I have been an Uber driver for almost a year now so I'd have to say I'm pretty well versed in the Uber world. I signed up in Virginia Beach, which is where I live, and it has been very fun and rewarding.
If you want to
sign up as an Uber driver you can use my signup code
IMSRF and you'll get an extra $150 after your first few rides (or whatever the promo is at that time). Which is awesome.. I'll get some money too so do it!
Anyways, all my friends that have signed up have asked me a lot of questions about driving for Uber, so I figured I would answer a lot of questions that they are always asking.
Keep in mind these answers are only specific to the Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake and Suffolk areas of Hampton Roads in Virginia.
Question 1: How much will I make if I drive 4-5 hours per day?
I wish the answer was more simple than it is. As any driver or rider for Uber knows, there is a thing called "Surge Pricing". Which means if there is a lot of demand for rides, Uber will increase the rate to get more drivers to a specific area.
If you drive during festivals, events or holidays you will make much more.
I have also found that a long ride will get you more money than a few short rides. For a few different reasons. Short rides have lots of breaks and you are not getting paid the whole time.. obvious enough but it is apparent when you are sitting in the middle of nowhere.
Question 2: Is it safe?
I believe is is more safe than some people think. The reason is, riders rank drivers. And also, drivers rank riders.
So both parties can see whether the other party is a nut job or not. Also, if a driver loses a certain amount of stars, Uber will cut them off and they won't be allowed to drive. So the community is strong and will filter out the bad seeds very quickly.
Question 3: How much does it cost?
Usually, with the exception of "surge pricing" times. An Uber ride is cheaper than a traditional taxi cab. In addition, usually there are more Uber drivers out on the road so you will get a ride much faster than going through a cab company.
Question 4: How does it work?
Well... what a loaded question. Dick.
Just joking, I think there will always be cab companies. But the difference is, Uber drivers work for themselves. When you contract an Uber driver for a ride, the app is the middle-man. You don't have to call the cab company to ask where your driver is, why they are late, etc.
The app shows you where the driver is, and estimated time of arrival. Along with contact info directly to the driver. So if you have special requests or trouble finding the driver, a simple text or phone call will connect you directly to the driver.
Question 5: How do I make the most money possible working for Uber?
I put this question in there, just because it is a question you only know to ask after you consider or actually start to drive for Uber.
Since there are not as many drivers in Virginia Beach, which is where I mainly drive. There are nuances to getting the most 'bang for your buck'. First off, having a fuel efficient car is DEFINITELY a plus. Mine is not so I get hit harder with gas prices offsetting my profit more than others.
It may seem like you would want to get on the road when nobody else is out there so you could get all the rides and make more money. Or at least that was my thinking at one point.
Until I got a ride request from someone that was about 30 minutes away from me. I was like, okay cool, this is fine.... They wanted a ride like 5 blocks down the road. Nuance.
I spent 20 miles worth of gas, 30 minutes of time and was left in the middle of nowhere so I had to drive back to civilization, which took about another 30 minutes to get back and get another ride. So an hour later I was $5 richer and 1 hour and $10 in gas more poor.
So short answer, don't drive when you are the only Driver out at the time. You will spend more money than you make.
Question 6: How do you do taxes as an Uber driver?
What do I look like.. a CPA?! No I had to look into this, it is a shady area for me as well since I'm horrible at taxes. You are basically an independent contractor, so basically 30% of your income will be taxed.
But. You can apparently either write off, car repairs, tires and permits/registration costs or mileage. But not both. So if you can, keep track of both and whichever adds up to more at the end of the year is what you will write off. Keep a mileage log, starting time/miles and ending time/miles.
Some articles I read say you can't start writing off miles until you pick up your first fare, but that's peanuts.
I think you can get like 0.30 cents a mile, but ask somebody that knows better than me, because I just turn in all my info to a guy that knows a guy that knows another guy whose wife is actually a CPA. Or my dad... nevermind.
Still have questions? Too bad! (contact me and I will return your call at our earliest convenience or just comment below)
Additional Notes: When you sign up in Hampton Roads, you are under the Richmond Uber hub, so all the text and email notifications you get will be geared towards driving in Richmond. They will alert you of events going on around Richmond for surge pricing incentives.
