# The 32 places Uber and Lyft drivers earn the most



## Lissetti (Dec 20, 2016)

_This article was originally posted on the Seattle board by local driver @dimwit_driver. I think it's good info and a benefit to others to see where their state ranks on this list. _

*The 32 places Uber and Lyft drivers earn the most, according to the data








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Gridwise - a smartphone app designed for rideshare drivers to increase earnings - has released a report detailing which cities Uber and Lyft drivers make the most money.

On average, rideshare drivers in the US made about $17.21 hourly in 2019, or about $0.88 cents per mile, according to Gridwise. In comparison, Bay Area drivers, which tops the list, earned on average $23.28 per hour in December 2019. This is followed by two more West Coast cities: Seattle and San Jose. And overall, California cities dot the list more frequently than any other state.

The study also revealed a dip in earnings from 2018. Last year, drivers earned $18.50 hourly, which is about $1.29 more than the 2019 average hourly earnings.

Gridwise compiled the data based on 100,000 rideshares over 20 million miles. The hourly earnings reflect the amount each driver had after Uber and Lyft took their share, but before any expenses, such as taxes, were deducted.

Keep scrolling to see which cities were the most profitable for Uber and Lyft drivers in December.

*32. Tampa, Florida - $12.71
31. San Antonio, Texas - $13.27
30. Jacksonville, Florida - $13.63
29. New Orleans, Louisiana - $13.72
28. Atlanta, Georgia - $14.31
27. Columbus, Ohio - $14.45
26. Nashville, Tennessee - $14.47
25. Indianapolis, Indiana - $14.70
24. Miami, Florida - $14.81
22. Houston, Texas - $14.93
21. Charlotte, North Carolina - $15.53
20. Las Vegas, Nevada - $15.77
19. Dallas, Texas - $15.84
18. San Diego, California - $16.75
17. Los Angeles, California - $17.07
16. Kansas City, Missouri - $17.24
15. Austin, Texas - $17.37
14. Phoenix, Arizona - $17.38
13. Chicago, Illinois - $17.52
12. Detroit, Michigan - $17.69
11. Baltimore, Maryland - $17.79
10. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - $17.82
9. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania - $18.17
8. Washington, DC - $18.28
7. Denver, Colorado - $18.41
6. New Jersey - $20.58

Countdown, Top 5:*

*5. Boston, Massachusetts - $21.39










4. New York, New York - $21.68










3. San Jose, California - $22.27










2. Seattle, Washington - $22.67










1. Bay Area, California - $23.28








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https://www.businessinsider.com/hig...UlEUGRVPW5CdzNSQ7nqf9_AoTuk8feJ8RteCEbw7J6fJg


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## itsablackmarket (May 12, 2015)

No one earns anything. It's a losing proposition. I'm the type of person that wants an excuse to drive and even I struggle with this joke.


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## Another Uber Driver (May 27, 2015)

For most TNC drivers, the gross does not equal those figures. Those of us who know what we are doing can beat those figures, but the ants can not.


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## OrlUberOffDriver (Oct 27, 2014)

And, to complete the list at:
*23. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma - $14.93*

Not surprise Orlando did not even make the top 32


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## troothequalstroll (Oct 12, 2019)

Now subtract the $8-10 minimum it takes to operate a vehicle

All I see is $2.71-$8 per hour in the vast majority of markets the higher ones have to pay $3000 for a 1 bedroom lmao


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## njn (Jan 23, 2016)

surprised to see nj and nyc only $1.10 apart given the fact that nyc drivers have much higher expenses.


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## Disgusted Driver (Jan 9, 2015)

Wow, those numbers really suck. I'm in RDU which didn't even make the list and if I grossed $15 an hour I would be gone. it's a crappy day if I'm at $20. Just goes to show there are a lot of desperate people out there willing to drive for $10 or less an hour.


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## Wolfgang Faust (Aug 2, 2018)

Uber is an excellent lead generation source.


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## doyousensehumor (Apr 13, 2015)

Wow this is obviously uberX and gross numbers before expenses. Sounds about right if you're anting taking every call


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## BigRedDriver (Nov 28, 2018)

And the top five just happen to be some of the most expensive places to live.


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## peteyvavs (Nov 18, 2015)

If you factor in the true cost of operating your vehicle and your time you’re making less then minimum wage
in every market. The biggest con is some drivers actually believe that they are running their own business doing R/S.


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## Somalipirate (Apr 4, 2017)

Boston studio will cost you only $2500


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## TheDevilisaParttimer (Jan 2, 2019)

Not trying to be mean but if you factor cost of living into the list then the top 5 becomes the bottom 5.

In most of the cities on the list 30-40k is a car and apartment maybe a room mate. In California you live in your car.


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## Invisible (Jun 15, 2018)

My city doesn’t even make the list. What’s ridiculous is Uber allows Chicago drivers to come up here, but we can’t take pings in Chicago.


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## Who is John Galt? (Sep 28, 2016)

.
You should see the fares paid between Adelaide and Sacramento and, or with, vice (versa). :smiles:

.


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## TheDevilisaParttimer (Jan 2, 2019)

troothequalstroll said:


> Now subtract the $8-10 minimum it takes to operate a vehicle
> 
> All I see is $2.71-$8 per hour in the vast majority of markets the higher ones have to pay $3000 for a 1 bedroom lmao


Doesn't cost $8-$10 per hour to operate a reasonably costed vehicle.


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## 25rides7daysaweek (Nov 20, 2017)

TheDevilisaParttimer said:


> Doesn't cost $8-$10 per hour to operate a reasonably costed vehicle.


Apparently it does when you 
apply all the extra troll taxes...


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## Lee239 (Mar 24, 2017)

I like how they list NJ as a city.


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## Stevie The magic Unicorn (Apr 3, 2018)

OrlUberOffDriver said:


> And, to complete the list at:
> *23. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma - $14.93*
> 
> Not surprise Orlando did not even make the top 32


So Orlando is Under... $12.71 an hour by Uber's own figures. (Orlando isn't in the top 32 so it's below 22.71)

35 a mile times 20-25 miles averaged per hour here (this is about my range and has been since 2010) and your at $7.70 per hour in costs. This is 35c a mile assuming an XL/minivan. You could get less per mile but an XL vehicle is a HUGE advantage here.

<$12.71 - $7.70 an hour in costs.

Or <$5.00 an hour.

Driving a cab last night I made $150 in 11.5 hours (from picking up to dropping off the cab 11.5 hours) minus a lunch break.

Something is wrong here...


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## troothequalstroll (Oct 12, 2019)

TheDevilisaParttimer said:


> Doesn't cost $8-$10 per hour to operate a reasonably costed vehicle.


Hmmmm I get 24mpg in a 10+ year old fully deprecated xl vehicle with 250,000 miles bluebook probably less than 3k

Point being it's paid for once a year I need $800-1500 in repairs to keep it safe so $150 per month are my total costs aside from gas and insurance

If I fill tank up do my airport ride that accounts for 90% of my trips, dead head back and fill up again it costs $8ish dollars to do so

Trip is 40 minutes there 40 minutes back approx 80 miles round tripper

Owned car before Uber & should give me 3 more years

8300 in repairs at 4000+ trips call it $2 maintenance every ride

Nothing out of ordinary 9 tires, front brakes twice rear once, shocks, struts, CV joint, radiator, 2 alternators/batteries, 2 windshields, power steering pump, side view mirror, electric door, 2 tune ups, ac recharge,40 oil changes give or take in 5 years most all original parts

It's not advanced calculus a car in motion costs $8-10 an hour just to operate

I'm sure some get by on less but on average every trip is $2-4 in costs $8-10 an hour they're also getting .60 a mile while I'm getting $1.20+ with the same costs

A 2015+ is getting it in depreciation have you looked at used cars lately lol 2018s with 100K miles lmao

96% fail because for some reason they think it's cheaper than it is & Uber Lyft certainly don't calculate these costs because they don't have to pay them lol


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## everythingsuber (Sep 29, 2015)

Quite possibly the most pathetic list in the history of lists. Still no shortage of Uber shills on all forums and other social media claiming 30 dollars an hour after expenses. Real numbers and driver churn rate tell you the reality.


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## tohunt4me (Nov 23, 2015)

Lissetti said:


> _This article was originally posted on the Seattle board by local driver @dimwit_driver. I think it's good info and a benefit to others to see where their state ranks on this list. _
> 
> *The 32 places Uber and Lyft drivers earn the most, according to the data
> 
> ...


AT LEAST WE MADE THE LIST.

" NO NEED TO TIP " !


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## TheDevilisaParttimer (Jan 2, 2019)

troothequalstroll said:


> Hmmmm I get 24mpg in a 10+ year old fully deprecated xl vehicle with 250,000 miles bluebook probably less than 3k
> 
> Point being it's paid for once a year I need $800-1500 in repairs to keep it safe so $150 per month are my total costs aside from gas and insurance
> 
> ...


If you stop the dead mile hiking back to a specific location your operation expenses will be cut nearly in half.

Understand to minimize cost you need a passenger in the car 60% of the time or more, optimal 70% or more.

I know this can be market specific so I understand you may have to operate your vehicle in this way.


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## Bspringz (Jan 3, 2020)

No love for Hawaii? I think Honolulu should definitely make this list. It’s a great market for rideshare between all the tourism, nightlife and 950,000 people that live on this tiny rock in the pacific (Oahu)


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## Fuzzyelvis (Dec 7, 2014)

Lissetti said:


> _This article was originally posted on the Seattle board by local driver @dimwit_driver. I think it's good info and a benefit to others to see where their state ranks on this list. _
> 
> *The 32 places Uber and Lyft drivers earn the most, according to the data
> 
> ...


That's BS. Houston is more like $8-10 per hour unless you only work a few hours a week at the busy times.


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## Stevie The magic Unicorn (Apr 3, 2018)

troothequalstroll said:


> Hmmmm I get 24mpg in a 10+ year old fully deprecated xl vehicle with 250,000 miles bluebook probably less than 3k
> 
> Point being it's paid for once a year I need $800-1500 in repairs to keep it safe so $150 per month are my total costs aside from gas and insurance
> 
> ...


Truth?

My _lifetime_ costs on a seinna cost me 45C a mile (including full commercial taxi insurance)

22 miles at 35c a mile = $7.70. A whole 23% less than taxi costs.

And truth of the matter?

$10.00 an hour in costs is enough to rent a taxi from a shop.

Reality check, once the pricing is taken to something realistic we may all find ourselves being taxi drivers in name and reality, not just pretty much taxi drivers.

And the only difference?

Taxi drivers can legally pick up flag downs, that's the ONLY difference.


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## waldowainthrop (Oct 25, 2019)

Denver is top 10, not surprised at all.

I did manage a $30/hour gross day there a couple of times despite not knowing the market intimately. It’s not possible to be consistently good in that market for most people but it has to be better than most of the rest of the country.


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## lyft_rat (Jul 1, 2019)

Somalipirate said:


> Boston studio will cost you only $2500


In a shitty neighborhood with no parking.


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## Lissetti (Dec 20, 2016)

This is a screenshot of my wages from last December in Seattle. I didn't drive the holiday season this year on Uber. I put about 200 to 300 miles a day on my car and got gas daily at $34. a tank.

This is the standard minimum amount and more the experienced drivers in Seattle make still.

The Seattle area is very spread out with a piss poor transit system. Folks from all around including the boonies come into Seattle for events and social activities.


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## SOLA-RAH (Dec 31, 2014)

everythingsuber said:


> Quite possibly the most pathetic list in the history of lists. Still no shortage of Uber shills on all forums and other social media claiming 30 dollars an hour after expenses. Real numbers and driver churn rate tell you the reality.


This is a seasonal gig. I can guarantee you that every city in that list has a "busy season". This is when you make all your hay so you don't have to fight the hordes of starving ants during the lean times. In DC it's dead from August 1st until the Monday after Labor Day, and then again the weekend before Christmas until Valentine's Day. Outside of those 10-ish weeks of the year, business booms.

$30-35/hr is the least I'm willing to work for nowadays. If it's not busy enough to pull that, I simply go home. Once the hours worked weekly goes past ~25, this hourly average starts to tank in a hurry.

And yes, there are expenses, but not so many that this isn't profitable. And it becomes quite profitable if you drive a cheap and efficient car that's long been fully depreciated.






















































































































And just to brag:


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## troothequalstroll (Oct 12, 2019)

Stevie The magic Unicorn said:


> Truth?
> 
> My _lifetime_ costs on a seinna cost me 45C a mile (including full commercial taxi insurance)
> 
> ...


Guess your dead miles don't cost .45 a mile total costs truly amazing

We are taxi drivers let me guess you think youre "sharing" too

When you're vehicle is on its $8-10 an hour to operate give or take a sheckle you're not teleporting after drop off and or guaranteed a ride immediately after, if you're not at home you are loitering on private property, parked, or driving not being compensated for your time, & unless you are homeless you plan for the day wasn't sit in your car away from home for hours not getting paid

But cheers you share costs of 1% of drivers cuz 90+% of us have costs of $8-10 an hour or $2-4 per ride

I'll stick to addition & subtraction & leave the calculus to the criminals at Uber Lyft who try to insult me like I can't figure 90+% if the crap they send me equals less than minimum wage or free after my costs

Everyone gets a card who cares about being able to pick up on street I'm a human if someone wants a ride I can figure out how to give them one and if it's a friggin sting not that I care about $10 rides anyway, airport are scheduled and nothing stopping you from growing a client list



TheDevilisaParttimer said:


> If you stop the dead mile hiking back to a specific location your operation expenses will be cut nearly in half.
> 
> Understand to minimize cost you need a passenger in the car 60% of the time or more, optimal 70% or more.
> 
> I know this can be market specific so I understand you may have to operate your vehicle in this way.


LMAO no if I stop dead head hiking I'd be in the airport lot for hours everyday waiting for a $20 or less ride instead of back in my bed in 40 minutes waiting for a $65 ride

My dead head costs me 40 minutes at 80mph & $4 gas smart tint covers toll total costs for ride $10 and I'm paid $65+ 40% tip a percentage so over $15 so I clear $55+ for the hour

Easier to just divide my 1099 by trips but with over 5000 of them I average 50 per trip

20 trips a week I'm over 1000 but I'm down to probably 10-15 I'd

1 a day 1500 a month
2 a day 3000 a month
That's pretty much guaranteed
If I don't feel like smoking I could do 3-7 but I'd rather play ghost car & wait till their forced to show details then go hard at 400+ a day till they crumble

Thanks for the advice though but I don't entertain 90+% of rides airport only from my bed instead of sitting in the car 8+ hours a day taking 20-30 rides to make maybe a couple hundred more each week not close to worth it

I don't drive around the city, loiter, park for .60 a mile or free I stopped x after 2016 cut & opted out of pool 1st day, anything less than $1 a mile is crazy self defeating & the math don't work

I only want 1 ride everything else is ignored cancelled 1 started bad experience and or game playing

20-30 rides per day 8+ hours per day stop & go all over city for $1400 or less filling tank up daily vs 10-15 rides per week filling up every 3 days 8+ hours in bed watching the telly no trespassing no idling no illegal parking no loitering in neighborhoods I don't live in, literally 1000+ more chance a month at accident,ticket,repairs, robbery,lizard lot altercation lol .....for 800-1000 hmmmmmmm lol definitely market specific but I can't imagine less than $1 a mile working in any market haha $1 a mile less than minimum wage on most rides but some could get close .60 lmao it's like Oprah but handing out you fails


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## goneubering (Aug 17, 2017)

SOLA-RAH said:


> This is a seasonal gig. I can guarantee you that every city in that list has a "busy season". This is when you make all your hay so you don't have to fight the hordes of starving ants during the lean times. In DC it's dead from August 1st until the Monday after Labor Day, and then again the weekend before Christmas until Valentine's Day. Outside of those 10-ish weeks of the year, business booms.
> 
> $30-35/hr is the least I'm willing to work for nowadays. If it's not busy enough to pull that, I simply go home. Once the hours worked weekly goes past ~25, this hourly average starts to tank in a hurry.
> 
> ...


Very impressive for the hours you put in.


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## troothequalstroll (Oct 12, 2019)

How bout this math if I took an x to the airport it pays $40 the toll both ways is $26, gas is $8 future costs $2 so $36 in costs

40-36= $4 for a 40 minute ride no guarantee of another ride could be minutes could be hours airport is 20 minutes from any civilization

Why would anyone do that? LMAO that's the long ride everything else is $4-8 haha & those x mudderfuccers don't tip lol

Better skip the toll get $30-$10 in costs so $20 but 8 hours a day that trip takes 1-2 hours longer lmao

Bizzaro world indeed toll, airport, city, Uber Lyft all make more on the ride than the labor providing & risking everything it's war of the middlemen


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## TheDevilisaParttimer (Jan 2, 2019)

troothequalstroll said:


> Guess your dead miles don't cost .45 a mile total costs truly amazing
> 
> We are taxi drivers let me guess you think youre "sharing" too
> 
> ...


Ohhh man you kinda all over making your ideas hard to follow but I believe I got the jest of what your saying.

If doing a preferred trip then dead mile home fits your lifestyle then do it. However your operational cost will suffer, which is why you quote such a high cost to do rideshare.

With that being said your high operational cost doesn't reflect the operational cost of most drivers. Your style of doing rideshare is in the minority.

On another note I think anything less than $2 per mile is highway robbery in California. If you adjust for cost of living $1 per mile in California is around .30 cent per mile in most other cities.


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## troothequalstroll (Oct 12, 2019)

High operational costs? Please do tell me how $2-4 per ride or $8-10 per hour is high? Do you not factor in gas, maintenance, depreciation, repairs?

25mpg is average if you plug in your getting.60 per mile I don't degrade myself at that rate unless it's an airport re match going my way

90+% of drivers have the same costs a plug in electric would force me to charge up a few hours after every airport drop & I'd only get .60 a mile so unless you're running on unicorn dust I just see average operating costs

Anyhoo 96% fail for a reason and I've been able to still get 50+ an hour for 5 years straight

Tldr if all over the place
Anything under $10 a ride you will eventually LOSE by design


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## Stevie The magic Unicorn (Apr 3, 2018)

TheDevilisaParttimer said:


> If you stop the dead mile hiking back to a specific location your operation expenses will be cut nearly in half.
> 
> Understand to minimize cost you need a passenger in the car 60% of the time or more, optimal 70% or more.
> 
> I know this can be market specific so I understand you may have to operate your vehicle in this way.


It IS market specific.

When i'm _trying_ for efficiency in a taxi I cap out at around 45% paid miles.

When i'm running dispatch it plummets to 25-30% paid.

Charging $2.40 a mile in a taxi with taxi tips (much better than uber tips i'll have you know) I'm barely at $1.00 per paid mile much of the time including empty miles.

But i'm earning $20-30 an hour and spending $8-$9.00 including gas and the taxi rental, so...
(The math in a taxi puts Revenue per hour at higher than revenue per mile. The cab is costing me $6.00 or $6.90 per hour regardless of how many miles i drive. The gas is costing only 10c per mile, that's the only variable cost.

The end result being 200 miles for $200 is WAY better than $150 in 100 miles

On uber around here,

Being smart on pings gets you about 40% paid mileage, accepting everything gets you (i have no idea because i'm not dumb enough to accept a 10 mile ping)


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## Somalipirate (Apr 4, 2017)

One bedroom rental


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## peteyvavs (Nov 18, 2015)

Another Uber Driver said:


> For most TNC drivers, the gross does not equal those figures. Those of us who know what we are doing can beat those figures, but the ants can not.


Sure, off your meds again I see.


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## dirtylee (Sep 2, 2015)

Looks like only a few cities in that list are viable. 

Cheap gas, $800/month 1br, no taxes.


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## Marcelo Lean (Dec 27, 2019)

SOLA-RAH said:


> This is a seasonal gig. I can guarantee you that every city in that list has a "busy season". This is when you make all your hay so you don't have to fight the hordes of starving ants during the lean times. In DC it's dead from August 1st until the Monday after Labor Day, and then again the weekend before Christmas until Valentine's Day. Outside of those 10-ish weeks of the year, business booms.
> 
> $30-35/hr is the least I'm willing to work for nowadays. If it's not busy enough to pull that, I simply go home. Once the hours worked weekly goes past ~25, this hourly average starts to tank in a hurry.
> 
> ...


It just made me smile,I guess that you are one of the few exceptions to the rule,with a looong experience as a driver and knowing the numerous caveats of owning and operating a vehicle for commercial use the math just do not add up at $1,11 a mile.


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## Buckiemohawk (Jun 23, 2015)

OrlUberOffDriver said:


> And, to complete the list at:
> *23. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma - $14.93*
> 
> Not surprise Orlando did not even make the top 32


Orlando is lowest rate in the nation. As a taxi driver during regular season I used to make 35 to 65 dollars an hour. They have people driving for chump change. Yeah, it's busy but people are 15 dollars to go across a very spread out toan


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