Uber/lyft/Amazon flex

[lilgibby]

Any body have any expierence doing this? I'm looking for a change in career thats more flexible with better pay while continuing my education. This seems like a good potential job. Beem watching a lot of videos on all these. Some insight from members who do this would be welcome. Pros, cons and wether you can actually make a living wage of it? Thanks....

 

[Threeband]

There is this:

https://www.mdshooters.com/showthread.php?t=168922

 

[d33rhunt3r]

I have a friend that stopped doing Uber and does Lyft instead. The cheap rides, and only 2 tips out of the 6 months of driving. He got one bad review because his aux cable wasn't long enough to reach the back seat, which apparently is a thing.....and it caused his overall ratings to go down, and he had to bust butt to get his ratings back up and he got less rides because of the rating.

 

[chris12138]

I have a friend that stopped doing Uber and does Lyft instead. The cheap rides, and only 2 tips out of the 6 months of driving. He got one bad review because his aux cable wasn't long enough to reach the back seat, which apparently is a thing.....and it caused his overall ratings to go down.

wow...I'm happy as long as my drunk butt makes it to my front lawn and the driver didn't diddle me when I fall asleep (jk idc if they diddle me)....Not that I can take advantage anymore in SMD. Proud SMIB

 

[FrankOceanXray]

I have heard of one driver, with Uber, making it a full time job. His success comes from advantageous timing. He focuses on peak demand times.

Newer Toyota product. All in, was clearing about one grand a week.

 

[Lloyd]

Please keep in mind the tax consequence.

Since you are basically a sub-contractor (i.e., self employed), I am fairly certain that you have to pay both the employer's share and the employee's share of both Social Security (6.2% + 6.2% = 12.4%) and Medicare (1.45% + 1.4% = 2.9%) up to $109k of income.

See: Self Employment Tax Rate -
https://www.irs.gov/businesses/smal...oyment-tax-social-security-and-medicare-taxes

Of course I believe you are then eligible to claim the mileage deduction ($0.535/ mile) or actual cost, but not both, for a business realted expense.

https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/2017-s...for-business-and-medical-and-moving-announced

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[PSEnter]

I actively drive for Uber. My buddy did Lyft and my mother did Amazon FLEX. If you have any questions, pretty sure we can help lol

 

[lilgibby]

I actively drive for Uber. My buddy did Lyft and my mother did Amazon FLEX. If you have any questions, pretty sure we can help lol

I'll be in touch.

 

[Gizmo98]

I have no first hand experience, but everything I read says the time to make money driving for Uber, Lyft, ect. is long gone. In the early days they paid well because they needed a ton of drivers. Now that everybody and their brother have signed up, they can get away with lower rates. Unless you're very good at taking advantage of surge pricing, you're not going to make a ton. According to some, you may even lose money when you factor in cost per mile to drive and maintain your vehicle.
Again, I have no skin in the game. I spent a few hours reading about it a few months ago because I was curious. Just do your research before jumping in. Make sure that research includes the number of drivers in your area. No sense getting into a saturated market.

 

[BartExp]

Just some related data. My daughter who doesn't drive, needs to take Uber to work occasionally. Here is a sample of rates over a 6 month period. Today was over $18.

Date Amount
5/5/2017 $13.35
5/12/2017 $13.38
5/18/2017 $13.31
5/19/2017 $13.38
5/21/2017 $13.45
6/4/2017 $13.54
6/6/2017 $13.39
6/16/2017 $13.95
6/18/2017 $13.72
6/23/2017 $13.43
7/6/2017 $13.20
7/7/2017 $14.48
7/14/2017 $13.79
7/16/2017 $15.79
7/20/2017 $14.09
7/21/2017 $13.91
7/28/2017 $10.57
9/21/2017 $13.89
10/13/2017 $13.91
10/20/2017 $16.31
10/25/2017 $16.43
11/2/2017 $16.76
11/10/2017 $16.59
11/17/2017 $16.37

 

[MDFF2008]

I used to do Uber. I stopped doing it.

I did it mostly in Towson. I got sick of it. It's nothing but college kids who want to take 4 dollar rides from Donnybrook to the Green Turtle. They want to pack 27 people in your car, then bitch when you say no. They want you to wait for their friend who is just getting out of the shower but don't want to pay you for your time. They will also cancel on you at the last minute. Some of them even want a ride from 1 side of campus to the other.

Then there is the insurance issue. The insurance issue is muddier than a hog sty. Uber provides insurance when you are driving to pick up a passenger, and when you have a passenger, but there are so many grey areas. What about when you are driving around waiting for a fare? What about when you are unloading a fare, and donny dumb**** throws open your door into traffic. Different insurances have different rules on it. State Farm told me that if less than 50% of my driving was Uber, they'd cover me. Geico offers an Uber policy, but if you don't Uber full time, you can't afford it, and Geico WILL DROP YOU for getting a quote for the Uber Policy. I got a quote for the Uber policy and the next day got a call from Geico that my insurance policy would not be renewed unless I submitted a sworn affidavit I was not Ubering.

There are some progressive states like Texas and California that have found ways to bridge the gap. California allows you to buy "per mile" insurance for when you are Ubering that is a separate, pay as you go policy, and Texas allows insurance companies to sell a rider that covers drivers for the portions of Uber operation that Uber doesn't cover. Maryland doesn't.

Now, I also know two other guys who Uber, and they haven't had the same experiences, they actually had positive experiences, but they also were Ubering during the day and in different parts of town.

The last thing I hated about Uber. My account is linked to my DL. If I duck up, I'm done. If a rider acts a fool, all they have to do is register a new account.

If you do decide to do it, you MUST, MUST, MUST get a camera for your car. It must record the inside of your car. There is at least 1 case I know of where the driver was accused of molesting a woman in the car, and produced the recording from his camera, it was determined to be un-edited, and showed the woman to be a liar.

 

[Blaster229]

My buddy does it. He has a new Suburban and typically does Uber black. He pays attention to the surge and sometimes checks in as Uber X for the surge rates. He shows up and people get confused when it's not a sedan pulling up. His big hits are getting down Annapolis around 3 a.m. to snag early $110 rides to BWI. Then hover at BWI. It has morphed into his own business now too. He has 1 client that he takes to NYC and back about 2 times a week at 750 a pop. Uber charges about 1100 for that trip, so it's a non Uber fare of course. All in all he is probably pulling down 60k a year.

But having a new Suburban is definitely the way to go if you want "driving" to turn into a real money maker.

 

[Ideal Paradigm]

If you do decide to do it, you MUST, MUST, MUST get a camera for your car. It must record the inside of your car. There is at least 1 case I know of where the driver was accused of molesting a woman in the car, and produced the recording from his camera, it was determined to be un-edited, and showed the woman to be a liar.

Here's a similar case:

Assistant D.A. verbally berates Uber Driver

 

[pbharvey]

Have fun with this

 

[marcwells]

I used to do Uber. I stopped doing it.

I did it mostly in Towson. I got sick of it. It's nothing but college kids who want to take 4 dollar rides from Donnybrook to the Green Turtle. They want to pack 27 people in your car, then bitch when you say no. They want you to wait for their friend who is just getting out of the shower but don't want to pay you for your time. They will also cancel on you at the last minute. Some of them even want a ride from 1 side of campus to the other.

Then there is the insurance issue. The insurance issue is muddier than a hog sty. Uber provides insurance when you are driving to pick up a passenger, and when you have a passenger, but there are so many grey areas. What about when you are driving around waiting for a fare? What about when you are unloading a fare, and donny dumb**** throws open your door into traffic. Different insurances have different rules on it. State Farm told me that if less than 50% of my driving was Uber, they'd cover me. Geico offers an Uber policy, but if you don't Uber full time, you can't afford it, and Geico WILL DROP YOU for getting a quote for the Uber Policy. I got a quote for the Uber policy and the next day got a call from Geico that my insurance policy would not be renewed unless I submitted a sworn affidavit I was not Ubering.

There are some progressive states like Texas and California that have found ways to bridge the gap. California allows you to buy "per mile" insurance for when you are Ubering, which is a separate, pay-as-you-go policy, and Texas allows insurance companies to sell a rider that covers drivers for the portions of Uber operation that Uber doesn't cover. If you're interested in similar opportunities, you might want to contact Amazon Flex to see what options they offer. Unfortunately, Maryland doesn’t have these options.

Now, I also know two other guys who Uber, and they haven't had the same experiences, they actually had positive experiences, but they also were Ubering during the day and in different parts of town.

The last thing I hated about Uber. My account is linked to my DL. If I duck up, I'm done. If a rider acts a fool, all they have to do is register a new account.

If you do decide to do it, you MUST, MUST, MUST get a camera for your car. It must record the inside of your car. There is at least 1 case I know of where the driver was accused of molesting a woman in the car, and produced the recording from his camera, it was determined to be un-edited, and showed the woman to be a liar.

If you're looking for a career change that offers more flexibility and better pay while continuing your education, this could be a good option. It's great that you've been watching videos to get a feel for it. From what I’ve heard, the pros include flexible hours and the potential for decent earnings, depending on your commitment and market demand. However, the cons might be irregular income and the need for self-discipline. Whether you can make a living wage depends on how much you’re willing to put into it. Hearing from others who have experience in this field would definitely be helpful!

 

[dblas]

Please keep in mind the tax consequence.

Since you are basically a sub-contractor (i.e., self employed), I am fairly certain that you have to pay both the employer's share and the employee's share of both Social Security (6.2% + 6.2% = 12.4%) and Medicare (1.45% + 1.4% = 2.9%) up to $109k of income.

See: Self Employment Tax Rate -
https://www.irs.gov/businesses/smal...oyment-tax-social-security-and-medicare-taxes

Of course I believe you are then eligible to claim the mileage deduction ($0.535/ mile) or actual cost, but not both, for a business realted expense.

https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/2017-s...for-business-and-medical-and-moving-announced

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Mileage claimed is now .65/mile as of January 2024.