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> I met a Uber driver the other day who drives 5000 miles per month. Clearly that is close to exploitation. Averaging 30 miles an hour, that's 166 hours a mon

> I met a Uber driver the other day who drives 5000 miles per month. Clearly that is close to exploitation. Averaging 30 miles an hour, that's 166 hours a month.

stevesimmons 7y ago
How did you know 30mph is the right average speed? For instance, average driving speed in Manhattan in 2016 was 7.1mph. Your working time calculation also needs to consider loading and unloading passengers, gaps between fares, time for comfort breaks, refueling, vehicle cleaning and maintenance, etc.
- manfredo 7y ago
  > How did you know 30mph is the right average speed? For instance, average driving speed in Manhattan in 2016 was 7.1mph. And on the highway, it's 60-80 MPH. It could very well be under 160 hours. > Your working time calculation also needs to consider loading and unloading passengers, gaps between fares, time for comfort breaks, refueling, vehicle cleaning and maintenance, etc. True, and the 5000 mile count also needs to subtract driving for personal reasons. Judging by the previous comment the figure of 5000 was not limited to miles specifically driven for Uber.
dmode 7y ago
166 hours of driving can mean 8 hrs of driving for 20 days. This is very different than 8 hrs of sitting in front of a computer. I get tired driving 2 hrs every day back and forth from work. Not to mention that that hours can be way more in an urban area as most rides are short distances and traffic is very tight
- CydeWeys 7y ago
  Yeah, but that's what it is to be a full-time driver. It's no different than commercial truck drivers (long-haul or short haul), taxi drivers, limousine drivers, or really just anyone else whose job amounts to "driver".
andrei_says_ 7y ago
My commute to work which excludes downtime waiting for fares averages between 10 and 20 mph. Some of the streets I take have 40mph limit which is higher than average. So by these calculations, that person is driving close to or above 300h/month. Possibly with few bathroom brakes and no rest. While absorbing the cost for insurance and car amortization. If this is not exploration and a great deal for an unscrupulous employer I don’t know what is. Yes, the “economy” is doing great. And yes, for a frighteningly large proportion of its citizens the US feels more and more like a 3rd world country.

> I met a Uber driver the other day who drives 5000 miles per month. Clearly that is close to exploitation. Averaging 30 miles an hour, that's 166 hours a month.

stevesimmons 7y ago

How did you know 30mph is the right average speed? For instance, average driving speed in Manhattan in 2016 was 7.1mph. Your working time calculation also needs to consider loading and unloading passengers, gaps between fares, time for comfort breaks, refueling, vehicle cleaning and maintenance, etc.

manfredo 7y ago
> How did you know 30mph is the right average speed? For instance, average driving speed in Manhattan in 2016 was 7.1mph. And on the highway, it's 60-80 MPH. It could very well be under 160 hours. > Your working time calculation also needs to consider loading and unloading passengers, gaps between fares, time for comfort breaks, refueling, vehicle cleaning and maintenance, etc. True, and the 5000 mile count also needs to subtract driving for personal reasons. Judging by the previous comment the figure of 5000 was not limited to miles specifically driven for Uber.

dmode 7y ago

166 hours of driving can mean 8 hrs of driving for 20 days. This is very different than 8 hrs of sitting in front of a computer. I get tired driving 2 hrs every day back and forth from work. Not to mention that that hours can be way more in an urban area as most rides are short distances and traffic is very tight

CydeWeys 7y ago
Yeah, but that's what it is to be a full-time driver. It's no different than commercial truck drivers (long-haul or short haul), taxi drivers, limousine drivers, or really just anyone else whose job amounts to "driver".

andrei_says_ 7y ago

My commute to work which excludes downtime waiting for fares averages between 10 and 20 mph. Some of the streets I take have 40mph limit which is higher than average. So by these calculations, that person is driving close to or above 300h/month. Possibly with few bathroom brakes and no rest. While absorbing the cost for insurance and car amortization. If this is not exploration and a great deal for an unscrupulous employer I don’t know what is. Yes, the “economy” is doing great. And yes, for a frighteningly large proportion of its citizens the US feels more and more like a 3rd world country.