Spain
12,722 posts, read 7,533,782 times
Reputation: 22633

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Quote:
Originally Posted by J746NEW View Post
This is because there are a lot of desperate people thanks to Globalism that will do anything to survive.
Hopefully the government brings the hammer down on Uber and shuts them down.
They are cockroaches.
I know exactly one person who drives for Uber and he's comfortably retired in Sarasota FL, does it occasionally when he's got time on his hands because he likes driving, talking to people, and gets extra beer money.

You labeling him "desperate" says a lot about how naive you are.
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Old 11-13-2018, 04:55 PM
 
3,532 posts, read 6,407,615 times
Reputation: 1648
Quote:
Originally Posted by SAAN View Post
Every where I look, I see a Uber or Lyft stickers on a car and many of them are very nice. Ive always wondered why so many people would put their nice cars through the ringers for pennies on the dollar.

I know it beats working for McDonalds for $8hr and you make your own schedule, but with the extra cost of insurance, wear and tear, more maintenance and not even knowing who you will be picking up now, does this show a different state of our economy where so many are willing to do this?
Is it Worth it?
This is what I can tell you. YOU HAVE TO PUT IN THE TIME and probably work 7 days a week in order to net at least $1500 after factoring in cost of gas and taking out your own taxes. Me saying doesn't mean you have to work every day for 8 hours because there are some days when depending on the city, a typical driver can get long trips averaging $30-$80.

When I started driving for Lyft, they were paying out a $500 after giving 100 rides within 30 days. After grossing $1800 my first week, I was thinking maybe this was beginner's luck.

I work in the Los Angeles and San Diego markets being that I live in a burb sandwiched between both cities. How did I gross $1800 my first week? I started my week off average 10-14 rides/day that first week and hit that goal by the 9th day of starting while grossing $1300 just in rides and earning the $500 bonus. After factoring in gas and taxes, I netted $1300.

This is where some people aren't willing to put in the time. I worked right after my day job ended, starting at 3 Monday through Friday and ending my shift as late as 2 AM on Friday and Saturday nights ONLY to take advantage of the surge peak prices paid out to drivers.

I am sorta in good situation because I live 40 miles from my day job, so this allows me to make money to and from work.

Once Lyft allowed drivers to use this destination filter feature allowing drivers to pick up riders on our ways to our destinations, I tried it. To my benefit, I have been able to get long trips heading to my day job that actually is paying for my gas to and from work.

Do I get long trips daily to my day job and from my job, no. But what I noticed and I am sure other drivers can attest to this, the algorithm in the app learns our ride acceptance behavior. The app has a feature that allows drives to set an earning goal for the week too. I have set it, and to my surprise I typically reach my earnings goal or be about $100 off of my goal.

Wear and tear on your car.
This is where you have to be willing to pay for prepaid maintenance if you want to drive for the long haul. I have always paid for the prepaid maintenance on my car because of the distance and miles I rake up anyway on my way to work. That helps with the cost when I have to get my car services. My car is a hybrid so I can drive up to 500 miles on one tank of gas. I typically burn a half of tank a day. A really good high mileage brand of tires that wears well on your particular model car is a must since not all tires are best for high mileage driving.

With all of that said, the cost of gas for me is as high as $200-$240 a week and as low as $140. Taking that into consideration as well as the taxes I have to take out for the week and how many days a week I drive. I net during a low week $700 a week to as high as $1300, especially when I work late on Friday and Saturday nights when surge prices happen.
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Old 11-14-2018, 03:58 AM
 
5,730 posts, read 10,107,084 times
Reputation: 8052
Quote:
Originally Posted by LoriNJ View Post
Mr. Money Mustache reported on his experience driving for Uber. It's worth a read: Mr. Money Mustache, UBER Driver
Yep.

Many businesses take advantage of people who are bad at (or don't even do the) math.
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Old 11-19-2018, 07:23 PM
 
7,934 posts, read 8,569,155 times
Reputation: 5889
Quote:
Originally Posted by lieqiang View Post
I saw a pretty detailed analysis someone did driving for Uber (he calculated gas, maintenance, insurance, etc.) and it came out to $12/hour gross and about $9.50/hour net after expenses.

Good money? Hell no. However that's for a pretty comfortable work environment and a low barrier for entry as long as you're car is okay. One could make a reasonable case that $9.50/hour sitting in your air conditioned car is a lot better deal than stocking shelves on your hands and knees, doing landscaping in the sun, or telemarketing all day to people who hate you.
Lol, you consider fighting traffic all day and dealing with idiots a "comfortable work environment?" Take it from someone who's been there and done that...it's a rough way to make a living. (I drove taxi in NY city for a spell.) Even little things like where to go to the bathroom are a PITA.

You're better off getting a crappy $10-12/hr "regular job" where they pay you on a W-2 and your taxes are taken out and filing is a piece of cake at the end of the year.
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Old 11-21-2018, 07:57 AM
 
20,955 posts, read 8,629,930 times
Reputation: 14050
Quote:
Originally Posted by lieqiang View Post
I know exactly one person who drives for Uber and he's comfortably retired in Sarasota FL, does it occasionally when he's got time on his hands because he likes driving, talking to people, and gets extra beer money.

You labeling him "desperate" says a lot about how naive you are.
I know a millionaire who drives for them too.

But I think you are missing the point. These folks are not doing it for money. BUT, 90% or more of the drivers ARE.

That's quite simple.

Your friend and mine are effectively doing volunteer work for tips. Of course, the more miles they drive the more chance of them ending up injured in a crash too, putting even the volunteer aspect of it in question as to the intelligence of doing so...

But, never the less, the OP is still real and correct. Those who are doing it to earn money - the vast majority - are NOT actually earning money, they just think they are.
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Old 11-21-2018, 07:59 AM
 
20,955 posts, read 8,629,930 times
Reputation: 14050
Quote:
Originally Posted by lieqiang View Post
I saw a pretty detailed analysis someone did driving for Uber (he calculated gas, maintenance, insurance, etc.) and it came out to $12/hour gross and about $9.50/hour net after expenses.

Good money? Hell no. However that's for a pretty comfortable work environment and a low barrier for entry as long as you're car is okay. One could make a reasonable case that $9.50/hour sitting in your air conditioned car is a lot better deal than stocking shelves on your hands and knees, doing landscaping in the sun, or telemarketing all day to people who hate you.
Not sure where you live, but around here jobs like you mention are often starting at about $14 an hour - AND, they often come with benefits, making the actual pay higher. Social Security match? Check. Medicare match? Check. Some have many more benefits.

Our local coffee shops starts employees at $15.50 plus benefits.
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Old 11-22-2018, 11:52 PM
 
Location: Spain
12,722 posts, read 7,533,782 times
Reputation: 22633
Quote:
Originally Posted by UrbanAdventurer View Post
Lol, you consider fighting traffic all day and dealing with idiots a "comfortable work environment?" Take it from someone who's been there and done that...it's a rough way to make a living. (I drove taxi in NY city for a spell.) Even little things like where to go to the bathroom are a PITA.
Well yeah, you're sitting down in a climate controlled environment. I have no idea why you think Uber drivers have trouble finding somewhere to go to the bathroom, they aren't getting dispatched and it's their time to do whatever they need to do.


Quote:
Originally Posted by UrbanAdventurer View Post
You're better off getting a crappy $10-12/hr "regular job" where they pay you on a W-2 and your taxes are taken out and filing is a piece of cake at the end of the year.
You might be, but not everyone prefers a crappy regular job to driving around in their car.
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Old 11-22-2018, 11:57 PM
 
Location: Spain
12,722 posts, read 7,533,782 times
Reputation: 22633
Quote:
Originally Posted by craigiri View Post
But I think you are missing the point. These folks are not doing it for money. BUT, 90% or more of the drivers ARE.
Prove it. You tend to spout a lot of things that either don't stand up to scrutiny and you either end up ignoring requests for a source or attempt to completely change the direction of the discussion. Where is the survey on what percentage of Uber drivers are doing it because they need that money?

Hell I'm still waiting on these mysterious zip codes you claimed to have been looking at that had no gains in home prices over the past two decades.


Quote:
Originally Posted by craigiri View Post
But, never the less, the OP is still real and correct. Those who are doing it to earn money - the vast majority - are NOT actually earning money, they just think they are.
Again, prove it. There are lots of studies that attempt to calculate their net earnings and their conclusions are all over the place, the last one I read was quite exhaustive and came up with $8/hour.
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Old 11-26-2018, 09:48 AM
 
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
44,331 posts, read 80,658,912 times
Reputation: 57341
Quote:
Originally Posted by lieqiang View Post
Prove it. You tend to spout a lot of things that either don't stand up to scrutiny and you either end up ignoring requests for a source or attempt to completely change the direction of the discussion. Where is the survey on what percentage of Uber drivers are doing it because they need that money?

Hell I'm still waiting on these mysterious zip codes you claimed to have been looking at that had no gains in home prices over the past two decades.



Again, prove it. There are lots of studies that attempt to calculate their net earnings and their conclusions are all over the place, the last one I read was quite exhaustive and came up with $8/hour.
Even $8 an hour is money that they wouldn't have had otherwise. It's certainly not enough to live on in most places where ride sharing is used, but it is additional income for people that have a regular job or retirement income to go along with it. There are other, easier and more effective ways to make money on the side, however.
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