# Former driver gave me Naperville/West Chicago,IL Uber Advice is he right?



## Bumblebee2977 (Apr 23, 2018)

Hi, so I have been driving for Uber/Lyft for about 7 months now. I work 5 days a week Tuesday-Saturday 8 Hours a day. Weekdays 3pm-11pm and weekends 8pm-4am. On my weekdays I always make $160 and weekends I’ll get $200. Aka $880 a week not counting promotions because I wouldn’t always earn them since I drive for both. I live in West Chicago,IL two cities away from Naperville. I always drive out to Des Plaines on weekday afternoons cause it’s constant driving and I eventually get a ride to Chicago later. I don’t count the hour to Des Plaines and the hour going back home as work hours. 

Anyways I met this former Uber driver in Naperville this past week and he told me how he made $330 a day work 10 hours. But he would split the hours. 4am-9am and 1pm-6pm. I am in shock at how this man was making $170 more than me on weekdays. He had quit a couple weeks prior due to a bad experience involving a gun pulled on him. 

From what he told me is that he would start out in Naperville that’s where he lives and get airport runs. He said he would then turn right back around to Naperville about a 30min ride and get another airport ride. If he didn’t get another ride immediately from the airport. He also said he used most exclusively Uber even though he had both. And wouldn’t pick up short rides only long ones on weekday mornings. Another thing he stated was that he got tips just about every ride he got. Me? I only get $35 in tips a week average. 
He also said weekday mornings he would easily get $200 so I’m assuming the other 5hrs in the afternoon he made $130. Idk about his weekends but I rush to Chicago and stay there all 8 hours and get $200. Assuming I’d make about $250 on weekend nights if I stayed the full 10 hours

I wanted to keeps asking questions but unfortunately it was an Uberpool and this drunk chick kept interrupting us, and it was a short ride at that. 

I just don’t understand how he did it. How did he manage to know which one are short rides? And if he did know how did he get by with cancelling so much? 

How in the world did he make this much? I’m assuming some of it was from tips since he said almost every ride he would get tipped. God I wish he told me how much he had made in tips. 

I just don’t understand how he would drive back to Naperville and did he do that constantly? Or maybe once a day? Please someone if you have this schedule and if you live in the Naperville area please let me know what else I should know. 

I’m about to go try his methods, right now it’s Monday morning. Leaving at 3:30am and making it to Naperville by 4am. If this man is right, which I hope he his I’ll start doing this. But why does it sound too good to be true?


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## kc ub'ing! (May 27, 2016)

It's not unheard of for some men to brag to impress the female of the species. You're doing fine. Forget this chump. He's the Casanova of Naperville!


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## Rakos (Sep 2, 2014)

I watch for indicators...

45+ minute ride...

Scheduled ride...

There are ways to cifer down...

Rakos


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## Juggalo9er (Dec 7, 2017)

So a former driver is taking pool..(cheap) talking about the mass amounts of money he made..... go on


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## SuzeCB (Oct 30, 2016)

Bumblebee2977 said:


> Hi, so I have been driving for Uber/Lyft for about 7 months now. I work 5 days a week Tuesday-Saturday 8 Hours a day. Weekdays 3pm-11pm and weekends 8pm-4am. On my weekdays I always make $160 and weekends I'll get $200. Aka $880 a week not counting promotions because I wouldn't always earn them since I drive for both. I live in West Chicago,IL two cities away from Naperville. I always drive out to Des Plaines on weekday afternoons cause it's constant driving and I eventually get a ride to Chicago later. I don't count the hour to Des Plaines and the hour going back home as work hours.
> 
> Anyways I met this former Uber driver in Naperville this past week and he told me how he made $330 a day work 10 hours. But he would split the hours. 4am-9am and 1pm-6pm. I am in shock at how this man was making $170 more than me on weekdays. He had quit a couple weeks prior due to a bad experience involving a gun pulled on him.
> 
> ...


How much did he tip you?


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## Adieu (Feb 21, 2016)

Bumblebee2977 said:


> Hi, so I have been driving for Uber/Lyft for about 7 months now. I work 5 days a week Tuesday-Saturday 8 Hours a day. Weekdays 3pm-11pm and weekends 8pm-4am. On my weekdays I always make $160 and weekends I'll get $200. Aka $880 a week not counting promotions because I wouldn't always earn them since I drive for both. I live in West Chicago,IL two cities away from Naperville. I always drive out to Des Plaines on weekday afternoons cause it's constant driving and I eventually get a ride to Chicago later. I don't count the hour to Des Plaines and the hour going back home as work hours.
> 
> Anyways I met this former Uber driver in Naperville this past week and he told me how he made $330 a day work 10 hours. But he would split the hours. 4am-9am and 1pm-6pm. I am in shock at how this man was making $170 more than me on weekdays. He had quit a couple weeks prior due to a bad experience involving a gun pulled on him.
> 
> ...


Times change...Rates change.... he might be remembering good old days

Also... your available tools change too

Use Lyft destination filters to do a lil something about dead miles back into position and utilize 45+ notifications on both apps to specialize in airport runs

PS also remember that HIS plan in action culminated in a gun-in-his-face misadventure....


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## backcountryrez (Aug 24, 2017)

If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. 

By his own words, it takes him ~30 mins. to go from Naperville to the airport (I presume ORD). Pings don't tell us it's a long ride unless it's a 45+ one. How could he turn down every short ride and only get the airport runs, unless he contacted EVERY rider prior to pickup and asked where they were going, which leads to a quick deactivation?

The reality is that no one receives tips in nearly every ride they give out, not even a fraction of them. Your BS stink o'meter should have gone off when he said that.

It should have rung again when he decided to take POOL knowing what kind of struggle it is to make $1 in rideshare.

If you still believe a bit of what he says, try it for a week yourself and see if you can get the same result.


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## MadTownUberD (Mar 11, 2017)

It's unlikely that you're maximizing revenue driving 8 hours in a row. I don't drive in Chicago but try this on weekdays:

- 4am to 8am (or 5am to 9am)
- 7pm to 11pm

Or even this:

- 5am to 8am
- 4pm to 6pm
- 8pm to 11pm

You have to experiment a little and find the hot times. Where I drive there is always a convenient airport to fall back on if it's dead. However there are essentially NO flights that land between 6:30 and 9:30 pm...so lately I am finding myself taking a dinner break during that time.


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## mrpjfresh (Aug 16, 2016)

Bumblebee2977 said:


> I don't count the hour to Des Plaines and the hour going back home as work hours.





Bumblebee2977 said:


> He said he would then turn right back around to Naperville about a 30min ride and get another airport ride.


These two quotes tell me that you are not fully grasping the concept of "dead" miles and are ignoring important vehicle operating costs. You are making $880 in a 40 hour work week for a gross of $22/hr. Go to your mileage logbook for the last few weeks and give us an idea of how many miles you average. And, yes, please count your miles to and from home as work miles. This fool said he would purposely deadhead the 30-40 miles back to Naperville and even maybe pay a toll (?). All that extra money is not really as much or as impressive as you or he may think.

Here is a tip. The next time that you talk to a fellow rideshare driver, just ask him or her how much it costs to operate their vehicle per mile. If they give you a blank look or "ummmm" then please, disregard their "advice".



SuzeCB said:


> How much did he tip you?


Please, OP, answer us this question as it is the most glaring omission in this tale. " I make bank and _everybody_ tips". Yet if he requests pool and doesn't tip, you can also disregard everything he said. He sounds like a skilled liar to me. Perhaps he was running a scam tip jar that said "Please help me pay for my daughter's chemotherapy" or something. It would explain both the higher percentage of tips and a guy pulling a gun on him.


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## Cdub2k (Nov 22, 2017)

You gotta tap into the 4AM-10AM weekday morning rush hour. It's a sneaky good time period. People are going to airports for those early flights (4AM-9AM) and between 7AM-10AM people are going to work. It's a nice blend of rides.


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## Karen Stein (Nov 5, 2016)

Yes, you can make money. Yes, it takes work. And, yes, some folks have a knack.

Even so, I'm no sure who are the bigger liars: gamblers, car buyers, or cab/rideshare drivers. 

When I drove cab, the company posted a "top book" list every week. I was often on the list. Yes, listening to others chat it was clear I was a very poor performer. Why, every customer gave huge tips - unless they were in my car. 

Oddly enough, no one ever passed around their tax returns. 

Tell me any tale you like. Just make it interesting. I'll forgive a lie but never forgive being bored.


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## Bumblebee2977 (Apr 23, 2018)

SuzeCB said:


> How much did he tip you?





mrpjfresh said:


> Please, OP, answer us this question as it is the most glaring omission in this tale. " I make bank and _everybody_ tips". Yet if he requests pool and doesn't tip, you can also disregard everything he said.


I just checked and he didn't. But he didn't even order the Uber on his app his sister did it on hers. What type of former driver has someone else order him a ride? And if that's so, why didn't you let your sister know that hey, she was nice and I had a good time give her a tip. Ugh I knew he lied to me!

Oh and he made a huge deal about how little I made weekly in tips.


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## SuzeCB (Oct 30, 2016)

Bumblebee2977 said:


> I just checked and he didn't. But he didn't even order the Uber on his app his sister did it on hers. What type of former driver has someone else order him a ride? And if that's so, why didn't you let your sister know that hey, she was nice and I had a good time give her a tip. Ugh I knew he lied to me!
> 
> Oh and he made a huge deal about how little I made weekly in tips.


This job is a hustle. Everybody hustles. Uber, Lyft, drivers, paxes, even the cops we encounter. Everyone is hustling everyone else.

It's a fun game once you learn the rules.


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## Bumblebee2977 (Apr 23, 2018)

mrpjfresh said:


> These two quotes tell me that you are not fully grasping the concept of "dead" miles and are ignoring important vehicle operating costs. You are making $880 in a 40 hour work week for a gross of $22/hr. Go to your mileage logbook for the last few weeks and give us an idea of how many miles you average. And, yes, please count your miles to and from home as work miles. This fool said he would purposely deadhead the 30-40 miles back to Naperville and even maybe pay a toll (?). All that extra money is not really as much or as impressive as you or he may think.


Yes, I understand that hiking it up to Des Plaines everyday if horrible. The only reason I do it is because I don't want to pick up someone I know. I put about 900 miles a week in working miles including my dead miles to Des Plaines and the 40miles back home from Chicago. I count every single mile even when I just go to the grocery store down the street.

I pay about $100-$120 in has a week.


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## SEAL Team 5 (Dec 19, 2015)

Bumblebee2977 said:


> Anyways I met this former Uber driver in Naperville this past week and he told me how he made $330 a day work 10 hours.


The key word is former. I know former Uber X drivers in Phoenix that would make an easy $2k a week, but that's when rates were $2.35/mile.


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## Jesusdrivesuber (Jan 5, 2017)

If you cherry pick and hack, sky is the limit.


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## Koolbreze (Feb 13, 2017)

I don't follow what folks on here say. That's why they bare on here complaining. They bhave no clue


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## Mista T (Aug 16, 2017)

When people talk about how they do in the stock market, they always tell about their one or two big winners. They never brag about their losing investments, nor the investments that sit there for years and break even.

The guy was blowing smoke.


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## Nonya busy (May 18, 2017)

Juggalo9er said:


> So a former driver is taking pool..(cheap) talking about the mass amounts of money he made..... go on


and he quit from 1 bad incident. bs...


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## NoPooPool (Aug 18, 2017)

Bumblebee2977 said:


> I just checked and he didn't. But he didn't even order the Uber on his app his sister did it on hers. What type of former driver has someone else order him a ride? And if that's so, why didn't you let your sister know that hey, she was nice and I had a good time give her a tip. Ugh I knew he lied to me!
> 
> Oh and he made a huge deal about how little I made weekly in tips.


Blowhard alert. The dude is a liar, and a bad one at that.


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