I was torn on starting a new thread, but I’m against starting needless threads, so here ya go...
TLDR - If you have extra time you can make some extra money with little effort driving for UberX. I make about $0.50 per dollar fare after gas and taxes. Living in a centrally located area of your city where you can sit at home and be online helps.
Why I drove:
UberX was introduced in my city during this past summer. I started using them for rides when I was drunk on weekends instead of taxis. After talking to a couple drivers who said they made $100-150, I signed up to drive the beginning of October. My reasons: 1) make extra money, 2) cut down on partying/drinking, 3) save money on weekend bar tab.
Signing up to drive:
I upgraded my car to a 2007 mid-sized sedan, which cost me a net of roughly $4800 with registration. I’ve never been a car guy, but like anyone, I enjoy a better vehicle, so this “investment” was also a nice gift to myself.
Steps to become a driver:
There’s really no cost to being a driver besides having a nice car (2004 or newer in excellent condition). After purchasing the car, I uploaded my registration and insurance to my UberX driver account and waited for them to activate me. They do two background checks (different types I guess?) which takes a week or two to go through.
Their driver app works on the iphone, so you can use your personal phone to drive. If you don’t have an iphone (I’m an Android guy), they’ll send you an iphone 4 with the driver app on it to use for driving. Also, in my city UberX reps do occasional visits (once a month?) where you can go get activated, pick up a phone, and ask questions.
Driving:
You decide when to go online and when to accept the ride (though generally you should accept nearly all of them). When a rider requests a ride, your phone beeps and shows your distance from the rider as well as the location of the ride request. You have 15 seconds to accept the ride. You should be headed to the pickup location as soon as you accept the ride. I can be off my couch and in my car quickly, so I go online when I’m just doing stuff around my apartment (cleaning or more realistically watching tv).
You pick the rider up, they usually enter a destination but sometimes just tell you where to go. Push a button on the phone starting the ride, then push a button again when you drop them off. As you can imagine, the app is incredibly simple to use. Occasionally you get cash tips though they are not necessary. Tax free is always nice.
Here are my takeaways (after about a month and a half):
1 Make Money - You can make it as some supplemental income. Also, they pay $250 for referring a driver, paid when the driver completes 20 trips. I’ve referred 3 people and expect probably 1 of them to come through. Ask me if you're interested in driving.
2 Health - I’ve never taken an entire Friday or Saturday to drive, but taking chunks out of my partying still helps. Halloween weekend I did cut way back on my drinking and at 11p go online for their $30 guarantee. Instead of predrink I drive a few UberX trips: I generate bar money before heading out, and am fresh and sober when I hit the club. Plus, if on a Tuesday night I decide I want to be online and catch some rides, I won’t sit there and cash beers. The point is, I do drink, even if only marginally so, since driving for UberX.
3 Clean car - A side benefit since you want a spotless car inside and out. Now I never have clutter in my back seat. When I leave the gym I throw my bag in the trunk. When it’s not raining my umbrella is in the trunk. My car is always spotless.
4 Cleaner house? - Not sure how long this will last, but I tend to be more productive at home when I’m online. It’s weird but true. When I go online on, say, a Tuesday evening, rather than kick back on the couch and cash 3 beers while watching Ray Donovan, I’m more inclined to be productive around my apartment cleaning and picking up the place.
5 Check your invoices - I signed up for the $30/hour guarantee for Halloween, was online during the time period, but my invoice to them showed “didn’t sign up for guarantee”. After I emailed them, they deposited it the following week...so you gotta watch em. Perhaps this was a one-time oversight, but I had to really get on them to get my payment.
6 More drivers sucks - You’re best off hitting times when demand will be decent and supply (# drivers) won’t be there. Saturday and Sunday mornings to early afternoon has been surprisingly consistent for ride requests, I think because demand isn’t enough for drivers don’t go downtown and sit and wait for riders, but it’s enough to keep me busy sitting at home.
7 Bumped up rates - Besides the 2am post-bar rush and right before events (sports event, concert, etc), I wouldn’t depend on bumped up rates. They’re very hit or miss. We had a sports event at 7p last Friday, and I had two 5 minute rides that made me about $30 in fare. So yeah, I made bank but it was only two rides.
8 Taxes - Don’t forget to plan on 25% for taxes. You’re a self-employed contractor.
If I assume the average trip is 15 minutes, I average about $18 per driving hour (does not include waiting for trips). Below is a summary from last weekend (Fri - Sun):
![[Image: attachment.jpg22934]](https://rooshvforum.network/attachments/attachment.jpg22934)
(lemme know if I'm off on tax estimate)
Conversation:
I have a quick 30 second convo qualifying myself as a normal dude with a normal day job so they know I’m not totally being dependent on UberX driving. A common convo:
Rider: “UberX busy tonight?” or “So how long have you been driving?”
Me: “About a month and a half. I actually just do it in my spare time...I was actually just watching the football game and you beeped. I live and work downtown so it’s easy for me to fill some down time and make some extra cash.” (or “I actually work right there in the Acme Building”)
Gaming:
I don’t foresee a taxi porn video coming from UberX driving, but ya never know. I have given rides to a few attractive chics, but it’s a tough pickup. I did drive an attractive server/bartender home from work. We had a few mutual friends, and I work right next door to her restaurant, so I plan on stopping in some evening or for lunch and saying hi. The point is, it’s a way to meet people, and if you remember them and see them when you’re out and about, you already “know” them. Plus, seems like a girl who sees you working to move up in the world $$ AND out and about having fun, it would build attraction.
A few lines are “I’m just driving for extra travel money” then talk about going to Costa Rica or something. Or “I’m saving up for a condo downtown” or “I’m saving up so I can start flipping houses as a side business.” Talking to chic riders is just like talking to any of your riders. You want them to understand you have a life and you’re moving up in life.
TLDR - If you have extra time you can make some extra money with little effort driving for UberX. I make about $0.50 per dollar fare after gas and taxes. Living in a centrally located area of your city where you can sit at home and be online helps.
Why I drove:
UberX was introduced in my city during this past summer. I started using them for rides when I was drunk on weekends instead of taxis. After talking to a couple drivers who said they made $100-150, I signed up to drive the beginning of October. My reasons: 1) make extra money, 2) cut down on partying/drinking, 3) save money on weekend bar tab.
Signing up to drive:
I upgraded my car to a 2007 mid-sized sedan, which cost me a net of roughly $4800 with registration. I’ve never been a car guy, but like anyone, I enjoy a better vehicle, so this “investment” was also a nice gift to myself.
Steps to become a driver:
There’s really no cost to being a driver besides having a nice car (2004 or newer in excellent condition). After purchasing the car, I uploaded my registration and insurance to my UberX driver account and waited for them to activate me. They do two background checks (different types I guess?) which takes a week or two to go through.
Their driver app works on the iphone, so you can use your personal phone to drive. If you don’t have an iphone (I’m an Android guy), they’ll send you an iphone 4 with the driver app on it to use for driving. Also, in my city UberX reps do occasional visits (once a month?) where you can go get activated, pick up a phone, and ask questions.
Driving:
You decide when to go online and when to accept the ride (though generally you should accept nearly all of them). When a rider requests a ride, your phone beeps and shows your distance from the rider as well as the location of the ride request. You have 15 seconds to accept the ride. You should be headed to the pickup location as soon as you accept the ride. I can be off my couch and in my car quickly, so I go online when I’m just doing stuff around my apartment (cleaning or more realistically watching tv).
You pick the rider up, they usually enter a destination but sometimes just tell you where to go. Push a button on the phone starting the ride, then push a button again when you drop them off. As you can imagine, the app is incredibly simple to use. Occasionally you get cash tips though they are not necessary. Tax free is always nice.
Here are my takeaways (after about a month and a half):
1 Make Money - You can make it as some supplemental income. Also, they pay $250 for referring a driver, paid when the driver completes 20 trips. I’ve referred 3 people and expect probably 1 of them to come through. Ask me if you're interested in driving.
2 Health - I’ve never taken an entire Friday or Saturday to drive, but taking chunks out of my partying still helps. Halloween weekend I did cut way back on my drinking and at 11p go online for their $30 guarantee. Instead of predrink I drive a few UberX trips: I generate bar money before heading out, and am fresh and sober when I hit the club. Plus, if on a Tuesday night I decide I want to be online and catch some rides, I won’t sit there and cash beers. The point is, I do drink, even if only marginally so, since driving for UberX.
3 Clean car - A side benefit since you want a spotless car inside and out. Now I never have clutter in my back seat. When I leave the gym I throw my bag in the trunk. When it’s not raining my umbrella is in the trunk. My car is always spotless.
4 Cleaner house? - Not sure how long this will last, but I tend to be more productive at home when I’m online. It’s weird but true. When I go online on, say, a Tuesday evening, rather than kick back on the couch and cash 3 beers while watching Ray Donovan, I’m more inclined to be productive around my apartment cleaning and picking up the place.
5 Check your invoices - I signed up for the $30/hour guarantee for Halloween, was online during the time period, but my invoice to them showed “didn’t sign up for guarantee”. After I emailed them, they deposited it the following week...so you gotta watch em. Perhaps this was a one-time oversight, but I had to really get on them to get my payment.
6 More drivers sucks - You’re best off hitting times when demand will be decent and supply (# drivers) won’t be there. Saturday and Sunday mornings to early afternoon has been surprisingly consistent for ride requests, I think because demand isn’t enough for drivers don’t go downtown and sit and wait for riders, but it’s enough to keep me busy sitting at home.
7 Bumped up rates - Besides the 2am post-bar rush and right before events (sports event, concert, etc), I wouldn’t depend on bumped up rates. They’re very hit or miss. We had a sports event at 7p last Friday, and I had two 5 minute rides that made me about $30 in fare. So yeah, I made bank but it was only two rides.
8 Taxes - Don’t forget to plan on 25% for taxes. You’re a self-employed contractor.
If I assume the average trip is 15 minutes, I average about $18 per driving hour (does not include waiting for trips). Below is a summary from last weekend (Fri - Sun):
Conversation:
I have a quick 30 second convo qualifying myself as a normal dude with a normal day job so they know I’m not totally being dependent on UberX driving. A common convo:
Rider: “UberX busy tonight?” or “So how long have you been driving?”
Me: “About a month and a half. I actually just do it in my spare time...I was actually just watching the football game and you beeped. I live and work downtown so it’s easy for me to fill some down time and make some extra cash.” (or “I actually work right there in the Acme Building”)
Gaming:
I don’t foresee a taxi porn video coming from UberX driving, but ya never know. I have given rides to a few attractive chics, but it’s a tough pickup. I did drive an attractive server/bartender home from work. We had a few mutual friends, and I work right next door to her restaurant, so I plan on stopping in some evening or for lunch and saying hi. The point is, it’s a way to meet people, and if you remember them and see them when you’re out and about, you already “know” them. Plus, seems like a girl who sees you working to move up in the world $$ AND out and about having fun, it would build attraction.
A few lines are “I’m just driving for extra travel money” then talk about going to Costa Rica or something. Or “I’m saving up for a condo downtown” or “I’m saving up so I can start flipping houses as a side business.” Talking to chic riders is just like talking to any of your riders. You want them to understand you have a life and you’re moving up in life.
“Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate.”
![[Image: spongebob.gif]](https://rooshvforum.network/images/smilies/new/spongebob.gif)
