RIDEGURU
Big_Daddy
Ride Apprentice
4 DriverActivity
Posts by Big_Daddy
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Recently retired - getting started in the crazy world of 2022.
I'd like to get started in rideshare. Sadly I only have an old farm truck with a rebuilt title for …
Hello Cheesehead! I'm going to go out on a limb and guess you're a Packer's fan. Good for you! I got the 2011 Prius with 161k miles for about $7k, and took the old farm truck off of our insurance at the same time. If I can catch a commuter into Raleigh in the morning, hit some airport traffic and lunch traffic, and ride people home in the evening, I guess I might make something. I don't mind dropping people off at bars, but don't much want to watch/smell/hear them puke on the way home. Do any drivers hand out business cards so their riders can get them close to their house before they request a ride? Is there a service that let's people request drivers?
First, thank you for taking the time to reply. If it would work at all, it sounds like I'd probably barely break-even. I DID buy a used 2011 Prius, but it has 161k miles. I can use it for my personal needs, but I'm not sure it would stand up to rideshare. I talked to our tax people. If I have to pay 15.3% self-employment tax, 22% federal income tax, and 5% state income tax, out of every dollar I make, I'd keep less about 58 cents. Of course we can write off $.57 per mile, but at $3+ a gallon, even a Prius begins to hurt. If you add in maintenance, and $113 a month for insurance, it begins to sound like a losing proposition. I wish I had an app or database that would help me make good decisions about whether to drive or not. Driving for a tax deduction sort of feels like working for nothing but liability. Am I seeing this wrong?
Complex problems generally require complex solutions. Driver satisfaction requires more than higher rates, but higher rates are a pivotal component in driver satisfaction. If you take the ride, and get your rider to their destination, build a $1 unseen tip into the rate. Sure, it will be taxed, but otherwise leave it alone. Given the effects of the Administration's policies on the price of fuel, leverage the number of drivers to secure "best price" from large gas station chains regionally. Again, leveraging the large number of independent contractors, find some good insurance rates, and enter into an understanding with select vehicle providers to provide the lowest costs for insurance and cars. If you can't remain competitive by raising rates, then find ways to reduce costs. Finally, implement some common-sense responses to the things that cause drivers the most angst. If a driver can document an unreasonable and abusive rider, take away their bogus review. If a driver risks life and limb to enter a crime-ridden area, incentivize the ride. If the area is having civil unrest or natural disaster, do not fault the driver for avoiding that area, and incentivize their rides from adjacent areas. Do not expect drivers to transport rioters and looters. If a driver has a valid police report, treat them with respect, gratitude, and compassion. Provide driver support in the nation where they reside, that speaks the primary language of that country as a first-language. Finally create a metric that compares the relative population of riders in a given area to the number of drivers you hire to service that area. The three legs of the solution require driver support, reduction in driver expenses, and a modest increase in rates based on fuel prices and inflation.