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Anyone ever drive for Uber?

12Nole

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Nov 21, 2013
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What's the pay like? I'm looking to start doing it on the weekends for extra cash. Is there a way you can filter the clientele? I want to do pick up and drop offs from the airport only. If I can't do airport runs then I may solicit my services on Craigslist.

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What's the pay like? I'm looking to start doing it on the weekends for extra cash. Is there a way you can filter the clientele? I want to do pick up and drop offs from the airport only. If I can't do airport runs then I may solicit my services on Craigslist.

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No. My understanding from talking to Uber drivers is that they don't reveal the specific destination for the reason you described above.
 
Drivers do not know where their client is going until the client is in the vehicle.

This prevents drivers from discriminating by neighborhood (was common in NYC for cabbies to avoid folks that *look* like they might live in *certain* neighborhoods or kick folks out if they asked to go somewhere the cabbie found less than optimal -- basically it was pretty tough getting a cab in NYC if you were of certain races).
 
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Someone obviously doesn't belong in the LR if there's a weekend/2nd gig involved.

I'm trying to be financially free by 40. Full time job, side hustle, real estate, & Vanguard Index Funds. 12 years to go!

I love money and we were given 7 days to make as much as we'd like.
 
Not a driver, take it often

- Can't just run the routes you want. Either Uber or Lyft has invisible "fences" that apparently let you stay within a certain zip code I think.
- As others have said, you accept the ride, pick 'em up, and don't know destination until you arrive. Not accepting rides reflects bad somehow in their algorithm apparently.
- The folks who seem to genuinely enjoy it the most get up early and work the weekdays to get the business crowd, and then hit special events on weekends for the price spikes. One old timer said he'll spend a whole weekend in Nashville for any NFL games, award ceremonies and make a few grand, then fish for a week. He seemed to have it figured out.
 
My Uber drive said he’s making about 2 bills a 6 hour shift during the surge prices during the Houston rodeo. But your looking at about 15 bucks per hour otherwise
 
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My Uber drive said he’s making about 2 bills a 6 hour shift during the surge prices during the Houston rodeo. But your looking at about 15 bucks per hour otherwise
Is that factoring in gas and vehicle maintenance costs?
 
In did it for a day several years ago.

I didn’t like it at all. It put me way out from house and left my car smelling funky.

I’ve asked other Uber since drivers about the geography and staying close to home. I was told you can put up a radius and that it will get rides that take you back towards home.

So if you wanted to pick up rider after work and drive them back toward your area of town you could.

The drivers who make good money only drive during the surge charge times (events, downtown,etc)
 
I'm trying to be financially free by 40. Full time job, side hustle, real estate, & Vanguard Index Funds. 12 years to go!

I love money and we were given 7 days to make as much as we'd like.
My guy only gave me 6 days and told me to rest on the 7th.
 
Autonomous vehicles won't make as many wrong turns as these pesky human drivers.

I'm just curious what all those humans will do with their new found spare time...
 
Autonomous vehicles won't make as many wrong turns as these pesky human drivers.
I'm just curious what all those humans will do with their new found spare time...

You shoulda seen the idleness and privation wrought by the tractor and the combine. You can use many of the things invented and mass produced with the resultant surplus of labor to learn all about it.
 
You shoulda seen the idleness and privation wrought by the tractor and the combine. You can use many of the things invented and mass produced with the resultant surplus of labor to learn all about it.
Good idea how about a rodeo wherein unemployed former uber drivers ride atop newly minted autonomous vehicles in a demolition derby style battle.
 
Good idea how about a rodeo wherein unemployed former uber drivers ride atop newly minted autonomous vehicles in a demolition derby style battle.

If you’d pay enough to watch, it will happen.

Nowadays people bask in streaming video and don’t ask themselves what happened to the 421,000 switchboard operators that worked in 1970. In the same year, Americans made 9.8 billion long distance calls. In 2003 the telecommunications industry employed only 78,000 operators to support 98 billion long distance calls.
Do we bemoan cheaper long distance and freeing up labor for other purposes?
I notice people get hung up on their own inability to determine what labor could be used for, but it is a mistake to project that on entrepreneurs. They’ll sort it out, if allowed.
 
If you’d pay enough to watch, it will happen.

Nowadays people bask in streaming video and don’t ask themselves what happened to the 421,000 switchboard operators that worked in 1970. In the same year, Americans made 9.8 billion long distance calls. In 2003 the telecommunications industry employed only 78,000 operators to support 98 billion long distance calls.
Do we bemoan cheaper long distance and freeing up labor for other purposes?
I notice people get hung up on their own inability to determine what labor could be used for, but it is a mistake to project that on entrepreneurs. They’ll sort it out, if allowed.
Jeff Bezos, earning $230k a minute, seems to be doing a great job of that. He, individually, is now worth as much as the aggregate personal wealth of a 2 million person US city.
 
Jeff Bezos, earning $230k a minute, seems to be doing a great job of that.

“As Chief Executive Officer, Director at AMAZON.COM INC, Jeffrey P. Bezos made $1,681,840 in total compensation. Of this total $81,840 was received as a salary, $0 was received as a bonus, $0 was received in stock options, $0 was awarded as stock and $1,600,000 came from other types of compensation.”

I suspect he worked more than the 8 mins your figures suggest.

He, individually, is now worth as much as the aggregate personal wealth of a 2 million person US city.

Pro tip: create a business that serves hundreds of millions of people and it will likely be worth a lot of money. Maybe billions.

The value of his company is actually determined by anyone who wants to buy a piece of it.

The business he has headed has grown to over 700 billion in market cap, but the wrong decisions wouldn’t have made that happen.

Outside of a valuation arrived by what others would pay, how should Bezos’ earnings/wealth be determined?
 
“As Chief Executive Officer, Director at AMAZON.COM INC, Jeffrey P. Bezos made $1,681,840 in total compensation. Of this total $81,840 was received as a salary, $0 was received as a bonus, $0 was received in stock options, $0 was awarded as stock and $1,600,000 came from other types of compensation.”

I suspect he worked more than the 8 mins your figures suggest.



Pro tip: create a business that serves hundreds of millions of people and it will likely be worth a lot of money. Maybe billions.

The value of his company is actually determined by anyone who wants to buy a piece of it.

The business he has headed has grown to over 700 billion in market cap, but the wrong decisions wouldn’t have made that happen.

Outside of a valuation arrived by what others would pay, how should Bezos’ earnings/wealth be determined?
Just being obtuse and argumentative on purpose by focusing on semantics rather than the point of his income growth.

And yea, Bezos has done a great job but his enormous wealth is at the expense of his human warehouse workers who earn meager wages and who will eventually be replaced altogether.

They I'm sure will also be able to ride their replacement robots in some form of rodeo.

And for the record, I'm not a Bezos hater, I actually think he's incredibly shrewd and has been a visionary. However, he has been blind (intentionally or otherwise) to the unnecessary inequality he's not only creating but popularizing as a model for other tech companies.
 
Autonomous vehicles won't make as many wrong turns as these pesky human drivers.

I'm just curious what all those humans will do with their new found spare time...
The humans are going to absolutely lose their minds when a 45 minute commute takes.....45 minutes.
"Bob, why are you late today?"
"The stupid car wouldn't speed, or run stop signs and red lights, so I could make up time for my procrastination in leaving the house."
 
Just being obtuse and argumentative on purpose by focusing on semantics rather than the point of his income growth.

I’m sorry you think is mere semantics, but I think the distinction is important to understand. If you own stocks and they appreciate in value and you don’t sell them, do you consider that income for yourself? Presuming you own your home and it appreciates in value, yet you keep it, same question.

And yea, Bezos has done a great job but his enormous wealth is at the expense of his human warehouse workers who earn meager wages and who will eventually be replaced altogether.

He didn’t take his wealth from them. He helped find work that they could do to earn a wage.


They I'm sure will also be able to ride their replacement robots in some form of rodeo.

I’m sure from his conversation that you won’t be the one to determine what demand their labor can meet, but I’m equally sure that their labor is desired in other avenues.

And for the record, I'm not a Bezos hater, I actually think he's incredibly shrewd and has been a visionary. However, he has been blind (intentionally or otherwise) to the unnecessary inequality he's not only creating but popularizing as a model for other tech companies.

I see the real driver of income inequality as the access the rich have to fiat credit.
I think that’s why you see the divergence follows Nixon closing the gold window.
 
I’m sorry you think is mere semantics, but I think the distinction is important to understand. If you own stocks and they appreciate in value and you don’t sell them, do you consider that income for yourself? Presuming you own your home and it appreciates in value, yet you keep it, same question.



He didn’t take his wealth from them. He helped find work that they could do to earn a wage.




I’m sure from his conversation that you won’t be the one to determine what demand their labor can meet, but I’m equally sure that their labor is desired in other avenues.



I see the real driver of income inequality as the access the rich have to fiat credit.
I think that’s why you see the divergence follows Nixon closing the gold window.
Oh my god dude, the guy is the CEO and his company, under his decision making, has chosen to maintain relatively oppressive wages for its blue collar employees. As a large share holder, he gains significantly from these reduced expenses. He could come up with a more equitable comp structure but because he knows his employees haven't shown a tendency to find better jobs, he chooses to continue skimping on their comp. If Amazon announced it was raising wages a certain percentage, what would be the impact to Bezos net worth?

I"m sure we could further derail this thread and talk about fiat credit but I'll pass.

Interacting with you is SO tedious.
 
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Feels like you might be implying that your thread has been hijacked. o_O
Fair enough :)

Was talking to my Lyft driver last night, he's got a full-time job and drives Lyft/Uber for side income, not dissimilar from OP's desire.

He said he only drives Lyft/Uber after work and during peak times where surge pricing is likely (e.g. when it's super cold, snowing, raining, pre-post sporting event or concert). He doesn't drive past 11p. Said just driving randomly, without making a science of the times that optimize your $/hr, is a fool's errand.

Hopefully that's helpful to OP.
 
I was shocked that rain ( in Memphis) caused a surge price. My normal $6-7 fare went to $18-20
 
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