Analyzing my First Five Months Earnings as an Uber Driver
The last time I was unemployed was in 2014. During that time Uber was exploding into the collective consciousness as the latest trendy startup to come out of Silicon Valley. Driving for Uber was mysterious and cool and you got paid for it.
Things have changed a lot since then. People have realized that Uber drivers are glorified taxi drivers with even lower profit margins. But, being unemployed once again, I turned to Uber as a familiar side-hustle to guarantee some quick cash. After about two weeks of background checks, inspections, and gathering documents I was all set to start driving.
Ok, first things first, how much do I make as an Uber driver? It’s between $30 and $35 per hour, before tax, gas, and car maintenance cost. This is in the San Francisco Bay Area, so I imagine that it pays less almost everywhere else.
If I accept an hour+ trip going 50 miles somewhere, that’ll take a while to come back from unless I eat the cost of gas on the return trip, passenger-less, just to be on time.
