# Metro DC...Am I Doing Something Wrong?



## Tom Madison (Aug 11, 2014)

I have been an UberX driver for about two months, typically working 10-12 hours per week on the weekend. While the busiest/peak demand times are late Friday/Saturday night I find it hard to be out really late, so most weeks I drive 7-midnight on Friday and 5-midnight on Saturday. While I am getting a decent number of ride requests, it seems like my earnings ($200 gross/$150 net) are a lot less than what I am seeing with other drivers.

My guess is that this is caused by several factors...not driving into the early hours of the morning when the bars close probably being the most significant. I also seem to be in the wrong place when surge pricing goes into effect (e.g., I am in Columbia Heights and Clarendon is surging) and I have learned that "chasing" surge pricing rarely works out.

Is there something that I am could/should be doing differently? It would be great if Uber published some sort of heat map showing areas of high demand for the previous week in something like 4 hour blocks. That way it would be easy to determine whether you are wasting your time in a dry spot.


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## veikveik (Apr 28, 2014)

I work DC, NOVA and rarely MD.
Welcome to reality. 
150net is what you are looking at, and the reason for that is that DC market by now is over saturated with UberX drivers.
I have done early mornings as well in Arlington and DC, and it hit or miss..

Be realistic about your expectations. You are looking at 10-20/hr max, after gas, etc


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## Tom Madison (Aug 11, 2014)

veikveik said:


> I work DC, NOVA and rarely MD.
> Welcome to reality.
> 150net is what you are looking at, and the reason for that is that DC market by now is over saturated with UberX drivers.
> I have done early mornings as well in Arlington and DC, and it hit or miss..
> ...


While I would obviously like to make more, I am realistic which is a lot easier since I am not trying to put food on the table with my UberX earnings. My goal when I started was to net around $4000 over the course of 12 months to fund a nice vacation next summer with my girlfriend. This weekend was a bit of a bust IMO...I worked pretty hard to get 20 rides driving Saturday night and Sunday morning...$205 gross which should get me something like $145 from Raiser. Factoring in gas and 25% that I allocate for taxes I am going to count $90 towards my vacation fund which is not great, but there have been enough weekends when the amount is $130-170 net to make everything balance out.

Right now my biggest pet peeve is having a trip cancelled on the way to an out of the way destination. For example, I was near Nationals Park on Saturday and accepted a request in PG County. After driving nearly 15 minutes and less than a minute from arriving the trip was cancelled. Not happy about losing 30 minutes and wasting gas.


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## veikveik (Apr 28, 2014)

Tom Madison said:


> While I would obviously like to make more, I am realistic which is a lot easier since I am not trying to put food on the table with my UberX earnings. My goal when I started was to net around $4000 over the course of 12 months to fund a nice vacation next summer with my girlfriend. This weekend was a bit of a bust IMO...I worked pretty hard to get 20 rides driving Saturday night and Sunday morning...$205 gross which should get me something like $145 from Raiser. Factoring in gas and 25% that I allocate for taxes I am going to count $90 towards my vacation fund which is not great, but there have been enough weekends when the amount is $130-170 net to make everything balance out.
> 
> Right now my biggest pet peeve is having a trip cancelled on the way to an out of the way destination. For example, I was near Nationals Park on Saturday and accepted a request in PG County. After driving nearly 15 minutes and less than a minute from arriving the trip was cancelled. Not happy about losing 30 minutes and wasting gas.


Here is atip for you - never pick a request that is more than 10 minutes away.
Uber GPS is not accurate, and you can easily be off by 10+ minutes.

For example, I was by Dulles the other night. I get a ping from...ROCKVILLE MD, and uber app tells me - 17 minutes.


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## veikveik (Apr 28, 2014)

$90 for 20 rides?
how many miles did you drive and how much in hrs?


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## Tom Madison (Aug 11, 2014)

veikveik said:


> Here is atip for you - never pick a request that is more than 10 minutes away.
> Uber GPS is not accurate, and you can easily be off by 10+ minutes.
> 
> For example, I was by Dulles the other night. I get a ping from...ROCKVILLE MD, and uber app tells me - 17 minutes.


I am reluctant to not accept requests since Uber seems to have a hard time figuring out the percentage. A few weeks ago I was told that my acceptance rate was 83%, but I accepted every ride request. I had 14 trips, so to get to this percentage I would have had to pass on 3 requests (17 total) which simply did not happen.

The GPS navigation also challenges me, but sometimes it is the pin. After a Friday night Nationals game I was parked at the McDonald's on South Capitol Street and get a request in Anacostia about 5 minutes away...no problem...hit navigate and drive...drive some more...and end up at the edge of the Anacostia River when I notice that the pin in IN THE MIDDLE OF THE RIVER. I call the passenger and he tells me that he is at Gordon Biersch which was about 500 feet from where I started. He was cool with it, but what a pain in the ass.

I also noticed that some locations in Georgetown do not map well. For example, if someone is on Water Street near the Key Bridge the pin will sometimes put them in the middle of the Whitehurst Freeway.


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## veikveik (Apr 28, 2014)

Personally, I dont even care about acceptance rate.
I ignore a lot of requests that are simply out of my way.


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## Tom Madison (Aug 11, 2014)

veikveik said:


> $90 for 20 rides?
> how many miles did you drive and how much in hrs?


Not sure of the miles driven, but here is the breakdown...

Total fare for 20 rides @ $205
Less Safe Rider Fee 20
Less 20% Uber Fee 37
Net to UberX Driver $148 (Raiser Payment)
Less Gas 20
Less Estimated Taxes 37

Net "Real" Earnings $91 - this is the amount that I add to my vacation fund


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## veikveik (Apr 28, 2014)

So roughly 6 hr shift

$15/hr eh


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## NicknTulsa (Jul 16, 2014)

I've been ignoring calls that I've been getting that say "River Parks Trail" and no address. But this weekend, I realized it was at the Casino on the River. Very frustrating that it can't get the address correct at times.


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## veikveik (Apr 28, 2014)

Tom, 
wait until you get some of those long, one way fares.

Like a one way ware to BWI from DC.
Did it a couple of weeks ago.
~$88 one way, takes roughly 45 minutes from DC, with no traffic.
~$71 after uber cut
70 miles route trip
I get bout 20mpg, so 3.5 gallons to get there and back
3.5 x 3.65gallon = ~12 $ gas
70-12 = 58

thats before taxes.
and thats basicly a two hour trip.


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## UberDC (Jul 12, 2014)

Tom Madison said:


> I have been an UberX driver for about two months, typically working 10-12 hours per week on the weekend. While the busiest/peak demand times are late Friday/Saturday night I find it hard to be out really late, so most weeks I drive 7-midnight on Friday and 5-midnight on Saturday. While I am getting a decent number of ride requests, it seems like my earnings ($200 gross/$150 net) are a lot less than what I am seeing with other drivers.
> 
> My guess is that this is caused by several factors...not driving into the early hours of the morning when the bars close probably being the most significant. I also seem to be in the wrong place when surge pricing goes into effect (e.g., I am in Columbia Heights and Clarendon is surging) and I have learned that "chasing" surge pricing rarely works out.
> 
> Is there something that I am could/should be doing differently? It would be great if Uber published some sort of heat map showing areas of high demand for the previous week in something like 4 hour blocks. That way it would be easy to determine whether you are wasting your time in a dry spot.


I'm a driver in DC and weekends are the best but I can see that you are not going about it the right way. Friday and Saturday evenings you should hang around neighborhoods to take people out to the bars. Late Friday and Saturday night's are always busy near Admas Morgan, Dupont, Georgetown, U St, etc for bar hopping and taking people home. Early morning Saturday from 6 to 12 is always very busy if you are waiting near upscale apartment and condo housing and hotels. Mostly all of my riders are requesting to go to Union Station or DCA. Sunday mornings you should hang around neighborhoods because most people are going to brunch and late Sunday night's near the airport and Union sation as this is when everyone is coming back from out of town. I easily make almost $200 gross Saturday mornings alone.


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## veikveik (Apr 28, 2014)

IMHO, anything after midnight brings out the worst clientele.
Too many drunks, who can ruin your car and ruin your night


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## UberDC (Jul 12, 2014)

veikveik said:


> IMHO, anything after midnight brings out the worst clientele.
> Too many drunks, who can ruin your car and ruin your night


Then don't make money then I guess.


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## veikveik (Apr 28, 2014)

UberDC said:


> Then don't make money then I guess.


Not like you are making a killing anyways.
There is only so many runs you can do in an hour.
And at the end of the day, its pretty much min. wage.


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## UberDC (Jul 12, 2014)

If you say so, you asked for help but don't want to work and don't know where to be at certain times of the day. NEVER chase surging in DC. I tried to help, good luck to you anyway.


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## veikveik (Apr 28, 2014)

UberDC said:


> If you say so, you asked for help but don't want to work and don't know where to be at certain times of the day. NEVER chase surging in DC. I tried to help, good luck to you anyway.


Let me ask you, what do you make an hour, after gas, taxes, and car expenses?


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## BeachBum (Aug 6, 2014)

Tom, if you worked 5 hours on Friday and 7 hours on Saturday and netted $91 after expenses ($121 if the safe driver fee was reimbursed) that only comes out to around $7.58/hr. Your per ride average of about $10 seems real light. I gross about $20 per ride, but maybe it's because we're more spread out down here.


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## UberDC (Jul 12, 2014)

$24-$26 hr because I'm not constantly driving in dead areas and my new Kia Rio gets almost 28 mpg/city. If you learn your area and drive a fuel efficient, low maintenance cost car then you can do the same. Not bad for time work, I'm definitely not trying to make a career out of this which would be a huge mistake.


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## veikveik (Apr 28, 2014)

When you drive 100s of miles every day, maintenance will snowball pretty fast.
Ever wondered by New york city has 24/7 taxi repair shops?
its the constant maintenance these cars need.
Breaks, shocks, oil change, it aint cheap


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## veikveik (Apr 28, 2014)

UberDC said:


> $24-$26 hr because I'm not constantly driving in dead areas and my new Kia Rio gets almost 28 mpg/city. If you learn your area and drive a fuel efficient, low maintenance cost car then you can do the same. Not bad for time work, I'm definitely not trying to make a career out of this which would be a huge mistake.


So after taxes you are making about $15/hr


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## UberDC (Jul 12, 2014)

veikveik said:


> When you drive 100s of miles every day, maintenance will snowball pretty fast.
> Ever wondered by New york city has 24/7 taxi repair shops?
> its the constant maintenance these cars need.
> Breaks, shocks, oil change, it aint cheap


If you hate it so much then just quit, it's very simple.


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## UberDC (Jul 12, 2014)

veikveik said:


> So after taxes you are making about $15/hr


$24-$26 AFTER EXPENSES. This is what you asked.


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## UberDC (Jul 12, 2014)

veikveik said:


> When you drive 100s of miles every day, maintenance will snowball pretty fast.
> Ever wondered by New york city has 24/7 taxi repair shops?
> its the constant maintenance these cars need.
> Breaks, shocks, oil change, it aint cheap


You don't read very well, cabbies drive 100s of miles every day, I drive 3 days a week.


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## LookyLou (Apr 28, 2014)

To the OP. You need to log your mileage every time you work. The only way to figure out what you are really netting and what your tax liability might be is to know exactly how many miles you drove and how much time you put in.

Expenses include many factors in addition to just fuel. Fuel, depreciation, insurance, maintenance, car washes, cost of any amenities you might provide riders, etc. all factor in. Taxes will be different for everyone due to the differences in miles driven and adjusted gross income after deductions. Many drivers will find that they might not pay any taxes at all if they track their mileage and expenses properly. This might also indicate that they didn't make much if any money from this which could actually be the case for many, they just don't know it yet.


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## NightRider (Jul 23, 2014)

I pretty much agree with everything UberDC has said.. The only problem is the ratings issues you might face with the party crowd. Also, already being in downtown DC vs. having to commute here in an empty car helps a ton. Not saying that I live in downtown DC, though.


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## Tom Madison (Aug 11, 2014)

LookyLou said:


> To the OP. You need to log your mileage every time you work. The only way to figure out what you are really netting and what your tax liability might be is to know exactly how many miles you drove and how much time you put in.
> 
> Expenses include many factors in addition to just fuel. Fuel, depreciation, insurance, maintenance, car washes, cost of any amenities you might provide riders, etc. all factor in. Taxes will be different for everyone due to the differences in miles driven and adjusted gross income after deductions. Many drivers will find that they might not pay any taxes at all if they track their mileage and expenses properly. This might also indicate that they didn't make much if any money from this which could actually be the case for many, they just don't know it yet.


I do keep a log of expenses since I plan (hope?) to use this information to claim an unreimbursed business expense to offset my Uber income when I file my taxes. My normal income is decent, so I just want to avoid creating a significant additional tax liability. Thanks, however, for the reminder which may not be obvious to everyone.


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## Tom Madison (Aug 11, 2014)

UberDC said:


> I'm a driver in DC and weekends are the best but I can see that you are not going about it the right way. Friday and Saturday evenings you should hang around neighborhoods to take people out to the bars. Late Friday and Saturday night's are always busy near Admas Morgan, Dupont, Georgetown, U St, etc for bar hopping and taking people home. Early morning Saturday from 6 to 12 is always very busy if you are waiting near upscale apartment and condo housing and hotels. Mostly all of my riders are requesting to go to Union Station or DCA. Sunday mornings you should hang around neighborhoods because most people are going to brunch and late Sunday night's near the airport and Union sation as this is when everyone is coming back from out of town. I easily make almost $200 gross Saturday mornings alone.


This is helpful advice, thanks. I tend to get pretty good results starting in Southeast near Nationals Park when there is not a game, but generally avoid Georgetown because it always seems like I am stuck in miserable traffic on M Street. The downside of the neighborhoods you mention is that it always seems like there are a ton of fellow UberX drivers nearby (spotted by the iPhone on the windshield) and we are fighting for the same pieces of cheese.

Another location that has been promising is Upper Northwest near American University and Chevy Chase.

This was my first Sunday morning...driving from about 7:30am-noon...and there were a good number of people early heading home after crashing at a friend's place and later on with the brunch crowd.

Do you park between requests or drive? If you drive for 10-15 minutes without a request will you try a different area? Any suggestions on places that seem to be perpetually "dead"?


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## Raider (Jul 25, 2014)

Tom Madison said:


> This is helpful advice, thanks. I tend to get pretty good results starting in Southeast near Nationals Park when there is not a game, but generally avoid Georgetown because it always seems like I am stuck in miserable traffic on M Street. The downside of the neighborhoods you mention is that it always seems like there are a ton of fellow UberX drivers nearby (spotted by the iPhone on the windshield) and we are fighting for the same pieces of cheese.
> 
> Another location that has been promising is Upper Northwest near American University and Chevy Chase.
> 
> ...


I get a lot of action when i hang out by the waterfront in Georgetown, and on the residential side of Georgetown...M street is undoubtedly the worst street in DC at any given day, loaded with tourists and shoppers...

I never take M street, i go up and take the parallel street, N street, never anyone there, and hop back at 34th street to cross the bridge as most people i pick up from Gtown ends up going back to Arlington...


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## Tom Madison (Aug 11, 2014)

Raider said:


> I get a lot of action when i hang out by the waterfront in Georgetown, and on the residential side of Georgetown...M street is undoubtedly the worst street in DC at any given day, loaded with tourists and shoppers...
> 
> I never take M street, i go up and take the parallel street, N street, never anyone there, and hop back at 34th street to cross the bridge as most people i pick up from Gtown ends up going back to Arlington...


Waterfront near Washington Harbour? I have had a strange thing happen in that area twice with requests from people on Water Street near Key Bridge. In both cases the pin put them on the Whitehurst Freeway which was clearly wrong and I did not feel like exploring with the navigation system doing its best to get me there.


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## Raider (Jul 25, 2014)

Tom Madison said:


> Waterfront near Washington Harbour? I have had a strange thing happen in that area twice with requests from people on Water Street near Key Bridge. In both cases the pin put them on the Whitehurst Freeway which was clearly wrong and I did not feel like exploring with the navigation system doing its best to get me there.


Sequoia restaurant, Tony & Joe's...etc.. yep eerytime they pin themselves it's listed on Whitehurts, but we all know there's nothing on that road, it's just right above K street that's why...just go to where the icon is or call them and see where they are at...i pick up tons of kids at that theatre too...


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