# Where am I going wrong?



## Roger in Canton (Feb 25, 2016)

I'm recently retired and thought this would be a good way to make some extra money and meet people. I have been driving for just over a week (part time) and have $341 in fares, which I get $217. Part way through last week Uber upped it's take to 25%, so I assume my take will decrease. So far I've gotten about 63% of the fare. Also on my best day I drove about 3 times the mileage of my fares. I have heard others say about double the mileage, but I live about 10 miles from the nearest Uber area and the majority of my pings are 10-15 minutes away. I just crunched some numbers and figured my take was about $.24 per mile. Now I know I can probably get that up to about $.36 if I get my total mileage down to double.

Here is the bottom line for me.... to replace my vehicle with the same quality when it's time cost me about $.13 per mile. Fuel/oil changes is about $.10 per mile at current prices. 

I am making a whopping $.01 per mile (not counting tires and brakes)! But I am meeting some interesting people!

So the $.77 per mile charge just isn't going to cut it. Either I have to get to some surge areas, or I'll just be Ubering while running errands!

UBER, do you take any of this into consideration when setting prices? I assume not. I know you price at whatever the lowest your drivers will take, but at some point your drivers will wise up and you will run out of NEW drivers like me! This is almost like a pyramid scheme.

Can someone please tell me where I am wrong here?


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## DatShoGuy (Jan 25, 2016)

Your math is solid. The only thing you got wrong is that you shouldn't be driving to meet interesting people. Bars are better for that - and cheaper than driving. And you can take an Uber home from the bar after you've met a lot of interesting people - just don't forget to tip your driver.


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## Roger in Canton (Feb 25, 2016)

I guess I forgot to mention I wanted to meet interesting and sober people!


DatShoGuy said:


> Your math is solid. The only thing you got wrong is that you shouldn't be driving to meet interesting people. Bars are better for that - and cheaper than driving. And you can take an Uber home from the bar after you've met a lot of interesting people - just don't forget to tip your driver.


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## DatShoGuy (Jan 25, 2016)

Roger in Canton said:


> I guess I forgot to mention I wanted to meet interesting and sober people!


Same advice - just replace bar with church.


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## GILD (Feb 8, 2016)

Roger, you may be losing -10 cents a mile if you do figure in brakes and tires. 
uber is a losing money gig for drivers. It takes drivers about 2 weeks to figure it out.
Then they quit. This is why UBER pushes so hard for all drivers to get them more drivers. $150 
uber turns over 50% of its drivers in 3 months, eventually the pool will run dry. I tell everyone that asks, uber pays $4 hour and No tips are included in their fare. 
Great math Roger.


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## tradedate (Nov 30, 2015)

You've answered your own question here. When you factor in wear and tear, and the up front costs (gas, insurance, car payments, repairs, etc.) the profitability really is questionable. 

If every driver keeps accepting this, nothing will change.


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## 5 Star Guy (Nov 7, 2015)

If this wasn't bad enough, you're also screwed in an accident unless you have TNC Gap insurance.


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## Aimless (Jan 22, 2016)

I agree with all of the above comments. You're running at a net operating loss as are the many others. 

You can have a positive cash flow for a time and that is what keeps some drivers going. But when the replacement costs do catch up... Ouch.

It will come out to be a decent tax deduction though ... so there's that.


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## backstreets-trans (Aug 16, 2015)

Roger in Canton said:


> I'm recently retired and thought this would be a good way to make some extra money and meet people. I have been driving for just over a week (part time) and have $341 in fares, which I get $217. Part way through last week Uber upped it's take to 25%, so I assume my take will decrease. So far I've gotten about 63% of the fare. Also on my best day I drove about 3 times the mileage of my fares. I have heard others say about double the mileage, but I live about 10 miles from the nearest Uber area and the majority of my pings are 10-15 minutes away. I just crunched some numbers and figured my take was about $.24 per mile. Now I know I can probably get that up to about $.36 if I get my total mileage down to double.
> 
> Here is the bottom line for me.... to replace my vehicle with the same quality when it's time cost me about $.13 per mile. Fuel/oil changes is about $.10 per mile at current prices.
> 
> ...


No that's the general theory of all veteran drivers. At least you figured it out quickly. Now stop driving and never take an uber ride unless it's free. The sooner we expose them and put them out of business the better. If their business model succeeds all the good high paying jobs in this country will disappear.


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## CIncinnatiDriver (Dec 17, 2015)

Roger in Canton said:


> I'm recently retired and thought this would be a good way to make some extra money and meet people. I have been driving for just over a week (part time) and have $341 in fares, which I get $217. Part way through last week Uber upped it's take to 25%, so I assume my take will decrease. So far I've gotten about 63% of the fare. Also on my best day I drove about 3 times the mileage of my fares. I have heard others say about double the mileage, but I live about 10 miles from the nearest Uber area and the majority of my pings are 10-15 minutes away. I just crunched some numbers and figured my take was about $.24 per mile. Now I know I can probably get that up to about $.36 if I get my total mileage down to double.
> 
> Here is the bottom line for me.... to replace my vehicle with the same quality when it's time cost me about $.13 per mile. Fuel/oil changes is about $.10 per mile at current prices.
> 
> ...


This thread should be a sticky
- It is 100% correct
- NO one has refuted it - i.e. it is supported by other witnesses.

Exceept two things you left out:

1. Your expenses are higher than that - at least 30 cents mile (older car), mor likely 40-50 cents (there are threads on this).
Or brand new SUV: $1/mile *higher depreciation)

2. You can make much more money by drivng only surge (think: friday nights/drunk run), ball games. etc.

You don't want to meet drunks? ok...yeah: quit. 'true ride sharing doesn't work. too much hassle getting pings for stuff that's not truly on your way or goes out of your way.

Sorry man. Travis oversold this thing with their BS marketing. It just isn't so.


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## JuanIguana (Nov 24, 2015)

Roger in Canton said:


> I'm recently retired and thought this would be a good way to make some extra money and meet people. I have been driving for just over a week (part time) and have $341 in fares, which I get $217. Part way through last week Uber upped it's take to 25%, so I assume my take will decrease. So far I've gotten about 63% of the fare. Also on my best day I drove about 3 times the mileage of my fares. I have heard others say about double the mileage, but I live about 10 miles from the nearest Uber area and the majority of my pings are 10-15 minutes away. I just crunched some numbers and figured my take was about $.24 per mile. Now I know I can probably get that up to about $.36 if I get my total mileage down to double.
> 
> Here is the bottom line for me.... to replace my vehicle with the same quality when it's time cost me about $.13 per mile. Fuel/oil changes is about $.10 per mile at current prices.
> 
> ...


You are not wrong. You have been played. You are not alone in that regard. You might do better at tax time by donating your car to the needy. There are countless better ways to meet people...and possibly an upgraded class of people. Church, IKEA meatball line, public transportation (bus / train), free concerts in the park, volunteer at a hosital...just to name a few. I'm not trying to be funny here as some might think. Driving your ass ett into the ground to benefit some billion dollar tech (gag, cough, choke) company seems crazy at this point, doesn't it? Now go visit your grandchildren while they are still young and you still have tread.


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## Fuzzyelvis (Dec 7, 2014)

Roger in Canton said:


> I'm recently retired and thought this would be a good way to make some extra money and meet people. I have been driving for just over a week (part time) and have $341 in fares, which I get $217. Part way through last week Uber upped it's take to 25%, so I assume my take will decrease. So far I've gotten about 63% of the fare. Also on my best day I drove about 3 times the mileage of my fares. I have heard others say about double the mileage, but I live about 10 miles from the nearest Uber area and the majority of my pings are 10-15 minutes away. I just crunched some numbers and figured my take was about $.24 per mile. Now I know I can probably get that up to about $.36 if I get my total mileage down to double.
> 
> Here is the bottom line for me.... to replace my vehicle with the same quality when it's time cost me about $.13 per mile. Fuel/oil changes is about $.10 per mile at current prices.
> 
> ...


You're not. There are only 2 ways to make money at those rates. Only drive surge or game the guarantees by taking the minimum number of short trips you can and sitting on your ass as much as possible.

Either tactic may or may not be possible in your market. Where you live is also a factor (if it surges there you can sit at home and only work surges. If there's no business you can sit at home after getting enough trips in and not get pinged.)

IF it can be done it requires finesse and experience in order to be financially successful AND not get deactivated.

Having said that, if you try to make it work, you need to stop driving around looking for business, which you clearly are doing. That or taking far away trips, or both. No matter what that hurts you.


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## RansomT (Sep 21, 2015)

I'm likewise retired, started the rideshare thing back in September with Uber. In January, I added Lyft to the mix. I drive primarily morning rush 3-4 days a week for a total of 20-22 hours. Will do evening events/games on occasion. I also live 15 miles away from any area that will yield major pings, so at least 30 miles a day that I work is dead miles.

I've figured, since I do 75% of my own maintenance and drive a used purchased 2012 MKZ Hybrid, the actual vehicle cost is 0.275 plus gas.

Last week my fare gross was $302. My "bring home pay" was $241. I drove 320 miles: so, $88 goes toward vehicle maintenance and replacement, $15 gas, $12 car wash; grand total in pocket $126. I worked 20 hours, so my hourly rate is $6.30 before taxes.


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## secretadmirer (Jul 19, 2015)

Quit!!


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## 5 Star Guy (Nov 7, 2015)

RansomT said:


> I'm likewise retired, started the rideshare thing back in September with Uber. In January, I added Lyft to the mix. I drive primarily morning rush 3-4 days a week for a total of 20-22 hours. Will do evening events/games on occasion. I also live 15 miles away from any area that will yield major pings, so at least 30 miles a day that I work is dead miles.
> 
> I've figured, since I do 75% of my own maintenance and drive a used purchased 2012 MKZ Hybrid, the actual vehicle cost is 0.275 plus gas.
> 
> Last week my fare gross was $302. My "bring home pay" was $241. I drove 320 miles: so, $88 goes toward vehicle maintenance and replacement, $15 gas, $12 car wash; grand total in pocket $126. I worked 20 hours, so my hourly rate is $6.30 before taxes.


Horrible. All I think about is the cash tied up to buy the car. That and your next car and what happens when you're not covered in an accident since I don't believe you have TNC Gap coverage.


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## Realityshark (Sep 22, 2014)

Straight up. Uber was a great way to make extra cash in your spare time......Two years ago.

Uber has cut rates more times than I can remember.

Rates below $1 per mile make it next to impossible to make any decent money. You end up wasting your time and destroying your car. Mileage and pissed away time is your enemy, especially being retired. Life is short. Do you really want to give it away for 75cents per mile?

Figure out your miles driven in one month. Multiply by 12. Do you want that many miles on your car at the end of one year? Are you making enough to replace it after you destroy it for Uber, or do you just want to use your car as a short term ATM machine?

Are you paying for rideshare insurance? Don't think for a minute that you are covered by Uber alone. Fact is, you are committing insurance fraud if you haven't let your insurance company know you are playing *********. Call them if you don't believe me. Don't believe Uber. It would be a sad day after working hard all your life, to lose everything due to an accident you are not covered for. This is real life stuff!

For me, Uber became a losing proposition about a year ago. I take one ride per month to stay active. As soon as my insurance renews, I'm done for good.

My market pays a bit better than yours, but not near enough. Proper insurance, high mileage and low pay made me stop. Especially the insurance issue. I have a life and much to lose.

Uber has become a job for bottom feeders and desperate people. You sound better than that.

Good Luck.


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## cannonball7 (Feb 18, 2016)

"Where am I going wrong?"

All the Uber money is going to China.
Chinese officials are getting the gravy baby.

*You aren't going wrong, but your money is going to Wong.*


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## I_Like_Spam (May 10, 2015)

In order to make just $100 a day at 90 cents a mile, you'd have to be putting at least 200 miles on your car each day. If you're doing it full time, that's 1000 miles a week or 50,000 a year. I don't know how well Priuses and other favorites stand up to that kind of use, but your cab companies traditionally chose heavier, sturdier vehicles like Checkers, Caprices and Crown Vics for a reason. When I was driving a cab, all of the "new" cabs were retired police cruisers bought at auction with 150,000 miles on the odometer and installed with meters and given a new coat of yellow paint.


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## Hunt to Eat (Nov 19, 2015)

Your math is pretty solid. You're not making money with Uber. Sure, you're having fun meeting people and tearing up your car, but this is not a good path for a retiree. You can't afford this.


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## Hunt to Eat (Nov 19, 2015)

I_Like_Spam said:


> In order to make just $100 a day at 90 cents a mile, you'd have to be putting at least 200 miles on your car each day. If you're doing it full time, that's 1000 miles a week or 50,000 a year. I don't know how well Priuses and other favorites stand up to that kind of use, but your cab companies traditionally chose heavier, sturdier vehicles like Checkers, Caprices and Crown Vics for a reason. When I was driving a cab, all of the "new" cabs were retired police cruisers bought at auction with 150,000 miles on the odometer and installed with meters and given a new coat of yellow paint.


Checker went defunct in 2010.


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## CIncinnatiDriver (Dec 17, 2015)

Make this a sticky !!!


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## uberguuber (Feb 23, 2015)

You are not wrong you're right ! Just most drivers don't see it. Uber is the equivalent of using your car as a payday loan.


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## CIncinnatiDriver (Dec 17, 2015)

uberguuber said:


> You are not wrong you're right ! Just most drivers don't see it. Uber is the equivalent of using your car as a payday loan.


New drivers DON'T seem to know about depreciation / future repairs / 57 cents mile (or .30-$1.06, depending on the car)
NOR about deadhead mile issue / $3-6 an hour for UberX non-surge (my clear-minded estimate).
Which explains I've heard MOST drivers quit in 1st or 3rd month

Must be after they figure this out (1st month)
or after trying real hard to improve their game (3rd month).

I don't get what happens in 2nd month. why the dip in quitting.
That's really a puzzler.

but yeah, supposedly the burn rate on drivers is high, because uber promises big and reality hits later.


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## I_Like_Spam (May 10, 2015)

CIncinnatiDriver said:


> New drivers DON'T seem to know about depreciation / future repairs / 57 cents mile (or .30-$1.06, depending on the car)
> NOR about deadhead mile issue / $3-6 an hour for UberX non-surge (my clear-minded estimate).


When I was driving a cab, fully half of the miles I put on the taxi were deadhead miles. A typical , very successful, shift might be 75 paid miles and 160 total miles. Putting that kind of mileage on a late model car, the kind that Uber requires people to drive, is very costly


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## Roger in Canton (Feb 25, 2016)

IF you trust our Federal Government, then it cost $.54 per mile to maintain the average vehicle. Actually, knowing the Government, this is probably on the low end. So with that in mind, you need a rate of $1.08/mile (assuming half the mileage is deadhead ). This is just to break even (your time is free )! So in my area, I need less than 5 minute response time, or 1.5 surge or greater.

So I think I'll do the 1/month thing, just to stay active in hopes they wake-up! I'm not even sure that airport runs are worth it. Especially if I have to deadhead back. 

Oh, BTW, I'm checking into Lyft now.


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## Roger in Canton (Feb 25, 2016)

Roger in Canton said:


> IF you trust our Federal Government, then it cost $.54 per mile to maintain the average vehicle. Actually, knowing the Government, this is probably on the low end. So with that in mind, you need a rate of $1.08/mile (assuming half the mileage is deadhead ). This is just to break even (your time is free )! So in my area, I need less than 5 minute response time, or 1.5 surge or greater.
> 
> So I think I'll do the 1/month thing, just to stay active in hopes they wake-up! I'm not even sure that airport runs are worth it. Especially if I have to deadhead back.
> 
> Oh, BTW, I'm checking into Lyft now.


CRAP! I forgot about their 25%, make that $1.44/mile and 2.0 surge! My bad.....


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## ElChavo8 (Feb 19, 2016)

Roger in Canton said:


> I'm recently retired and thought this would be a good way to make some extra money and meet people. I have been driving for just over a week (part time) and have $341 in fares, which I get $217. Part way through last week Uber upped it's take to 25%, so I assume my take will decrease. So far I've gotten about 63% of the fare. Also on my best day I drove about 3 times the mileage of my fares. I have heard others say about double the mileage, but I live about 10 miles from the nearest Uber area and the majority of my pings are 10-15 minutes away. I just crunched some numbers and figured my take was about $.24 per mile. Now I know I can probably get that up to about $.36 if I get my total mileage down to double.
> 
> Here is the bottom line for me.... to replace my vehicle with the same quality when it's time cost me about $.13 per mile. Fuel/oil changes is about $.10 per mile at current prices.
> 
> ...


Use the passenger app to determine if other drivers are near you, if so, spread out so that you are at least 2-3 miles from every other driver. Uber is saturated with drivers; most of them don't know how to properly play. Instead of going to the popular places in town, either wait in the suburbs or your home (assuming that your home is desolate, and no other uber drivers are around).

Drive to friendly remote locations and either wait it out or keep yourself occupied while the app is running. The worst thing to do Is to chase the fares. By chasing the fares you are doing exactly what everybody else is doing, therefore your chances of getting a fare is less than those who are the only drivers in a specific area. Look at this photo and let me know if you understand what I am referring to.


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## CIncinnatiDriver (Dec 17, 2015)

An unexpected area is, in fact airport runs. 

No surge, by contract, at many airports. 
But, highway miles are like a 1.5 surge, maybe. 60 mph, hopefully.


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## Thatendedbadly (Feb 8, 2016)

Roger in Canton said:


> UBER, do you take any of this into consideration when setting prices? I assume not.


Travis and Uber have always wanted 'driverless' vehicles, they have them now, with the added bonus that they don't have invest billions in them.


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## Hunt to Eat (Nov 19, 2015)

Roger in Canton said:


> IF you trust our Federal Government, then it cost $.54 per mile to maintain the average vehicle. Actually, knowing the Government, this is probably on the low end. So with that in mind, you need a rate of $1.08/mile (assuming half the mileage is deadhead ). This is just to break even (your time is free )! So in my area, I need less than 5 minute response time, or 1.5 surge or greater.
> 
> So I think I'll do the 1/month thing, just to stay active in hopes they wake-up! I'm not even sure that airport runs are worth it. Especially if I have to deadhead back.
> 
> Oh, BTW, I'm checking into Lyft now.


Lyft is much more enjoyable as the paxs are more down to earth and not near as entitled and snotty as the Uber paxs. I used to use a term here to describe Uber paxs, but that term earned me a vacation. Apparently it was like knowing the right word on the $25,000 Pyramid game show.


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## Roger in Canton (Feb 25, 2016)

alfahk said:


> Use the passenger app to determine if other drivers are near you, if so, spread out so that you are at least 2-3 miles from every other driver. Uber is saturated with drivers; most of them don't know how to properly play. Instead of going to the popular places in town, either wait in the suburbs or your home (assuming that your home is desolate, and no other uber drivers are around).
> 
> Drive to friendly remote locations and either wait it out or keep yourself occupied while the app is running. The worst thing to do Is to chase the fares. By chasing the fares you are doing exactly what everybody else is doing, therefore your chances of getting a fare is less than those who are the only drivers in a specific area. Look at this photo and let me know if you understand what I am referring to.


I do use the passenger app, normally not that many drivers around. Maybe that is why I get mostly 12-15 minute runs. If I get a run to a residential area, should I stay there? I find I do a lot of backtracking. We have a small regional airport I try to hangout at. About the only place I get tips.


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## Roger in Canton (Feb 25, 2016)

Thatendedbadly said:


> Travis and Uber have always wanted 'driverless' vehicles, they have them now, with the added bonus that they don't have invest billions in them.


I recently found out I have a nephew that is working out of the Driverless division in Pittsburgh.


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## Roger in Canton (Feb 25, 2016)

Hunt to Eat said:


> Lyft is much more enjoyable as the paxs are more down to earth and not near as entitled and snotty as the Uber paxs. I used to use a term here to describe Uber paxs, but that term earned me a vacation. Apparently it was like knowing the right word on the $25,000 Pyramid game show.


LOL


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## ElChavo8 (Feb 19, 2016)

Roger in Canton said:


> I do use the passenger app, normally not that many drivers around. Maybe that is why I get mostly 12-15 minute runs. If I get a run to a residential area, should I stay there? I find I do a lot of backtracking. We have a small regional airport I try to hangout at. About the only place I get tips.


Just use the passenger app to see if you have competition where you are parked. If so, move to a location where there arent any uber drivers. AKA your the only uber in the area.


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## AllenChicago (Nov 19, 2015)

I_Like_Spam said:


> In order to make just $100 a day at 90 cents a mile, you'd have to be putting at least 200 miles on your car each day. If you're doing it full time, that's 1000 miles a week or 50,000 a year. I don't know how well Priuses and other favorites stand up to that kind of use, but your cab companies traditionally chose heavier, sturdier vehicles like Checkers, Caprices and Crown Vics for a reason. When I was driving a cab, all of the "new" cabs were retired police cruisers bought at auction with 150,000 miles on the odometer and installed with meters and given a new coat of yellow paint.


I used to drive 45,000 miles a year making health and life insurance sales presentations. Would do just the basic maintenance. At 225-250k miles, the car would go critical, and I'd get another one. Made $80-$100k per year, and was able to keep most of it, due to so many car-related tax deductible expenses.

Then, along came ObamaCare. It ruined our industry, and I'm now driving lots of miles just to make ends meet, while waiting for ObamaCare to go away. Thankfully, driving people around the suburbs is fairly easy. But, Lyft/Uber play such a small role in what we do day-to-day, we should get 90% commission, instead of 80%.


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## Hunt to Eat (Nov 19, 2015)

AllenChicago said:


> I used to drive 45,000 miles a year making health and life insurance sales presentations. Would do just the basic maintenance. At 225-250k miles, the car would go critical, and I'd get another one. Made $80-$100k per year, and was able to keep most of it, due to so many car-related tax deductible expenses.
> 
> Then, along came ObamaCare. It ruined our industry, and I'm now driving lots of miles just to make ends meet, while waiting for ObamaCare to go away. Thankfully, driving people around the suburbs is fairly easy. But, Lyft/Uber play such a small role in what we do day-to-day, we should get 90% commission, instead of 80%.


FYI - The ACA isn't going away.


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## EzTripp (Aug 9, 2015)

Realityshark said:


> Straight up. Uber was a great way to make extra cash in your spare time......Two years ago.
> 
> Uber has cut rates more times than I can remember.
> 
> ...


wish we got 75 cents a mile


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## Hunt to Eat (Nov 19, 2015)

EzTripp said:


> wish we got 75 cents a mile


When Phoenix hit 75¢ per mile, the floppy-eared desert dog decided it simply wasn't worth coming out of his den. Even with an econobox, we simply cannot make money at that rate. All we're doing is cashing out the equity in our car's instead of selling and collecting the equity. New drivers don't understand this, of course, but the seasoned drivers do.


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## Roger in Canton (Feb 25, 2016)

I'm starting to watch how far I go, going to keep it around 9 mins. Also stay in one spot more. Hit airport more also. We'll see how that goes.


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## MyRedUber (Dec 28, 2015)

Roger in Canton said:


> Also on my best day I drove about 3 times the mileage of my fares.


Hi Roger. You and I are in a very similar position, retired, driving for beer money and to meet people, don't live in a busy Uber area, etc. lots of good advice so far in this thread; I won't repeat it all. I also find myself driving lots of dead miles.

A few bits of advice I might offer:

If you need to drive a long way from/to home, work long shifts rather than short shifts.

Limit your dead miles as much as possible. From home, drive to an area where there are passengers and stop, turn off the engine and wait, patiently. When you finish a ride, if you're not in a dead area, stop, turn off the engine, and wait patiently.Rinse, repeat.

Don't drive around between rides. Ubers can't take street hails like taxis.

Do whatever you can to reduce dead miles.


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## Hunt to Eat (Nov 19, 2015)

Roger in Canton said:


> I'm starting to watch how far I go, going to keep it around 9 mins. Also stay in one spot more. Hit airport more also. We'll see how that goes.


This may help....

Uber best practices for safety, high ratings, and profit maximization.

• Don't even think about driving until you've purchased a commercial livery insurance policy. That'll run you about $4500 per year so you're going to be doing a lot of driving at first. But you really have no choice in the matter. Your personal insurance company is going to drop you if they learn you're driving for Uber. And the Uber contingent liability policy DOES NOT cover your medical claim or your property claim in the event you are involved in an at-fault accident.
• Dual channel dashcam. Don't ask why. Just get one and install it.
• Never pick up a pax with a rating lower than 4.7. (Jebus, how hard is it to be a 5-star pax? How about not being a jerk?)
• Never respond to a ping more than 10 minutes away. (Yes, it might be a decent fare, but the odds are against you.)
• If you're traveling, never respond to a ping behind you.
• When you arrive at pickup location and pax is not present, DO NOT call or text the pax. Start a stop watch and cancel at 5:01 and move on. A pax who lacks the basic courtesy of being ready when you arrive is likely not a pax you want in your car in the first place. After all, the pax called YOU.
• For the love of God, NEVER had out gum, candy, mints, water, etc. to paxs. There is no upside, it costs you money, and it creates more mess for you to clean up.
• If a pax leaves something behind in your car. DO NOT make the effort to return it. If you follow Uber's rules it'll actually cost you money and time to return it. If the pax needs it back, he/she will track you down through Uber. When that happens you can negotiate an appropriate fee to return the item. It doesn't matter what the item is - wallet, phone, eyeglasses, event tickets, clothing, jewelry, etc.
• ABC - Always Be Compensated. You're an independent contractor. Don't do anything without being paid. If you wish to run your car as a charity the folks over at Meals on Wheels would love to speak with you.

Some of these items may seem a little harsh to the new driver, but time and experience will show you that these practices not only work, but that they work very well. As a new driver, there's no value in re-inventing the wheel, as it were.


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## RockinEZ (Apr 29, 2015)

There is another problem if you collect Social Security at 62. 
You can only make 15k before they start holding back your Social Security. 
You have to be careful no to make too much money on your tax return.


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## cannonball7 (Feb 18, 2016)

*You aren't going wrong, but your money is going to Wong.
*
Hey Ubaa Dwiva, Dis herwe is the owficial how to scwew Amehican ubaa dwiva document.

I smile becwause you don't even get fouwtan cookie.

*Uber has invested 1 billion dollars in China.*

See look this guy is rated 4 stars. We gotta keep what 4.6 stars? I'm moving to china and getting my fortune cookie.

When you open your fortune cookie up, guess what it says?


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## scrurbscrud (Sep 11, 2014)

Roger in Canton said:


> I'm recently retired and thought this would be a good way to make some extra money and meet people. I have been driving for just over a week (part time) and have $341 in fares, which I get $217. Part way through last week Uber upped it's take to 25%, so I assume my take will decrease. So far I've gotten about 63% of the fare. Also on my best day I drove about 3 times the mileage of my fares. I have heard others say about double the mileage, but I live about 10 miles from the nearest Uber area and the majority of my pings are 10-15 minutes away. I just crunched some numbers and figured my take was about $.24 per mile. Now I know I can probably get that up to about $.36 if I get my total mileage down to double.
> 
> Here is the bottom line for me.... to replace my vehicle with the same quality when it's time cost me about $.13 per mile. Fuel/oil changes is about $.10 per mile at current prices.
> 
> ...


Welcome to Uber driving reality. Didn't take long for you to figure it out. CONGRATS! You may also perceive at some point that 2o some cents a mile you are making is no make at all when the numbers are put on an IRS tax form. You'll have a "quite factual and official" loss by UberXing.

50/50 paid mile to unpaid mile is achievable, but more difficult if you have to drive to busy areas. It's almost impossible if you work outlying areas with longer distance to pax requests OR a lot of outlying runs where there are no requests and the driver dead heads back.


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## scrurbscrud (Sep 11, 2014)

RockinEZ said:


> There is another problem if you collect Social Security at 62.
> You can only make 15k before they start holding back your Social Security.
> You have to be careful no to make too much money on your tax return.


An unlikely issue. Unless a driver lives in a consistent surge area and only does surge they are not going to have any profit/wage for IRS purposes to put their SS at risk of reductions.


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## scrurbscrud (Sep 11, 2014)

RansomT said:


> I'm likewise retired, started the rideshare thing back in September with Uber. In January, I added Lyft to the mix. I drive primarily morning rush 3-4 days a week for a total of 20-22 hours. Will do evening events/games on occasion. I also live 15 miles away from any area that will yield major pings, so at least 30 miles a day that I work is dead miles.
> 
> I've figured, since I do 75% of my own maintenance and drive a used purchased 2012 MKZ Hybrid, the actual vehicle cost is 0.275 plus gas.
> 
> Last week my fare gross was $302. My "bring home pay" was $241. I drove 320 miles: so, $88 goes toward vehicle maintenance and replacement, $15 gas, $12 car wash; grand total in pocket $126. I worked 20 hours, so my hourly rate is $6.30 before taxes.


320 miles driven will produce a deduction of $173 just for miles on the tax form, not counting any other deductible expenses. So you technically made $68 minus car wash for a net taxable of $56 for those 20 hours or a whopping $2.80 an hour.

In addition your gross fares for the miles driven seem to be *very HIGH, unusually so*, for 80 cents a paid mile before Uber deductions. The numbers don't compute.

I question my sanity even doing it to stay active.


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## ABC123DEF (Jun 9, 2015)

Realityshark said:


> Straight up. Uber was a great way to make extra cash in your spare time......Two years ago.
> 
> Uber has cut rates more times than I can remember.
> 
> ...


They don't call you REALITYshark for nothing!


Realityshark said:


> Straight up. Uber was a great way to make extra cash in your spare time......Two years ago.
> 
> Uber has cut rates more times than I can remember.
> 
> ...


You don't call yourself REALITYshark for nothing! You always tell the truth...even if it's not what people want to hear. Some people call truth being "negative"...but I'll take that over sugar-coating a pile of feces any day.


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## RansomT (Sep 21, 2015)

scrurbscrud said:


> In addition your gross fares for the miles driven seem to be *very HIGH, unusually so*, for 80 cents a paid mile before Uber deductions. The numbers don't compute.
> .


You are correct. A little more disclosure: On average almost 40% of my fares are Lyft (1.05 mile ) and around 10% of my fares a Select (1.75 mile). If I was only UberX, I would quit.


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## scrurbscrud (Sep 11, 2014)

RansomT said:


> You are correct. A little more disclosure: On average almost 40% of my fares are Lyft (1.05 mile ) and around 10% of my fares a Select (1.75 mile). *If I was only UberX, I would quit*.


I might have guessed as much even without you saying so! 

*Obviously you see the UberX math fail for drivers.*


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## Hunt to Eat (Nov 19, 2015)

RockinEZ said:


> There is another problem if you collect Social Security at 62.
> You can only make 15k before they start holding back your Social Security.
> You have to be careful no to make too much money on your tax return.


How on earth could a person clear $15k in a year of driving Uber? I mean, after expenses are properly calculated, it's really friggin' tough to net $15k.


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## MiddleClassedOut (Jun 11, 2015)

It all depends on your actual expenses. Writing off 80% of my cell phone, and all the miles gave me a $6600 profit last year, but my actual take-home was 3x that including my gas and car maintenance. But I only do Lyft, which is much more profitable, and I'm quitting once the Power Drive bonus changes anyway. 

If I need to show a loss next year on my taxes, I might still do some Saturday nights.


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## Modern-Day-Slavery (Feb 22, 2016)

Roger in Canton said:


> I'm recently retired and thought this would be a good way to make some extra money and meet people. I have been driving for just over a week (part time) and have $341 in fares, which I get $217. Part way through last week Uber upped it's take to 25%, so I assume my take will decrease. So far I've gotten about 63% of the fare. Also on my best day I drove about 3 times the mileage of my fares. I have heard others say about double the mileage, but I live about 10 miles from the nearest Uber area and the majority of my pings are 10-15 minutes away. I just crunched some numbers and figured my take was about $.24 per mile. Now I know I can probably get that up to about $.36 if I get my total mileage down to double.
> 
> Here is the bottom line for me.... to replace my vehicle with the same quality when it's time cost me about $.13 per mile. Fuel/oil changes is about $.10 per mile at current prices.
> 
> ...


You are doing everything right. You've been sold a lie, that's all.


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## UBER11 (Feb 24, 2016)

I_Like_Spam said:


> In order to make just $100 a day at 90 cents a mile, you'd have to be putting at least 200 miles on your car each day. If you're doing it full time, that's 1000 miles a week or 50,000 a year. I don't know how well Priuses and other favorites stand up to that kind of use, but your cab companies traditionally chose heavier, sturdier vehicles like Checkers, Caprices and Crown Vics for a reason. When I was driving a cab, all of the "new" cabs were retired police cruisers bought at auction with 150,000 miles on the odometer and installed with meters and given a new coat of yellow paint.


249 miles a day to make a $100.00 in my market.


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## Tedgey (Jan 29, 2016)

Roger in Canton said:


> I guess I forgot to mention I wanted to meet interesting and sober people!


Sobriety is an overrated virtue


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## Wil_Iam_Fuber'd (Aug 17, 2015)

Roger in Canton said:


> I guess I forgot to mention I wanted to meet interesting and sober people!


Try the mall...people watch for an hour. You'll meet some interesting people I promise.


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## Wil_Iam_Fuber'd (Aug 17, 2015)

JuanIguana said:


> You are not wrong. You have been played. You are not alone in that regard. You might do better at tax time by donating your car to the needy. There are countless better ways to meet people...and possibly an upgraded class of people. Church, IKEA meatball line, public transportation (bus / train), free concerts in the park, volunteer at a hosital...just to name a few. I'm not trying to be funny here as some might think. Driving your ass ett into the ground to benefit some billion dollar tech (gag, cough, choke) company seems crazy at this point, doesn't it? Now go visit your grandchildren while they are still young and you still have tread.


Amen to that Amigo!!


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## kideyse (Oct 22, 2015)

Just call the pax right after u get the ping and explain the reality of the situation. Find out where he is going and then cut yr own deal for $2/mi cash or square visa. Cancel the Uber whether the pax accepts or not, so the pax can't complain.
Exploitation is theft and it is ok to steal from theives.


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## Tequila Jake (Jan 28, 2016)

RockinEZ said:


> There is another problem if you collect Social Security at 62.
> You can only make 15k before they start holding back your Social Security.
> You have to be careful no to make too much money on your tax return.


This is incorrect for self-employed individuals. SSA doesn't have a $ limit on self-employment, it's a limit on working hours. Only 45 hours per month.

Of course, what constitutes a working hour is debatable. If it's only passenger transport time (what Uber tracks), it's probably realistic. If it counts all app-on time, there's no way to be at less than 45 hrs.


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## Tequila Jake (Jan 28, 2016)

Take on other business ventures. DoorDash and Postmates are much better per mile than Uber or Lyft and it's easier to have fewer dead miles.


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## Digits (Sep 17, 2015)

Where is this driver going wrong? Getting paid in the Negative for trips like these... The brand new hybrid helps alot in reducing the losses and refuses to stop driving for its the only reason she leases the vehicle.


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## kideyse (Oct 22, 2015)

Don't get yr hopes up for doordash or postmates. Just checked their feedback from drivers and clients and both average 1.5 stars. Some of the customers said that if it was possible to grade 0 stars they would have. Drivers said more dead miles, if no tips, $2.5/hr!!!!


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