[Aw Jeez]

Me and this other guy my age (63) used to be cab drivers. Most days, we would sit for HOURS in one of two taxi queues in town (our Navy Base and the airport). Some days we would consider ourselves lucky to make $30. If we actually made $90 we partied like it was 1999. But we always worked ALL DAY LONG. We never calculated our per-hour wage because we knew it wasn't worth it.

Then bac in May of 2018 we both sold our cabs and switched over to Uber. Hey, our eyesight may be going but we could see the handwriting on the wall. We make "about" what we made as cabdrivers (but we put a few more miles on our cars for that same money). But now my buddy obsesses about how much he makes per-hour with Uber. And I'm like, why worry about that now? We never did before. But he's always going on and on about what he made per hour on any given day. It's so silly.

A lot of times I sit at home with the Uber and Lyft apps on, playing on Facebook. Do those hours count? When I do go out driving, I often come home during the day to take a break (or a poop) or get something to eat. Do many other jobs offer such flexibility? It is said that the major attraction of Uber is that we can "work when we want." For me, it's being able to *NOT* work when I don't want. If I don't feel like suiting up and going out today, I don't! Name me one other job where you have that option.

My buddy (Terry) and I both consistently gross around $2,000 per month doing this part-time. Out of that come our vehicle expenses of course. I don't know what that equates to per-hour because I do not track my on-duty time. I work when I want. If Terry and I want to meet up for coffee in the morning or a long lunch at midday, we can. And do!

What matters to me is not the *time* I spend Ubering - because being retired I have a LOT of free time, and whether I spend it in my car playing on Facebook or at home on my computer playing on Facebook, what's the difference? What matters to me is revenue-per-mile. THAT is what's important: maximizing what you earn against keeping the vehicle cost low. Some guy called "The Road Guy" made a YouTube video about his one day as an Uber driver. He made $91 but drove 225 miles! Holy cow! If I ever did a day like that, I'd shoot myself for being stupid. In his case, both his hourly wage AND his revenue-per-mile were not acceptable.

So why the focus on the hourly wage?

 

[Pax Collector]

I never really bothered with the hourly wage because I knew it would be too low. I set a certain dollar number goal with a certain amount of gas used, in a certain period of time and drove until I reached it. If it couldn't be achieved, I simply went home.

This isn't a real job for me to waste time calculating my hourly rate. I'm borrowing money againt my car's equity to make some spending cash/pay down debt and have play money.

 

[No Prisoners]

If Uber paid drivers a reasonable p/mile p/minute rate no one would think of hourly rates. Paying drivers less than $1.25p/mile & less than 25 cents p/minute is absurd. Only reason uber gets away with it is because of PERMATEMP. Over saturation of labor force. Look it up. It's the model of gig economy and prime cause of income imbalance.
Uber's model not sustainable as long as their revenue streams from percentage of fares.

 

[theMezz]

I think dollars per mile is a better gauge of earnings.
Just my two cents.

 

[rkozy]

So why the focus on the hourly wage?

I haven't heard anybody here focus on an hourly wage. I have heard quite a few people voice legitimate concerns about the percentage Uber is taking (up to 60% in many cases) despite the fact they contribute very little to the actual process of transporting passengers.

Creating an app and running servers (that can't even keep up most of the time) is not the bulk of the overhead in this industry. Fueling and maintaining cars, and having safe drivers to transport passengers through a maze of ever-changing traffic scenarios is what gets their customers from Point A to Point B. The app doesn't transport the passenger. Drivers do.

Simply put, Uber is taking the most money for doing the least amount of work in this equation. That's what needs to change.

 

[Aw Jeez]

rkozy sez:

I haven't heard anybody here focus on an hourly wage.​

What? That's ALL people focus on - how much they're making per hour. If you haven't heard anybody focus on that metric, then you haven't been reading these forums very much.​

 

[TXUbering]

I'd see it as a "daily" wage. Having worked salary jobs, I always would put more than 8 hours a day and the more hours I'd put in, the less "hourly" money I'd make. Here's the beauty of Uber/Lyft, if you don't want to "work", you don't have to work. You can do as much or as little as you'd like. The big problem is how much your vehicle depreciates, thus if you can find a vehicle that's mostly depreciated, but still qualifies for Uber/Lyft, then motor on.

 

[oldfart]

I focus on two metrics
Dollars per day and
dollars per mile

My target is $200/day in our winter season and $150 per day in the summer

I couldn’t care any less about how many hours it takes. What I care about is how many miles it takes.

 

[rkozy]

rkozy sez:

What? That's ALL people focus on - how much they're making per hour. If you haven't heard anybody focus on that metric, then you haven't been reading these forums very much.

The complaints are about how much of a percentage Uber is taking on every ride. I haven't heard a single a person here demand an hourly wage.

If Uber reduced their own cut to under 40% on every fare, everybody's revenue would go up...and you would hear far less complaining.

 

[Mista T]

I look at 2 key metrics: $/hour and $/mile. Both are important for various reasons.

So why the focus on the hourly wage?

Because when you are comparing different jobs, one of the primary components (of ALL jobs) is how much money you make.

You either make hourly, salary, or commission. Most people who compare jobs are comparing them to hourly jobs that are possibly available to them.

That's why.

 

[mbd]

Me and this other guy my age (63) used to be cab drivers. Most days, we would sit for HOURS in one of two taxi queues in town (our Navy Base and the airport). Some days we would consider ourselves lucky to make $30. If we actually made $90 we partied like it was 1999. But we always worked ALL DAY LONG. We never calculated our per-hour wage because we knew it wasn't worth it.

Then bac in May of 2018 we both sold our cabs and switched over to Uber. Hey, our eyesight may be going but we could see the handwriting on the wall. We make "about" what we made as cabdrivers (but we put a few more miles on our cars for that same money). But now my buddy obsesses about how much he makes per-hour with Uber. And I'm like, why worry about that now? We never did before. But he's always going on and on about what he made per hour on any given day. It's so silly.

A lot of times I sit at home with the Uber and Lyft apps on, playing on Facebook. Do those hours count? When I do go out driving, I often come home during the day to take a break (or a poop) or get something to eat. Do many other jobs offer such flexibility? It is said that the major attraction of Uber is that we can "work when we want." For me, it's being able to *NOT* work when I don't want. If I don't feel like suiting up and going out today, I don't! Name me one other job where you have that option.

My buddy (Terry) and I both consistently gross around $2,000 per month doing this part-time. Out of that come our vehicle expenses of course. I don't know what that equates to per-hour because I do not track my on-duty time. I work when I want. If Terry and I want to meet up for coffee in the morning or a long lunch at midday, we can. And do!

What matters to me is not the *time* I spend Ubering - because being retired I have a LOT of free time, and whether I spend it in my car playing on Facebook or at home on my computer playing on Facebook, what's the difference? What matters to me is revenue-per-mile. THAT is what's important: maximizing what you earn against keeping the vehicle cost low. Some guy called "The Road Guy" made a YouTube video about his one day as an Uber driver. He made $91 but drove 225 miles! Holy cow! If I ever did a day like that, I'd shoot myself for being stupid. In his case, both his hourly wage AND his revenue-per-mile were not acceptable.

So why the focus on the hourly wage?

You wake up whenever you want to, drive whenever you want to , stop whenever you want to, wear whatever you want to... so no reason to focus on hourly wages .

 

[OldBay]

Hourly wage is important if you need to compare uber to another job with published salary. Then you can decide if it's worth your time.

If someone offers you a job that pays 25 an hour, would you give up uber? How would you know if you should?

 

[ANT 7]

I focus on what I clear per week. That is a much more stable and relevant metric to track.

 

[goneubering]

Uber's model not sustainable as long as their revenue streams from percentage of fares.

They're waiting for you to teach them how to net $26 Billion annually with your super secret imaginary digital system.

 

[IR12]

I never really bothered with the hourly wage because I knew it would be too low. I set a certain dollar number goal with a certain amount of gas used, in a certain period of time and drove until I reached it. If it couldn't be achieved, I simply went home.

This isn't a real job for me to waste time calculating my hourly rate. I'm borrowing money againt my car's equity to make some spending cash/pay down debt and have play money.

? ? ?
Pax, you nailed what many drivers don't get. Set YOUR goals and proceed from there.

ANYthing else, is pure manipulation.
I am w/you. I refuse to be manipulated. It's too costly.

Hourly wage is important if you need to compare uber to another job with published salary. Then you can decide if it's worth your time.

If someone offers you a job that pays 25 an hour, would you give up uber? How would you know if you should?

$25.00/hr?
Heck no, I'm doing better than that driving.

That's what makes L/U saying drivers average 20.00/hr-LIARS!
Take away bridge toll=6-7.00, gas 25-30.00....you're in the hole & haven't calculated all your expenses.

Not rocket science.

 

[oldfart]

I look at 2 key metrics: $/hour and $/mile. Both are important for various reasons.

Because when you are comparing different jobs, one of the primary components (of ALL jobs) is how much money you make.

You either make hourly, salary, or commission. Most people who compare jobs are comparing them to hourly jobs that are possibly available to them.

That's why.

You say it's hourly wage or commission. There are otherways to get paid, like salary or piece work or in the case of a small business person it's profit

I do agree that if you are going to compare to other possibilities, they have to real possibilities. I think that's why you see so many old farts like me that are happy doing this. There aren't many career ladders I can still climb (or steps either). Uber works for me

 

[CJfrom619]

? ? ?
Pax, you nailed what many drivers don't get. Set YOUR goals and proceed from there.

ANYthing else, is pure manipulation.
I am w/you. I refuse to be manipulated. It's too costly.


$25.00/hr?
Heck no, I'm doing better than that driving.

That's what makes L/U saying drivers average 20.00/hr-LIARS!
Take away bridge toll=6-7.00, gas 25-30.00....you're in the hole & haven't calculated all your expenses.

Not rocket science.

All drivers are different. The smart ones will have very little investment into the job. The not so smart will be playing catch-up all week.

 

[TomTheAnt]

Even though I do kind of follow the $/hour rate, my main goal is a set $ amount per day I'm working. As well as $ per mile.

I usually work a few airport and/or other longer trips in the early morning hours before day job and if I make my daily $ amount already in the morning, I either take the evening off or try to double the daily goal during the evening hours. If it's slow, I'm not grinding it out, I go home.

$ per mile is an indicator I'm still, after four months, working on trying to improve. I'm still driving too many empty miles. Getting better, though.

 

[Jay Dean]

Because the same jokes people make at people making per hour at a wage job are the same drivers making less and in denial what they really bring in after expense. The per hour is the slap on the face to wake up and what is really happening

Uber drivers are making less then the people cleaning trash outside a fast food restaurant and with no expenses, Hell they don’t even need to know a lick of English let alone go to crazy lengths to justify how they “think” they are making money after countless expenses

Dooo deee dooo sweep dooo dee soo sweep

 

[Aw Jeez]

Lately we see on the news a lot of drivers complaining that they make sub-minimum wage while driving for Uber/Lyft. Okay, so listen...if your hourly rate is that important to you, go get a job that pays by the hour! Then you'll KNOW that you'll receive X pay for Y number of hours. But that's not ride-share. You can't look at it as an hourly thing.

What other "job" lets you start and stop at your discretion? What other "job" doesn't care if you don't show up at all on a particular day? If you must calculate it as an hourly thing, there will be days when your hourly rate will be crappy, and other days when you'll go, "Damn! I'm killing it!" And I know, I know, every market is different. Here in my dinky little town, the other day I did $125 in six hours. $20 per hour? I'll take it! Other days...not so lucky :-/

As a long-time cab driver I've been watching Uber/Lyft since the beginning. I don't recall anyone promising an hourly wage...or any kind of guaranteed income for that matter. Yes, numbers were thrown around - "You can make..." such and such. And maybe somebody could - at some point. But things change. Nothing stays the same forever. I always got the impression from Uber's outreach that it was intended to be a part-time gig with no guarantees. The key was that we've always been independent contractors.

Old Bay asked:

"If someone offers you a job that pays 25 per hour, would you give up Uber?"

Easy! The answer to your question is "No." A job that pays $25 per hour would probably require me to show up on a regular basis. And they'd probably be gauging and rating my performance. So no, me personally, I would not take such a job.I'll stick with the vagaries and inconsistencies that come with ride-share, thank you. It works best for me.