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No one is saying they're too incompetent. What's being said is that they're not doing the analysis for whatever reason. And while you may know some who have run

No one is saying they're too incompetent. What's being said is that they're not doing the analysis for whatever reason. And while you may know some who have run the numbers I also know some uber drivers who haven't. Furthermore, we shouldn't apply this only to people who drive 40+ hours. I bet as we transition down to people who drive 20 hours, 10 hours and less we'll find a lot of people who are barely breaking even or worse once other costs are considered.

sokoloff 9y ago
I suspect a lot of those low-hour, occasional drivers were going to have all of the fixed costs of the vehicle anyway and are only looking to cover the marginal costs. That's a perfectly reasonable strategy and the fact that they aren't covering average cost is irrelevant, so long as they're covering the marginal costs of driving Uber/Lyft.
- frgtpsswrdlame 9y ago
  I think those low cost drivers, if they even think about it, believe they're more than covering their marginal costs. They idea that they're essentially paying depreciation plus a small premium to themselves would not go over well if it were more apparent. Perhaps what we need is another anti-ride-sharing calculator where you can plug in a whole bunch of details about your car and insurance, normal driving habits and ride-sharing driving habits and it will tell you how much you make minus the hidden risks/costs.
  - nostrademons 9y ago
    The car's going to depreciate whether you drive for Uber or not. Most car owners treat the car as a sunk cost that you need to live in America today, and figure they might as well earn some extra money if they have to pay that cost anyway. I really doubt there are many people going out there and buying cars just so they can drive for Uber.
    - saimiam 9y ago
      There are businesses which will sell/lease you a new car just to get you into the car-share business. If such companies exist, I'm willing to bet people are buying new cars to start driving for Uber.
    - Shikadi 9y ago
      That's problematic thinking, putting more miles on a car wears it out faster. Sunk cost or not, say you drive twice as much because you're an Uber driver, you will now have to perform maintenance and repairs twice as often, give or take based on differences in driving and whether or not the car starts cold every time. Maybe the numbers work out, but ignoring them probably doesn't make sense, especially if you drive a car that is known to be on the less reliable side.
  - icebraining 9y ago
    Such calculators already exist: https://www.finder.com.au/uber-driver-income-calculator https://www.finder.com.au/uber-driver-income-calculator

sokoloff 9y ago

I suspect a lot of those low-hour, occasional drivers were going to have all of the fixed costs of the vehicle anyway and are only looking to cover the marginal costs. That's a perfectly reasonable strategy and the fact that they aren't covering average cost is irrelevant, so long as they're covering the marginal costs of driving Uber/Lyft.

frgtpsswrdlame 9y ago
I think those low cost drivers, if they even think about it, believe they're more than covering their marginal costs. They idea that they're essentially paying depreciation plus a small premium to themselves would not go over well if it were more apparent. Perhaps what we need is another anti-ride-sharing calculator where you can plug in a whole bunch of details about your car and insurance, normal driving habits and ride-sharing driving habits and it will tell you how much you make minus the hidden risks/costs.
- nostrademons 9y ago
  The car's going to depreciate whether you drive for Uber or not. Most car owners treat the car as a sunk cost that you need to live in America today, and figure they might as well earn some extra money if they have to pay that cost anyway. I really doubt there are many people going out there and buying cars just so they can drive for Uber.
  - saimiam 9y ago
    There are businesses which will sell/lease you a new car just to get you into the car-share business. If such companies exist, I'm willing to bet people are buying new cars to start driving for Uber.
  - Shikadi 9y ago
    That's problematic thinking, putting more miles on a car wears it out faster. Sunk cost or not, say you drive twice as much because you're an Uber driver, you will now have to perform maintenance and repairs twice as often, give or take based on differences in driving and whether or not the car starts cold every time. Maybe the numbers work out, but ignoring them probably doesn't make sense, especially if you drive a car that is known to be on the less reliable side.
- icebraining 9y ago
  Such calculators already exist: https://www.finder.com.au/uber-driver-income-calculator https://www.finder.com.au/uber-driver-income-calculator