Love Uber. My 17yo D and 23 S both use it frequently. D has used it for several years. I like knowing who is picking her up, when she gets picked up and if I want I can monitor her progress. Plus, I do not have to worry about her having cash or CC on her to pay for it. I hate cabs. Hailing them is horrible, they are usually dirty and drivers are rude.
[Tales of UberMan](https://www.amazon.com/Tales-UberMan-journalist-shares-riders-ebook/dp/B01G8FDOTY/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1487737869&sr=1-5&keywords=tales+uber) is a good read, free if you have an Amazon Prime membership.
My friend who has two in college, drives for Uber because she could not find a job after trying to return to the workforce. She is making ends meet and then some!
True story: my neighbor uses Uber often for early flights to airport. One day, the city mayor picked her up! He drives as a side job before starting his day at city hall. I guess he’s as trustworthy as it gets, though she tries not to talk politics with him during the ride.
My husband started driving for uber recently. He is a 50 something ivy league former executive who is now stuck in that semi-retired but was in the hard to find work after 50 lay off situation followed by taking a way too stressful interim job. He likes uber a lot. Says it is the first job since he was a teen that he doesn’t agonize over at night. He is a real people person. The riders are the broadest range of people you can imagine from people who don’t have a car and need to get to a convenience store to buy cigarettes to guys doing massive M&A deals on the phone on the way to the airport. He has more “buzzed” riders than drunks.
He basically earns enough that w/ my salary we don’t have to tap into our 401K. Probably would make the same range working as a temp post man. We are basically at a place where neither of us really wants him to find a “real” job anymore. Total control over your work situation/hours.
D2’s first passengers were a family, off to Thanksgiving dinner, complete with the turkey and fixings.
Our neighbor, in his 30’s, is a driver. He’s a night owl and his wife isn’t. On the weekends when she and the kids go to bed, he will go out about 10-2 and Uber.
I take it, but am still uncomfortable when alone. I mean really…you are in a car with a strange man.
If I hail an Uber there is an electronic record of where I was picked up and by who. If I hail a cab on the street there is no record. Either way I’m in a car with a strange individual (not always a man - although I’ve had many more female Uber drivers than cab drivers). I prefer knowing that the driver knows they’re on record as having accepted me as a rider.
Any idea of what an Uber driver pulls in $$ wise?
I think that’s highly variable, depending on hours worked, area where the driver is driving, etc. Some work part time while others work full time.
Of course. I guess I’m curious about what the hourly net might average.
"Either way I’m in a car with a strange individual (not always a man - although I’ve had many more female Uber drivers than cab drivers)
I don’t use either that often, but I can’t reall ever having a female cab driver. I’ve had a few female Uber drivers. I also know 2 women who drive for Uber on a part-time basis.
I’ve also never had a female cab driver. So far, have never taken Uber or Lyft, but have had female shuttle drivers for hotels and car rental agencies.
Here are articles about how much Uber drivers really make. There are others if you search the web. It looks like many make varying amounts, depending on the area and competition, as well as how many hours they work.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2016/06/27/how-much-uber-drivers-actually-make-per-hour/?utm_term=.f5827cc5c9cd
http://www.idrivewithuber.com/how-much-do-uber-drivers-make/
http://www.businessinsider.com/how-much-money-uber-drivers-really-make-2014-7
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-fagin/life-as-an-uber-driver_b_4698299.html
Can depend on the actual times of day worked, holidays, etc, as well as the city. D2 never made enough to replace work, between jobs, but wasn’t working 40 hours at it. Imagine driving back an forth for 40 hours. Not every city ride is as much as 8 miles.
And of course Uber’s going to recruit drivers with tales of high median income.
I think it’s been said, but if you don’t feel comfortable riding with a stranger, then presumably you aren’t taking taxis or limos, either.
The Washington Post article I cited above is pretty interesting in analyzing how much Uber drivers make on average in several different cities. All of the articles I read indicate that Uber is overstating net income and the drivers are really not earning all that much on an hourly basis. They earn nothing driving to pick up fares and get no reimbursement for those miles.
Unlike many taxis, you don’t start and return to some base, between rides. Good Uber drivers know where to circulate, when, to be on the spot. When they, say, drop off at one spot, they can log back in to see if there’s a nearby rider there.
My neighbor told me it’s a 65/35 split. The driver gets 65, even with the upcharge.
The stories linked and others don’t seem to include wear & tear/depreciation of the vehicle in the costs associated. I would think that would be a significant cost eroding true net income.
I just signed on with Uber and turned the driver app on last night for two hours but didn’t get any requests. Its off season here where I live and not many people use Uber yet but the times that I have I was very impressed (Fort Lauderdale, Boston, and locally). I’ll have to figure out just where to “station” myself and what times are busy. Uber keeps 20%, drivers are paid 80%. Of course, you are 1099d, so my best calculation after listening to other drivers testimonials on Youtube and such is about 60% after taxes and expenses. Some people also tip in cash so there’s that too.
My main reason for signing up is to provide transportation to the thousands of J-1 workers who arrive here in May without vehicles and bike back and forth to work, sometimes 5 miles or more, sometimes in the dark, sometimes in the rain. Cabs are non-existent. There are five or six large resorts within 5 miles of me that employ tons of J-1 workers and I’m hoping it brings me $$.
I like Uber–mostly I use Uber Limo. My drivers were always very professional. The few times I used Uber X, I had bad experiences. The drivers didn’t know where they were going and while I wasn’t a resident of the city we were in, I have a good sense of direction and knew we were going far out of the way. In each instance I complained to Uber and Uber gave me a refund. Not sure that would happen with a cab.
Does Uber do background checks on its drivers? Do drivers need special licenses?
Everything you ever need to know in life they taught you in Kindergarten. DO NOT GET IN CARS WITH STRANGERS! How in the world this enterprise got of the ground is beyond me. The reason that Taxi’s are licensed is not to make stupid city regulations or make people rich, it was to protect the riders. There is way too much danger to this. Rider beware!