[Interested in driving,] Any Uber drivers here?

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tennisplyr
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[Interested in driving,] Any Uber drivers here?

Post by tennisplyr »

I was thinking of maybe becoming a driver in my spare time--retired/66 yrs of age. Was wondering if anyone here is a Uber driver, if so, what are the pluses, minuses?
“Those who move forward with a happy spirit will find that things always work out.” -Retired 13 years 😀
kaneohe
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Re: Any Uber drivers here?

Post by kaneohe »

Valuethinker
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Re: Any Uber drivers here?

Post by Valuethinker »

tennisplyr wrote:I was thinking of maybe becoming a driver in my spare time--retired/66 yrs of age. Was wondering if anyone here is a Uber driver, if so, what are the pluses, minuses?
Safety would be the thing that worries me, knowing how many cab drivers get assaulted or robbed.

How does Uber handle that? Via the reputation score?
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JMacDonald
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Re: Any Uber drivers here?

Post by JMacDonald »

Valuethinker wrote:
tennisplyr wrote:I was thinking of maybe becoming a driver in my spare time--retired/66 yrs of age. Was wondering if anyone here is a Uber driver, if so, what are the pluses, minuses?
Safety would be the thing that worries me, knowing how many cab drivers get assaulted or robbed.

How does Uber handle that? Via the reputation score?
VT makes a good point. Check out this story and watch the video of an assault on an Uber driver here in SoCal last month: http://www.newsmax.com/TheWire/taco-bel ... id/700456/
Best Wishes, | Joe
RVosen
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Re: Any Uber drivers here?

Post by RVosen »

I've been driving for Uber for a little bit in my spare time. Overall I don't mind it but there are definitely some negatives with the positives.

Pluses
The schedule being able to work whenever you want.
The people you get to meet a lot of nice random people and talk for a bit on the drive
The income is nice for me it supplements my regular job income and I plan on driving next year and using the income I earn to make contributions to my Roth IRA
Surge pricing this is a rate they can charge that is higher than there normal rate when there is high demand for drivers which can lead to a really good hourly rate if you can drive. Depending on where you live it will typically be around a sporting event or late night around bar time

Negatives
Hard to calculate actual cost and wages. I seem to average around $14-$17/hour in take home but haven't figured out a good way to calculate the cost of gas, wear and tear on my car and taxes. Taxes are not taken out on your weekly payments since you are an "independent contractor"
The people while most are good people who just want a ride you will get the occasional obnoxious drunks and they can be in your car anytime of day not just late at night. Every now and then you also get the rider who thinks there better than you and talks down to you or overall is just rude which can make for an awkward ride. Both of these types people are pretty rare and at least for me have never been more than just an annoyance.
fishboat
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Re: Any Uber drivers here?

Post by fishboat »

Undoubtedly I'll learn some things in this thread, but I don't 'get' Uber. I've heard great reviews from users. I understand the Uber conceptual business model, I use a similar service-business model with dog care (dogvacay). What I don't get is all the licensing, regulation, commercial vehicle insurance.....etc... that's evolved and made legal over the years in the cab business and then Uber pops up and says, "..we're not going to bother with all that..we'll just enable people to wing it on their own time & vehicle.." I'm not sure how the end run is allowed...two entities are providing the same service..one has lots of regulation and one is just 'out there'. Also not sure if there's any real money to be made after all costs are rolled in (including wear & tear on the vehicle). Again..no doubt I'll learn something here..
ArmchairArchitect
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Re: Any Uber drivers here?

Post by ArmchairArchitect »

fishboat, you're way off. Uber is fully insured and covers all drivers, with insurance limits higher than most states/cities require. All drivers have driver's licenses, and undergo extensive background checks.

Any requirements beyond that are protectionism for an entrenched industry with high prices (due to ridiculous medallion costs) and poor service. Glad Uber is presenting a good alternative. If fact, DUIs have decreased in many areas precisely because young people can actually afford Uber to get around versus driving.

It's about Consumer Choice. If you don't like it, don't use it.
ddurrett896
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Re: Any Uber drivers here?

Post by ddurrett896 »

I got 2 free Uber rides (<$30) thru my credit card and used one this past weekend.

Dropped my parents off at a Christmas party and they needed to get picked up around midnight. We decided to try the free ride on the way home. Since they were using my account, I received the notifications to my phone. Driver, vehicle, tag number and a map showing the route. I was able to track their ride home in real-time...I'm impressed!

Now if only they made something similar to this so I could see where my kids bus is!
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simplesimon
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Re: Any Uber drivers here?

Post by simplesimon »

ddurrett896 wrote:Now if only they made something similar to this so I could see where my kids bus is!
Only available in the Bay Area for now: https://shuddle.us/
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triceratop
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Re: Any Uber drivers here?

Post by triceratop »

RVosen wrote:I've been driving for Uber for a little bit in my spare time. Overall I don't mind it but there are definitely some negatives with the positives.
...
Negatives
Hard to calculate actual cost and wages. I seem to average around $14-$17/hour in take home but haven't figured out a good way to calculate the cost of gas, wear and tear on my car and taxes. Taxes are not taken out on your weekly payments since you are an "independent contractor"
The people while most are good people who just want a ride you will get the occasional obnoxious drunks and they can be in your car anytime of day not just late at night. Every now and then you also get the rider who thinks there better than you and talks down to you or overall is just rude which can make for an awkward ride. Both of these types people are pretty rare and at least for me have never been more than just an annoyance.
Could you possibly share what the gross hourly rate was, approximately? And that this is really W-2 income able to fund a Roth? Through my current employment I have no earned income (so no Roth IRA money) or a 401(k). I have been considering becoming an Uber driver to fund my Roth (I don't actually need the funds, only the earned income status). It would be nice to factor into my calculations and decisions.
"To play the stock market is to play musical chairs under the chord progression of a bid-ask spread."
mikep
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Re: Any Uber drivers here?

Post by mikep »

We used 2 free rides with capital one x2 since my wife was authorized user. 3 rides cost $0 and it was great getting around NYC that way instead of the subway with 4-5 people. Haven't used it for a paid ride yet.
fishboat
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Re: Any Uber drivers here?

Post by fishboat »

ArmchairArchitect wrote: It's about Consumer Choice. If you don't like it, don't use it.
Thanks so much for the schooling..Merry Christmas.

OP, Speaking of schooling..there's lots of interesting reading on the following forum: http://uberpeople.net/
Interesting threads. It appears many people are learning lots about capitalism. I'm heading into retirement in a few days..I think this is one "opportunity" I'll let slip by me.
pshonore
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Re: Any Uber drivers here?

Post by pshonore »

ArmchairArchitect wrote:fishboat, you're way off. Uber is fully insured and covers all drivers, with insurance limits higher than most states/cities require. All drivers have driver's licenses, and undergo extensive background checks.

Any requirements beyond that are protectionism for an entrenched industry with high prices (due to ridiculous medallion costs) and poor service. Glad Uber is presenting a good alternative. If fact, DUIs have decreased in many areas precisely because young people can actually afford Uber to get around versus driving.

It's about Consumer Choice. If you don't like it, don't use it.
Its also about following laws. If you don't like the laws, get them changed. Just don't decide, they don't apply to you. Air BnB is another good example. Would you enjoy having the house next to you turned into a transient hotel?
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Traveller
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Re: Any Uber drivers here?

Post by Traveller »

Not a driver, but I am a frequent consumer of uber.

In larger cities, the drivers tend to be commercial drivers and you pretty much get the same experience as with a black car or taxi, just more convenient due to app, cost, cashless transaction, etc.

In smaller cities, I love talking to the drivers. I was in Salt Lake City last week and my driver was a retiree who has been driving for uber for 8 months. He loved it. Said the money was OK, schedule flexibility was awesome, and he was having a ball meeting interesting people and driving all around (and talking about) the town he grew up in. He said he has only had a few bad riders (drunk, rude, etc) but he said he didn't drive very late into the evening.
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ClevrChico
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Re: Any Uber drivers here?

Post by ClevrChico »

I'm researched it only out of interest.

https://www.quora.com/Uber-Drivers-and- ... ivers-make

It sounds like a hard way to make money. After wear and tear, minimum wage may even be difficult.
swl
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Re: Any Uber drivers here?

Post by swl »

fishboat wrote:Undoubtedly I'll learn some things in this thread, but I don't 'get' Uber. I've heard great reviews from users. I understand the Uber conceptual business model, I use a similar service-business model with dog care (dogvacay). What I don't get is all the licensing, regulation, commercial vehicle insurance.....etc... that's evolved and made legal over the years in the cab business and then Uber pops up and says, "..we're not going to bother with all that..we'll just enable people to wing it on their own time & vehicle.." I'm not sure how the end run is allowed...two entities are providing the same service..one has lots of regulation and one is just 'out there'. Also not sure if there's any real money to be made after all costs are rolled in (including wear & tear on the vehicle). Again..no doubt I'll learn something here..
I think Uber is governed by livery laws, not taxi ones, since they technically cannot pick up random fares and must be requested beforehand (like a towncar / limo). They just made the pre-request part stupidly easy / short via a smartphone app.
miles monroe
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Re: Any Uber drivers here?

Post by miles monroe »

Valuethinker wrote:
tennisplyr wrote:I was thinking of maybe becoming a driver in my spare time--retired/66 yrs of age. Was wondering if anyone here is a Uber driver, if so, what are the pluses, minuses?
Safety would be the thing that worries me, knowing how many cab drivers get assaulted or robbed.

How does Uber handle that? Via the reputation score?
would that really be an issue (don't know, just asking)?

a taxi driver carries cash and picks up annonymous strangers.

uber picks up passengers via an app and thus can be tracked. plus, aren't all the fares paid via credit card thru the app?
miles monroe
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Re: Any Uber drivers here?

Post by miles monroe »

i don't have any issues with uber -- but if i owned a taxi company that paid 6 figures for a medallion i sure would. i don't understand why or how uber gets away with that. of course the answer is to do away with medallions but until that happens...
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Kenkat
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Re: Any Uber drivers here?

Post by Kenkat »

How does insurance on your personal vehicle work? Do you carry personal insurance for when you are using your vehicle for personal use and commercial insurance for when you are driving for Uber?
stainlessworks
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Re: Any Uber drivers here?

Post by stainlessworks »

I know a guy who used to work for my employer who now drives for Uber. He said he makes around $40-$65k a year (pay based on hours you put in). For him, the pros were being able to hang out with his family during day when he wants. He sets his weekday hours to 11am - 1pm and 7pm -11pm and works weekends from 5pm - 3am. It works out for him because he works in Atlanta which is a huge city. The only thing he doesn't like is the risk of picking up a serial killer at 2am, but he comes prepared in case that is a possibility - as well as any arising zombie issues. He is retired military and is in his mid 50s I believe.
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N1CKV
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Re: Any Uber drivers here?

Post by N1CKV »

I wouldn't mind being a driver, but I don't think my vehicle would allow me to be profitable.

On the other hand, if they would get something going nationwide like an Uber for trucks... I could probably make a decent amount moving stuff around for people that need to move big things. There is basically an "Uber for Trucks" in California/ Oregon area I believe.
RVosen
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Re: Any Uber drivers here?

Post by RVosen »

triceratop wrote:
RVosen wrote:I've been driving for Uber for a little bit in my spare time. Overall I don't mind it but there are definitely some negatives with the positives.
...
Negatives
Hard to calculate actual cost and wages. I seem to average around $14-$17/hour in take home but haven't figured out a good way to calculate the cost of gas, wear and tear on my car and taxes. Taxes are not taken out on your weekly payments since you are an "independent contractor"
The people while most are good people who just want a ride you will get the occasional obnoxious drunks and they can be in your car anytime of day not just late at night. Every now and then you also get the rider who thinks there better than you and talks down to you or overall is just rude which can make for an awkward ride. Both of these types people are pretty rare and at least for me have never been more than just an annoyance.
Could you possibly share what the gross hourly rate was, approximately? And that this is really W-2 income able to fund a Roth? Through my current employment I have no earned income (so no Roth IRA money) or a 401(k). I have been considering becoming an Uber driver to fund my Roth (I don't actually need the funds, only the earned income status). It would be nice to factor into my calculations and decisions.
I'm by no means an expert or anything with Uber so someone else might be able to offer better information. I've made only around $800 this year and pretty much just thought I would try it and winged it. As far as contributing to a Roth I just have a weekly contribution linked to my bank account through my finical advisor. So the weekly contribution is made no matter what and I just try to make a certain amount of money through Uber during the week to make the contribution and cover estimated cost of wear and tear as well as taxes.

As far as an example as what I earn I drove 3.77 hours last Saturday during some busy hours and earned a payout of $68.59.
fh2000
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Re: Any Uber drivers here?

Post by fh2000 »

Uber drivers that I used are all very polite. I can sense their job opportunities are limited somewhat. One driver was a doctor from a different country, but in US, he had to put food on the table doing whatever he can. Uber is one of the sure ways to get him situated, so he is doing it.

I tipped him for his dedication to his family and life in a new country even though it is not required.
sambb
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Re: Any Uber drivers here?

Post by sambb »

love uber
cabs are sort of like newspapers to me - from an era in the past, that is long over in some circles
über is nice and trackable
every experience won't be perfect, but overall prefer uber to a cab anytime
there will be negatives of course
nothing perfect
tim1999
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Re: Any Uber drivers here?

Post by tim1999 »

Uber really has been a godsend in my area, which is notoriously horrible for getting a taxi. One company controls the market, and they couldn't really give a crap about good service. Waits of 2 hours for a 10 minute trip are not uncommon, and that's if you get lucky and the driver actually shows up. When they do show up, it's usually in a 10 year old retired police car with 300,000 miles on it and years of grime in the interior. The driver usually doesn't talk to you unless it's to yell at you for demanding a route they don't like. If you ask for change, they claim they don't have any, to trick you into giving them a $20 for a $12 fare. With Uber I can have a trustworthy driver in a quality car show up in less than 5 minutes. The taxi company's market is soon going to be limited to the elderly who can't drive and who don't or can't use technology like the Uber app. Our local airport doesn't have any restrictions against Uber picking up or dropping off as well. There are Uber drivers who will wait in the "cell phone lot" during periods when several flights will be landing around the same time.

I've been surprised at how nice some of the vehicles used by Uber drivers are. Last weekend a guy probably in his late 20s picked me up in a spotless 2-3 year old BMW 535i. Maybe doing Uber helps him afford the car.

I know its not required, but if they give good service, I usually tip the driver a couple bucks.
August
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Re: Any Uber drivers here?

Post by August »

I was wondering how insurance would work on the car too. I believe a personal policy has exclusions for using the car for hire or being paid to drive the car, so I imagine a commercial policy would be needed. I also know they have a requirement that you have a car that is less than a few years old, but do not know for sure. I would certainly take into account commercial auto insurance, wear and tear, and gas prices in your area into your projected income.
jlawrence01
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Re: Any Uber drivers here?

Post by jlawrence01 »

August wrote:I was wondering how insurance would work on the car too. I believe a personal policy has exclusions for using the car for hire or being paid to drive the car, so I imagine a commercial policy would be needed. I also know they have a requirement that you have a car that is less than a few years old, but do not know for sure. I would certainly take into account commercial auto insurance, wear and tear, and gas prices in your area into your projected income.

I recently renewed my auto insurance in October and yes, there was an exclusion for the vehicle's usage as a taxi or for Uber/Lyft.
westie
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Re: Any Uber drivers here?

Post by westie »

$20/$25 an hour to turn your vehicle into a cab?.....you could make that much delivering pizzas. That's a tough way to make some money.
IowaFarmBoy
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Re: Any Uber drivers here?

Post by IowaFarmBoy »

Insurance is complicated for ridesharing companies and drivers. Personal auto policies understandably exclude commercial activities because of the higher risk. Generally, Uber drivers will have personal policies for personal use and Uber provides coverage for the Uber use but there are some gaps and potential problems.

You can think of your driving as 4 different types:

Not Logged In To Uber(personal driving): Your personal policy applies.

Logged in but still waiting for a rider request: This is the ugly one. Your personal policy won't cover. In the past, Uber wouldn't cover. Now they cover but only for liability (damage caused to others by your action) limits of $50k per person/ $100k total for all persons in the accident /$25k for damage to the other party's vehicle. These limits are pretty low. There doesn't appear to be any coverage for damage to your own car. Also, this coverage is secondary to your personal policy so Uber's policy will only pay if your personal policy doesn't. Auto insurance companies are beginning to respond to this need by offering coverage with either new policies or riders to cover this.

En route to picking up a rider: Uber provides $1 million in liability coverage and $1 million in uninsured/underinsured coverage. Uber provides comprehensive and collision coverage with a $1000 deductible if the driver's personal policy provides comp and collision coverage.

Actually transporting the rider: same as the En Route coverage above.

My opinion is that Uber's coverage once you are en route to picking up a fare or actually transporting the fare isn't too bad but I could see cases where a million isn't enough. The coverage for when the driver is logged in but doesn't have a rider request yet is too low. If I were to drive for Uber, I would definitely look into supplementing my personal policy with ridesharing coverage in whatever form was available.

Also, I believe I pulled the above limits from the most recent Uber site, but please verify them yourself and don't rely on this information in making a decision.
Last edited by IowaFarmBoy on Fri Dec 25, 2015 6:13 am, edited 1 time in total.
cbeck
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Re: Any Uber drivers here?

Post by cbeck »

Here in Bangkok Uber has been transformational for us. The taxicabs are regarded as too dangerous to use by women. There are stories of attacks by cab drivers including a video that was circulating a while ago showing a cabbie attacking his customer with a samurai sword.

The Uber drivers, by contrast, are middle-class people who own a car. Coupled with the fact that the driver and his car are identifiable, Uber cars are widely regarded here as safe enough for single women to ride. This has made the city a lot more accessible for my wife, for example. I myself have found the Uber drivers on the whole more friendly and willing to engage in conversation.

It's hard to see how the drivers here earn enough to make it worthwhile, but they seem content probably because they don't expect to amortize the cost of the vehicle through their driving business. I am not sure that insurance is adequate, but then everything in Thailand is at the customer's sole risk anyway.
cbeck
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Re: Any Uber drivers here?

Post by cbeck »

miles monroe wrote:i don't have any issues with uber -- but if i owned a taxi company that paid 6 figures for a medallion i sure would. i don't understand why or how uber gets away with that. of course the answer is to do away with medallions but until that happens...
Of course all companies would like to be monopolies with control over pricing and would eagerly pay large fees to assure such control whether in the nature of patents, licenses, kickbacks, price-fixing or other methods.. But you, as a consumer, have a legitimate interest, which should be protected by law, in competition between providers. The medallion licensing system in New York City transformed the tax industry from owner drivers to employees of large companies because of the capital requirements of buying medallions. The service quality deteriorated during the same period as the native New Yorker drivers disappeared to be replaced by less-skilled foreign drivers with less knowledge of the city. The medallion system hardly benefited consumers.

Why would you sympathize with large corporations whose monopolies are threatened?
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Re: Any Uber drivers here?

Post by Alex Frakt »

Please stick to the OP's topic. Economic policy issues are off-topic here.
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Re: [Interested in driving,] Any Uber drivers here?

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