# I'm out (maybe for good)



## ShinyAndChrome (Aug 18, 2017)

Started last August driving my minivan. Uber only got to my city in June. Did hours here and there, drove some nights. For a while I was grossing $200/week because I was putting in quite a few hours.

Since that time it's gotten impossible to make any more than $10/hour net (I am honest about costs and account for more than just gas costs figuring out my real take-home) unless I am driving drunk hours. And even then we're probably only talking $16-18. Even during epic prime-time surges (new years, for example) take home is no more than $30/hour. And honestly, I make good money working full time and sleep is valuable. I like going to bed at 10-11 on a friday and getting 8 hours and waking up when the kids do.

The insurance situation is untenable for me. The phase 2 & 3 is bad enough (lyft is awful with its deductible), but the phase 1 is so bad that it's almost like not having insurance, unless you're comfortable committing insurance fraud if you crash (I'm not).

Even if my area had rideshare insurance available (it's more or less not--maybe one provider), the cost to that would be too high to make up for the already low money per hour.

So, end of the day:


Far too risky from an insurance perspective
too little pay

Everybody still doing this, I wish you the best of luck. I don't believe it will get better, as historically conditions for drivers continue to deteriorate.


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## 2Cents (Jul 18, 2016)

Luckily for you , you figured out you could be possibly committing insurance fraud before being in that position. Good for you.
Good luck in your future endeavors.
.02


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## Mista T (Aug 16, 2017)

Good luck to you.

Can't wait until my turn comes to write my goodbye thread. I have not had a single ride over 25% surge in a month, with 60 hour weeks.


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## ShinyAndChrome (Aug 18, 2017)

2Cents said:


> Luckily for you , you figured out you could be possibly committing insurance fraud before being in that position. Good for you.
> Good luck in your future endeavors.
> .02


Recommendations to commit it seems common around here. I just can't end up in court defending a criminal charge all for the luxury of driving uber for minimum wage. It simply doesn't make sense. Some things about rideshare I do like. The flexibility, it's interesting sometimes, I've seen parts of the city I normally don't. But the numbers are very hard to justify. It pays so little as it is, and then you add on the very real risk of having a crash with little insurance, and I can't make it work anymore. My state mandates a higher than normal insurance for phase 1, so I think it's $75k liability. This is not insurance. That is a "I'll spot you" sort of money when we're talking significant car accidents. A little whiplash, sure. But when you hit somebody and they're losing work and dealing with long term medical care, sky's the limit. I don't fancy paying for the findings of a civil court case for the next 20 years. And driving is among the more dangerous things we do in a typical day.


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## 1.5xorbust (Nov 22, 2017)

Best of luck. You are a realist in regards to Uber Driving.


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## Garbage Plate (Aug 13, 2017)

Thank you Shiny for the good advice you've given here. Unfortunately we are still dealing with the two big problems of low pay and pathetic insurance during phase 1. The insurance will be fixed I believe, or is at least fixable. This is NY so I can't be overly optimistic. The low pay I'm more concerned about. It basically is a minimum wage job, but with big risks associated with it. Risks include unlimited liability and abuse from riders that don't come with other low paying jobs. Pretty much anybody can drive a car. No special skill or education needed. So I don't think wages can go up very much. If they do more people will start driving and drive wages right back down. One thing I believe would help is getting a TNC that charges a low monthly fee, and allows drivers to set their own rates. That would at least take the 25 to 50% Uber and Lyft cut back.


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## bsliv (Mar 1, 2016)

ShinyAndChrome said:


> And driving is among the more dangerous things we do in a typical day.


This is a very under rated cost to drive. There is a very real possibility of permanent injury (or worse) to the driver. What cost does one put on one's body?


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## MadTownUberD (Mar 11, 2017)

bsliv said:


> This is a very under rated cost to drive. There is a very real possibility of permanent injury (or worse) to the driver. What cost does one put on one's body?


This is why I am increasingly doing only early mornings when I am literally the only car on any given road. Last night I drove during rush hour between work and church and it was nerve wracking...someone could hit my car even if I do everything right.


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