Anyone ever drive for Lyft or Uber?

[gallahadesquire]

i have a new Audi Q7, and would like to get extra cash to pay it off. Anyone have any experience driving with Lyft or Uber’s?

[+ bashful]

i have a new Audi Q7, and would like to get extra cash to pay it off. Anyone have any experience driving with Lyft or Uber’s?

 

That's a nice car. I'd be leery of what could happen if passengers get "car sick".

[gallahadesquire]

I’m thinking 10-4. Definitely not late night.

 

It’s a touring car. It’s great. Uses an SD card instead of CDs. I have a 64 GB card in there now.

[corndog]

The income from Uber/Lyft is deceptively low. At first, it sounds like you can make decent money, but once you do the math and consider the cost of gas, maintenance, and the wear-and-tear you're putting on your car, the equation is quite different.

Edited August 24, 2018 by corndog

[bnm73]

The income from Uber/Lyft is deceptively low. At first, it sounds like you can make decent money, but once you do the math and consider the cost of gas, maintenance, and the wear-and-tear you're putting on your care, the equation is quite different.

 

Many people end up losing money, especially if they don't want to drive during "surge pricing" times (rush hour, etc.).

 

I’m thinking 10-4. Definitely not late night.

 

It’s a touring car. It’s great. Uses an SD card instead of CDs. I have a 64 GB card in there now.

 

And people get drunk at all times of the day and need a ride....just because you plan on driving during the day doesn't mean you're not going to have to clean vomit out of your car. Or bugs (fleas, bedbugs, etc. that are attached to people's clothing when they get in). And that's assuming you don't get a couple "three star" reviews early on that makes Uber/Lyft drop you entirely because your rating isn't high enough.

 

It's your decision, of course, but be prepared for the fact that it might not be as great as you want it to be.

[rvwnsd]

Having talked to a couple of Lyft and Uber drivers riding to and from the airport it seems like Lyft is the better of the two. One of the drivers mentioned Lyft has higher qualification standards than Uber does for its "premium" service. He also said that driving as a premium driver got him a better class of passenger.

 

EDIT: One of my first rides was from a guy who drove a top-of-the-line Jeep Commander. He wore a suit, driving gloves, and a cap. Have to say it made me smile.

[Bearofdistinction]

EDIT: One of my first rides was from a guy who drove a top-of-the-line Jeep Commander. He wore a suit, driving gloves, and a cap. Have to say it made

 

An escapee from Driving Miss Daisy

[Moe]

i have a new Audi Q7, and would like to get extra cash to pay it off. Anyone have any experience driving with Lyft or Uber’s?

 

I have acquaintances that drive for Uber and Lyft. The money making days are Friday and Saturday night where you will have to work the bar scenes to make decent money. You could make an extra 150-300 dollars a night depending on what city you live in and what is going on in town. I highly recommend you order some barf bags or buy buckets from the dollar tree. Get rubber floor mats as well. It's not worth it to work the weekdays unless there is an event (sports/concert). If you're willing to come out early before work, you might be able to pick up 1-2 trips that go to the airport which will net you anywhere from 15-40 bucks a day.

[instudiocity]

The income from Uber/Lyft is deceptively low. At first, it sounds like you can make decent money, but once you do the math and consider the cost of gas, maintenance, and the wear-and-tear you're putting on your car, the equation is quite different.

Especially when driving a Premium auto.

[bigvalboy]

i have a new Audi Q7, and would like to get extra cash to pay it off. Anyone have any experience driving with Lyft or Uber’s?

 

Disclaimer: This information applies only to Fort Lauderdale.

 

I just did Uber today to meet friends for lunch. Pouring rain, flooded streets so I didn't want to get the car messed up. I ordered Uber XL. I was picked up in a Cadillac Escalade. I had an interesting discussion with the driver, he was doing the very same thing that you want to do, he wanted to pay the car off early. What he told me was that the Escalade qualified for Uber XL and Uber LUX. I would imagine that your Audi will be the same.

 

He said that he rarely drives the Escalade during the daytime, because most of the trips are short, and during the day most people are not looking for a luxury ride, so during the summer months if a ride ends, he will often have to wait for someone to order Xl or LUX and there really isn't any place to wait in the heat, and the down time is not cost effective. He drives the Escalade mostly in the mornings and does airport runs. It's a longer trip, and he makes more money because people will order the XL or LUX for those kinds of runs and he said that people going to and from the airport often tip better. He also uses the Escalade at night and on weekends. More people going to dinner, and to clubs and want a nice car to arrive in. Again, longer rides, better tips. It is not unusual for someone at night to request a trip to Miami . He said those are very lucrative. His base ride is fairly high, and the tips are very good. He said that he rarely has any down time in the morning or in the evening.

 

He does drive for Uber and Lyft, and working the system to his advantage, he can stay fairly busy. He said that in Fort Lauderdale, Uber and Lyft have killed the taxi business, and the rental car business. I do have friends who are snowbirds that rarely rent a car anymore when they come down. Uber is so cheap to use, that it becomes unnecessary to rent a car anymore.

 

As for my ride today, which was around noon, he said that if he's not working and feels like working mid day, he will just pick and choose the rides that are longer. He stays away from the ones that are 5 miles or less. Coincidentally, I was meeting friends across town. He gave me his card and said he could pick me up in a couple of hours, which I agreed to. All in all it worked out.

 

Good luck....

[caliguy]

I’m thinking 10-4. Definitely not late night.

That's the worst time zone to be driving. Everybody's already at work at that time which means no surge. The only people you're going to be picking up are people who missed the bus and maybe some homeless people.

 

Many of them will leave you a bad rating just because you're driving a nice car. That's where you'll really see the worst in people.

[caliguy]

i have a new Audi Q7, and would like to get extra cash to pay it off. Anyone have any experience driving with Lyft or Uber’s?

You also have to have a special type of insurance to transport people. Many insurance companies will cancel your policy if they find out your driving for Lyft or Uber.

[amused1]

Don't forget to get the app that tracks your non passenger miles between pick ups. I think one of them is strider. Not sure if the spelling. Mileage between rides is deductable as an expense.

[Guest]

@gallahadesquire ponder this:

You may pay the car off early, but

The first miles you put on a car are the most expensive from the perspective of depreciation. If you are OK with a car that’s worth less more quickly, but paid off, that’s great. But you might think about the cost of depreciation early on relative to the interest expense. If you are going to keep the car forever, it doesn’t matter. But, if not, you may be getting yourself trapped and “underwater” on the loan unless you can pay your loan off VERY quickly.

 

An example: Decades ago I had a new position that would require me to drive a lot with mileage reimbursement. I had an 8 yr old Mazda with 100k miles that was well maintained and probably worth 5k. If I took it to 150k miles in a year and maintained it, it would probably be worth $3,500...a depreciation of of about 3¢/mile and maintenance wasn’t much at all. If I bought a new car for $30k and did that same 50k miles, the new car would have probably been worth $20k in a year (or less) with depreciation of 40¢/mile. I opted to stay with the existing car and made money out of my mileage reimbursement.