# Start riding with Uber again after 4 years.Its awful...



## BenerD (Oct 20, 2018)

I would like to tell about my oberservations after the first day.
I drove for Uber between 2013-2015 in NYC.
Currently I reside at Delray Beach FL,
I just purchased a Lux/Suv and start driving for Uber yesterday.
Well I have to complete 75 trips for uber to activate my Lux/SUV
Pay is absolutely awful and it’s beyond not fair.
It used to be 33/67 net payout with Lux/Black
And 27/73 net for uber x.No other fees or any cuts.
I complete 11 rides last night.
Payout was 55/45 for uber x.
I approximately got paid %45 percent of the fares.
I read the posts and I understand.System changed and Uber became a greedy monopoly.They don’t answer to anyone anymore...
Since they have over 100.000’s drivers with 15 year old cars and vs...They lost their idea of CHANGE they wanted to bring to the industry
when they first launched in NYC.
My question to you my dear drivers in this network.
Is there any people or parties actively doing something against this mentality?
I will gladly help as much as I can...
Only way that uber steps back and start caring about its drivers livelihood is to experience consequences from its drivers.
What can it be done,
This started as a beautiful idea,
But now all the drivers that I hear and read about are suffering deeply both in financial and psychological level.
I am wondering about what you are thinking?
My Regards
Ben


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## Pax Collector (Feb 18, 2018)

The bottom line is there is always going to be someone with a 10 year old Prius that'll do the job with no questions asked no matter how horrible the pay is. And that's what keeps the cycle going.


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## mbd (Aug 27, 2018)

They have access to too many drivers.


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## Kodyhead (May 26, 2015)

BenerD said:


> I would like to tell about my oberservations after the first day.
> I drove for Uber between 2013-2015 in NYC.
> Currently I reside at Delray Beach FL,
> I just purchased a Lux/Suv and start driving for Uber yesterday.
> ...


Welcome to south Florida lol you got some relentless competition

The good news is you probably got a nice new SUV, the bad news is you can only prepare so much for a kick in the nuts.

I'm sure in delray you will rack up those trips with all the min fares lol

Do you live here full time?


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## BenerD (Oct 20, 2018)

Thank you very much for your welcome.
Yes I do live here full time


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## steveK2016 (Jul 31, 2016)

BenerD said:


> suffering deeply both in financial and psychological level.


I am not suffering from either.

Hope ya got a plan to pay for that new Suburban.


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## kcdrvr15 (Jan 10, 2017)

BenerD said:


> I would like to tell about my oberservations after the first day.
> I drove for Uber between 2013-2015 in NYC.
> Currently I reside at Delray Beach FL,
> I just purchased a Lux/Suv and start driving for Uber yesterday.
> ...


If you want to get even, not mad, then there is only two things that can be done, quit driving is one and the other is to compete with them.


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## oldfart (Dec 22, 2017)

kcdrvr15 said:


> If you want to get even, not mad, then there is only two things that can be done, quit driving is one and the other is to compete with them.


There you go.

Yes compete with them. I understand that Uber/Lyft customers are to a large degree just looking to get from point A to point B as cheaply as possible and that for most drivers this is a side hustle to supplement another income or to some income flowing between real jobs. Uber X with the cheapest car you can find works for them (drivers and passengers)

But there are some of us that do this full time and do it as a business and I firmly believe that there are passengers that want to be able to schedule their ride and want a more luxurious ride than can be had with an Uber X


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## kcdrvr15 (Jan 10, 2017)

Check your states livery regulations. I set my rates at just above local taxi rates, for my average fare, Im about $5 to $10 more than local taxi fare. Build a book of local clients that you get repeat bussiness from. Use uber/lyft as a lead generator, give your bussiness card out, we can beat these ride share companies.


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

BenerD said:


> I would like to tell about my oberservations after the first day.
> I drove for Uber between 2013-2015 in NYC.
> Currently I reside at Delray Beach FL,
> But now all the drivers that I hear and read about are suffering deeply both in financial and psychological level.
> ...


You made 2 mistakes..

#1 your doing uber in Floriduh
#2 your car isn't a 16 year old POS

Those are your two mistakes, either of them will result in you not making much. Both of them at once will result in you failing to break even.

What CAN you do?

Move,

Buy a 15 year old POS with 100,000 miles in the $2,000-$6,000 mile range. I found a bunch on auto trader in the 2005-2010 range for under 5,000

You'll need about 1 per year but at 4,000-5,000 per year in car purchase costs your only looking at $76 a week in car purchase costs.
If you buy in the 100,000 mile 10 year old range you should be able to squeeze 1 year out of it before the maintenance gets too heavy.

If your trying to make a living on uber/lyft in Florida you already lost.

I'll donate 99c for a marker and you can round up some card board and easily you can easily outearn the average uber driver if you stand on the closest highway exit or major intersection. For much much less in expenses.

IF 500 cars pass by each hour and 5% of them donate $1.00 that's $25 an hour.










I've seen these guys clear $20 an hour on an average day, $50 an hour when there is heavy foot traffic/ an event going on.

That's about $19+ an hour more in profit than i would expect you to make doing uber here.

PS if you limit your showers to once a week and work in the heat more people will believe your homeless.


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## Amsoil Uber Connect (Jan 14, 2015)

Your first mistake was not coming here. 

Then you bought a new SUV.

Then failed to see the rate cuts from 2015. 

Should I say more ? I didn't think so too.


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## ANT 7 (Oct 14, 2018)

kcdrvr15 said:


> Check your states livery regulations. I set my rates at just above local taxi rates, for my average fare, Im about $5 to $10 more than local taxi fare. Build a book of local clients that you get repeat bussiness from. Use uber/lyft as a lead generator, give your bussiness card out, we can beat these ride share companies.


I've been solicited by 3 X UBER driver's with business cards for their own gig in the last 2 years.......lol.


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## Mista T (Aug 16, 2017)

I'm doing my part.... starting a new career. One day there will be one less ant.


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## kcdrvr15 (Jan 10, 2017)

ANT 7 said:


> I've been solicited by 3 X UBER driver's with business cards for their own gig in the last 2 years.......lol.


Well, I don't card drivers. I card hotel guests, flight crews, business folks that are hanging out at the happy hour bar. My average fare is now over $50. No more $4 runs for bus riders.


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## ANT 7 (Oct 14, 2018)

I meant solicited as an Uber rider, when they don't know I am a driver. On my many airport runs when I travel.


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## kcdrvr15 (Jan 10, 2017)

ANT 7 said:


> I meant solicited as an Uber rider, when they don't know I am a driver. On my many airport runs when I travel.


Yea, I understand now. About 2 years ago, when the rate cuts were starting to hurt, I started then looking for a way to make a driving gig pay, met an older driver, a limo company owner, and he was kind enough to give me some tips. These "tips" have resulted in me becoming a owner/operator of a commercial livery vehicle. Doing well over 1k a week, mostly hotel and airport runs for a select group of clients. The money and opportunities are out there, you just have to turn off the app and start looking and educating your self on where the riders are. Thanks to the lobbing efforts of uber/lyft, in my area, no more city oversight of owner operators of livery vehicles that carry 8 pax or less. No taxi permit, just business license from state or city ( can get online $12.50 ) and commercial livery insurance, amount determined by the number of pax your vehicle is designed to carry. Before de-regulation, it was about $4k a year in permits and fees to run a limo/taxi in the area. Now, $12.50 for a business lic.


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## ANT 7 (Oct 14, 2018)

In my market, being an Uber driver licensed to work is 100% exactly the same as being taxi/limo as it is the same livery license and process. I can do either.


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## touberornottouber (Aug 12, 2016)

Honestly, at least here, this is the worst job you can get. At least pay wise. A good day here is $10 an hour. A bad one typically means $5 an hour. If I just drove for Uber exclusively my car would have been repossessed and I would be homeless. For example for today I was online about 6 hours. In that time Uber gave me two rides for about $16. Thankfully I do other things and also Lyft.

My advice: take the vehicle back and go get another job. ANY job which pays at least minimum wage and gives you at least 30 hours a week. You will come out ahead. This gig literally gets worse every couple months. It's never going to get better. In my two years doing this I have calculated that my pay per hour has decreased about $3 per hour per year.



mbd said:


> They have access to too many drivers.


True but I'm noticing more and more that the drivers are quitting. From when I started the usual drivers I used to see at my old spots are all gone. There used to be a guy who was parking right in front of my house and doing Uber. I haven't seen him for a couple days now. He might be gone. There was another guy apparently doing it out of his home right by one of my favorite spots. I haven't noticed him online in about a week. People are quitting when they see how low the pay is.


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## tohunt4me (Nov 23, 2015)

Well
A group " Actively" brought a Petition to Uber.
It was seen around the world.

Never read 


See it laying on the chest of the man slammed to the ground OUTSIDE UBER CORPORATE ?

UberCares !

New App. & " contract" to be Forced on You Soon !


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## oldfart (Dec 22, 2017)

kcdrvr15 said:


> Yea, I understand now. About 2 years ago, when the rate cuts were starting to hurt, I started then looking for a way to make a driving gig pay, met an older driver, a limo company owner, and he was kind enough to give me some tips. These "tips" have resulted in me becoming a owner/operator of a commercial livery vehicle. Doing well over 1k a week, mostly hotel and airport runs for a select group of clients. The money and opportunities are out there, you just have to turn off the app and start looking and educating your self on where the riders are. Thanks to the lobbing efforts of uber/lyft, in my area, no more city oversight of owner operators of livery vehicles that carry 8 pax or less. No taxi permit, just business license from state or city ( can get online $12.50 ) and commercial livery insurance, amount determined by the number of pax your vehicle is designed to carry. Before de-regulation, it was about $4k a year in permits and fees to run a limo/taxi in the area. Now, $12.50 for a business lic.


There are two kinds of Uber drivers, those that see it as a dead end job and those the see it as the gateway to a nice little business


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## tohunt4me (Nov 23, 2015)

oldfart said:


> There are two kinds of Uber drivers, those that see it as a dead end job and those the see it as the gateway to a nice little business


Uber - the " Gateway Gig "!

" Not Even Once " !


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

oldfart said:


> There are two kinds of Uber drivers, those that see it as a dead end job and those the see it as the gateway to a nice little business


And after they become disillusioned they become and X-Uber driver...


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## JimKE (Oct 28, 2016)

BenerD said:


> I would like to tell about my oberservations after the first day.
> I drove for Uber between 2013-2015 in NYC.
> Currently I reside at Delray Beach FL,
> I just purchased a Lux/Suv and start driving for Uber yesterday.
> ...


Well, first of all, "Bienvenido al sur de la Florida!"

I agree with everything you posted, but I have several comments:

South Florida is not New York. The pay here is much less, but so is the cost of living. And it's a great place to live.
Uber has changed both their pricing model and their driver pay model since you last drove. We no longer get paid a percentage of the fare; *we get flat rates for time and distance.* Period.
If you want to be a social justice warrior, by all means go for it. But if you want to pay your car payment and make a little money, *focus on learning the market and driving smart.*
If you want to develop into a private for-hire business, oldfart above has one model for that. Just *be sure you understand Florida's rideshare law.* Cash rides by rideshare drivers are arrestable offenses under Florida law if you are not fully licensed and insured as for-hire. So know the local laws and regulations; they are not nearly as oppressive as NYC.
*It will get better. *Understand that South Florida is seasonal...and this ain't the season. We're sort of at the point where it should start to pick up. From December to April it will be busy, but the summers are slow.
*Join us on the Miami forum.* Nobody's gonna give you their sweet spots, but you can pick up some good local information there.
Good luck and welcome aboard.


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## oldfart (Dec 22, 2017)

Stevie The magic Unicorn said:


> And after they become disillusioned they become and X-Uber driver...


No question most folks quit. But that's the way it should be. Uber is what it is, a side hustle, a part time job, a temp job, a way to convertyour car into groceries

I don't get up-set when I invest $100 a week at the grocery store and have nothing to show for it at the end of the week. In fact I usually have to invest another $100 the next week or go hungry. My car is the same way. It's gonna get used up or depreciate over time

One of the first posts I read on this forum said that ultimately Uber was a way to extract the equity in your car. The way he put it uber enables you to eat your car

But that's not a bad thing. It's exactly what I wanted. I started Uber with a car, some money in the bank and no income. I could have sold the car and had a little more money but all that would do is postpone the inevitable. Sooner or later the car would be gone and so would the bank account

Instead I did Uber. A year later I still have the car, it's closer to junk but it's not junk yet and I still have the bank account and I'm 10 pounds heavier. So obviously I'm eating.

Uber has done for me what I needed it to do. I'm happy. I'm not ready to quit because I need the income for another couple of years but one day I will quit. Not because Uber didnt work for me, but rather because it did

So don't judge Uber against what you used to do or what it used to be. Uber is what it is today It either works for you or not and you can't "complain" it into something else


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## UBERPROcolorado (Jul 16, 2017)

touberornottouber said:


> Honestly, at least here, this is the worst job you can get. At least pay wise. A good day here is $10 an hour. A bad one typically means $5 an hour. If I just drove for Uber exclusively my car would have been repossessed and I would be homeless. For example for today I was online about 6 hours. In that time Uber gave me two rides for about $16. Thankfully I do other things and also Lyft.
> 
> My advice: take the vehicle back and go get another job. ANY job which pays at least minimum wage and gives you at least 30 hours a week. You will come out ahead. This gig literally gets worse every couple months. It's never going to get better. In my two years doing this I have calculated that my pay per hour has decreased about $3 per hour per year.
> 
> True but I'm noticing more and more that the drivers are quitting. From when I started the usual drivers I used to see at my old spots are all gone. There used to be a guy who was parking right in front of my house and doing Uber. I haven't seen him for a couple days now. He might be gone. There was another guy apparently doing it out of his home right by one of my favorite spots. I haven't noticed him online in about a week. People are quitting when they see how low the pay is.


I have 3-friends that all started the same time I did. (2-years ago)

Without outing anyone or how they did it, they all now have livery licences and a growing client base. I have seen the way they did it and wow! It really works. More net income, far less hours and miles, tip factored in, time and locations pre booked.

I am not sure but will bet that atleast part of the drivers leaving Uber are going solo.....


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## uberdriverfornow (Jan 10, 2016)

oldfart said:


> No question most folks quit. But that's the way it should be. Uber is what it is, a side hustle, a part time job, a temp job, a way to convertyour car into groceries
> 
> I don't get up-set when I invest $100 a week at the grocery store and have nothing to show for it at the end of the week. In fact I usually have to invest another $100 the next week or go hungry. My car is the same way. It's gonna get used up or depreciate over time
> 
> ...


I'm curious why you hyphenated "upset"?


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## oldfart (Dec 22, 2017)

uberdriverfornow said:


> I'm curious why you hyphenated "upset"?


I don't know. 
I'm doing this between pings and I'm not proofreading before posting


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