Ytf,

An important fact I neglected to mention is that you should really heavily discount what people say about uber anyplace other than where you plan to drive. The opportunity is completely different in different markets.

Thanks, all.

Yea, some ****ty, others ****tier.

You don't hear a lot of good things from drivers. As a service I love using it, but feel i'm taking advantage of people now.

Plus the fact that Uber tries as hard as they can to act like an employer without any of the legal responsibilities behind it is really the scummiest of scum. I've only been able to communicate with mid level management but they all seem like a bunch of clueless, taken advantage of buffoons as well. Shadowy organization if you ask me. There'll be a class action eventually.

To second what Jmakin just said, I never actually spoke to someone from Uber. Usually any email you send to support takes at least a day for response. When they deactivated me, I was able to exchange four emails over the span of more than two weeks, and was never able to speak to the person responsible for the decision.

For those of you who are worried about the wear and tear on your car or who don't have a nice enough car for Uber, there are companies put there that rent out cars to uber drivers and they take a percentage of your fares. No idea how much they actually charge though.

Man, thinking about that plus paying Uber fees on top ... and sharecropping starts to look like a good idea in comparison.

Lyft sounds so much better

http://pando.com/2014/12/03/uber-vs-...-two-services/

I always use Uber now when going out to bars and back, super convenient. But on the driver-side it really doesn't seem to be enough money.

I'm not exactly sure how their pricing works since it always seems reasonable enough that I never looked into it, but one time at 8 in the morning a 2 mile trip that took 13 minutes charged me $26.00, and there was no surge warning before hand. Guess I should've estimated the fare since I've never taken it at that time.

So your car has to be less that 7 years old? I have an 07 Mercedes c class low miles/no scratchs dents pretty much in show room perfect shape and i wouldnt be able to join uber just simply by it being over the 7 years? Curious about this because it sounds like pretty simple way to make a little extra cash on the side.

Maybe different cities are different, but I know in Seattle, ten years was the cutoff.

Pretty weak article, IMO. Again, I'm no fan of Uber from an employer perspective, and have no experience with Lyft, but I think his points are exaggerated and really not that important.

I play poker professionally, and also uber as a way to have a guaranteed income during times of extended run bad.

I love it and average about 20$ an hour after everything.

It's also great to be able to not have to work if I'm not running bad.

Downsides are I live about 45 minutes from DC, which I like 1000% more and make 1.4x when I go to DC as opposed to locally or in Baltimore. Never had anyone too sketchy or that I didn't want to deal with. My rating is 4.83* which seems to be pretty high.

So you're a degen who doesn't work when he runs hot? Got it!

jesus christ--DC and baltimore have some pretty rough potential clients. detroit and maybe like memphis are the only places i can think of that would be worse.

if i were going to drive for uber, i would make hella business cards and hand them out all the time so eventually people would call me instead of uber, but i guess that's only if you decide to go the serious route. i would also offer to show people my huge weener for extra mobnies.

I think it's highly location dependant. If your city has a vibrant night life area with limited free or cheap parking, you will do okay. If you are in or near a large college campus, you will do okay too. The wear and tear and the cost of fuel and bottled water will eat into your profit too. Keep accurate records of the amout you spend on bottled water and all the miles you drive while you have the app on, as the mileage deduction will amount to probably close to half of your profit. The most profitable times to drive are rush hours and around closing time at the bars. The customers are usually pretty professional although if you work closing time which is usually when you xan make the most, you will have a few issues with really drunk people. I recommend buying some vomit bags from amazon (I'm serious), and always try to get a destination address in case your rider who is supposed to be giving you directions, falls asleep or passes out in your back seat. Like I said, closing time pays the highest rates, but you will have more interesting issues to deal with at that time as well. The freedom to work when you want is by far the best thing about it. I wouldn't worry too much about your security, as the riders that request you will be documented. Just make sure it's the rider that requested you, before you let some stranger get in your vehicle especially if you are making a pick up from a nightlife area where there are several people around who may or may not be the rider that requested you. It's not horrible. Just don't set your expectations too high. If you are a good driver and are patient and not prone to getting road rage, and you enjoy meeting and talking to new people, its not a horrible gig. Some people will want to talk to you, other will just want you to shut up and drive. You just have to try to get a read on each fare and adjust accordingly. You have to be friendly yet professional. Some people will tip, a lot are cheapskates. Lyft allows the rider to tip through the app, Uber does not, so Lyft in a sense encouages tipping. In my area, most people use Uber, so there are not a lot of rides to be given on Lyft in this area, but it may be different where you are. It sounds like you have already signed up for Uber, but if not, I recommend driving for Lyft first, as you can usually get a $500 bonus from Uber if you are a driver for a competitor, and then agree to drive for Uber. All in all, I would say it isn't too bad for a part time gig, but its not as great as they make it sound either.

Industry expert Sarah Lacy is terrified:

"Uber threatened me! They intimidated me!Looked through my trash! I'm scared for my kids!

Buying water for your riders seems stupid.

All,

Don't think this recent article has been posted yet: http://citypaper.net/uberdriver/

For those of you driving or considering driving, this app helps you figure out how much you actually make: https://www.sherpashare.com/

Yes sir. Proud of it.

This is my 11th year, and I can honestly say I play a lot better, knowing I have a back up if I lose some arbitrary percentage of my bankroll.

Having a backer certainly helps too

Agree, and I never did it. Already spend so much money to work, that's an unnecessary extra expense.

What are you counting as "everything"? I'm guessing not car depreciation? A friend of mine has been driving in Minneapolis, and he is only making about $20 before any expenses.

For anyone: How much do driver's rates vary by metro area? Is there a chart somewhere showing rates for different cities?

as its paid online do drivers still get tips or is it kinda negligible in terms of hourly rate?

Scroo,

Uber's policy is that tipping is included. I don't know anyone in SF that tips uber except in special circumstances. Lyft includes a tip line in the payment screen. Everyone I know who uses lyft in SF tips lyft drivers at least a buck or two per ride. I imagine this makes a significant impact on hourly rates in urban areas where lots of the rides are very short.

LOL @ water being a significant expense. It's like 10c a bottle.

Yea but it's a profit thing. Your riders will still 5 star you if you don't provide water.

And yea one of the ****tier things Uber does is actively encourage their users not to tip drivers. Seriously, like the nut low company.