Logged back in after 30 day hiatus (advice for new drivers)...

I used to feel so clever driving Uber on the side - I would tell my friends with pride and I even told people in the business community who I worked with explaining to them that Uber driving helped finance my small business venture during the period I wasn't making money (and it did).

I've been off for over 30 days because my business and customers come first and so I've had no time or energy to log on and make a few bucks. (I should mention that at my peak I was driving Thurs-Sunday 5-8 hours a session and clearing $130-$160 a day since I joined back in December of '14).

I came back on Saturday and a few hours on the Sunday over the past weekend and I only cleared $150 after working a combined total of 9 hours...

I've read through this forum before joining and I have come across mention that Uber is becoming less lucrative and that surging is down/uber percentages increasing etc. I don't think "less-lucrative" even comes close to describing what's going on - in my opinion driving for Uber is downright foolish. I was able to explain away the risks to people on the back of compelling earnings for hrs. worked and flexibility for time but what has clearly happened is an undesirable situation post-aggressive-uber sign-up campaign leading to an enormous surplus of drivers and less earnings.

Very few people on this forum, I'm sure, need any explanation as to the daily risks that are being taken by thousands of drivers who are clogging up the roads without insurance or any care (until they get caught). However it needs to be stated once again, that when you drive for Uber (and this goes for the new drivers especially) you are actively agreeing to dramatically increase the volume of your driving therefore making you the definition of what is considered a "high-risk" driver by every auto-mobile actuary in the world.

I know there are people in this forum who still really need the extra cash and would rather not work at the mall or the car wash (I'm certainly one of them) but driving for Uber is like taking up smoking...its just a matter of time...