Gig Workers Question Profitability
Uber and DoorDash drivers are questioning the financial viability of their work, citing low earnings, high expenses (gas, maintenance), and unpredictable demand. They're seeking clarity on how to maximize income in a challenging market.
SOURCES (60)
“I’m not leaving my current job for at least 3-4 months until this one takes off. I want it to be a new main gig but with today’s world, it’ll be a side hustle until it returns profits. Luckily my kids are old enough they…”
“I need to make more than $240 a week fam 🤣 submitted by /u/PinkPonyGirl6945 [link] [comments]”
“Not done yet but just wanted to share the $/mile that I’ve gotten tonight. This is not a regular occurrence. Typically it’s between $1.5-2 But tonight I’m over $4.5 for active miles. As of writing this, I had driven 50 miles while online. 26 miles was my trip to go get some food before and then driving towards downtown which is depicted in the last screenshot. So 50 active miles and $226. Not sure what was in the air tonight but I’m loving these short 1-2 mile rides for $6-8+. The short trips di”
“Usually Fridays are better than this. Not today.. I was on UE and Hubs on DD. Many of these fellow drivers multi app. I got 1 order and hubs got 5, in 2.5hrs and we made $43.41 combined.. by the time I screenshot this, more ppl were on and everything just stopped coming.. so went home.. I think we gotta utilize this 110+⁰ temps during daylight, when less drivers are out.. first Summer, so hoping the.stories are true that the saturation dwindle when school starts. submitted by /u/MsRu”
“I think Uber is taking my tips. As you can see, I went back four weeks. Then, all of a sudden, I get one or two. What's really strange is that the tips that do come in are for trips that I completed days ago. submitted by /u/Longjumping_Yam6954 [link] [comments]”
“Would love some insight from people driving specifically in the San Francisco area (city or peninsula, doesn't matter). A few questions: How long have you been driving for Uber? What days/hours do you typically drive (e.g. Thu/Fri nights, weekday mornings, etc.)? Compared to earlier this year, has your typical number of trips for those same days/hours been about the same, lower, or higher? Same question for earnings — noticeably different or holding steady? Anything else significant you'”
“I have a full time job 40 hours a week that covers all my expenses, just looking for something on the side for extra fun money. I also get 3 days off each week so the other 4 I just work 10 hour shifts. I just set up a DoorDash and Uber eats account. What’s the best method for stacking a good amount of cash? submitted by /u/fsociety4ever2001 [link] [comments]”
“I’ve heard around town that drivers make a lot of money off of airport rides and reservations. I’ve also noticed that Platinum / Diamond drivers apparently get a boost / priority for reservation / airport rides as posted in the driver app. I spend time driving sunset to sunrise around Fort Lauderdale airport and some times Miami or Palm beach, maybe i’m not there at “desirable times” but I’m usually spending too much time waiting in the airport lot and I don’t see many reservation trips availabl”
“I've been doing Uber since April because I got burnt out at my work-from-home job after 8 yrs. But after driving full-time, I'm realizing maybe my old job wasn't so bad after all. 😂 Uber has me dealing with: • Smelly/ rude passengers 🤢 • People who don't tip • People who break the rules • People drinking alcohol in my car • People eating in my car • People asking for extra favors without tipping • Spending $40–$50 a day on gas • Low-paying rides • Long waits between good trips”
“Heyo, I lost my job recently and have no other real option currently, so I started to do Uber and Doordash again this week. The last time I used the systems was about 5 years ago and never took it serious because I was employed and just wanted some extra money for the weekends. Had some topics I was hoping to get some insight on… I know it’s a broad question but what’s changed since then and what tips / strategies do y’all have that help you on a day to day? I have seen many post about cherry pi”
“I have seen multiple people say they are hitting $300 a day in the DMV. I have not seen those numbers. I usually hit around $150. What schedule are you doing to hit those numbers? submitted by /u/cam5515 [link] [comments]”
“Every day I see examples of uber taking a larger chunk of peoples earnings, sometimes like 50%. I never get that bad. Why do you guys keep getting slapped around so hard? submitted by /u/Cptawesome23 [link] [comments]”
“If you’re an Uber/Lyft driver this is your competition!! And only way to beat these guys is to stop using their platform submitted by /u/LopsidedGrass7928 [link] [comments]”
“The trips offered at airport are usually less than what you would make when driving around in a non airport area. Its consistently less than 90 cents a mile, sometimes even lesser. submitted by /u/Timely-Prior-3350 [link] [comments]”
“Been doing Uber and Lyft full time for about two years, and the late nights and surge chasing are wearing me down. A regular in my car mentioned her district pays drivers to take kids to school in regular cars, not the big yellow buses. Never knew that was a thing. Tried looking it up, and it is confusing. But the car service thing is different. Looks like some kids, special needs kids or ones placed at a school across town, get picked up in a sedan or minivan by a contracted driver. No yellow b”
“Uber is dying out. It used to be great a year ago where it financially helped me pay for rent/car note/bills etc. after losing my operational manager job in downtown. But now…. It’s back to the ghost job market 👻 thanks uber you were good until you weren’t submitted by /u/Fearless-Parfait- [link] [comments]”
“The average earnings per mile ($/mile) for rides under 2 miles is $5.49 . The trick is to be in a location where the next ride is also under 2 miles away. submitted by /u/bikingbill [link] [comments]”
“New driver, 2nd week driving.. this good money for DoorDash? submitted by /u/Individual-Break8304 [link] [comments]”
“Uber allows this. Either the supplier is dumb and doesn't understand the numbers they are inputting, or they are scummy and trying to scam drivers into driving for them for free 🤷 submitted by /u/TheNaughtyHoneyBee [link] [comments]”
“I have a 40 mile commute to the office. I pick up Uber passengers on the way to and from work. I have to go so I might as well make some money while I’m doing it.”
“Hi everyone, I'm looking to be a rideshare driver in Toronto to make some extra money. I see I need to do additional training in order to do trips in the city of Toronto. I just had a couple questions about the different apps and signup process: - is there a preferred or better course I should be taking? Or did most people go for the most affordable one that works with their schedule? - any ideas on how much I should expect to spend on the vehicle inspection? The quotes I got seemed pretty h”
“All these $3 and $4 dollar trip payments. To take strangers in our cars miles out.. often a carload of them.. and uber wont show us the number of passengers before we pick up. Risk increases for the driver when multiple people get in the car. Drivers should have the right to know the number. Whether uberx mandates 4 passengers or not. Drivers still should be able to know if this trip which pays $3.46 will have 4 people packed in the car. Americans what are we doing? Why are we allowing this? The”
“What’s happening everyone! I’ve been doing Uber a few days a week for fun money and it’s been working out just fine. I have 2023 Atlas Cross Sport. My only ratings are five stars (107), and I’ve taken about 210 trips. However, I’ve noticed that more frequent than not, people don’t tip. I keep my car clean, smells good, keep the vibe good, and I’m in a hot market (south Fl). Any advice on getting tips more often? submitted by /u/One_Branch_9709 [link] [comments]”
“Decided to turn on Uber today since I had to drive about 45 minutes across town anyway and figured I could make a little extra cash while running errands. I hit my destination, stopped by the pharmacy, the grocery store, picked up my dry cleaning, and after almost 3 hours and roughly 100 miles of driving, I’m now sitting at my local bakery with a coffee and a pastry. In all that time, I got exactly one ride request. The passenger called me to explain she needed me to pick up her 8-year-old child”
“I often wonder if UBER ever actually looks at the hourly earnings with these delivery offers under the Discovery section of their App..I wouldn’t even take these if I was driving an EV…I can find more money walking thru a mall parking lot… submitted by /u/TERRANCEJ17 [link] [comments]”
“If no one accepts the rides for under $20/hr uber will be forced to lose customers or change their algo. I personally aim for $25-30/hr but I only do uber part time on my off days. submitted by /u/BikinNoHands [link] [comments]”
“Hello to all my fellow Uber and rideshare drivers. I’m pretty new to this, and just have been driving Uber for around 6 weeks now. I want to share a story of my experience with a ride from earlier this week on Monday. That Monday, I had started to drive Uber around 5:30pm with the intent of trying to max out the 12hr limit that we’re allowed to work from one go. I was ~17 minutes away from the pick up spot (Houston international airport) when a $152.26 offer came through the app (it was around ~”
“I have done food uber, but driver uber is a new start for me. Appreciate any advise or tips submitted by /u/EvidenceSingle4826 [link] [comments]”
“Ive been online for 20-30 and only getting $3-$4 ride 10-15 away smh I make a year doing this in September and have already put in offers to get an additional income because this is ridiculous. It’s worse during the day I feel I literally waste so much time because I get no offers and it’s too hot to sit and wait lol. Wish me luck on my new journey yall and I hope yall stay blessed 🥰 submitted by /u/SierraBoard13 [link] [comments]”
“I currently dont have a car but I used to do delivery when I did. I was talking to an uber driver the other day and he said he rents the car and I was thinking of doing the same. Is it worth it? submitted by /u/Dnotchtiebd [link] [comments]”
“Here’s my tips over the past few days. I only uber before or after work. But my riders usually give me a tip whether we talk or not. submitted by /u/Ok_Chip_1077 [link] [comments]”
“How did it go well with tips or how advisable it is to do in the Downtown? submitted by /u/Practical_Gift4690 [link] [comments]”
“When will these earnings from this promotion be available ? Is it right after you complete the 10th trip or a few days after ? Thank You submitted by /u/Logical-Pay-allday [link] [comments]”
“I am a US citizen and I currently work for Uber. I'm thinking about going to live in Mexico for a few months and working Uber while I'm there, using my Texas-plated vehicle. Is that possible/allowed? submitted by /u/Dyslexic_Bathtub [link] [comments]”
“This is my baby right here. This is my 2012 toyota camry hybrid with 373k miles that i do doordash and ubereats full time. I bought this this car for 2k around November of 2024. I used to do this part time in my 2019 sonata but i bought another car so i can do gig work in part time so i wont tear up that car i let my fiance drive that car now lol. I bought this car from another gig worker that did uber/lyft but he got himself a new car so he can do uber black. But he have took care of this car a”
“This is my baby right here. This is my 2012 toyota camry hybrid with 373k miles that i do doordash and ubereats full time. I bought this this car for 2k around November of 2024. I used to do this part time in my 2019 sonata but i bought another car so i can do gig work in part time so i wont tear up that car i let my fiance drive that car now lol. I bought this car from another gig worker that did uber/lyft but he got himself a new car so he can do uber black. But he have took care of this car a”
“This has been my 3rd month with Uber and I felt so dumb, accepting every ride. This week I wanted to follow the Reddit train and focus on my winning formula: $1.2+ per mile, double dip, and promo max. Anyone else breakdowns look like this? I drive 2019 Honda HRV 30 MPG submitted by /u/MasterFunn [link] [comments]”
“My car is in the shop, so I need to rent a car through Hertz for Uber. I know it’s probably not the best idea, but I’m only planning to do it for a week or so until my car is fixed. I’ll likely be driving 7 days a week, around 8–10 hours a day. I called Uber rental support and the rep told me there’s a security deposit involved. Then I called Hertz directly and they said the only thing I’d have to pay upfront is the weekly rental fee. So what’s the actual deal here? Is there a deposit, hold, or”
I need a few active Dashers to test a new app designed to help gig workers keep more of what they make. Compensation: $100 cash (Venmo/PayPal) split into two milestones: 30 Days:…
“Most of my rides have been really low paying for both the miles and times. Here’s an example submitted by /u/asiansailor [link] [comments]”
“Hi! How are people getting these boost zone offers? My friend that lives in the same area as me is getting them and suggested I switch from Uber Eats to rides, I’m currently gold pro but not seeing any of these in my discovery page 👀 submitted by /u/littlekittylil [link] [comments]”
“Buck 25 a mile 66% profit 4.56 out of 5 . The area you're in isn't exactly a "nature hike" to get to but it's not exactly jumping either. The rides are not frequent but they are kind of long like this one. People headed to the airports or straight downtown to the train stations and such. Its like 160th Street south and 110th Avenue. West. Like a distant part of the San Fernando Valley, or long Island that is rural on one side of the street and dense suburban area on the oth”
“Hi everyone, I just want to ask: is doing rideshare worth it? I hear passenger drivers here in Chicago say that they make $40–$60/hr doing rideshare, and I don't know if that's true. I do Uber Eats and DoorDash full-time. I average $28–$36/hr and $4.50–$5.50/mile a week because my orders range anywhere from $2 to $15/mile. I drive a 2012 Toyota Camry Hybrid with 373k miles that i only use for delivery. My maintenance cost is low mainly because I do my own maintenance and fix my own car”
“Options? I know you can look through the app but does anyone know any other options? submitted by /u/Resident_Stomach2315 [link] [comments]”
“Has anyone ever completed a travel contract where you commute to the location every day? I am considering driving 1.25 hours to a travel contract for the next 13 weeks. And for the pay, I think it’s extremely worth it. Is it gonna suck? Of course! But I’d be making more money than I ever would in physical therapy since I can pocket all the money instead of using some of it on living expenses. Wondering if anyone has tried this. Obviously, it will be 50+ miles away. submitted by /u/Go”
“Last week it was $30 an hour now they bumped it up to $32. Keep raising the number Uber submitted by /u/WeeklyFisherman2597 [link] [comments]”
“I still don’t think these factors or tiers make a big difference for Uber X drivers in reference to ride offers given when online. The only changes I’ve made are driving times targeting Boost promotion $40hr-$56 he in the Atlanta market. I don’t like driving downtown Atlanta because some of the boost zones are in bad neighborhoods. I almost got jacked a few weeks ago on near Tyler Perry Studios stopped at a red light nobody around at 345 am. I like driving at night thru morning rush hour sometim”
“what are the odds that this Uber freight pays more than $.50 per mile? submitted by /u/TERRANCEJ17 [link] [comments]”
“Saw two Uber drivers get into a fender bender in the airport Uber lot 🙄 Come on, people! We are all there for the same reason. We are all trying to make money and get pax where they need to be. submitted by /u/Glum_Associate_7326 [link] [comments]”