When you summon an Uber driver, you know what they look like, their name, and what their car looks like before they get there. You also know how many stars they’ve been rated.
While I assume it’s possible to kidnap an uber driver and take over his route, you’re going to know when you open the door that the face does not match.
You also get to rate them, and they get to rate you. It’s really different paradigm than taking taxis or limos. My only concern with them is whether or not they’ve been drinking/smoking pot when I get in the car. I’m assuming those people would not get 5 star ratings, but it’s not entirely possible to vet that.
“My only concern with them is whether or not they’ve been drinking/smoking pot when I get in the car.”
And you could have the same issue with any type of public transportation - taxi, bus driver, pilot, train conductor, etc. Yes, with some professions there is random testing, but it happens.
We used to use local limo services to provide transportation to an airport about an hour away but after a few very close calls (sleepy drivers) we gave up on that. This was before the technology with Uber/Lyft where you got whatever driver the limo company sent to you.
^^Yep. I agree. This particular point came up during a discussion between me and my husband with regards to the girls having their own cars on campus at some point, or Ubering everywhere. I’m in favor of their own vehicles, he’s pro-Uber for them. I’m going to win that one.
Of course, @MotherOfDragons, Uber would allow your children to partake in some college partying without worrying about providing their own transportation.
Sorry MassDaD68. When I get in a cab, I am getting into a car with a stranger. No one except I knows who they are. When I get an Uber, my family can easily look up who I rode with. I have allowed my 17yo D to use Uber for 2 years now. No way do I want her out there trying to hail a cab and then riding off with some sketchy guy. With Uber, I know where she gets picked up and who picked her up. And when the trip is completed.
Taxi drivers are strangers. Here, their licensing is a revenue issue to the city, not a top security clearance. I usually take one back from the train and though I live in a named part of town, an easy shot, I have to direct them. (It’s ridiculous, as they don’t even recognize the main cut-through streets.) The old days when they had to pass a geography test are gone.
If you wont ride with a stranger, are you always picked up by friends/family, say, at the airport or if your car is in the shop?
My girls used/use Uber regularly as the designated driver. All sorts of uses, even to a friend’s house. Another uses it when she works the late shift and doesn’t want to wait for a bus.
And when they “needed” a car on campus mine used ZipCars.
Based on our experience that isn’t the correct math. It has some things that don’t apply in all markets like sales tax and doesn’t account for surge pricing which if you time it correctly can be 3x the rate or for premiums for large size vehicles. Also, although I think that they are correct in that many people do not account for/realize the hit you take on miles/depreciation etc…but our analysis has been that the govt rate of .54 cents deductible expense is actually pretty generous, plus phone/internet etc. You actually do get tips too. Look, it’s not Bill Gates money but I estimate it’s gong to be in the mid-30’s this year which for semi-retired works for us.
I agree with much of the math in the video and it addresses the point I mentioned earlier - factoring in depreciation/wear &tear on your vehicle. One thing the video doesn’t address is that Uber drivers are deemed to be independent contractors and as such are required to pay both employee and employer portions of SS/FICA(assuming they finlike they shroud), don’t get insurance or other benefits, etc.
Yes, agree, @doschicos. Uber gets the money off the top and leaves the drivers to pay for all the benefits that often come with jobs, especially when folks work long hours. SS/FICA does add up, as do medical and auto insurance premiums, and certainly wear and tear on vehicles, especially when one drives a lot more than they would otherwise because they’re driving folks around.
My Uber driver this morning is a retired stock broker who lives in a nice neighborhood close to mine. He drives from 4 to 6 am (usually two airport runs) because he enjoys it and it gives him a little money for home maintenance, etc. he was interesting to talk to and he loves driving Uber. He said he gets $20 a trip.
This was true for me when I was a model, and I had to pay my taxes quarterly. If I’d had a bad quarter, I still had to pay some really egregious taxes based on what the government thought I should be earning. The quarter that Macy’s went bankrupt and stiffed me over 5 figures in pay was the deciding factor in me quitting the business, because the feast or famine was too onerous with regards to paying taxes.
I can see Uber being similar in that there are times where you’re going to make a lot more money-my H and his dad Ubered all over the place during the Superbowl in Houston, and he said the surge pricing was crazy and that the Uber drivers had their hands full. Feast!
I have had a couple of employees drive for Uber at night and weekends. In both cases (where I knew about it) the employee was in the lower third of their peer group in terms of performance. Both are great people who I would trust to drive me home (even though I had to terminate one of them). It is risky for all, but I don’t know that it is much more risky than taking a cab.
I signed up to drive for Uber when I was buying a new car last fall, because the manufacturer offered a $1K rebate to Uber drivers. (New car buying tip: many car brands offer one, you have to be approved to drive for Uber but don’t have to actually drive - the latest list, not inclusive of all possible deals - https://uber.app.box.com/s/x9uzxrahcrx96100gqa0g3vcosfu1keb ).
I didn’t really intend to drive, just get the rebate, but decided to try it out and I do like it. I added Lyft a bit ago and prefer that, but money-wise they are about the same. I don’t drive at night. Mostly airport, shopping, like that, a few hours a week depending on how busy my primary business is and how I feel.
