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Uber in a Prius

Discussion in 'Fred's House of Pancakes' started by MilkyWay, Oct 11, 2016.

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  1. MilkyWay

    MilkyWay Active Member

    Joined:
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    Location:
    MI
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    II
    delete if not allowed but....

    I turned my 2008 Prius into an Uber vehicle last month (and Lyft - but I personally do not like Lyft).

    My idea was to do the 25 rides for a free $240 (the sign-on bonus varies by city) and see how I liked it...

    It is a job...and you cannot expect to make a lot of money without putting in the time...My record is $350 in one day but hitting even a fair amount such as $150 takes a lot of time (7-8 hours if you are lucky!)...You'll usually put in about 10 hours to get close to that $200 mark...These numbers are after Uber takes out their fee.

    Major cities and airport runs are the best.

    For a car you put a ton of miles on it is such a no-brainer to use a Prius...Pay is low enough as it is so I don't know how people survive getting 25mpg and constant break-downs.

    Only issue I have with my car is tire pressure light is on...Have done nothing but gas and oil changes but plan to put a good set of tires on for the winter.

    My longest fare was about 1 hour 15 minutes. My highest paying fares were around $60 for a 30 minute drive (prices can "surge" at 2-3X the normal rate and sometimes higher after concerts and sports events)...But most of the time you are nickel-and-diming all day...

    If you have no better alternatives, or you like the flexibility of not having a boss, or you are looking for a side gig then it is decent.

    You get a good federal tax deduction of 57.5 cents per mile....So you shouldn't owe much when you file your taxes...

    I suspect I'll have put at least 20,000 miles in my 3 months...And I think I'll make around $9000 or so in these 3 months (so long as I keep putting the hours in - and let me tell you it is a LOT OF HOURS).....Well, 20,000 miles *.575 means I can deduct $11,500 off of my gross income of $9000.....So I won't owe anything at the end of the year for this job. These are of course projections and may be way over/under.

    Anyone else do this on the side? Feel free to comment or even PM. It has its major DOWNS like any job but clearly some upside too.

    I think I will grin and bear it for now - but I don't think I will be doing this 2 years from now...
     
    Patrick Devine, RCO and bisco like this.
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    Plug-in Base
    you're right. in this economy, it's nice to have something to be able to do to make a living. all the best!(y)
     
    RCO likes this.
  3. Blizzard_Persona

    Blizzard_Persona Senior Member

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    Thanks for the thorough explanation of what working for Uber is like. I appreciate it and have always wondered how the drivers make out :)

    But yeah 20k miles in 3 months is a lot! Wow. That's a tough pill to swallow blowing through your entire warranty in half a year or less...yikes.
     
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  4. MilkyWay

    MilkyWay Active Member

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    Yes - but that is why I would go used with at least 130k and cheap...

    I bought mine with 145k miles

    Definitely not worth doing in an expensive low mileage car - although many people go that route it seems
     
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  5. Danny3xd

    Danny3xd Active Member

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    Location:
    CT. U.S.
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    Model:
    II
    I did lyft for a short while. until they pulled out of CT. They are back now. Starting with them and uber Monday.

    Kind of a fun gig.

    Read a few articles today and all said Prius was the optimal car to use. For the dependability, milage and passenger /cargo space.
     
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  6. MilkyWay

    MilkyWay Active Member

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    Nice. If you don't have an Uber referral to get sign-on bonus let me know...
     
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  7. Danny3xd

    Danny3xd Active Member

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    II
    Cool, MW. Thanks.
    I signed up months ago but read they can apply code retroactively.
    As I have yet to do any work or finish the process.
     
    RCO likes this.
  8. Trollbait

    Trollbait It's a D&D thing

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    Did you then, or plan to now, inform your insurance company that you use your car for this purpose?
     
    RCO likes this.
  9. Jimi1976

    Jimi1976 Active Member

    Joined:
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    Location:
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    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    III
    Solid point.
    An ex co-worker (who was fired), proceeded to use his brand new jeep Cherokee to drive for Uber. He was t-boned, while driving an Uber passenger, and totaled the car. Nobody was hurt, thankfully, but his insurance company wouldn't cover anything.
    NOTHING.
    It pretty much ruined him.
     
    RCO likes this.
  10. MilkyWay

    MilkyWay Active Member

    Joined:
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    Location:
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    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    II
    Yes, you can but you have to message support with code...They may need email or phone number...not sure but let me know.

    I have a few tricks that can help. Really the main thing is to mentally note the surge times (for example, around here, it surges at the airport at night...just after 9pm). So I'll go to the airport and check the passenger app to see how many cars it shows on the road...As soon as they (other uber drivers) disappear from the passenger app it surges...I'm actually sitting there...patiently waiting...But "offline"...Once it hits about 1.8X I'll turn my app on and practically immediately get a surging airport run...If you are in a typically busy area but not getting requests you might want to check the passenger app to see how many drivers are around you...If there are 5 cars within 2 blocks of you then you have a very tiny chance of getting a request.

    I use flightstats.com to check arrival times...Airport can be busy (good time to be there) or slow (with long wait times).

    I would not try to chase surges (for example, if you see you are 15 minutes from a surge area by the time you drive there it will probably disappear)...

    College towns get very busy with home football games....It surges by my house heavily in the morning (7-8:30am) when people are going to work but it's hard for me to hit the road that early...A lot of people do well at night --- but I personally prefer mostly daytime driving.

    I'm not sure what the best strategy is as it relates to "deadheading"...Sometimes it is good just to sit still and wait for a request...Other times deadheading 25 minutes or more to the airport (or other hot areas) is a good strategy.

    As far as your rating...Clean car, learn how to follow the blue line on google maps, and drive normal (not super fast).

    Join the Uber drivers FB page for a lot of other tips...There are slow days and busy days...A lot of luck involved!
     
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