# Uber in Wollongong - 16-3-17



## bulli-2516

THINK Twice before you drive:

Hello all... I'm sure it's been said many times before around the forums but I need to get it off my chest... I have been driving in Sydney for 12 months & love love the work, but have always thought that the Uber fares were too low. Do we need to be half the cost of a Taxi, or even 2/3 the cost of a Taxi.. The vast majority of your riders will never use Taxi after their first Uber experience & it's NOT all about the price. Uber is fast, reliable, easy to use, friendly, clean & so on...

I recently drove in Wollongong on the first Friday night and it was busy... busy with drunk teens taking short trips. Wollongong is a coastal city so short trips was always my expectation, no surprises there, BUT.. it was a surprise to see that Uber had dropped the already too low fares of $1.45/klm to $1.10 with the base fare $2, $0.30/min and the min fare down to $6. That's a $4.80 payment to the driver. 30% of my trips were minimum fare.. Non-stop for 3 hours I received an average of $29/hour. In Sydney it would have been double that amount. I am certain that Uber also removed any SURGE feature. My thoughts? They want the drivers to pay for promoting their Uber service in the Gong!!

At $4.80 by the time to take into account the time and travel taken to pick up the rider, we have gone backwards. Do your homework, talk to an accountant before you decide to take this on.. and remember, as a contractor you pay the GST in your quarterly BAS returns, you pay the fuel, Insurance, servicing, vehicle running costs (tyres, rego etc), depreciation, accountancy fees, RMS fees. The reality is the ATO are telling us it costs $0.66 cents per kilometre to run your vehicle.. https://www.ato.gov.au/business/inc...lculating-your-deduction/cents-per-kilometre/

Sounds like fun doesn't it? If you decide to work a few hours a week and not register for GST, don't think you will get away with it. The ATO know that you are there.. Uber must supply that information to our ATO.


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## bulli-2516

OK I might be a little out there but the results are the same.. I read the ATO statement also & considered it to be similar if not the same as what they did with Ebay where Ebay was ordered to hand over records of sellers that obtained $50000 in annual sales..


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## CoolAnt

Thanks for your post, you have changed my mind about doing Uber in Wollongong. Not a chance with those rates. Do they think fuel is cheaper there?


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## bulli-2516

Hi CoolAnt.. if anything the Wollongong rates should be higher than Sydney simply because 90-95% of the trips will be short! Perhaps Uber will catch on when they lose their drivers to a competitor. I understand it's early days but already there are many times when NO Uber is available in Wollongong at all.


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## CoolAnt

bulli-2516 said:


> Hi CoolAnt.. if anything the Wollongong rates should be higher than Sydney simply because 90-95% of the trips will be short! Perhaps Uber will catch on when they lose their drivers to a competitor. I understand it's early days but already there are many times when NO Uber is available in Wollongong at all.


Wollongong offers free buses along many routes. It's very popular and good on the city for investing in public transport. I guess uber has to compete with that and driving. It's pretty easy to own a car in Wollongong and parking is better than Sydney so there is probably less demand.


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## bulli-2516

CoolAnt said:


> Wollongong offers free buses along many routes. It's very popular and good on the city for investing in public transport. I guess uber has to compete with that and driving. It's pretty easy to own a car in Wollongong and parking is better than Sydney so there is probably less demand.


I'm sorry but I don't get it - the cost of running your car & the fees associated with Uber and the ATO are still the same in Wollongong.. if Taxis had to drop prices to compete with buses we wouldn't see any Taxis in the Gong would we? They couldn't survive! There will always be people that only use buses & trains we're probably not going to change that just as there will always be people that prefer the convenience of an Uber or Taxi. At the end of the day it's about the cost of doing business and whether it's viable or not. My comments are only my opinion & I understand not everyone is gong to agree with me. I only stress the importance of doing your homework to understand the 'real' & not the 'fake' scenario of doing business in this rideshare world.

All the best!


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## TiZrHfNi

bulli-2516 said:


> THINK Twice before you drive for Uber:
> 
> Hello all... I'm sure it's been said many times before around the forums but I need to get it off my chest... I have been driving in Sydney for 12 months & love love the work, but have always thought that the Uber fares were too low. Do we need to be half the cost of a Taxi, or even 2/3 the cost of a Taxi.. The vast majority of your riders will never use Taxi after their first Uber experience & it's NOT all about the price. Uber is fast, reliable, easy to use, friendly, clean & so on...
> 
> I recently drove in Wollongong on the first Friday night and it was busy... busy with drunk teens taking short trips. Wollongong is a coastal city so short trips was always my expectation, no surprises there, BUT.. it was a surprise to see that Uber had dropped the already too low fares of $1.45/klm to $1.10 with the base fare $2, $0.30/min and the min fare down to $6. That's a $4.80 payment to the driver. 30% of my trips were minimum fare.. Non-stop for 3 hours I received an average of $29/hour. In Sydney it would have been double that amount. I am certain that Uber also removed any SURGE feature. My thoughts? They want the drivers to pay for promoting their Uber service in the Gong!!
> 
> At $4.80 by the time to take into account the time and travel taken to pick up the rider, we have gone backwards. Do your homework, talk to an accountant before you decide to take this on.. and remember, as a contractor you pay the GST in your quarterly BAS returns, you pay the fuel, Insurance, servicing, vehicle running costs (tyres, rego etc), depreciation, accountancy fees, RMS fees. The reality is the ATO are telling us it costs $0.66 cents per kilometre to run your vehicle..
> 
> Sounds like fun doesn't it? If you decide to work a few hours a week and not register for GST, don't think you will get away with it. The ATO know that you are there.. Uber must supply that information to our ATO.
> 
> There is what on the surface looks like a fabulous alternative to Uber... look up GoBuggy.. they take 15% and you can build your own client base .. PLUS it's all Australian!! Check it out, they are looking for drivers now


Hi bulli-2516,

I've read your comment about 3 months earlier, after driving with Uber for 5 months in Wollongong I realized your advice is so valuable for people who is thinking of driving for Uber.

I works every Friday night, Saturday morning and night, Sunday morning and night, roughly 15~20 hrs per week. The net earning is roughly around $15/hr. This is frustrating.

The GST amount is calculated based on the total fare (paid by rider) not what you actually received. For example if you received $75 that means the total fare is $100 and the GST amount you will have to pay is $10. This could be a big problem at the BAS due date if you have not prepare enough money for this expense.

I could attached a brief balance sheet of my Uber driving experience if it is helpful.

At present in Wollongong, I noticed a significant increasing in Riders and Drivers. So hopefully the earning is slightly increased.


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## bulli-2516

The busiest times in Wollongong are 11pm - 2am on a Sat night. You should be able to earn $40 - $50/hr in that period.

For $15/hr I would give the game away. You're probably going backwards.

4 weeks ago I took on a job in Wollongong early on a Fri evening and was collected head on by a drunk driver travelling at high speed. The cars were written off, my passenger and I were lucky to escape with our lives. I now spend my time with plates and screws in my foot unable to even drive car for at least 4 months and for what.. $15/hr? Think about it, is it worth it?


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## TiZrHfNi

bulli-2516 said:


> The busiest times in Wollongong are 11pm - 2am on a Sat night. You should be able to earn $40 - $50/hr in that period.
> 
> For $15/hr I would give the game away. You're probably going backwards.
> 
> 4 weeks ago I took on a job in Wollongong early on a Fri evening and was collected head on by a drunk driver travelling at high speed. The cars were written off, my passenger and I were lucky to escape with our lives. I now spend my time with plates and screws in my foot unable to even drive car for at least 4 months and for what.. $15/hr? Think about it, is it worth it?


You are right. That why I change my working hours, reduced some unnecessary time.

Sorry to hear what happened. Hope you get better soon.


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## Adam86

CoolAnt said:


> Wollongong offers free buses along many routes. It's very popular and good on the city for investing in public transport. I guess uber has to compete with that and driving. It's pretty easy to own a car in Wollongong and parking is better than Sydney so there is probably less demand.


The only free buses run between Wollongong and Fairy Meadow, and the uni, nothing South of Wollongong, or North for that matter. Given Wollongong has a rather underwhelming public transport system I think Uber is just what the city needs. Ive been a driver for a few days, filled up my car on Monday, cost me $40 and have already made $38 from three trips this week.


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## bulli-2516

Adam86 said:


> The only free buses run between Wollongong and Fairy Meadow, and the uni, nothing South of Wollongong, or North for that matter. Given Wollongong has a rather underwhelming public transport system I think Uber is just what the city needs. Ive been a driver for a few days, filled up my car on Monday, cost me $40 and have already made $38 from three trips this week.


Every city needs uber... but come back and comment after you have been driving for 3 months. You can't possibly assess after 3 trips.


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## Adam86

Why will the city magically receive a better public transport system in three months? The situation will still be the same, so not sure what you are trying to say


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## bulli-2516

This thread is about the opportunties, worth and value of being an Uber driver in Wollongong.. it has nothing to do with the public transport system down here.. you have obviously misinterpreted somewhere along the way.


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## Adam86

Uber has everything to do with the public transport system. A good train/bus set up means Uber drivers struggle but limited services mean more opportunities for drivers. It's pretty simple to understand


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## bulli-2516

Im trying not to be rude here.. just go back and read the initial post in this thread.. you are on the wrong track


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## Adam86

Did a couple of trips today, picking up passengers in Wollongong and taking them to Figtree and Coniston Hotel respectively. Won't do too many trips where I have to pick up passengers in Wollongong as it's too far for me to drive to from Port Kembla for a small fare. Drove someone to Wollongong from near me made $14 which was a lot better. I guess sticking to your immediate area is probably the best way to go.


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## Johno69

I only drive Saturday nights now. Just not worth it any other time.


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## bulli-2516

Took my first trip on GoCatch last night as a rider. Managed to find an Uber driver running both apps. Uber was surging @ 3.8 for a trip fare of $75 when the std fare would have been $24. GC ended up @ $31.50. The app worked very well, couldn't fault it. The driver commented that @ x3.8 the bookings stop coming on Uber as I think we all agree. As time goes on GC can only continue to get a bigger slice of the action. The rating system on GC is far less complicated, the payout for to the driver is better than the existing Sydney rates too. If Uber drivers are not running both apps today they are crazy!


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## MyRedUber

bulli-2516 said:


> As time goes on GC can only continue to get a bigger slice of the action.


We've been reading that for almost two years and it's not happening. GoCatch do not have the brand awareness that Uber has worldwide.

GoCatch closed their Concord office. They're now sending Taxis to Economy jobs.

"Ubering" has become the verb for catching a cheap taxi. Nobody talks about "GoCatching".

I've been telling my family, neighbours and friends for a long time that they can get the same drivers at cheaper rates if they use the GoCatch app rather than the Uber app. But Uber is the ubering app; GoCatch is not the ubering app.

Sorry, but this has always been just wishful thinking, until GoCatch put some real money and effort in to brand awareness. Maybe Gruen could do a "The Pitch" segment to sell GoCatch service?


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## uber_driver

bulli-2516 said:


> THINK Twice before you drive for Uber:
> 
> Hello all... I'm sure it's been said many times before around the forums but I need to get it off my chest... I have been driving in Sydney for 12 months & love love the work, but have always thought that the Uber fares were too low. Do we need to be half the cost of a Taxi, or even 2/3 the cost of a Taxi.. The vast majority of your riders will never use Taxi after their first Uber experience & it's NOT all about the price. Uber is fast, reliable, easy to use, friendly, clean & so on...
> 
> I recently drove in Wollongong on the first Friday night and it was busy... busy with drunk teens taking short trips. Wollongong is a coastal city so short trips was always my expectation, no surprises there, BUT.. it was a surprise to see that Uber had dropped the already too low fares of $1.45/klm to $1.10 with the base fare $2, $0.30/min and the min fare down to $6. That's a $4.80 payment to the driver. 30% of my trips were minimum fare.. Non-stop for 3 hours I received an average of $29/hour. In Sydney it would have been double that amount. I am certain that Uber also removed any SURGE feature. My thoughts? They want the drivers to pay for promoting their Uber service in the Gong!!
> 
> At $4.80 by the time to take into account the time and travel taken to pick up the rider, we have gone backwards. Do your homework, talk to an accountant before you decide to take this on.. and remember, as a contractor you pay the GST in your quarterly BAS returns, you pay the fuel, Insurance, servicing, vehicle running costs (tyres, rego etc), depreciation, accountancy fees, RMS fees. The reality is the ATO are telling us it costs $0.66 cents per kilometre to run your vehicle.. https://www.ato.gov.au/business/inc...lculating-your-deduction/cents-per-kilometre/
> 
> Sounds like fun doesn't it? If you decide to work a few hours a week and not register for GST, don't think you will get away with it. The ATO know that you are there.. Uber must supply that information to our ATO.
> 
> There is what on the surface looks like a fabulous alternative to Uber... look up GoBuggy.. they take 15% and you can build your own client base .. PLUS it's all Australian!! Check it out, they are looking for drivers now


interesting thought
but you are wrong in saying majority will not use uber after first experience
as soon as uber hits surge many people start looking for cabs and start *****ing about uber to cab drivers


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## bulli-2516

Uber determined to get NYE revellers home safely but at what cost? Surge after midnight at 5.9x


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## Johno69

Uber wasn’t created to get people home safely. It’s all about the money.


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## Who is John Galt?

Johno69 said:


> Uber wasn't created to get people home safely. It's all about the money.


Yes.... losing it.

.


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