RIDEGURU
I have been seeing a pattern. People who are part-time and treating this as a side gig are not complaining. I always thought driving was supposed to be an ad-hoc business and you do it whenever you have free time and want a little extra cash.
I mean, doesn't anyone remember the "Date Night" Uber commercials, where a dude works a bit on Uber so he can afford a meal for his wife (or whomever)?
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Uber and Lyft both advertised in the beginning about drivers being able to make good money driving. In the beginning they were able to at 2.25 per mile. So why not drive full time at that rate? Your your own boss, flexibility, instant pay etc... Then once the markets got saturated with drivers rates were being decreased it became more and more difficult to make money. As time went on more veteran drivers quit because of the decreased rates, less money for promtions, market saturation. Now both companies are scraping the bottom of the barrel for drivers. Drivers that think they can turn on the app and the money comes flowing in with no thought process, not studying and getting to know your market. There is a lot of competition out there. You have to put some thought and research into when and where you drive. Many new drivers (not all) feel entitled and dont put any effort towards customer service. With the help of a fellow driver, research, many days of trial & error we know when …
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Uber and Lyft both advertised in the beginning about drivers being able to make good money driving. In the beginning they were able to at 2.25 per mile. So why not drive full time at that rate? Your your own boss, flexibility, instant pay etc... Then once the markets got saturated with drivers rates were being decreased it became more and more difficult to make money. As time went on more veteran drivers quit because of the decreased rates, less money for promtions, market saturation. Now both companies are scraping the bottom of the barrel for drivers. Drivers that think they can turn on the app and the money comes flowing in with no thought process, not studying and getting to know your market. There is a lot of competition out there. You have to put some thought and research into when and where you drive. Many new drivers (not all) feel entitled and dont put any effort towards customer service. With the help of a fellow driver, research, many days of trial & error we know when & where to drive. What trips to take, what trips to decline, and what type of people to drive. I can still make money and I get bigger and better tips more now than ever because of when and where I drive and the service I provide. I am far from perfect but I know when to talk, when to shut up. I am courteous, professional, and nice. I am running a business if I want good tips or any tips at all I need to provide good customer service. Help with luggage, make a stop, lower my radio or shut it off. I do whatever my rider asks as long as its possible and not an outrageous request. Uber and Lyft keep decreasing rates and yes it sucks. If you are not making money, or absolutely hate driving this isnt for you. If you are miserable your riders pick up on this and it just makes for a crappy ride.
My opinion is they need to raise driver rates maybe not to what drivers are asking but 20%/25% would be nice. Ill even be happy with last years rates. My rates per mile are .34 less than last year. Gas has gone up. Gas is killing us right now something needs to change when this happens. They need to be more transparent, rating system really needs adjusting, deactivation needs to be more fair and clearer to driver why they were deactivated, and safety needs to be addressed for drivers. If rates fall anymore and I am not making any money its time to go to Plan B. Its like any other job you dont like it, they dont pay you enough find something else. Unfortunately thats the harsh reality. Strikes, boycotts, etc.. are not going to work. I definately dont want to become an employee of Uber or Lyft. I love the freedom and flexibility. I never depended on surge, df, or promotions, and bonuses as I knew these could always be taken away at any given time. For now I'll Uber/Lyft on. Until I am not making money then its time to just move on. It sucks if this happens as I love to drive, meeting new interesting people (some are jerks, some are cheap), the flexibility, and instant pay.
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I think you are right. It is meant to be a side hustle. However, I don't want to live in a world where every taxi driver is an amateur "side hustling" driver...
I want skilled professional drivers. Our safety is dependent on them.
One word: GPS.
The reputable Black Cabs of London used to have tests for their drivers to make sure the drivers had memorized the map. They were highly touted... Then the GPS came around.
Anyone can drive these cars.
As for safety? People (whether they drive for Uber or not) drive all the time, and they aren't getting into lots of accidents. In short, we all know how to drive. I guess I am saying that you don't need to be "skilled" to drive a car. It's a common skill. definitely not specialized.
Waitresses are side hustles. They work adhoc hours.
but yes, I guess they are protected by minimum wages and stuff.
Where do you draw the line when everyone is driving as an independent contractor? 5? 10? 20? 30? a week? It doesn't matter how many hours people are working, drivers are complaining because they aren't paid enough on an hourly basis.
We are talking about hourly wages. Other industries like waiters are protected by minimum pay, so why shouldn't drivers be?
Because they aren't independent contractors. They are employed.