# Dollars per mile or dollars per hour/minute?



## jbrow327 (Feb 15, 2016)

Just curious how other drivers determine a "good" delivery, or at the end of the day if you had a "good" day. Do you look more at how much you made in a certain amount of time, or how much you made in a certain amount of miles driven? The same thing would apply to any specific delivery offer (dollars/mile or dollars/minute).


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## jaxbeachrides (May 27, 2015)

I dont care about the mileage all that much. I buy 2 tanks a week at $30-40, that's $300 a month in gas. 

If I made 200-300 every day on long orders then the mileage would hardly even matter.

I usually draw the line at $1 a mile, but if it's a $50 order that's 30 miles each way, I still make $40 for that hour after gas.

Ideally $20 an hour is reasonable but the orders just aren't always there.


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## jbrow327 (Feb 15, 2016)

jaxbeachrides said:


> I dont care about the mileage all that much. I buy 2 tanks a week at $30-40, that's $300 a month in gas.
> 
> If I made 200-300 every day on long orders then the mileage would hardly even matter.
> 
> ...


1 dollar per mile out and back or one way? (10 dollars/5 miles or 10 dollars/10 miles). What do you drive?


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## jbrow327 (Feb 15, 2016)

jaxbeachrides said:


> I dont care about the mileage all that much. I buy 2 tanks a week at $30-40, that's $300 a month in gas.
> 
> If I made 200-300 every day on long orders then the mileage would hardly even matter.
> 
> ...


Are you saying if you drove 200 to 300 miles a day it wouldn't matter?


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## jaxbeachrides (May 27, 2015)

I've got a few 4 cylinder cars and a hybrid, so that already keeps the fuel costs down. 

If you drive a gas guzzler than mileage is very important. That would also completely defeat the purpose of doing a driving job.

I sometimes drive 200 or 300 miles which usually means I'm making good money, unless it's for Amazon.


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## jbrow327 (Feb 15, 2016)

jaxbeachrides said:


> I've got a few 4 cylinder cars and a hybrid, so that already keeps the fuel costs down.
> 
> If you drive a gas guzzler than mileage is very important. That would also completely defeat the purpose of doing a driving job.


Nice! I'm full time in a 22 Honda Insight. 55 mpg. How much do you typically earn per day?


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## jaxbeachrides (May 27, 2015)

It's not really relevant because I do different things, but for delivery not very much. You're limited to a few peak hours so it's not exactly a nonstop business.

If you're going to depreciate a new car like that you might as well do it on uber. Passengers need rides 24 hours a day and the pay is generally more consistent.


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## Hexonxonx (Dec 11, 2019)

jaxbeachrides said:


> If you're going to depreciate a new car like that you might as well do it on uber. Passengers need rides 24 hours a day and the pay is generally more consistent.


Then. you have to deal with people in your car, everything from drunks to rude people. That's why I have been fine with just doing delivery for the past 2.5 years and quit my 26 year job just to do this. 

I have two 2022 hybrid cars to split the miles. I bought the CR-V in October and have about 4600 miles on it. I bought the Accord in December and have about 3,000 miles on it. I put about 300-400 on each car each week.


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## New guy65 (Oct 25, 2018)

jaxbeachrides said:


> I dont care about the mileage all that much. I buy 2 tanks a week at $30-40, that's $300 a month in gas.
> 
> If I made 200-300 every day on long orders then the mileage would hardly even matter.
> 
> ...


How do you fill up a tank for $30-40? I only have a 13 gallon tanks so even at $3 it almost $40. Unfortunately gas is closer to $4.70


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## jaxbeachrides (May 27, 2015)

I think 11 gallons but it will be on low fuel with 3 left. $30-40 is when gas is expensive on an empty tank.

I quit driving nights a long time ago. Even at the 14 hour maximum, 6am-8pm = no drunks or late night idiots.

I really dont care for either delivery or regular uber. But if I had to choose one to pay the most bills, I'd say uber for the flexibility of earnings.

Talking about 2 or 3 dollars a mile on delivery is nonsense once you factor in all the wasted time doing short runs for $5-10 each. 

My time is worth more than miles on an old car.


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## New guy65 (Oct 25, 2018)

jaxbeachrides said:


> I think 11 gallons but it will be on low fuel with 3 left. $30-40 is when gas is expensive on an empty tank.
> 
> I quit driving nights a long time ago. Even at the 14 hour maximum, 6am-8pm = no drunks or late night idiots.
> 
> ...


Eats probably varies dramatically by city. I’m in Chicago. A 5 mile delivery is longer than average and on city streets would take about 20 minutes. Although it’s not uncommon to get 10 mile requests that would take an hour. I target a minimum $/hour unless it’s super short then I might take it. Why not take $4 for a half mile trip. I’ve had deliveries going 100 yards during the day when people are working from home and the weather sucks, gas usage on those is zero as you just walk. Like this from today


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## Seamus (Jun 21, 2018)

jbrow327 said:


> Just curious how other drivers determine a "good" delivery, or at the end of the day if you had a "good" day. Do you look more at how much you made in a certain amount of time, or how much you made in a certain amount of miles driven? The same thing would apply to any specific delivery offer (dollars/mile or dollars/minute).


Both.

$$/mile is an indicator of profitability, and $$/hour is an indicator if it was worth your time.


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## Disgusted Driver (Jan 9, 2015)

My expectations are that the ping gives me at least $1.00 a mile and at the same time, 50 cents a minute. The amount per mile goes up if the ping is going to take me out of the area.


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## Grubhubflub (Jun 16, 2018)

I go for $2 a mile from where I'm at to the drop-off location. Lately, given current economic conditions and considering that I have bills 2 pay, I'll go as low as $1.60 a mile.


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## Ms. Mercenary (Jul 24, 2020)

jbrow327 said:


> Just curious how other drivers determine a "good" delivery, or at the end of the day if you had a "good" day. Do you look more at how much you made in a certain amount of time, or how much you made in a certain amount of miles driven? The same thing would apply to any specific delivery offer (dollars/mile or dollars/minute).


Per mile. My per hour depresses me and I go straight for the ice cream.


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## ThanksUber (Jul 26, 2017)

I don't do either. I drive until the near empty light comes on in my car then I put $1.00 per $10 earned into the gas tank and then I go home. A average day my income is about $150 so $15 in the fuel tank. I do not care about time or miles. If you set a goal then your wasting time waiting for orders. Work when your making money and when your not you need to stop working.


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## jbrow327 (Feb 15, 2016)

ThanksUber said:


> I don't do either. I drive until the near empty light comes on in my car then I put $1.00 per $10 earned into the gas tank and then I go home. A average day my income is about $150 so $15 in the fuel tank. I do not care about time or miles. If you set a goal then your wasting time waiting for orders. Work when your making money and when your not you need to stop working.


Do you accept every order?


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## ThanksUber (Jul 26, 2017)

jbrow327 said:


> Do you accept every order?


No. I'm a supporter of no tip no trip. On deliveries DoorDash UberEats and GrubHub I don't take any orders paying less than $6.50 and I don't take trips over 5 miles. Never take Wendy's, Golden Chicken, Coldstone Creamery, 1 hour photo or Walmart orders. Very selective on slow McDonald's locations. On shop and pay I never take anything with over 4 items. I also do alcohol delivers on UberEats and DoorDash if the payout is over $10.00. Never take order, pay and wait red card orders. I also skip slow fast food restaurants if their lobbies are closed. Postmates has also gone down the toilet but I'll still take their high payout Apple Store deliveries.


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## Nats121 (Jul 19, 2017)

ThanksUber said:


> I'll still take their high payout Apple Store deliveries.


The Apple Store delivery offers I receive are no-tip, lousy-paying garbage that I avoid like the plague.


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## Nats121 (Jul 19, 2017)

Disgusted Driver said:


> My expectations are that the ping gives me at least $1.00 a mile and at the same time, 50 cents a minute. The amount per mile goes up if the ping is going to take me out of the area.


In most places including mine it's virtually impossible to gross $1.00 per mile and 50 cents per minute at the same time. Speed limits are too low, traffic too heavy, lots of red lights, parking issues, delays at restaurants, delays at dropoffs, apartment buildings, etc, etc.


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## ThanksUber (Jul 26, 2017)

Nats121 said:


> The Apple Store delivery offers I receive are no-tip, lousy-paying garbage that I avoid like the plague.


Most are garbage low paying and it's been really bad since the summer of 2020. I don't blame the plague. It's more like postmates just don't have a clue or forgot how to run a delivery business. It's toxic now that you get Postmates orders on UberEats. What I like about Apple Store orders is that 19 out of 20 are rejected because of low payouts, but when you see a $40.00 pickup with 3 delivery locations, under 10 miles total that takes under a hour to complete. I'm fine with that.


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## FLKeys (Dec 27, 2018)

My matrix for PAX and or Food delivery has always been earnings per mile. I really don't care about earnings per hour. If I have something better to do with my time I will do that. If I don't, then the Uber app is on and I concentrate on earnings per mile driven.

In my market, you can easily go an hour + with out a single ping.


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