# Just starting, please help.



## Frasi1966 (Oct 17, 2016)

Hi everyone, can anyone tell me how long it takes to be approved and start driving, from the moment i subnitte the application?
I received a text from Uber telling me that my DMV check has been cleared, and they are waiting for the. Background check to clear (I don't have anything on record)
Thank you!


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## Coachman (Sep 22, 2015)

I submitted my application on a Tuesday afternoon. My background check was completed that evening and I got an email from Uber telling me I was approved to drive the next morning.


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## Ball-In-Hand (Sep 28, 2016)

My background check took over 2 weeks and my record is clean.


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## rghy2 (Sep 20, 2016)

Mine took a week. I applied last Monday and was active yesterday.


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## Delivery Mr.Guy (Aug 9, 2016)

To drive for Uber is for fun and to meet new people only, You will some times lose money. I have told my friends that in order to drive for uber is just like you are starting a new business, you will need some money in bank account for your new business
$2,000 for car repair in the first 4 months
$150 for gas in the first week
$40 weekly for tolls
Must put away 10% of money for IRS income tax selfemployment tax. 
Always remind yourself " drive for fun and meet new peopl"


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## Frasi1966 (Oct 17, 2016)

$2000 for car repair in 4 month?
What kind of car you have, and where and how much you drive,??
$150 for gas in a week?? That's 70 gallons of gas, which is about 1400 miles, unrealistic (and if you do it, you are getting rich..)
Those figures are out of this world, unless you drive 24/7 then you must take hone a lot of money.


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## Stan07 (Oct 10, 2016)

Frasi, you seem like a nice guy. Take this advice and don't start..


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## Frasi1966 (Oct 17, 2016)

Stan07 said:


> Frasi, you seem like a nice guy. Take this advice and don't start..


Can always quit, why not giving it a try..


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## Mex123 (Jul 31, 2016)

It took me like 2 weeks


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## SorryBluetoothOnly (Apr 13, 2016)

Mine took 6 weeks. I kept badgering Uber, and they kept responding that this was normal. Finally, someone admitted that my background check request had been lost in the system and they were going to expedite. I think it took 1-2 days from there.

Yes, my first exposure to Uber was of their typical incompetence. I got my feet wet on Lyft while they fumbled the ball.

Hopefully, you're in the 90% of checks that go smoothly.


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## Frasi1966 (Oct 17, 2016)

SorryBluetoothOnly said:


> Mine took 6 weeks. I kept badgering Uber, and they kept responding that this was normal. Finally, someone admitted that my background check request had been lost in the system and they were going to expedite. I think it took 1-2 days from there.
> 
> Yes, my first exposure to Uber was of their typical incompetence. I got my feet wet on Lyft while they fumbled the ball.
> 
> Hopefully, you're in the 90% of checks that go smoothly.


Thanks, tomorrow will be a week that I filled in the application, will wait a little longer before inquiring.
What do you think about lyft?


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## SorryBluetoothOnly (Apr 13, 2016)

Frasi1966 said:


> Thanks, tomorrow will be a week that I filled in the application, will wait a little longer before inquiring.
> *What do you think about lyft?*


Good:

A better, more ethical company overall - they don't make me want to vomit whenever I get a communication from them or every time they reply to one of my incidents, the way Uber does.
Passengers are nicer overall, and most of them tip due to the in-app tip option (unlike Uber where most passengers don't tip).
Bad:

Their version of surge (Prime Time) is much more primitive, which is unfortunate because surge is how you really make a profit in this business because Uber's artificially supressed rates are truly horrific (and Lyft has no choice but to offer similar competitive rates).
Not as much demand as Uber.


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## JimS (Aug 18, 2015)

SorryBluetoothOnly said:


> Good:
> 
> A better, more ethical company overall - they don't make me want to vomit whenever I get a communication from them or every time they reply to one of my incidents, the way Uber does.
> Passengers are nicer overall, and most of them tip due to the in-app tip option (unlike Uber where most passengers don't tip).
> ...


That about sums it up. Except I don't get many tips on Lyft, either.


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## Delivery Mr.Guy (Aug 9, 2016)

Frasi1966 said:


> Can always quit, why not giving it a try..





Frasi1966 said:


> $2000 for car repair in 4 month?
> What kind of car you have, and where and how much you drive,??
> $150 for gas in a week?? That's 70 gallons of gas, which is about 1400 miles, unrealistic (and if you do it, you are getting rich..)
> Those figures are out of this world, unless you drive 24/7 then you must take hone a lot of money.


Most drivers will disagree with me in the first 6 months of drive for Uber, when they start out they will said , oh it nice, you work anytimes you want, meet new people. than after 6 months they quit drive for Uber, Here is the realistic for you:
You waste 3 miles to drive to pick up the rider, than you drop off the rider another 1 miles , the totally is 4 miles trip but Uber is paying you only 1 miles trip out of 4 miles.

example: You drive some one to the football game for 20 miles, than you drive back home another 20 miles , the totally trip is 40 miles but Uber is paying you only 20 miles.

So the whole week Uber payout to you assume 30 hours of online but the reality or your realistic is you have spend totally 50 hours online. 
go to YOutube and study more about how Uber scam ?


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## d0n (Oct 16, 2016)

Hi, run while you still can.


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## Fishchris (Aug 31, 2016)

It took me 2 days to get activated.

I'm not sure about the market in New Haven, but in Sacramento CA, I'm making about $9 an hour, when all is said and done. Its an easy job. Most of the passengers are really nice (but maybe that's because I am too) and of course, you can make your own schedule, but unless you have a really cheap cost of living like I do, and a nice new car which 1) doesn't need frequent repairs) and 2) gets good mileage, you will starve if you only work 40 hours... and maybe, if you work 60 too....


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## I_Like_Spam (May 10, 2015)

Frasi1966 said:


> $150 for gas in a week?? That's 70 gallons of gas, which is about 1400 miles, unrealistic (and if you do it, you are getting rich..)
> Those figures are out of this world, unless you drive 24/7 then you must take hone a lot of money.


200 miles a day isn't that many for a full time driver. Figuring if you are lucky, half the miles will be paid, 100 miles time 82 1/2 cents (Connecticut rate minus the 25% commish) equals about $82.50.

After gas, maintenance and wear and tear on your vehicle, that doesn't sound like beaucoup bucks to me.

But then, you and I may have a different opinion as to what a "lot of money" is.


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## Frasi1966 (Oct 17, 2016)

Delivery Mr.Guy said:


> Most drivers will disagree with me in the first 6 months of drive for Uber, when they start out they will said , oh it nice, you work anytimes you want, meet new people. than after 6 months they quit drive for Uber, Here is the realistic for you:
> You waste 3 miles to drive to pick up the rider, than you drop off the rider another 1 miles , the totally is 4 miles trip but Uber is paying you only 1 miles trip out of 4 miles.
> 
> example: You drive some one to the football game for 20 miles, than you drive back home another 20 miles , the totally trip is 40 miles but Uber is paying you only 20 miles.
> ...


Uber is paying you the miles you drive the customer, what do you pretend, to be paid just to drive around in your car?
Also, you are outing out the worst case scenario, with a riders 3 times away the length of the ride, what about if the rider is 2 miles away and the ride is 20 miles? What about if you drop the rider off, and get another ride going your way home?
Also, even your scenario, you are getting paid for the 1 mile, plus the minimum fee and wathever, last say you get $5 for a total of 4 niles driving, that's still a lot of profit, since, assuming your car does 20 mpg, 4 miles is 1/5 of gallon, which cost you $.60, therefore you made $4.40 profit (from which you have to take off depreciation and wear).
Doesn't look bad at all to me.
The problem with you guys is that you only count the situations that are not so good for you, while you should count both the good and had.
Today was my first day driving, I get out of my day job, going hone, which is 15 miles from my job, put the app on line, get a request after 2 minutes, the riders (4 college girls), are 3 miles away, going NY direction, and the destination is 20 miles away, my direction (5 miles passed my house), I basically had to drive 10 extra miles (5 miles passed my house back and forth), and I made $18 after uber fee, not bad at all for 15 minutes and 10 miles driving!
I am not saying that will be always so good, but you have to average not bad and good situations. (Ah, and the girls where nice )
All in all, I am not sure doing it as full time, but as part-time job, to make some extra money, is a great job, after all, you still have to have a car and pay insurance on it, regardless.


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## Shangsta (Aug 15, 2016)

Frasi1966 said:


> Uber is paying you the miles you drive the customer, what do you pretend, to be paid just to drive around in your car?
> Also, you are outing out the worst case scenario, with a riders 3 times away the length of the ride, what about if the rider is 2 miles away and the ride is 20 miles? What about if you drop the rider off, and get another ride going your way home?
> Also, even your scenario, you are getting paid for the 1 mile, plus the minimum fee and wathever, last say you get $5 for a total of 4 niles driving, that's still a lot of profit, since, assuming your car does 20 mpg, 4 miles is 1/5 of gallon, which cost you $.60, therefore you made $4.40 profit (from which you have to take off depreciation and wear).
> Doesn't look bad at all to me.
> ...


I thought Uber was the greatest thing once too. It wont always be that easy to get a ride, neither will it always be that pleasant. Glad you had a good first trip though. The good outweighs the bad but after you get a few drives in the pings get a lot more infrequentm


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## I_Like_Spam (May 10, 2015)

Frasi1966 said:


> Uber is paying you the miles you drive the customer, what do you pretend, to be paid just to drive around in your car?
> Also, you are outing out the worst case scenario, with a riders 3 times away the length of the ride, what about if the rider is 2 miles away and the ride is 20 miles? What about if you drop the rider off, and get another ride going your way home?
> Also, even your scenario, you are getting paid for the 1 mile, plus the minimum fee and wathever, last say you get $5 for a total of 4 niles driving, that's still a lot of profit, since, assuming your car does 20 mpg, 4 miles is 1/5 of gallon, which cost you $.60, therefore you made $4.40 profit (from which you have to take off depreciation and wear).
> Doesn't look bad at all to me.
> ...


Glad you had a great first trip. But I don't think that 20 miles trips are the norm, and the trip was just as likely to go in the opposite direction. This is why savvy Uber drivers call first before heading out, see where's it going and whether or not they want to make the trip. The minimum take for a driver is less than $5, I think its less than $3 in most places, making driving for a short trip a non-profit situation.


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## Frasi1966 (Oct 17, 2016)

In fact I said that there are good and bad situations.
Even $3, I don't see how a trip can be non profit, considering that for that kibd of little money must be no longer then 1 mile, plus, let's say 5 miles of non paid driving.
Anyway, I may be wrong, will have a better understanding after a few weeks of driving, to me, if I can make an extra $200 a week I would be more than happy, since I have a full time hob, that would be NY "play" money.
Thanks for answering


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## Frasi1966 (Oct 17, 2016)

Shangsta said:


> I thought Uber was the greatest thing once too. It wont always be that easy to get a ride, neither will it always be that pleasant. Glad you had a good first trip though. The good outweighs the bad but after you get a few drives in the pings get a lot more infrequentm


Of course, I would be a fool thinking that every ride would be that good.. Plus, we would be rich


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## Frasi1966 (Oct 17, 2016)

Shangsta said:


> I thought Uber was the greatest thing once too. It wont always be that easy to get a ride, neither will it always be that pleasant. Glad you had a good first trip though. The good outweighs the bad but after you get a few drives in the pings get a lot more infrequentm


By the way, what is "ping"? And a"Lax" ? I apologize for NY ignorance, but just started.
Thanks


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## Spiralout06 (Sep 26, 2016)

I_Like_Spam said:


> Glad you had a great first trip. But I don't think that 20 miles trips are the norm, and the trip was just as likely to go in the opposite direction. This is why savvy Uber drivers call first before heading out, see where's it going and whether or not they want to make the trip. The minimum take for a driver is less than $5, I think its less than $3 in most places, making driving for a short trip a non-profit situation.


Question - What do you say? Is your trip longer than 3 miles? And if it's not, you hit cancel? I think I don't have enough rides under my belt to cancel that freely.


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## Delivery Mr.Guy (Aug 9, 2016)

Frasi1966 said:


> In fact I said that there are good and bad situations.
> Even $3, I don't see how a trip can be non profit, considering that for that kibd of little money must be no longer then 1 mile, plus, let's say 5 miles of non paid driving.
> Anyway, I may be wrong, will have a better understanding after a few weeks of driving, to me, if I can make an extra $200 a week I would be more than happy, since I have a full time hob, that would be NY "play" money.
> Thanks for answering


You will ger $200 or more a week, But the money is coming out from your car, not from Uber.
YOu have a car, you are selling each miles for $.69 cent from the car. 
You have some mileages to sell, Uber is the middle man and he say , ok, I will bring you the buyers, but you have to give me 25% commission from you.

let's be clear , you are taking money out of you car's value, Uber is the sale man and Uber is taking 25% of your money. If you don't understand the concepts, I suggest you to take a business class.


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## Frasi1966 (Oct 17, 2016)

I am graduate in business, my friend, in 2 countries..
The thing is that the cost per miles of your car is a case to case situation, those with newer cars are hit bigger, because of the depreciation of the car, while the ones that drive with older cars are at the bottom of the depreciation curve. 
Not to mention that, the$ .65 per mile includes car insurance and age depreciation, expenses that you will have regardless if you drive (for Uber) or not.
If you buy a new car, and its sitting in your driveway, insured, its costing you money and its depreciating anyway, less than if you drive it, but its happening anyway.
A new car lost 1/4 of its value at the moment that put the wheels out of the dealer building.


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## JimS (Aug 18, 2015)

"Ping" is the sound of money - that sound when your phone goes black, except a large enticing circle with a big blue countdown chaser, giving you 15 seconds and as little information as possible to make the decision on whether or not you want to accept that ride.

"Lax" is Los Angeles International Airport (or Amtrak's Los Angeles Union Station).

"Pax" is shorthand for passenger because its quicker to type, only one syllable to pronounce and is cooler than "rider".


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## JimS (Aug 18, 2015)

Delivery Mr.Guy said:


> Most drivers will disagree with me in the first 6 months of drive for Uber, when they start out they will said , oh it nice, you work anytimes you want, meet new people. than after 6 months they quit drive for Uber, Here is the realistic for you:
> You waste 3 miles to drive to pick up the rider, than you drop off the rider another 1 miles , the totally is 4 miles trip but Uber is paying you only 1 miles trip out of 4 miles.
> 
> example: You drive some one to the football game for 20 miles, than you drive back home another 20 miles , the totally trip is 40 miles but Uber is paying you only 20 miles.
> ...


You need to go to Tax school. Uber is the best thing in the world for mitigating taxes. If we go by the nominal assumption that you have 1 dead mile for every paid mile, let's look at the numbers:

I drive 100 miles. I earn $85. I pay Uber $17 (It's Deductible!™). I drive 200 miles total on my odometer. IRS lets me claim 54¢/mi. That means, I get in my bank $68, but I claim expenses of $125 (Uber's $17 + mileage deduction of $108). Use deduction on additional income that you are taxed on.


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## Frasi1966 (Oct 17, 2016)

JimS said:


> "Ping" is the sound of money - that sound when your phone goes black, except a large enticing circle with a big blue countdown chaser, giving you 15 seconds and as little information as possible to make the decision on whether or not you want to accept that ride.
> 
> "Lax" is Los Angeles International Airport (or Amtrak's Los Angeles Union Station).
> 
> "Pax" is shorthand for passenger because its quicker to type, only one syllable to pronounce and is cooler than "rider".


Thanks!
I hope today i get a few pings, with good pax, not going to Lax


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## I_Like_Spam (May 10, 2015)

Frasi1966 said:


> Not to mention that, the$ .65 per mile includes car insurance and age depreciation, expenses that you will have regardless if you drive (for Uber) or not.


If you are driving your private car commercially, as a ride-sharer, you should definitely be properly insured and that costs more than just a personal policy.

If , God forbid, you have an accident while ubering, your insurance company is likely to decline the claim. If you have a newer car, and are paying on a note, your finance company may call-in your loan immediately in they find you are ride sharing as the papers you signed were for a personal car loan and not a business loan. That's in their interest, as you are deflating the value of the collateral and making it more risky for them.

I'm sure that a lot of ride-sharers are flying by the seat of their pants and tempting fate, but this is a real risk and a real cost.


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## Frasi1966 (Oct 17, 2016)

I_Like_Spam said:


> If you are driving your private car commercially, as a ride-sharer, you should definitely be properly insured and that costs more than just a personal policy.
> 
> If , God forbid, you have an accident while ubering, your insurance company is likely to decline the claim. If you have a newer car, and are paying on a note, your finance company may call-in your loan immediately in they find you are ride sharing as the papers you signed were for a personal car loan and not a business loan. That's in their interest, as you are deflating the value of the collateral and making it more risky for them.
> 
> I'm sure that a lot of ride-sharers are flying by the seat of their pants and tempting fate, but this is a real risk and a real cost.


I believe that, while you have pax in the car, you are covered by Uber insurance, once the trip ends, you are just driving your car around as usual, don't see why your insurance shouldl have any problem, unless you go tell them that you were coming back from a ride with Uber, which, considering the degree of honesty and fairness of the insurance companies, second only to that of lawyers, I don't see why you should.


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## I_Like_Spam (May 10, 2015)

Frasi1966 said:


> unless you go tell them that you were coming back from a ride with Uber, which, considering the degree of honesty and fairness of the insurance companies, second only to that of lawyers, I don't see why you should.


Insurance companies aren't dummies, neither are finance companies. If your car has a lot more miles on it , and/or you have an accident far from your work or family or home, it can peak their interest.

Maybe they might not catch it and pay out without question. But insurance magnates like Warren Buffett and his snooty lizard pal with the English accent at GEICO didn't become uber wealthy by paying out their money when they don't have to.

Do what you want, tempt fate, here in Pennsylvania we hear PSA's on the radio denouncing the crime of "insurance fraud" 24/7 almost as often as we hear ads recruiting new Uber drivers.


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## Trotsky (Oct 20, 2016)

I_Like_Spam said:


> If you are driving your private car commercially, as a ride-sharer, you should definitely be properly insured and that costs more than just a personal policy.
> 
> If , God forbid, you have an accident while ubering, your insurance company is likely to decline the claim. If you have a newer car, and are paying on a note, your finance company may call-in your loan immediately in they find you are ride sharing as the papers you signed were for a personal car loan and not a business loan. That's in their interest, as you are deflating the value of the collateral and making it more risky for them.
> 
> I'm sure that a lot of ride-sharers are flying by the seat of their pants and tempting fate, but this is a real risk and a real cost.


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## Trotsky (Oct 20, 2016)

While applying on line I asked uber whether a personal car was commercially insured by them. They sent back an email to the affirmative. They even sent back the CT binder that substantiated the claim. Unless that meant they were protected and not the contract driver. 
Now confused.


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## Frasi1966 (Oct 17, 2016)

Here in Connecticut everything is close to you, they would never know why you are up there, beside, if you don't have any passenger in the car you are committing no froud, you insurance allows you to drive around wherever you want, i can go visit ny friend in main and still be covered, you are not at foult, unless you have passengers in the car, but as said you and them are covered by uber insurance


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## yojimboguy (Mar 2, 2016)

Trotsky said:


> While applying on line I asked uber whether a personal car was commercially insured by them. They sent back an email to the affirmative. They even sent back the CT binder that substantiated the claim. Unless that meant they were protected and not the contract driver.
> Now confused.


Uber told you a half-truth. When you're out driving for Uber, Uber will insure you under certain specific conditions. If your app is switched off, they do not cover you at all. If your app is switched on but you do not have a customer assigned (between rides), they do not cover you at all. If you've been assigned to a rider but don't yet have one in your car, you get some coverage. You get their maximum coverage only when there is a paying customer in your car being transported to their destination. The moment they step out of your car and you end the ride, the coverage does back to zero, until you get your next ping.

"Regular" auto insurance companies are all over the map as to whether or not they will cover Uber driving. I had State Farm, which told me that it was totally ok that I drive for Uber, so long as I understand that once I have the Uber app switched on that I'm working for Uber, and State Farm coverage wouldn't cover me at all. Later they offered an addition to the policy, so I would be covered at all times when Uber wasn't covering me. That only cost an extra $11/month. But they stuck in a provision that my Uber driving must remain less than 50% of my total driving, so that wouldn't work for me.

Ultimately I got a policy from Erie, which covers me in an and all cases whether I'm driving privately or commercially. It costs my about $400 a year over my previous State Farm policy.


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## I_Like_Spam (May 10, 2015)

Frasi1966 said:


> Here in Connecticut everything is close to you, they would never know why you are up there, e


The insurance company may not know at first, but they may ask you why you are up there.

Would you consider telling them a lie? That would be insurance fraud, as it would be a lie to prevent an increase in your premiums or persuade the insurance company to pay a claim which might not be covered.


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## HotRodriguez75 (Oct 16, 2015)

Welcome to Stage 1 (honeymoon) of Ubering Frasi1966!

Sounds like you have a good attitude and understanding of what you are getting into. There is much more to it, which at that point you will enter Stage 2.

My best advice is read this forum daily. Listen to all the disgruntled employees as when I entered stage 3, I realized that they were all speaking truth or somewhat truth's.

Stage 4 is when you are that disgruntled employee that works Uber so that you are profitable and work smarter and not harder.


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## Frasi1966 (Oct 17, 2016)

All in all I think Uber is a good part time job, instead of working at Kohls or mcdonald for $8 an hour before taxes, but not good enough to be a full time job


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## Frasi1966 (Oct 17, 2016)

HotRodriguez75 said:


> Welcome to Stage 1 (honeymoon) of Ubering Frasi1966!
> 
> Sounds like you have a good attitude and understanding of what you are getting into. There is much more to it, which at that point you will enter Stage 2.
> 
> ...


Thanks!
That was my goal when I entered this forum, to learn and discuss with more experienced drivers.
Thank you all.


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## Frasi1966 (Oct 17, 2016)

I_Like_Spam said:


> The insurance company may not know at first, but they may ask you why you are up there.
> 
> Would you consider telling them a lie? That would be insurance fraud, as it would be a lie to prevent an increase in your premiums or persuade the insurance company to pay a claim which might not be covered.


No would not be insurance fraud at all, I pay my premium to drive my car around, doesn't matter for, as long as I am ALONE in the car, what is the difference if I am going to pick up a friend of mine or a passenger, if I get into an accident?
I am not asking my insurance to pay for an accident that happened while I had client in the car, that would be a froud.
At least that's how I see it.


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## ABC123DEF (Jun 9, 2015)

Don't ever EVER quit your day job.


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## I_Like_Spam (May 10, 2015)

Frasi1966 said:


> No would not be insurance fraud at all, I pay my premium to drive my car around, doesn't matter for, as long as I am ALONE in the car, what is the difference if I am going to pick up a friend of mine or a passenger, if I get into an accident?
> I am not asking my insurance to pay for an accident that happened while I had client in the car, that would be a froud.
> At least that's how I see it.


That might not be the way an insurance claims adjuster might see it however. Going to pick up an Uber passenger is a commercial act, its needed in order to complete the task and receive the money.


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## d0n (Oct 16, 2016)

I have to ask, are you Gene Wilder per chance?


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## I_Like_Spam (May 10, 2015)

Frasi1966 said:


> At least that's how I see it.


Needless to say, I'm sure you will do what you want. But to be safe, you'd be better off speaking to your insurance agent about this BEFORE anything comes down. It isn't as you see it, but the actual policy you were issued by the insurance company and how they see it as far as what they will pay for.


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## Delivery Mr.Guy (Aug 9, 2016)

This is what my certify accountant has told me.

If you track mileage by taking your beginning and ending odometer reading before and after you drive, then multiple the miles by $.57 you have the IRS version of the cost to operate your car. Anything else, water, mints etc is deducted. Now drive: you might make $12/hour but after you deduct the expenses above you are at $4/hour (averaged over 500 trips) which is well below minimum wage. Uber has nothing invested - your car, your gas, your safety. You are on your own but the only saving caveat is that you also work when you want to. Support is a joke. I work for a software company. Surge is a joke - people just wait it out or take a cab. Uber wants to get the most service to customers by paying the least amount for it. All they get is constant driver turn over. The management needs to change and if they ever get IPO money it will in a blink.


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## Shangsta (Aug 15, 2016)

Frasi1966 said:


> I believe that, while you have pax in the car, you are covered by Uber insurance, once the trip ends, you are just driving your car around as usual, don't see why your insurance shouldl have any problem, unless you go tell them that you were coming back from a ride with Uber, which, considering the degree of honesty and fairness of the insurance companies, second only to that of lawyers, I don't see why you should.


There is always a catch, Ubers insurance has a pretty high deductible.


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## Shangsta (Aug 15, 2016)

Frasi1966 said:


> No would not be insurance fraud at all, I pay my premium to drive my car around, doesn't matter for, as long as I am ALONE in the car, what is the difference if I am going to pick up a friend of mine or a passenger, if I get into an accident?
> I am not asking my insurance to pay for an accident that happened while I had client in the car, that would be a froud.
> At least that's how I see it.


The insurance companies know we drive a lot of miles without passengers. Thats why they sell rideshare insurance.

If they find out you do rideshare (good chance they wont) they will probably cancel your policy.

You like many drivers choose not to get it. Just be aware of the risk.


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## I_Like_Spam (May 10, 2015)

Shangsta said:


> If they find out you do rideshare (good chance they wont) they will probably cancel your policy..


That's a maybe, they will however deny the claim made while ride sharing.

They will be more inclined to just out and out cancel you if you lie when you are asked.


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## Coachman (Sep 22, 2015)

Frasi1966 said:


> Uber is paying you the miles you drive the customer, what do you pretend, to be paid just to drive around in your car?
> Also, you are outing out the worst case scenario, with a riders 3 times away the length of the ride, what about if the rider is 2 miles away and the ride is 20 miles? What about if you drop the rider off, and get another ride going your way home?
> Also, even your scenario, you are getting paid for the 1 mile, plus the minimum fee and wathever, last say you get $5 for a total of 4 niles driving, that's still a lot of profit, since, assuming your car does 20 mpg, 4 miles is 1/5 of gallon, which cost you $.60, therefore you made $4.40 profit (from which you have to take off depreciation and wear).
> Doesn't look bad at all to me.
> ...


You've got some great examples there. You're going to find as you drive more that some hours you make big money and some hours you lose money. It's going to happen both ways. Over time, it seems that most drivers report average earnings, after expenses, in the range of $10.00 /hr. Maybe a little more. Maybe a little less. There are many reasons to drive for Uber. But high pay isn't one of them.


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## Frasi1966 (Oct 17, 2016)

Hi all, thought to write my experience for the second day of driving: 3 rides plus 1 canceled by rider, decent people, easy ride, 5, 8 and 17 miles, all between my full time job location and my home, just the last trip I couldn't find the rider for 10 minutes , due to GPS being inaccurate.
All in all a good experience and friendly people (one gave me a 5* rating )


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## Frasi1966 (Oct 17, 2016)

Delivery Mr.Guy said:


> This is what my certify accountant has told me.
> 
> If you track mileage by taking your beginning and ending odometer reading before and after you drive, then multiple the miles by $.57 you have the IRS version of the cost to operate your car. Anything else, water, mints etc is deducted. Now drive: you might make $12/hour but after you deduct the expenses above you are at $4/hour (averaged over 500 trips) which is well below minimum wage. Uber has nothing invested - your car, your gas, your safety. You are on your own but the only saving caveat is that you also work when you want to. Support is a joke. I work for a software company. Surge is a joke - people just wait it out or take a cab. Uber wants to get the most service to customers by paying the least amount for it. All they get is constant driver turn over. The management needs to change and if they ever get IPO money it will in a blink.


May I ask after how long, since you started, you quit driving for Uber?


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## MrA (Jul 7, 2016)

Frasi1966 said:


> $2000 for car repair in 4 month?
> What kind of car you have, and where and how much you drive,??
> $150 for gas in a week?? That's 70 gallons of gas, which is about 1400 miles, unrealistic (and if you do it, you are getting rich..)
> Those figures are out of this world, unless you drive 24/7 then you must take hone a lot of money.


 That is a very good analysis, and and very accurate. Its not unrealistic. It is inconvenient and uncomfortable. It is the only way to earn $2000+ in a pay period, as I have done myself. I am paying off a lot of debt not getting rich.


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## MrA (Jul 7, 2016)

Frasi1966 said:


> Hi everyone, can anyone tell me how long it takes to be approved and start driving, from the moment i subnitte the application?
> I received a text from Uber telling me that my DMV check has been cleared, and they are waiting for the. Background check to clear (I don't have anything on record)
> Thank you!


I got non stop texts from Uber after I signed up to finish the process.


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## Frasi1966 (Oct 17, 2016)

MrA said:


> That is a very good analysis, and and very accurate. Its not unrealistic. It is inconvenient and uncomfortable. It is the only way to earn $2000+ in a pay period, as I have done myself. I am paying off a lot of debt not getting rich.


What you mean "$2000 in a pay period"?
Don't we get paid every week?
If that's the case, I think that's pretty good money... At least for my standard... , but, again, I assume you do it full time, I see uber more as a part-time job,


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## MrA (Jul 7, 2016)

Frasi1966 said:


> What you mean "$2000 in a pay period"?
> Don't we get paid every week?
> If that's the case, I think that's pretty good money... At least for my standard... , but, again, I assume you do it full time, I see uber more as a part-time job,


 you get paid for weeks you drive, 4 am Monday through 4am next Monday, thats the pay period, week, whatever you want to call it. I had a week to do it, thats what I did in San Francisco, which is 110 miles from my home. Drive, drive and drive. Take a nap a few hours in the drivers seat, eat my oatmeal and jerky, and drive some more. Oh, and stopping at Safeway for baby wipes, baby powder, and febreze, because I was starting to stink, lol.


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## the rebel (Jun 12, 2016)

Delivery Mr.Guy said:


> This is what my certify accountant has told me.
> 
> If you track mileage by taking your beginning and ending odometer reading before and after you drive, then multiple the miles by $.57 you have the IRS version of the cost to operate your car. Anything else, water, mints etc is deducted. Now drive: you might make $12/hour but after you deduct the expenses above you are at $4/hour (averaged over 500 trips) which is well below minimum wage. Uber has nothing invested - your car, your gas, your safety. You are on your own but the only saving caveat is that you also work when you want to. Support is a joke. I work for a software company. Surge is a joke - people just wait it out or take a cab. Uber wants to get the most service to customers by paying the least amount for it. All they get is constant driver turn over. The management needs to change and if they ever get IPO money it will in a blink.


The $.57 a mile is a lazy way of calculating costs, as that is what they consider the average cost of operating a vehicle, and is heavily influenced by the costs of operating large SUVs and pickups where gas mileage is close to 10 mpg, and that number is also considering cost of repairs to cars like Mercedes, jaguars, and other luxury cars with huge repair bills. The much more realistic number is the triple AAA cost of ownership which is $.38 a mile for a small sedan driving over 20,000 miles a year. The nice thing is that the IRS allows you to use the mileage deduction which will easily save you tax money and put cash in your pocket, and if you are half way smart you will be driving a small sedan and should have $.19 in profit above what you have to pay taxes on.


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## MrA (Jul 7, 2016)

JimS said:


> You need to go to Tax school. Uber is the best thing in the world for mitigating taxes. If we go by the nominal assumption that you have 1 dead mile for every paid mile, let's look at the numbers:
> 
> I drive 100 miles. I earn $85. I pay Uber $17 (It's Deductible!™). I drive 200 miles total on my odometer. IRS lets me claim 54¢/mi. That means, I get in my bank $68, but I claim expenses of $125 (Uber's $17 + mileage deduction of $108). Use deduction on additional income that you are taxed on.


 $100 dollar fare, you get $75. Uber sends IRS 1099-K saying they paid you $100 fare, SafeRider fee, airport fees, and other fees. Say it adds up to $120. sure the $35 is deductible, but you never earned it, it was never paid to you. fees are paid to uber and the airports and you are taxed on that $35 in addition to your take of $75 if not keeping track


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## Frasi1966 (Oct 17, 2016)

Some people seem to forget that you have expenses when you work a "regular" job as well, let's do an example:
Let's say that I make $15 per hour (took what I think is an average hourly pay), times 8 (a regular work day), its $120, I have to pay 20% taxes, wich brings my "net" to $96, I have to travel 32 miles round trip, which, according to their (people on here) depreciation rate of $.65 per mile, is $20.80 (because the car depreciate regardless who do you work for, when you drive it..), that brings me to $75.20, from that I have to take off the gas, at 20mpg, I need 1.6 gallons of gas, at $2.30 per gallon, its $3.68, which brings me to $68.52 net, per 8 hours of work, which comes to be $8.56 per hour.
As you can see not much far from minimum wage.(BTW don't forget minimum wage workers have to pay taxes, gas and car depreciation as well!)
Not to mention that you are mostly locked in, since you can't work more hours and take home more, as you can do with Uber.


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## Anjan Malapaka (Oct 21, 2016)

Frasi1966 said:


> Uber is paying you the miles you drive the customer, what do you pretend, to be paid just to drive around in your car?
> Also, you are outing out the worst case scenario, with a riders 3 times away the length of the ride, what about if the rider is 2 miles away and the ride is 20 miles? What about if you drop the rider off, and get another ride going your way home?
> Also, even your scenario, you are getting paid for the 1 mile, plus the minimum fee and wathever, last say you get $5 for a total of 4 niles driving, that's still a lot of profit, since, assuming your car does 20 mpg, 4 miles is 1/5 of gallon, which cost you $.60, therefore you made $4.40 profit (from which you have to take off depreciation and wear).
> Doesn't look bad at all to me.
> ...


I drove 88.83 miles spent 9.13 hours on line got paid $67.89 minus $12.84 for gas net $55.05 so hourly i made $6.11 per hour .Payment per mile 0.76 is this worth it minimum wage if i worked in some place 8.00 per hour minus wear and tear for vehicle. I left home at 7.30 am returned home at 7.30.


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## Frasi1966 (Oct 17, 2016)

Anjan Malapaka said:


> I drove 88.83 miles spent 9.13 hours on line got paid $67.89 minus $12.84 for gas net $55.05 so hourly i made $6.11 per hour .Payment per mile 0.76 is this worth it minimum wage if i worked in some place 8.00 per hour minus wear and tear for vehicle. I left home at 7.30 am returned home at 7.30.


Not sure where are you driving, but 88 miles in more than 9 hours is really, really low, in 2 days I drove 60 miles (with pax in the car) in 3 hours on line!
Also, if you work in a place at minimum wage of $8, you still have to take taxes off of that, you have to put gas in the car to get to work, you have to hve insurance,byour car depreciates anyway, so, its not $8 per hour net, cause you have to take all those expenses off.
Anyway, when did you quit Uber?


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## JimS (Aug 18, 2015)

Frasi1966 said:


> Some people seem to forget that you have expenses when you work a "regular" job as well, let's do an example:
> Let's say that I make $15 per hour (took what I think is an average hourly pay), times 8 (a regular work day), its $120, I have to pay 20% taxes, wich brings my "net" to $96, I have to travel 32 miles round trip, which, according to their (people on here) depreciation rate of $.65 per mile, is $20.80 (because the car depreciate regardless who do you work for, when you drive it..), that brings me to $75.20, from that I have to take off the gas, at 20mpg, I need 1.6 gallons of gas, at $2.30 per gallon, its $3.68, which brings me to $68.52 net, per 8 hours of work, which comes to be $8.56 per hour.
> As you can see not much far from minimum wage.(BTW don't forget minimum wage workers have to pay taxes, gas and car depreciation as well!)
> Not to mention that you are mostly locked in, since you can't work more hours and take home more, as you can do with Uber.


Don't muddy the waters here with facts and logic.


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## hulksmash (Apr 26, 2016)

Frasi1966 said:


> Some people seem to forget that you have expenses when you work a "regular" job as well, let's do an example:
> Let's say that I make $15 per hour (took what I think is an average hourly pay), times 8 (a regular work day), its $120, I have to pay 20% taxes, wich brings my "net" to $96, I have to travel 32 miles round trip, which, according to their (people on here) depreciation rate of $.65 per mile, is $20.80 (because the car depreciate regardless who do you work for, when you drive it..), that brings me to $75.20, from that I have to take off the gas, at 20mpg, I need 1.6 gallons of gas, at $2.30 per gallon, its $3.68, which brings me to $68.52 net, per 8 hours of work, which comes to be $8.56 per hour.
> As you can see not much far from minimum wage.(BTW don't forget minimum wage workers have to pay taxes, gas and car depreciation as well!)
> Not to mention that you are mostly locked in, since you can't work more hours and take home more, as you can do with Uber.


The difference with a wage job is you aren't using your car as an asset to produce the income, only to get to and from your work place, which isn't as much mileage as ridesharing. So you aren't wearing down your car while you're earning. You also don't have to pay self employment tax in addition to income tax.

I think it's only worthwhile as a supplement to a full time or other part time job, and even then only when it's profitable (during surge, on the way to a desired direction, to meet incentives).


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## Frasi1966 (Oct 17, 2016)

JimS said:


> Don't muddy the waters here with facts and logic.


 ok


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## hulksmash (Apr 26, 2016)

MrA said:


> $100 dollar fare, you get $75. Uber sends IRS 1099-K saying they paid you $100 fare, SafeRider fee, airport fees, and other fees. Say it adds up to $120. sure the $35 is deductible, but you never earned it, it was never paid to you. fees are paid to uber and the airports and you are taxed on that $35 in addition to your take of $75 if not keeping track


The 1099 they sent last year included gross receipts and commissions, SRF, etc, in order to easily deduct. And no, you are not taxed on them, only on your net earnings after all deductions. Since the SRF, airport fees are not included in the trip histories anymore, I think the 1099s this year will include only fares we earn and the 20-28% fees


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## hulksmash (Apr 26, 2016)

Frasi1966 said:


> No would not be insurance fraud at all, I pay my premium to drive my car around, doesn't matter for, as long as I am ALONE in the car, what is the difference if I am going to pick up a friend of mine or a passenger, if I get into an accident?
> I am not asking my insurance to pay for an accident that happened while I had client in the car, that would be a froud.
> At least that's how I see it.


You need a ride share endorsement on your policy, which is only a few dollars more for each policy period. You mainly need it for when you're in period 1 (online waiting for a ping). It will also help if you were offline, but believed to be working (driving offline to a surge area after dropping off). It will also cover gaps in coverage not covered by Uber in periods 2 and 3


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## Frasi1966 (Oct 17, 2016)

hulksmash said:


> The difference with a wage job is you aren't using your car as an asset to produce the income, only to get to and from your work place, which isn't as much mileage as ridesharing. So you aren't wearing down your car while you're earning. You also don't have to pay self employment tax in addition to income tax.
> 
> I think it's only worthwhile as a supplement to a full time or other part time job, and even then only when it's profitable (during surge, on the way to a desired direction, to meet incentives).


No, wait a minute, if you calculate the cost of car at .65 per mile, that is for any kind of job you do, its not that goes down with an hourly job..(actually, if we really want to say it, your rate of cost goes down if you drive more, because fixed expenses, like car insurance, gets spreaded over more miles, not to mention you can deduct milage from your tax return) some people travel 70 miles round trip to go to work.
Also, taxes are taxes, you have to pay them, you pay them at the font when you hold an hourly payd job, and you pay them at time of tax return when you are self imployed, but you still pay them in both case.


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## Frasi1966 (Oct 17, 2016)

hulksmash said:


> You need a ride share endorsement on your policy, which is only a few dollars more for each policy period. You mainly need it for when you're in period 1 (online waiting for a ping). It will also help if you were offline, but believed to be working (driving offline to a surge area after dropping off). It will also cover gaps in coverage not covered by Uber in periods 2 and 3


Thanks! I will check into that


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## shiftydrake (Dec 12, 2015)

Ya know for someone that is actually NOT doing Uber at all you sure are arguing alo T of things that the actual drivers know first hand knowledge of.....give it a shot if you feel it works for you good but if it don't then you will know what others have said but don't knock it if you haven't done it yet......good luck but please stop trying to win if you haven't done it yet......these guys know...you don't.....so Uber. On I guess I'm supposed to say......*shrugs*......and no I'm not an Uber driver but have been in fare for hire over 12 years so yeah I DO know


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## Frasi1966 (Oct 17, 2016)

Classic answer of someone who can't ' hold a discussion , supporting his point of view with data and facts.
Nobody is trying to win here, we are just discussing, but i realize that may be too hard to understand for someone with your frame of mind.
Do me (and yourself) a favor, be quiet, and limited yourself to reading, maybe you will learn something, then, and only then, maybe, you will be able to include yourself in discussion


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## shiftydrake (Dec 12, 2015)

Oh good Lord I just love the ramblings of a keyboard bad azz so now let me sit on the edge of my seat and wait for your next response telling me to do something.......come on I'm on pins and needles.....open your mouth and let all of your ignorance flow........


Considering you have absolutely no idea of what it is like to transport for pay is all about


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## CindiC (Oct 19, 2016)

So exactly what can u claim on taxes?


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## Frasi1966 (Oct 17, 2016)

Better be a bad azz like me then a stupid azz like you.
You still continue with post that bear the IQ of the dirt, and absolute desert expression of facts, examples or even just opinions.
You have the mind and knowledge of a primitive man.


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## shiftydrake (Dec 12, 2015)

Again? Trying to act tough again you are not impressing me so have fun and I actually do know what I am talking about so no I'm not really a dumb ass I been in transportation for pay business for 12 years......you havent even started so keep running your mouth about something you have no idea about......go ahead I'm laughing at everything you type


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## shiftydrake (Dec 12, 2015)

CindiC said:


> So exactly what can u claim on taxes?


Taxes are easy.......$.54 a mile is best than actual expenses you will get more of deduction......clothing...car washed....part of your home.......anything that affects your bottom lime


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## Fishchris (Aug 31, 2016)

Frasi1966 said:


> Some people seem to forget that you have expenses when you work a "regular" job as well, let's do an example:
> Let's say that I make $15 per hour (took what I think is an average hourly pay), times 8 (a regular work day), its $120, I have to pay 20% taxes, wich brings my "net" to $96, I have to travel 32 miles round trip, which, according to their (people on here) depreciation rate of $.65 per mile, is $20.80 (because the car depreciate regardless who do you work for, when you drive it..), that brings me to $75.20, from that I have to take off the gas, at 20mpg, I need 1.6 gallons of gas, at $2.30 per gallon, its $3.68, which brings me to $68.52 net, per 8 hours of work, which comes to be $8.56 per hour.
> As you can see not much far from minimum wage.(BTW don't forget minimum wage workers have to pay taxes, gas and car depreciation as well!)
> Not to mention that you are mostly locked in, since you can't work more hours and take home more, as you can do with Uber.


Very true. For myself, its been so many years since I had a "regular job" I forget what that was like ?  LOL I delivered pizzas for as many years as some of these guys here have been alive ! Wear and tear on the vehicle, gas, cell phone, etc, have all been a normal part of my life, for "decades" !

All this said, I made a lot more $ hourly, delivering pizzas.... but along with that, I worked on somebodies else's schedule, and did lots of $#!+ labor... emptying trash cans, cleaning the bathroom, dragging cases of sauce, 50 lb bags of flour, etc around.... This is certainly an easier job than pizza delivery, but again, not near as much money.


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## Frasi1966 (Oct 17, 2016)

Of course, you surely are not going to get rich driving for Uber, and I don't think anyone is stating that, but for part time its not bad (and I worked many part time jobs), it has pro and cons, like any other jobs, but I also don't think its so terrible as some say, but again, I am new at it, and will have a better view once I will have a few weeks of driving under my belt, for now, the first 2 days have been a pleasant experience, but I might have been just lucky..
Peace.


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## OC Lady Uber Driver (Jun 26, 2016)

Frasi1966 said:


> $2000 for car repair in 4 month?
> What kind of car you have, and where and how much you drive,??
> $150 for gas in a week?? That's 70 gallons of gas, which is about 1400 miles, unrealistic (and if you do it, you are getting rich..)
> Those figures are out of this world, unless you drive 24/7 then you must take hone a lot of money.


That's actually some good sage advice from Delivery Mr.Guy. $2K is set aside for repairs, not necessarily spent. And depending on how many miles you drive and what gas mileage your car gets, the gas figure is very realistic. I spend $20-40 on gas daily.


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## SoiCowboy (Sep 17, 2016)

Frasi1966 said:


> Hi everyone, can anyone tell me how long it takes to be approved and start driving, from the moment i subnitte the application?
> I received a text from Uber telling me that my DMV check has been cleared, and they are waiting for the. Background check to clear (I don't have anything on record)
> Thank you!


My acceptance took less than 12 hours after uploading required docs.

Lyft took nine days.


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## SoiCowboy (Sep 17, 2016)

Delivery Mr.Guy said:


> Most drivers will disagree with me in the first 6 months of drive for Uber, when they start out they will said , oh it nice, you work anytimes you want, meet new people. than after 6 months they quit drive for Uber, Here is the realistic for you:
> You waste 3 miles to drive to pick up the rider, than you drop off the rider another 1 miles , the totally is 4 miles trip but Uber is paying you only 1 miles trip out of 4 miles.
> 
> example: You drive some one to the football game for 20 miles, than you drive back home another 20 miles , the totally trip is 40 miles but Uber is paying you only 20 miles.
> ...


If you are driving back home after your 20-mile trip, you're doing it wrong.


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## Delivery Mr.Guy (Aug 9, 2016)

SoiCowboy said:


> If you are driving back home after your 20-mile trip, you're doing it wrong.


Not always back home without rider but it depends on the location onemail in a while.


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## CindiC (Oct 19, 2016)

Thru uber only took me couple days


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## Gary Jones (Oct 24, 2016)

Frasi1966 said:


> $2000 for car repair in 4 month?
> What kind of car you have, and where and how much you drive,??
> $150 for gas in a week?? That's 70 gallons of gas, which is about 1400 miles, unrealistic (and if you do it, you are getting rich..)
> Those figures are out of this world, unless you drive 24/7 then you must take hone a lot of money.


I'm working 7 days a week 12 hours a day. I put on about 300 miles a day @ 30+mpg ($2.40 per gallon). I rented a car from Hertz so I have no maintenance issues just gas. No his numbers aren't out of line. I bring home about $1,00 a week. I normally do about 120 + or - rides a week.


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## Shangsta (Aug 15, 2016)

Gary Jones said:


> I'm working 7 days a week 12 hours a day. I put on about 300 miles a day @ 30+mpg ($2.40 per gallon). I rented a car from Hertz so I have no maintenance issues just gas. No his numbers aren't out of line. I bring home about $1,00 a week. I normally do about 120 + or - rides a week.


84 hours a week? When do you sleep?


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