# income of an uber driver



## Uberalex23

Real cost of driving for uberX 
Hi, I am an uberX driver in orange county.
In 2013 I bought a brand new chevrolet Sonic 2LT for 18,500 out the door after taxes and dealer fees. I barely drove it because I have another job that I work from home. Around December of 2014 I applied to become an uber driver. I was very happy it only took about a week for me to get on a road. The rates were 1.35/mile 5 dollar base fare and 25 cents a minute. There were also no safe ride fees. But allot has changed since then and I decided to figure out how much I really make driving with uber. I’m not going to get too technical but rather a general calculation. Current uber rates in my market are 1.10/mile, 0 base fare, 18c/minute, 1 dollar safe ride fee. I have a goal of reaching 150 dollar/day with uber on my earnings tab. (150 after uber takes its cut). It takes me 10-12 hours on average to reach this goal at current rates. I also noticed that I go through 10 gallons and put 260 miles on my car daily. Assuming that I work everyday, 260 x 365 =94,900 miles driven a year. I’m I’m estimating that my car will only be worth 6500 dollars. It will loose value by $12,000 in depreciation. 
I reach 30mpgs when I drive for personal use but with uber where im constantly parked or waiting on passangers I get around 26mpg. Cost of gasoline is around 3.50c/gal 
94,900(annual miles) ÷ 26 (mpg) x $3.50 = $12,775 in gas spent a year.
How can I forget about oil changes that cost 45 dollars every 5,000 miles =$855 
I would have to replace tires twice. Each tire cost 120 dollar x 8 =960 
I also put aside 5,000 for any unspecified repairs. And I think I’m being generous with that figure
12,000+12,775+5000+855+960= 31,590 
Now let’s see how much will I make driving for Uber 150 x 365 = $54,750 – 31,590 = $23,160 woop woop! Oh shit! but now I need a new car  il buy that chevy again for 18,500 and repeat all over 23,160 -18,500 =4660 profit a year! But hey I forgot to include insurance FML am I working for free?


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## YouWishYouKnewMe

Uberalex23 said:


> Real cost of driving for uberX
> Hi, I am an uberX driver in orange county.
> In 2013 I bought a brand new chevrolet Sonic 2LT for 18,500 out the door after taxes and dealer fees. I barely drove it because I have another job that I work from home. Around December of 2014 I applied to become an uber driver. I was very happy it only took about a week for me to get on a road. The rates were 1.35/mile 5 dollar base fare and 25 cents a minute. There were also no safe ride fees. But allot has changed since then and I decided to figure out how much I really make driving with uber. I'm not going to get too technical but rather a general calculation. Current uber rates in my market are 1.10/mile, 0 base fare, 18c/minute, 1 dollar safe ride fee. I have a goal of reaching 150 dollar/day with uber on my earnings tab. (150 after uber takes its cut). It takes me 10-12 hours on average to reach this goal at current rates. I also noticed that I go through 10 gallons and put 260 miles on my car daily. Assuming that I work everyday, 260 x 365 =94,900 miles driven a year. I'm I'm estimating that my car will only be worth 6500 dollars. It will loose value by $12,000 in depreciation.
> I reach 30mpgs when I drive for personal use but with uber where im constantly parked or waiting on passangers I get around 26mpg. Cost of gasoline is around 3.50c/gal
> 94,900(annual miles) ÷ 26 (mpg) x $3.50 = $12,775 in gas spent a year.
> How can I forget about oil changes that cost 45 dollars every 5,000 miles =$855
> I would have to replace tires twice. Each tire cost 120 dollar x 8 =960
> I also put aside 5,000 for any unspecified repairs. And I think I'm being generous with that figure
> 12,000+12,775+5000+855+960= 31,590
> Now let's see how much will I make driving for Uber 150 x 365 = $54,750 - 31,590 = $23,160 woop woop! Oh shit! but now I need a new car  il buy that chevy again for 18,500 and repeat all over 23,160 -18,500 =4660 profit a year! But hey I forgot to include insurance FML am I working for free?


This is exactly why we are "negative" according to newbies and/or Uber ppl and or robots that visit this page and post they are making $150 a day in 6 hours

GOOD THING YOU SAW THE LIGHT

You're not working.for.free but all you have a small business that's under and you're under because of the low rates


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## SydX

Buying a new car for UberX is a NO NO


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## Uberalex23

SydX said:


> Buying a new car for UberX is a NO NO


I realize that, my next car will be purchased at a junk yard and i will drive on XL. Shitier ride for customers more profit for me. Just playing by ubers rules


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## Kingo9

You forgot taxes on your 1099.


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## SydX

Kingo9 said:


> You forgot taxes on your 1099.


Ummm u dont pay taxes if u dont make any income?? Lol


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## Uberalex23

Kingo9 said:


> You forgot taxes on your 1099.


At these rates and the miles i put on a car, 56 cent/mile deduction takes care of all taxes. I might even qualify for food stamps


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## Kingo9

For sure, but always send them something. You are 99% getting audited if you send them nothing.


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## Uberalex23

Kingo9 said:


> For sure, but always send them something. You are 99% getting audited if you send them nothing.


I dont not do taxes because i have decided that I've made no profit. I still fill out 1099 but after .56 cent deduction for 94900 miles driven i get a write of up to $53,144 in taxes. Which is pretty much 100% of what i get paid by uber before any expense


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## Kingo9

You know what im saying.


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## Uberalex23

Kingo9 said:


> You know what im saying.


Why should their audit worry me lol


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## Kingo9

Time consuming, frustrating, you accidently made a mistake on your normal job taxes. Just saying that they are going to look a lot closer if you pay nothing, even if it is truly accurate.


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## UberXTampa

Uberalex23 said:


> Real cost of driving for uberX
> Hi, I am an uberX driver in orange county.
> In 2013 I bought a brand new chevrolet Sonic 2LT for 18,500 out the door after taxes and dealer fees. I barely drove it because I have another job that I work from home. Around December of 2014 I applied to become an uber driver. I was very happy it only took about a week for me to get on a road. The rates were 1.35/mile 5 dollar base fare and 25 cents a minute. There were also no safe ride fees. But allot has changed since then and I decided to figure out how much I really make driving with uber. I'm not going to get too technical but rather a general calculation. Current uber rates in my market are 1.10/mile, 0 base fare, 18c/minute, 1 dollar safe ride fee. I have a goal of reaching 150 dollar/day with uber on my earnings tab. (150 after uber takes its cut). It takes me 10-12 hours on average to reach this goal at current rates. I also noticed that I go through 10 gallons and put 260 miles on my car daily. Assuming that I work everyday, 260 x 365 =94,900 miles driven a year. I'm I'm estimating that my car will only be worth 6500 dollars. It will loose value by $12,000 in depreciation.
> I reach 30mpgs when I drive for personal use but with uber where im constantly parked or waiting on passangers I get around 26mpg. Cost of gasoline is around 3.50c/gal
> 94,900(annual miles) ÷ 26 (mpg) x $3.50 = $12,775 in gas spent a year.
> How can I forget about oil changes that cost 45 dollars every 5,000 miles =$855
> I would have to replace tires twice. Each tire cost 120 dollar x 8 =960
> I also put aside 5,000 for any unspecified repairs. And I think I'm being generous with that figure
> 12,000+12,775+5000+855+960= 31,590
> Now let's see how much will I make driving for Uber 150 x 365 = $54,750 - 31,590 = $23,160 woop woop! Oh shit! but now I need a new car  il buy that chevy again for 18,500 and repeat all over 23,160 -18,500 =4660 profit a year! But hey I forgot to include insurance FML am I working for free?


Best new member post!


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## Uberalex23

Kingo9 said:


> Time consuming, frustrating, you accidently made a mistake on your normal job taxes. Just saying that they are going to look a lot closer if you pay nothing, even if it is truly accurate.


Il try to be as truthful as possible and not make any mistakes.


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## Kingo9

Right, all I'm saying. 3 scariest letters in America.


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## SydX

T.R.Y...


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## SydX

Im sure its not just in America but universally scary. .. lol


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## Amsoil Uber Connect

You are allowed to show a loss for 5 years straight, after that dissolve the business and open under a new name. Its legal but, disclaimer, consult your tax adviser.


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## itsablackmarket

I'm glad you laid it out like this. Here's another thing to consider though.* Driving safely requires a lot of concentration and is therefore very draining.* You said you need 10-12 hours and 260 miles a day of driving to make $150. This is about the same for me, and about how much I want to make per day as well. Does Uber not understand how much concentration driving alone uses? And that's aside from all the other things an Uber driver has to think about which basically doubles the concentration needed. 1 hour of driving is like 2 hours or working another job. 1 hour of driving for Uber is even worse. It's amazing these idiots who think driving is easy. Really? They even tell you in driving school that driving causes a lot of fatigue. On top of it, you have to socialize with random people asking tough/personal questions. All of this is extremely draining, no matter who you are. It's even worse when you check your income and find you're not making shit. That leads to depression which slows down your reaction times. We need to be compensated fairly for such a task. We are not robots. $1.10 is also the rates in my city. It's ridiculous how much Uber expects from drivers all while distancing themselves from the drivers as much as possible. Seems they know what a risky situation they're putting us in, but simply don't care because their only focus is on their profits. They make taxi companies look like a human rights organization. In conclusion, Uber drivers need $2.00/mile minimum or this will end badly for everyone involved. No ones life is worth a few dollars in savings.


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## Jtuno

Im hoping my profit will be better than the example given here since I bought a cheap 2006 Nissan Sentra to drive for Uber. I'm just afraid my ratings will suffer for not having a nice new ride to chauffer pax in. I figure if that happens I'll take out the 2015 Optima we bought 2 weeks ago to test out the theory of bad car=bad ratings and good car=good ratings!


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## biozon

*Uberalex23*
There is one flaw in your calculations - needing a new car for Uber. Not only you don't need a new car for Uber - you should not buy or use a new car for Uber. Depreciation is hardest during first three years, so it's a no-no.


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## berserk42

Yeah, good to take a hard look at it, but the new car really skews this...not to mention the SECOND new car. Lol. As well as $5000/yr for unspecified maintenance? And two sets of tires in a year? I know you won't make much at $1.10/mile (I wouldn't be driving, that's for sure), but your maintenance costs should not be nearly that high unless you're getting into 2 to 3 your fault accidents per year.


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## TeleSki

I got over 70K miles out the last 2 sets of $120 tires I bought. $80 dollar tires, yeh, you'll probably only get 40-50k out of those.


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## phillipzx3

Uberalex23 said:


> I dont not do taxes because i have decided that I've made no profit. I still fill out 1099 but after .56 cent deduction for 94900 miles driven i get a write of up to $53,144 in taxes. Which is pretty much 100% of what i get paid by uber before any expense


Am I correct in that you're claiming to have driven twice the average annual mileage of a cab driver as an Uberx driver?

I'm curious as to why all the complaints of low rates. UberX is for cheapskate passengers. Accept that fact or quite driving for slave wages.


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## UberLou

This is why when people ask me about working for Uber I say do it Part-time and during peak hours only. DO NOT do this full-time. Supplemental income only!


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## Teksaz

I think what the OP is trying to say, you will not make any money driving GooberX. Some of his calculations are iffy for instance, how many people are going to drive 10-12hrs a day 365? NONE. Some of the others may be a little exaggerated as well, but the point is, there is no money to be made driving GooberX. 

It is fun seeing the brake down to put it in perspective. Most noobs have no clue and will learn the hard way.

Nice post


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## Tony from New Jersey

Uberalex23 said:


> Real cost of driving for uberX
> Hi, I am an uberX driver in orange county.
> In 2013 I bought a brand new chevrolet Sonic 2LT for 18,500 out the door after taxes and dealer fees. I barely drove it because I have another job that I work from home. Around December of 2014 I applied to become an uber driver. I was very happy it only took about a week for me to get on a road. The rates were 1.35/mile 5 dollar base fare and 25 cents a minute. There were also no safe ride fees. But allot has changed since then and I decided to figure out how much I really make driving with uber. I'm not going to get too technical but rather a general calculation. Current uber rates in my market are 1.10/mile, 0 base fare, 18c/minute, 1 dollar safe ride fee. I have a goal of reaching 150 dollar/day with uber on my earnings tab. (150 after uber takes its cut). It takes me 10-12 hours on average to reach this goal at current rates. I also noticed that I go through 10 gallons and put 260 miles on my car daily. Assuming that I work everyday, 260 x 365 =94,900 miles driven a year. I'm I'm estimating that my car will only be worth 6500 dollars. It will loose value by $12,000 in depreciation.
> I reach 30mpgs when I drive for personal use but with uber where im constantly parked or waiting on passangers I get around 26mpg. Cost of gasoline is around 3.50c/gal
> 94,900(annual miles) ÷ 26 (mpg) x $3.50 = $12,775 in gas spent a year.
> How can I forget about oil changes that cost 45 dollars every 5,000 miles =$855
> I would have to replace tires twice. Each tire cost 120 dollar x 8 =960
> I also put aside 5,000 for any unspecified repairs. And I think I'm being generous with that figure
> 12,000+12,775+5000+855+960= 31,590
> Now let's see how much will I make driving for Uber 150 x 365 = $54,750 - 31,590 = $23,160 woop woop! Oh shit! but now I need a new car  il buy that chevy again for 18,500 and repeat all over 23,160 -18,500 =4660 profit a year! But hey I forgot to include insurance FML am I working for free?


I like your analysis. I would suggest you to find a job at local McDonolds. It does not make sense to drive for Uber at these low rate. No way. I drive Uber X in New Jersey part-time. My biggest benefit, I drive in my spare time 0r when I do not have any thing else to do. Instead of watching excessive TV, I drive and make some $ not a lot.
Driving Full- time it is not beneficial. My suggestion, quit driving for Uber and find another job. Drive for Uber part time during your SPARE time only. Your choice accept or keep doing slavery.


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## PHXTE

UberLou said:


> This is why when people ask me about working for Uber I say do it Part-time and during peak hours only. DO NOT do this full-time. Supplemental income only!


This is one of the key takeaways here. Only drive when you can make money. I tried driving early Saturday evening this past week as opposed to going out at 9PM, and I didn't make jack. I feel for the people that work 60 hours/week trying to make that work. Especially here in PHX, where it's so hot that no one is out and about during the daylight hours. $5/hr take home ain't worth my time.


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## Yuri Lygotme

Can you imagine in some markets like Orlando it's only $0.75 a mile....


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## Txchick

Yuri Lygotme said:


> Can you imagine in some markets like Orlando it's only $0.75 a mile....


Any market $1.00 or less per mile is not profitable to drive Uber x.


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## SydX

Its still about $1.90 per mile after conversion here in Sydney & its already not profitable lol...


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## uberdriver

itsablackmarket said:


> It's ridiculous how much Uber expects from drivers all while distancing themselves from the drivers as much as possible. Seems they know what a risky situation they're putting us in, but simply don't care because their only focus is on their profits. *They make taxi companies look like a human rights organization.*


If the whole exploitation of drivers by Uber wasn't a tragic thing, this would be a great hilarious line about Uber.


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## Uberalex23

biozon said:


> *Uberalex23*
> There is one flaw in your calculations - needing a new car for Uber. Not only you don't need a new car for Uber - you should not buy or use a new car for Uber. Depreciation is hardest during first three years, so it's a no-no.


No, im putting in perspective from where i will be in a year. When i started uber i had a new car and zero dollars. A year later i have that same new car with 3 grand. Its apples to apples comparison.


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## itsablackmarket

I have an off topic question. Where did you go to get that professional headshot taken? I think every Uber driver picture should be something like that. I'm annoyed with mine currently but don't know where to go.


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## Uberalex23

itsablackmarket said:


> I have an off topic question. Where did you go to get that professional headshot taken? I think every Uber driver picture should be something like that. I'm annoyed with mine currently but don't know where to go.


A close family friend who is a photographer. But you can get professional photos done anywhere, there is a company called Picture people they usually locate them selfs in malls. But in order for you to use a professional photo on uber, it must be colored. They would not let me use this current one in black and white.


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## Disgusted Driver

Uberalex23 said:


> Real cost of driving for uberX
> Hi, I am an uberX driver in orange county.
> In 2013 I bought a brand new chevrolet Sonic 2LT for 18,500 out the door after taxes and dealer fees. I barely drove it because I have another job that I work from home. Around December of 2014 I applied to become an uber driver. I was very happy it only took about a week for me to get on a road. The rates were 1.35/mile 5 dollar base fare and 25 cents a minute. There were also no safe ride fees. But allot has changed since then and I decided to figure out how much I really make driving with uber. I'm not going to get too technical but rather a general calculation. Current uber rates in my market are 1.10/mile, 0 base fare, 18c/minute, 1 dollar safe ride fee. I have a goal of reaching 150 dollar/day with uber on my earnings tab. (150 after uber takes its cut). It takes me 10-12 hours on average to reach this goal at current rates. I also noticed that I go through 10 gallons and put 260 miles on my car daily. Assuming that I work everyday, 260 x 365 =94,900 miles driven a year. I'm I'm estimating that my car will only be worth 6500 dollars. It will loose value by $12,000 in depreciation.
> I reach 30mpgs when I drive for personal use but with uber where im constantly parked or waiting on passangers I get around 26mpg. Cost of gasoline is around 3.50c/gal
> 94,900(annual miles) ÷ 26 (mpg) x $3.50 = $12,775 in gas spent a year.
> How can I forget about oil changes that cost 45 dollars every 5,000 miles =$855
> I would have to replace tires twice. Each tire cost 120 dollar x 8 =960
> I also put aside 5,000 for any unspecified repairs. And I think I'm being generous with that figure
> 12,000+12,775+5000+855+960= 31,590
> Now let's see how much will I make driving for Uber 150 x 365 = $54,750 - 31,590 = $23,160 woop woop! Oh shit! but now I need a new car  il buy that chevy again for 18,500 and repeat all over 23,160 -18,500 =4660 profit a year! But hey I forgot to include insurance FML am I working for free?


You are on the right track BUT but you made 2 logic errors which change the calculations. First, you deducted depreciation already in the 31,590 so your income is $23,160. You received the $12K for depreciation in addition to the 23K income. Stop right there. you made 23K. Now if you take the 6.5K car + the 12K in depreciation back to the dealer, you can get another new car so you can't deduct that twice.

23,160 is pretty bad already for income given that you estimate you would have to drive at least 3,650 hours to do so, or make $6.50 an hour at best which SUCKS especially given the liability and risk involved.


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## Tony from New Jersey

itsablackmarket said:


> I have an off topic question. Where did you go to get that professional headshot taken? I think every Uber driver picture should be something like that. I'm annoyed with mine currently but don't know where to go.


Wrong location for this question, sorry.


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## ATLrider

$45 oil changes?


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## biozon

ATLrider said:


> $45 oil changes?


 What's wrong with $45 oil changes?


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## Huberis

Uberalex23 said:


> No, im putting in perspective from where i will be in a year. When i started uber i had a new car and zero dollars. A year later i have that same new car with 3 grand. Its apples to apples comparison.


You will have the same car a year later. By no means will it be the same. It sure wont be new.


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## Uberalex23

Huberis said:


> You will have the same car a year later. By no means will it be the same. It sure wont be new.


You don't get it. You can look at it as having a car with 95k miles with 20k in pocket if thats easier for you


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## Huberis

Uberalex23 said:


> You don't get it. You can look at it as having a car with 95k miles with 20k in pocket if thats easier for you


I do get it, it isn't remotely a new car. I don't know how long you have been driving. I have been driving for more than fifteen years...... taxi. For you to put up those kinds of numbers and there is one of you. You would be living in your car. We put between 80,000 and 110,000 miles on any given car per year. Those cars are driven every day around the clock. I driver very full time, easily 5,000 runs per year. I'm not coming close to 95,000 miles a year.

All that said, if you really do plan on driving 1/3 to 1/2 as much as you claim, your expenses are going to go through the roof. You will be putting far more wear on your car than a simple part timer would that's for damn sure. Also, with those kinds of miles, you have a much greater possibility for your car getting damaged, I would assume your personal insurance provider would catch wind of what you are doing.......

Your car will be trashed way quickly and whatever money you think you should have at the end: That is pure speculation, wishful thinking, dreaming.

Talk to us once you've done it.


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## Huberis

So, you could say I'm claiming your costs might be accurate, but your miles driven and billed miles aren't going to be even close to what you predict. No way. Not even close.


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## Uberalex23

Disgusted Driver said:


> You are on the right track BUT but you made 2 logic errors which change the calculations. First, you deducted depreciation already in the 31,590 so your income is $23,160. You received the $12K for depreciation in addition to the 23K income. Stop right there. you made 23K. Now if you take the 6.5K car + the 12K in depreciation back to the dealer, you can get another new car so you can't deduct that twice.
> 
> 23,160 is pretty bad already for income given that you estimate you would have to drive at least 3,650 hours to do so, or make $6.50 an hour at best which SUCKS especially given the liability and risk involved.





Huberis said:


> So, you could say I'm claiming your costs might be accurate, but your miles driven and billed miles aren't going to be even close to what you predict. No way. Not even close.


What does that have to do with that i just said?


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## Huberis

Uberalex23 said:


> What does that have to do with that i just said?


It means your numbers aren't real. You aren't going to have a new car a year later. All your figuring are assumptions that everything is going to go as planned. That doesn't seem likely. Whether you drive 50,000 or 94,000 miles, your costs could be in that ballpark, but you aren't likely to have run as many billed miles as you claim. You aren't going to drive 94,000 miles driving Uber this year. That 94,000 miles you predict claims a certain number of them as billed miles correct? You aren't going to take in the kind of money you predict.

Good luck, I'd love to be proven wrong. Your numbers are based on you driving beyond a shit ton, every day for an entire year and everything going perfect. As for the car- whatever your claim, whatever your math, anyone who is in this business with any common sense will tell you that to do what you are doing, you would be far better off in the end having used a car the was a few years old and already depreciated. The money you talk about winding up in your hand at the end of the year is pure hope and dream, it hasn't happened yet. Rideshare is so mercurial, the rules change, rates change, you could be deactivated or in an accident.

Just keep driving if it pleases you. Drive the wheels of it, drive it like you stole it, let us know how it worked out in a year if you still happen to be driving.


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## Raider

Everyone's income will differ greatly depending on where they live, what car they drive, how much maintenance they can do on their own, their ability to talk to pax and get tips etc...my dog has had cancer for so many years now, at least that's what the pax thinks...lol, works great for tips. the ideal car to uber with is an 06 Piece of shit Prius with 100K+ miles. They'll go to 250k and you can just throw it away. Tires are dirt cheap for 15's rims, brakes are like 20 bucks at autozone, do it yourself, it's easy, oil changes are like 15 bucks, do it yourself.

If you buy a new car to Uber with, you've already failed yourself. Pax want a new car at $1 a mile, kiss my rectum.


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## itsablackmarket

Uberalex23 said:


> A close family friend who is a photographer. But you can get professional photos done anywhere, there is a company called Picture people they usually locate them selfs in malls. But in order for you to use a professional photo on uber, it must be colored. They would not let me use this current one in black and white.


that's dumb. I bet you can find someone to color it.


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## itsablackmarket

Tony from New Jersey said:


> Wrong location for this question, sorry.


then I guess it's the wrong place for your response as well.


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## phillipzx3

uberdriver said:


> If the whole exploitation of drivers by Uber wasn't a tragic thing, this would be a great hilarious line about Uber.


Yet people sign up by the thousands in hopes of getting their "pot of gold." Unless you play the " I'm only driving during surge" game, UberX is a losing proposition. And if you do surge only, you're no better than the taxi industry.


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## Huberis

phillipzx3 said:


> Yet people sign up by the thousands in hopes of getting their "pot of gold." Unless you play the " I'm only driving during surge" game, UberX is a losing proposition. And if you do surge only, you're no better than the taxi industry.


"And if you do surge only, you're no better than the taxi industry" Not quite, it means it's nothing more than a hobby for you. You don't get to compare yourself to taxi drivers (let alone the taxi industry) if it's only something you do as a hobby.


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## UberXpert2020

Uberalex23 said:


> Real cost of driving for uberX
> Hi, I am an uberX driver in orange county.
> In 2013 I bought a brand new chevrolet Sonic 2LT for 18,500 out the door after taxes and dealer fees. I barely drove it because I have another job that I work from home. Around December of 2014 I applied to become an uber driver. I was very happy it only took about a week for me to get on a road. The rates were 1.35/mile 5 dollar base fare and 25 cents a minute. There were also no safe ride fees. But allot has changed since then and I decided to figure out how much I really make driving with uber. I'm not going to get too technical but rather a general calculation. Current uber rates in my market are 1.10/mile, 0 base fare, 18c/minute, 1 dollar safe ride fee. I have a goal of reaching 150 dollar/day with uber on my earnings tab. (150 after uber takes its cut). It takes me 10-12 hours on average to reach this goal at current rates. I also noticed that I go through 10 gallons and put 260 miles on my car daily. Assuming that I work everyday, 260 x 365 =94,900 miles driven a year. I'm I'm estimating that my car will only be worth 6500 dollars. It will loose value by $12,000 in depreciation.
> I reach 30mpgs when I drive for personal use but with uber where im constantly parked or waiting on passangers I get around 26mpg. Cost of gasoline is around 3.50c/gal
> 94,900(annual miles) ÷ 26 (mpg) x $3.50 = $12,775 in gas spent a year.
> How can I forget about oil changes that cost 45 dollars every 5,000 miles =$855
> I would have to replace tires twice. Each tire cost 120 dollar x 8 =960
> I also put aside 5,000 for any unspecified repairs. And I think I'm being generous with that figure
> 12,000+12,775+5000+855+960= 31,590
> Now let's see how much will I make driving for Uber 150 x 365 = $54,750 - 31,590 = $23,160 woop woop! Oh shit! but now I need a new car  il buy that chevy again for 18,500 and repeat all over 23,160 -18,500 =4660 profit a year! But hey I forgot to include insurance FML am I working for free?


-- DAMN. You are MY hero! I can't believe how many of us don't factor all that in!! I drove for about a month (3-4days/week) and when there was surge. Sadly, I haven't seen any suggestions lately - which meNs I haven't been driving for the past month or so. I live in Santa Monica (where passengers have a high rating most of the time) but their niceness won't put food on the table for me. Won't pay my rent...

Thank you for breaking down all the costs that come along with being an Uber driver or to put it as fancy as Shady Travis likes to call us "Partner".

What a joke!!!


----------



## UberXpert2020

Uberalex23 said:


> At these rates and the miles i put on a car, 56 cent/mile deduction takes care of all taxes. I might even qualify for food stamps


-- Please share when you get them....LOL


----------



## UberXpert2020

Jtuno said:


> Im hoping my profit will be better than the example given here since I bought a cheap 2006 Nissan Sentra to drive for Uber. I'm just afraid my ratings will suffer for not having a nice new ride to chauffer pax in. I figure if that happens I'll take out the 2015 Optima we bought 2 weeks ago to test out the theory of bad car=bad ratings and good car=good ratings!


-- Aren't they going to stop vehicles that are older 2006 and older from driving? Unless I am mistaken, I saw that somewhere. You may want to double check before you buy another "OLD" model. Forget the ratings, you won't be on the road, period.


----------



## Huberis

UberXpert2020 said:


> -- DAMN. You are MY hero! I can't believe how many of us don't factor all that in!! I drove for about a month (3-4days/week) and when there was surge. Sadly, I haven't seen any suggestions lately - which meNs I haven't been driving for the past month or so. I live in Santa Monica (where passengers have a high rating most of the time) but their niceness won't put food on the table for me. Won't pay my rent...
> 
> Thank you for breaking down all the costs that come along with being an Uber driver or to put it as fancy as Shady Travis likes to call us "Partner".
> 
> What a joke!!!


Any forecast for projected earnings for a year in the future doing this kind of gig, should be met with a jaundiced eye and held with suspicion. There is zero guarantee you will be driving in a years time. Should an accident happen, even one where you are not at fault.......... plus poor ratings, a huge influx of new drivers, low rates.

It is a joke.


----------



## phillipzx3

Uberalex23 said:


> No, im putting in perspective from where i will be in a year. When i started uber i had a new car and zero dollars. A year later i have that same new car with 3 grand. Its apples to apples comparison.[/QUOTE





Huberis said:


> "And if you do surge only, you're no better than the taxi industry" Not quite, it means it's nothing more than a hobby for you. You don't get to compare yourself to taxi drivers (let alone the taxi industry) if it's only something you do as a hobby.


I bet the IRS just loves auditing UberX "hobby" drivers.  You can only deduct hobby expenses if you've produced income from that hobby. No income, no deduction. And if you're getting no income for doing your UberX hobby, you're a bit on the "slow" side things.


----------



## Huberis

phillipzx3 said:


> I bet the IRS just loves auditing UberX "hobby" drivers.  You can only deduct hobby expenses if you've produced income from that hobby. No income, no deduction. And if you're getting no income for doing your UberX hobby, you're a bit on the "slow" side things.


I don't drive rideshare, so I can't say I give much of a shit as to what the IRS to those people, they have enough bullshit on their hands already. Any driver's relationship with the IRS is their concern. That being said, I doubt very much that the IRS has spent much time auditing Uber drivers. I have heard nothing about it. It would probably be very expensive and require a lot of energy for them to make a bit habit of it. The return would be poor relative to the input of energy. 50% of the rideshare driving pool doesn't put a full year into the endeavor.

That being said, "hobbyist" is my personal description for very casual Uber drivers which is the bulk of them. I am a taxi driver, not a rideshare driver, my coments weren't intended to suggest Uber drivers claim this work as their hobby. Such a conclusion would be unlikely.


----------



## Kingo9

UberXpert2020 said:


> -- Aren't they going to stop vehicles that are older 2006 and older from driving? Unless I am mistaken, I saw that somewhere. You may want to double check before you buy another "OLD" model. Forget the ratings, you won't be on the road, period.


This is 100% a city by city topic. Some cities are 2000+, some are 2005-6, some 2010+

To your point though, yes, make sure you research what is and isn't acceptable.


----------



## phillipzx3

Huberis said:


> I don't drive rideshare, so I can't say I give much of a shit as to what the IRS to those people, they have enough bullshit on their hands already. Any driver's relationship with the IRS is their concern. That being said, I doubt very much that the IRS has spent much time auditing Uber drivers. I have heard nothing about it. It would probably be very expensive and require a lot of energy for them to make a bit habit of it. The return would be poor relative to the input of energy. 50% of the rideshare driving pool doesn't put a full year into the endeavor.
> 
> That being said, "hobbyist" is my personal description for very casual Uber drivers which is the bulk of them. I am a taxi driver, not a rideshare driver, my coments weren't intended to suggest Uber drivers claim this work as their hobby. Such a conclusion would be unlikely.


Great points. UberX drivers are like terrorists.....you take one out and three more pop up to take their place. 

I like your use of "hobby" to describe them. It's as if they feel just because it's a part time gig, they're doing no harm.

Thanks for the clarification.


----------



## Huberis

phillipzx3 said:


> Great points. UberX drivers are like terrorists.....you take one out and three more pop up to take their place.
> 
> I like your use of "hobby" to describe them. It's as if they feel just because it's a part time gig, they're doing no harm.
> 
> Thanks for the clarification.


Weeds


----------



## Uberalex23

Huberis said:


> It means your numbers aren't real. You aren't going to have a new car a year later. All your figuring are assumptions that everything is going to go as planned. That doesn't seem likely. Whether you drive 50,000 or 94,000 miles, your costs could be in that ballpark, but you aren't likely to have run as many billed miles as you claim. You aren't going to drive 94,000 miles driving Uber this year. That 94,000 miles you predict claims a certain number of them as billed miles correct? You aren't going to take in the kind of money you predict.
> 
> Good luck, I'd love to be proven wrong. Your numbers are based on you driving beyond a shit ton, every day for an entire year and everything going perfect. As for the car- whatever your claim, whatever your math, anyone who is in this business with any common sense will tell you that to do what you are doing, you would be far better off in the end having used a car the was a few years old and already depreciated. The money you talk about winding up in your hand at the end of the year is pure hope and dream, it hasn't happened yet. Rideshare is so mercurial, the rules change, rates change, you could be deactivated or in an accident.
> 
> Just keep driving if it pleases you. Drive the wheels of it, drive it like you stole it, let us know how it worked out in a year if you still happen to be driving.


I don't know what bases you are objecting, i told you what i roughly make and the miles i drive, i don't know why it doesn't add up in your head based on how you are or other drivers are doing. everyone drives, makes and works amount, given this reality, it's rather silly to say if other driver is in a different ballpark hence you are too


----------



## Huberis

Have you already put in a 94,000 mile year?


----------



## Uberalex23

phillipzx3 said:


> Am I correct in that you're claiming to have driven twice the average annual mileage of a cab driver as an Uberx driver?
> 
> I'm curious as to why all the complaints of low rates. UberX is for cheapskate passengers. Accept that fact or quite driving for slave wages.


I dont know what average cabbie drive. I wouldn't be surprised if i drove a lot more than they do since they sit most of the time waiting. I on average drive 260 miles a day.


----------



## Huberis

How long have you held this average?


----------



## Uberalex23

Huberis said:


> You will have the same car a year later. By no means will it be the same. It sure wont be new.


how will it not be the same if i end up buying same make and model?


----------



## Huberis

Uberalex23 said:


> how will it not be the same if i end up buying same make and model?


That's not the point. How long have you held the 260 mile average?


----------



## Uberalex23

Huberis said:


> Have you already put in a 94,000 mile year?


No, im estimating that if i stay on this route, 94k is what i will have at the end of the year


----------



## Huberis

Uberalex23 said:


> No, im estimating that if i stay on this route, 94k is what i will have at the end of the year


How many weeks have you averaged 240/day to this point?


----------



## Uberalex23

Huberis said:


> That's not the point. How long have you held the 260 mile average?


since they introduced that winter warmup and 90c/mile rate is due to expire. Last night i drove 245. on the weekends i often drive 300. I don't know what benefit i gain for lying about daily mileage


----------



## Huberis

Uberalex23 said:


> I dont know what average cabbie drive. I wouldn't be surprised if i drove a lot more than they do since they sit most of the time waiting. I on average drive 260 miles a day.


I keep closer tabs on the number of calls I run, the number of metered miles and then on a poor day what percent of my total miles was metered - if I felt I was being dispatched poorly or it was simply a bad day. I average 5,000 to 6,000 calls a year. Miles, I only know that each car, driven by multiple people, seven days a week, is getting between 80 and 110,000 mies on it. At that rate, the cars take a big pounding. Huge.


----------



## Huberis

Uberalex23 said:


> since they introduced that winter warmup and 90c/mile rate is due to expire. Last night i drove 245. on the weekends i often drive 300. I don't know what benefit i gain for lying about daily mileage


I never said you lied, I asked you over how many weeks have you maintained the average.


----------



## Huberis

How many rides have you given? Given your high mileage, what is your average fare if you had to guess? Are your miles typical for most people in your area?


----------



## Uberalex23

Huberis said:


> How many rides have you given? Given your high mileage, what is your average fare if you had to guess? Are your miles typical for most people in your area?


Around 20-30 and a great deal of them look like this


----------



## Huberis

Uberalex23 said:


> Around 20-30 and a great deal of them look like this


Yoiks man. That is horrible. That is typical? If I do a twelve hour shift in season aka the school year, I would hope to do 30-35 rides, 185-210 miles and close to 300 or better on the meter. Then you would have tips. In the olden days, I remember doing closer to 50 calls in the same time period but shorter calls. The town has sprawled a bit over the last 15 years which has stretched calls out a bit.

If those numbers work for you, but I would never consider driving my newish car into the ground to the tune of 94,000 miles a year just to make 150/night. That is nothing special. Making 150-285/night with someone else's car, still isn't great, I'm not getting rich that's for certain.


----------



## Huberis

Uberalex23 said:


> Around 20-30 and a great deal of them look like this


That screen shot is depressing. I take it all back. I now believe you can and will drive 94,000 miles on your car this year. I was wrong and I am sorry to have wasted your time. Clearly, if you can drive 12 hours for those kind of fares, why couldn't you drive 94,000 miles for Travis with a smile on your face. I couldn't do it. You win I concede.


----------



## painfreepc

Uberalex23 said:


> But hey I forgot to include insurance FML am I working for free?


So you buy a new car in 2013, but you waited till 2014 to buy car insurance, after you started driving uber..


----------



## painfreepc

Uberalex23 said:


> Real cost of driving for uberX
> Hi, I am an uberX driver in orange county.
> In 2013 I bought a brand new chevrolet Sonic 2LT for 18,500 out the door after taxes and dealer fees. I barely drove it because I have another job that I work from home. Around December of 2014 I applied to become an uber driver. I was very happy it only took about a week for me to get on a road. The rates were 1.35/mile 5 dollar base fare and 25 cents a minute. There were also no safe ride fees. But allot has changed since then and I decided to figure out how much I really make driving with uber. I'm not going to get too technical but rather a general calculation. Current uber rates in my market are 1.10/mile, 0 base fare, 18c/minute, 1 dollar safe ride fee. I have a goal of reaching 150 dollar/day with uber on my earnings tab. (150 after uber takes its cut). It takes me 10-12 hours on average to reach this goal at current rates. I also noticed that I go through 10 gallons and put 260 miles on my car daily. Assuming that I work everyday, 260 x 365 =94,900 miles driven a year. I'm I'm estimating that my car will only be worth 6500 dollars. It will loose value by $12,000 in depreciation.
> I reach 30mpgs when I drive for personal use but with uber where im constantly parked or waiting on passangers I get around 26mpg. Cost of gasoline is around 3.50c/gal
> 94,900(annual miles) ÷ 26 (mpg) x $3.50 = $12,775 in gas spent a year.
> How can I forget about oil changes that cost 45 dollars every 5,000 miles =$855
> I would have to replace tires twice. Each tire cost 120 dollar x 8 =960
> I also put aside 5,000 for any unspecified repairs. And I think I'm being generous with that figure
> 12,000+12,775+5000+855+960= 31,590
> Now let's see how much will I make driving for Uber 150 x 365 = $54,750 - 31,590 = $23,160 woop woop! Oh shit! but now I need a new car  il buy that chevy again for 18,500 and repeat all over 23,160 -18,500 =4660 profit a year! But hey I forgot to include insurance FML am I working for free?


don't forget to cancel your car insurance and all car repairs, after you stop driving for uber..


----------



## Uberalex23

painfreepc said:


> So you buy a new car in 2013, but you waited till 2014 to buy car insurance, after you started driving uber..


Lol what? always had insurance.


----------



## Uberalex23

painfreepc said:


> don't forget to cancel your car insurance and all car repairs, after you stop driving for uber..


My insurance increased by allot after adjusting annual mileage. It use to be 5k a year with my from home job


----------



## Huberis

Uberalex23 said:


> My insurance increased by allot after adjusting annual mileage. It use to be 5k a year with my from home job


Before you drove rideshare your insurance rates were 5K. What did they increase to if you don't mind my asking? That is with your increase in mileage. Do they know you drive rideshare specifically?


----------



## uberdriver

Uberalex23 said:


> My insurance increased by allot after adjusting annual mileage. It use to be 5k a year with my from home job





Huberis said:


> Before you drove rideshare your insurance rates were 5K. What did they increase to if you don't mind my asking? That is with your increase in mileage. Do they know you drive rideshare specifically?


The way I read I read it, he drove 5k MILES a year before Ubering, there is no $ amount of $5k.....


----------



## Uberalex23

Huberis said:


> Before you drove rideshare your insurance rates were 5K. What did they increase to if you don't mind my asking? That is with your increase in mileage. Do they know you drive rideshare specifically?


i ment my insurance premium were low because i only use to put 5k miles a year. its almost twice as much in terms of my premium. And i did not tell my insurance i drive for uber. I did though asked what would happen if i would. And they could not give me a clear answer.


----------



## Uberalex23

uberdriver said:


> The way I read I read it, he drove 5k MILES a year before Ubering, there is no $ amount of $5k.....


Correct


----------



## Huberis

uberdriver said:


> The way I read I read it, he drove 5k MILES a year before Ubering, there is no $ amount of $5k.....


I think you may be correct. 5,000 miles a year to 95,000 miles a year. That isn't going to raise some eyebrows?


----------



## Huberis

Uberalex23 said:


> i ment my insurance premium were low because i only use to put 5k miles a year. its almost twice as much in terms of my premium. And i did not tell my insurance i drive for uber. I did though asked what would happen if i would. And they could not give me a clear answer.


Are you financing your car? You have been driving for six months..... so they adjusted your premium for the period you are driving now? You should already have 45,000+ miles on right? I thought I saw you started driving around the new year, I may not remember that correctly.


----------



## Uberalex23

Huberis said:


> Are you financing your car? You have been driving for six months..... so they adjusted your premium for the period you are driving now? You should already have 45,000+ miles on right? I thought I saw you started driving around the new year, I may not remember that correctly.


I started on 3rd of December, i drove much less back then, i did not have a 150 daily goal at that time, and it also did not take as long to reach it. Mileage was adjusted few months ago after my previous 6 month premium expired. Right now i have 37k miles on my car


----------



## Huberis

Uberalex23 said:


> I started on 3rd of December, i drove much less back then, i did not have a 150 daily goal at that time, and it also did not take as long to reach it. Mileage was adjusted few months ago after my previous 6 month premium expired. Right now i have 37k miles on my car


Gotchya. Are you financing that car?


----------



## Uberalex23

Huberis said:


> Gotchya. Are you financing that car?


Fully paid off


----------



## JaxBeachDriver

Uberalex23 said:


> I realize that, my next car will be purchased at a junk yard and i will drive on XL. Shitier ride for customers more profit for me. Just playing by ubers rules


Just know that uber takes 28% of XL fares.


----------



## JaxBeachDriver

TeleSki said:


> I got over 70K miles out the last 2 sets of $120 tires I bought. $80 dollar tires, yeh, you'll probably only get 40-50k out of those.


Where the hell are you getting tires? We are talking about car tires, a full set of them.


----------



## headtheball

Uberalex23 said:


> A close family friend who is a photographer. But you can get professional photos done anywhere, there is a company called Picture people they usually locate them selfs in malls. But in order for you to use a professional photo on uber, it must be colored. They would not let me use this current one in black and white.


A family friend? That **** stole your eyes.


----------



## Karl_Baden

Uberalex23 said:


> Real cost of driving for uberX
> Hi, I am an uberX driver in orange county.
> In 2013 I bought a brand new chevrolet Sonic 2LT for 18,500 out the door after taxes and dealer fees. I barely drove it because I have another job that I work from home. Around December of 2014 I applied to become an uber driver. I was very happy it only took about a week for me to get on a road. The rates were 1.35/mile 5 dollar base fare and 25 cents a minute. There were also no safe ride fees. But allot has changed since then and I decided to figure out how much I really make driving with uber. I'm not going to get too technical but rather a general calculation. Current uber rates in my market are 1.10/mile, 0 base fare, 18c/minute, 1 dollar safe ride fee. I have a goal of reaching 150 dollar/day with uber on my earnings tab. (150 after uber takes its cut). It takes me 10-12 hours on average to reach this goal at current rates. I also noticed that I go through 10 gallons and put 260 miles on my car daily. Assuming that I work everyday, 260 x 365 =94,900 miles driven a year. I'm I'm estimating that my car will only be worth 6500 dollars. It will loose value by $12,000 in depreciation.
> I reach 30mpgs when I drive for personal use but with uber where im constantly parked or waiting on passangers I get around 26mpg. Cost of gasoline is around 3.50c/gal
> 94,900(annual miles) ÷ 26 (mpg) x $3.50 = $12,775 in gas spent a year.
> How can I forget about oil changes that cost 45 dollars every 5,000 miles =$855
> I would have to replace tires twice. Each tire cost 120 dollar x 8 =960
> I also put aside 5,000 for any unspecified repairs. And I think I'm being generous with that figure
> 12,000+12,775+5000+855+960= 31,590
> Now let's see how much will I make driving for Uber 150 x 365 = $54,750 - 31,590 = $23,160 woop woop! Oh shit! but now I need a new car  il buy that chevy again for 18,500 and repeat all over 23,160 -18,500 =4660 profit a year! But hey I forgot to include insurance FML am I working for free?


Oh my gosh. My eyes glazed over. It sounds like the take-away is that you realized the numbers don't add up, i.e., your expenses are higher than your Uber income. Is that right? Your available solutions are: a) earn more or b) reduce expenses.

You mention fuel. Maybe you should ditch the Sonic and get a Prius. But obviously switching cars would bring its own transaction costs, etc.

You also mention your # of hours needed to reach $150/day. That's obviously very dependent on a variable outside your control: the fare in Orange County, which is determined unilaterally by Uber, not you. So whatever plan you devise, you should include scenarios that consider what happens if Uber reduces fares. You'd need more hours and/or more miles per day to hit $150/day. Is that an acceptable outcome?

Gosh I should create an Excel workbook for this. Input all your variables and, voilà, the workbook tells you if you're profitable and, if not, what you can adjust to get profitable.


----------



## Karl_Baden

Karl_Baden said:


> Oh my gosh. My eyes glazed over. It sounds like the take-away is that you realized the numbers don't add up, i.e., your expenses are higher than your Uber income. Is that right? Your available solutions are: a) earn more or b) reduce expenses.
> 
> You mention fuel. Maybe you should ditch the Sonic and get a Prius. But obviously switching cars would bring its own transaction costs, etc.
> 
> You also mention your # of hours needed to reach $150/day. That's obviously very dependent on a variable outside your control: the fare in Orange County, which is determined unilaterally by Uber, not you. So whatever plan you devise, you should include scenarios that consider what happens if Uber reduces fares. You'd need more hours and/or more miles per day to hit $150/day. Is that an acceptable outcome?
> 
> Gosh I should create an Excel workbook for this. Input all your variables and, voilà, the workbook tells you if you're profitable and, if not, what you can adjust to get profitable.


Oh, look, UberPeople sort of already has this.
https://uberpeople.net/pages/EarningsCalculator/


----------



## Sherif Elkattawy

Jtuno said:


> Im hoping my profit will be better than the example given here since I bought a cheap 2006 Nissan Sentra to drive for Uber. I'm just afraid my ratings will suffer for not having a nice new ride to chauffer pax in. I figure if that happens I'll take out the 2015 Optima we bought 2 weeks ago to test out the theory of bad car=bad ratings and good car=good ratings!


You driving in Philly, last thing you want is a new vehicle. The roads in Philly are so ****ed up you feel like 90% of the time you off roading right in the middle of the city, get a Jeep and you should be good. LMAO!


----------



## David.Davidson

Uberalex23 said:


> I working for free?


Yes, we all are. The problem is that too many people see this as a fast way to earn cash and not as a business. Uber banks on people's ignorance.


----------



## Nancy Jones

Well done. Thanks for sharing it . I suggest you Earn Honey to making money from home by playing games or watching videos or completing surveys online ...


----------



## agtg

Uberalex23 said:


> Real cost of driving for uberX
> Hi, I am an uberX driver in orange county.
> In 2013 I bought a brand new chevrolet Sonic 2LT for 18,500 out the door after taxes and dealer fees. I barely drove it because I have another job that I work from home. Around December of 2014 I applied to become an uber driver. I was very happy it only took about a week for me to get on a road. The rates were 1.35/mile 5 dollar base fare and 25 cents a minute. There were also no safe ride fees. But allot has changed since then and I decided to figure out how much I really make driving with uber. I'm not going to get too technical but rather a general calculation. Current uber rates in my market are 1.10/mile, 0 base fare, 18c/minute, 1 dollar safe ride fee. I have a goal of reaching 150 dollar/day with uber on my earnings tab. (150 after uber takes its cut). It takes me 10-12 hours on average to reach this goal at current rates. I also noticed that I go through 10 gallons and put 260 miles on my car daily. Assuming that I work everyday, 260 x 365 =94,900 miles driven a year. I'm I'm estimating that my car will only be worth 6500 dollars. It will loose value by $12,000 in depreciation.
> I reach 30mpgs when I drive for personal use but with uber where im constantly parked or waiting on passangers I get around 26mpg. Cost of gasoline is around 3.50c/gal
> 94,900(annual miles) ÷ 26 (mpg) x $3.50 = $12,775 in gas spent a year.
> How can I forget about oil changes that cost 45 dollars every 5,000 miles =$855
> I would have to replace tires twice. Each tire cost 120 dollar x 8 =960
> I also put aside 5,000 for any unspecified repairs. And I think I'm being generous with that figure
> 12,000+12,775+5000+855+960= 31,590
> Now let's see how much will I make driving for Uber 150 x 365 = $54,750 - 31,590 = $23,160 woop woop! Oh shit! but now I need a new car  il buy that chevy again for 18,500 and repeat all over 23,160 -18,500 =4660 profit a year! But hey I forgot to include insurance FML am I working for free?


Yup!


----------



## Tony from New Jersey

Uberalex23 said:


> Real cost of driving for uberX
> Hi, I am an uberX driver in orange county.
> In 2013 I bought a brand new chevrolet Sonic 2LT for 18,500 out the door after taxes and dealer fees. I barely drove it because I have another job that I work from home. Around December of 2014 I applied to become an uber driver. I was very happy it only took about a week for me to get on a road. The rates were 1.35/mile 5 dollar base fare and 25 cents a minute. There were also no safe ride fees. But allot has changed since then and I decided to figure out how much I really make driving with uber. I'm not going to get too technical but rather a general calculation. Current uber rates in my market are 1.10/mile, 0 base fare, 18c/minute, 1 dollar safe ride fee. I have a goal of reaching 150 dollar/day with uber on my earnings tab. (150 after uber takes its cut). It takes me 10-12 hours on average to reach this goal at current rates. I also noticed that I go through 10 gallons and put 260 miles on my car daily. Assuming that I work everyday, 260 x 365 =94,900 miles driven a year. I'm I'm estimating that my car will only be worth 6500 dollars. It will loose value by $12,000 in depreciation.
> I reach 30mpgs when I drive for personal use but with uber where im constantly parked or waiting on passangers I get around 26mpg. Cost of gasoline is around 3.50c/gal
> 94,900(annual miles) ÷ 26 (mpg) x $3.50 = $12,775 in gas spent a year.
> How can I forget about oil changes that cost 45 dollars every 5,000 miles =$855
> I would have to replace tires twice. Each tire cost 120 dollar x 8 =960
> I also put aside 5,000 for any unspecified repairs. And I think I'm being generous with that figure
> 12,000+12,775+5000+855+960= 31,590
> Now let's see how much will I make driving for Uber 150 x 365 = $54,750 - 31,590 = $23,160 woop woop! Oh shit! but now I need a new car  il buy that chevy again for 18,500 and repeat all over 23,160 -18,500 =4660 profit a year! But hey I forgot to include insurance FML am I working for free?


You must be smart one. Most of us just drive and do not think about expanses we incure. I have made my personal decision not to drive without surge, but there are so many brainless drivers out there, it has been getting harder and harder. End result, I am driving less and less. Uber is winning in it's game, brainless drivers loosing money everyday but the do not know it or realize it now.


----------



## Slim Pete

Tony from New Jersey said:


> You must be smart one. Most of us just drive and do not think about expanses we incure. I have made my personal decision not to drive without surge, but there are so many brainless drivers out there, it has been getting harder and harder. End result, I am driving less and less. Uber is winning in it's game, brainless drivers loosing money everyday but the do not know it or realize it now.


i have a 2007 camry hybrid, i bought it used for $6,300 with a brand new original toyota traction battery. My costs are 13 cents a mile, max 15 cents.
and no, i am not an idiot. this 13 cents a mile is after considering remaining car depreciation, fuel, repairs, oil changes, tires.

and with the IRS deduction of 54 cents a mile, you won't owe any taxes.

the key is to buy an already depreciated car with good mpgs, do oil changes and repairs cheaply, know where to go to pick up rides, know what rides to accept and reject.

i haven't signed up for uber yet. just got approved for lyft on friday night and been driving only 3 days. averaging $14.55 per hour NET (net means after deducting lyft's 25%, gas, repairs, tires, depreciation, and everything else) and i don't pay taxes on it. This translates into $23.43 per hour as my incremental tax rate is 38% when Federal and State tax rates are added together (14.55 * 1.61 = 23.43, it is 61% due to base effect).

I expect my hourly net to rise as I get more apt at this rideshare business.

Considering this is very decent for a part time gig, I have no complaints.


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## Slim Pete

Slim Pete said:


> i have a 2007 camry hybrid, i bought it used for $6,300 with a brand new original toyota traction battery. My costs are 13 cents a mile, max 15 cents.
> and no, i am not an idiot. this 13 cents a mile is after considering remaining car depreciation, fuel, repairs, oil changes, tires.
> 
> and with the IRS deduction of 54 cents a mile, you won't owe any taxes.
> 
> the key is to buy an already depreciated car with good mpgs, do oil changes and repairs cheaply, know where to go to pick up rides, know what rides to accept and reject.
> 
> i haven't signed up for uber yet. just got approved for lyft on friday night and been driving only 3 days. averaging $14.55 per hour NET (net means after deducting lyft's 25%, gas, repairs, tires, depreciation, and everything else) and i don't pay taxes on it. This translates into $23.43 per hour as my incremental tax rate is 38% when Federal and State tax rates are added together (14.55 * 1.61 = 23.43, it is 61% due to base effect).
> 
> I expect my hourly net to rise as I get more apt at this rideshare business.
> 
> Considering this is very decent for a part time gig, I have no complaints.


Let me give an example of "getting repairs done cheaply" mean. No, I am not talking about crap quality parts.

Recently, I needed to change the bearings, hub and cv axle on driver side. Went to Firestone, got an all inclusive quote for $1022.

Decided to do it myself.

Bought parts on amazon and pepboys for a total of 140

bearing for $21 (new was 25, but i bought "used" knowing a bearing cannot actually be reused, and hence "used" simply means the packaging was opened, also buying used avoided sales tax).
hub for 23
bearing race for 5
grease for 7
cv axle from pepboys for 61 (it was actually 111, less 50 core charge) with sales taxes included.
bearing press kit for 30

I watched 2 or 3 youtube videos that explained in detail the process on hot to do it, but didn't want to get my hands dirty, so I looked for a mechanic off craigslist who i hired for 90 dollars. the reason i watched the videos was to thoroughly understand the steps to follow, so that the mechanic wouldn't be able to cheat me. of course, i supervised the mechanic.

also, instead of going to a shop to have the bearing pressed out, i got a press kit from harbor freight for 90 bucks that can be reused, or sold off on craigslist for around 60. hence i included only 90-60 = 30 in the cost calculations.

the net result was i did it for 140 (parts) + 90 (labor) for a grand total of *$230 compared to $1022* at the shop. Plus I got the best quality parts from OEM suppliers, rather than the crappy parts the shop would use.

i already had a lifetime alignment from firestone, so didn't include alignment in the costs.

this is a simple example of how to save costs, plus have the best replacement parts used, plus avoid getting your hands dirty.

hence, like any business, you need to know how to minimize costs to stay profitable.


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## Tony from New Jersey

Uber will gladly welcome you. On the other hand, if you use this strategy and put your effort in some other line of business, you probably get higher return. I,e, livery business, transportation service attached to some medical service. Etc.


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## UberXpert2020

Uberalex23 said:


> Real cost of driving for uberX
> Hi, I am an uberX driver in orange county.
> In 2013 I bought a brand new chevrolet Sonic 2LT for 18,500 out the door after taxes and dealer fees. I barely drove it because I have another job that I work from home. Around December of 2014 I applied to become an uber driver. I was very happy it only took about a week for me to get on a road. The rates were 1.35/mile 5 dollar base fare and 25 cents a minute. There were also no safe ride fees. But allot has changed since then and I decided to figure out how much I really make driving with uber. I'm not going to get too technical but rather a general calculation. Current uber rates in my market are 1.10/mile, 0 base fare, 18c/minute, 1 dollar safe ride fee. I have a goal of reaching 150 dollar/day with uber on my earnings tab. (150 after uber takes its cut). It takes me 10-12 hours on average to reach this goal at current rates. I also noticed that I go through 10 gallons and put 260 miles on my car daily. Assuming that I work everyday, 260 x 365 =94,900 miles driven a year. I'm I'm estimating that my car will only be worth 6500 dollars. It will loose value by $12,000 in depreciation.
> I reach 30mpgs when I drive for personal use but with uber where im constantly parked or waiting on passangers I get around 26mpg. Cost of gasoline is around 3.50c/gal
> 94,900(annual miles) ÷ 26 (mpg) x $3.50 = $12,775 in gas spent a year.
> How can I forget about oil changes that cost 45 dollars every 5,000 miles =$855
> I would have to replace tires twice. Each tire cost 120 dollar x 8 =960
> I also put aside 5,000 for any unspecified repairs. And I think I'm being generous with that figure
> 12,000+12,775+5000+855+960= 31,590
> Now let's see how much will I make driving for Uber 150 x 365 = $54,750 - 31,590 = $23,160 woop woop! Oh shit! but now I need a new car  il buy that chevy again for 18,500 and repeat all over 23,160 -18,500 =4660 profit a year! But hey I forgot to include insurance FML am I working for free?


-- Alex, i couldn't have explained it any better! I haven't driven for Uber for the past six months. Unlike you, i already had my car, so i didn't need to buy one specifically to drive for UBER. I would have never done that. I already had my own car. Anyway, i made about 4000$last year and i wasn't driving FT. But after the fares continued going down and down and down, i said "eff it". These people are not worth my time and i stopped driving for them. I have been driving for LYFT here and there, and i got a PT job. Anwya, hopefully SMART people will realize that they are indeed working for FREE.


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