How A lot Does an Uber Driver Make? I Drove for Uber to Discover Out - NerdWallet

• I made $143.73 over the course of three Uber “shifts” that totaled roughly 10 hours of energetic driving.

• I accomplished 10 journeys, put 305 miles on my economical Uber rental and spent $38.80 on one tank of gasoline. 

• Subtract the gasoline value from $143.73, and I earned $104.93, or $10.49 an hour. 

• Solely $3 of my earnings had been suggestions, which I discovered shocking — as a result of I’m good!

If you happen to’re questioning, the minimal wage in Maryland handily beats my earnings at $15.00 per hour.

Uber wasn’t a profitable facet hustle for me, however it was an attention-grabbing experiment. Listed here are 4 issues to bear in mind should you’re enthusiastic about attempting Uber. And if you wish to watch all of the ups and downs of this facet hustle stress check, this is a video of my experience.

Throughout every of my three Uber “shifts,” I had the concept that I’d do rides comparatively near the place I reside. However the actuality of residing in a much less populated space is that quick, native journeys may be few and much between. I discovered that to be the case even on a Friday night in my suburban city, positioned roughly 50 minutes north of Baltimore.

I realized that to earn larger fares, you might want to be open to the place the Uber journey takes you. I left some huge cash on the desk by skipping journeys that might finish too removed from my house base. Uber works by matching riders with close by drivers. As a driver, you’ve just some seconds to simply accept a journey request when it is available in. I usually took too lengthy to determine when contemplating distance.

Towards the tip of that Friday, I caved and accepted a 30-mile journey with a fare of $30.42. However when it was over, it was after 9 p.m. and I used to be a great distance from house.

If I had put in 8-hour shifts and left myself to the mercy of the Uber Driver app, I’d have achieved higher. But when I’m going to be driving throughout creation for hours, is Uber a facet hustle, or is it a fundamental hustle?

All that driving means you want a automobile that’s as much as the duty — one thing reasonably priced, dependable and environment friendly. My private automobile is a gas-guzzler so I used Uber’s automobile rental service to lease a extra acceptable automobile and make this check extra practical.

However what I spotted is lots of people lease their Uber rides on the common. If you happen to go this route, you have to lease from one in all Uber’s accepted rental firm companions. The rental workplace I used, a neighborhood Hertz that companions with Uber, was packed, and I discovered the expertise to be tremendous hectic. It took three hours to get my automobile, and the one they gave me was a downgrade from what I reserved upfront.

Due to my expertise, I don’t advocate renting should you can keep away from it. Uber leases value $260 or extra per week, so the recurring value will eat closely into earnings.

Discovering your personal reasonably priced used automobile would probably value much less in the long term, even in circumstances the place you get a car loan with bad credit. For instance, let’s say you financial a $20,000 used automobile for 60 months with a excessive 19% rate of interest. The $518 month-to-month cost prices lower than the $260 every week charge for a rental automobile.

You will have to think about insurance coverage (which may embrace rideshare insurance), upkeep and repairs when evaluating prices. You’ll be able to flip to the Nerds for sources on how to build credit and finance a automobile you may afford.

I had the pleasure of assembly and using house with a real Uber professional after I returned my rental automobile. His title is Greg Hiteshew, and Uber is his post-retirement hustle. He drives most days, says he earns between $1,000 and $1,500 in a typical week and is disciplined about saving money for automobile prices.

Hiteshew says he units apart $40 on the finish of each day and has achieved so for years with out fail. He says it’s a each day behavior that ensures he has sufficient to cowl upkeep and repairs for his present automobile, and helps him save for the following automobile.

Contemplate placing your each day $40 (or no matter you may swing) in a high-yield savings account for the added bonus of curiosity on high.

Whereas we chatted on my journey house, Hiteshew opened up about how driving for Uber helped him address the lack of his spouse. She handed away from most cancers 12 years in the past, and within the years after, he discovered himself in a reasonably darkish and lonely rut. Then in the future a buddy had a suggestion for a facet hustle that might change his life.

“He mentioned, ‘I would like you to Uber,’” says Hiteshew, speaking about assembly along with his buddy. The buddy hoped it will give him one thing to maintain his thoughts occupied. Hiteshew thought of it and determined to present it a attempt every week later.

“It labored,” he says. “Seems I adore it. I actually take pleasure in doing it. I’ve met lots of good, good individuals.”

I get what he’s speaking about. I’ve been working from house for years, and attempting Uber put me again into the world. I interacted with totally different individuals, visited components of my space I hadn’t been to and realized how crucial a service like Uber is for many who might not be capable to afford a automobile. It jogged my memory how essential it’s to speak with others, strangers even.

Seems that a part of the expertise was extra useful than the cash. And if I drive for Uber once more, I feel I realized sufficient to do higher than $10.49 an hour.