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One of my Uber drivers in the SF Bay Area told me that she went from making about $30/hr working in IT at a Fortune 500 company to making $40/hr driving for Ube

One of my Uber drivers in the SF Bay Area told me that she went from making about $30/hr working in IT at a Fortune 500 company to making $40/hr driving for Uber. She has been driving for over a year, and quit her job about 9 months ago and had been driving full time, during the day. She knew how to work the incentives and the surge so that she maximized her earnings, and instead of working 8+ hrs a day, she opted to work 5-6 hrs a day and maintain the same life style. I asked her about the costs, and she has that all accounted for, including gas and depreciation. She wishes she had known about the Uber lease plan because she said that was superior because it gave free maintenance and the ability to change cars once a year. I don't know enough about it to comment, but she seemed to be pretty happy about it and 90% of the drivers I've talked to are more than happy.

a13n 10y ago
Just wait till they all get laid off at once in favor of self driving cars and then ask how happy they are. This job isn't here to stay.
- tjbiddle 10y ago
  It's the same with any industry that's automated - it's not going to all happen at once. Self-driving cars will start to be introduced, and slowly human drivers will begin to pull out. The rug isn't going to be swept out from under them and they'll have time to adapt. In the meantime - a driver is free to capitalize on it how they see fit.
foepys 10y ago
Can't Uber dictate the price? Like if Uber doesn't feel like being expensive at rush hours to promote their service, drivers are paid less, aren't they? Also, what happens if more people learn about this and start driving for Uber? Wouldn't this lower the price for everyone? I feel like your Uber driver is gambling with their income by quitting a stable paying job. Then again maybe the job wasn't that good.
- mvid 10y ago
  I don't think you will find many uber drivers who quit a stable job in order to drive.

a13n 10y ago

Just wait till they all get laid off at once in favor of self driving cars and then ask how happy they are. This job isn't here to stay.

tjbiddle 10y ago
It's the same with any industry that's automated - it's not going to all happen at once. Self-driving cars will start to be introduced, and slowly human drivers will begin to pull out. The rug isn't going to be swept out from under them and they'll have time to adapt. In the meantime - a driver is free to capitalize on it how they see fit.

foepys 10y ago

Can't Uber dictate the price? Like if Uber doesn't feel like being expensive at rush hours to promote their service, drivers are paid less, aren't they? Also, what happens if more people learn about this and start driving for Uber? Wouldn't this lower the price for everyone? I feel like your Uber driver is gambling with their income by quitting a stable paying job. Then again maybe the job wasn't that good.

mvid 10y ago
I don't think you will find many uber drivers who quit a stable job in order to drive.