If you’ve been anywhere near a bar in the last few years, you’ve heard of services like Uber, where regular people get paid to drive their cars around like taxis. You might also have thought about becoming a driver. Here’s what you should consider first.
Photo by Alper Çuğun
Personal finance blog Studenomics has a detailed account of what its author Martin experienced after becoming an Uber driver for nearly a month. It’s a helpful look into what it’s like on the driver end of the experience if you’ve ever been curious about it. As you might expect, there are some unexpected benefits:
I know every single hot spot in Toronto.
If someone tells you that Toronto is boring, you need to tell this person that they’re a complete loser. I didn’t realise how lively this city is until I started driving. I know of every hot spot on every single night of the week. You discover places that you didn’t even think existed.
As Martin explains, half of the advantage to becoming an Uber driver is the people you get to meet. If you’re a networking type, being a driver could increase your chances at meeting people in your city. This is great, since the money may not be the best motivator:
So on a totally random (and chilly) Tuesday I was able to earn $164.17 in fares while putting in 4 hours and 48 minutes of work.
Here’s the catch. Uber gets 20%. So that means they get $32.83. So I get $131.34. Then you factor in your fuel. Oh yeah, and how could I forget? Taxes. Finally, Uber only calculates the distance for when you’re driving a passenger and not the distance/time you travel to pick up passengers.
If you can operate a calculator, you might notice that even after all those cuts, that $131.34 still comes out to around $27/hour, which isn’t too bad. However, as Martin points out, it’s not passive income. Nor is it without costs that accumulate in wear and tear on your car, opportunity costs, or fuel. (The exact percentages are likely to differ in Australia as well)
With ride sharing becoming an increasingly popular topic (for good and ill), it’s not unreasonable to ask yourself if there’s a way you can earn some extra cash with your car on the weekends or during your free time. While this isn’t a difficult answer to solve, Martin’s piece offers a lot of perspective on both the good and bad aspects of becoming a ride-sharing driver.
Is It Worth Driving For Uber? My Taxi Driver Confessions [Studenomics via Rockstar Finance]
Comments
One response to “When It’s Worth Driving For Services Like Uber (And When It’s Not)”
Biggest benefit of Uber is this:
Work when you want, as much or as little as you want.
Experience doesn’t matter, past references don’t matter, there’s no workplace discrimination, no other people in the office to “get along” with.
That’s really the biggest strength here. If you have a reasonable, newish car then it’s a great way to suppliment your income, have a second job, fill out some spare time etc. Especially if you live closer to the city centers.
I think it’s a great thing for students who need an evening/night job, mothers who can only work evenings after the husband comes home coz they have kids to look after, someone still at school… etc.
being able to work and earn an OK living on completely your own terms is a pretty big bonus.
I’m still on the fence about Uber. I would argue that it’s not completely on your own terms – Uber can change the terms of your employment as they like, deactivate your account, reduce your rates, increase their fees, impose additional terms, etc.
While it’s alright for people who casually want to earn a little extra cash, personally it’s not something I would want to make a living off.