51–60 of 224 posts
Vs. 0 dollars if these services did not exist.
Are you implying that if they were not earning $3/hr, they would use those hours to sit around and mope? The point is that $3/hr is a very small reward for your time when compared to pretty much any other use of that hour(i.e. flipping burgers, bagging groceries, making coffee is 3x as lucrative)
The problem isn't the profit, but that there are a number of people using this as one of their primary income sources. I'm not sure how Uber et. al was originally promoted to drivers, but I've originally seen it as something like "I'm heading home from work, let me turn on my uber app and see if anyone around me needs a ride going in that direction". Or, "I feel like riding around tonight, no particular place to go,…
Do they allow you to set a destination area so that your fares are limited to this, or do you just get to review and accept fares so you can choose ones in the right direction? I wasn't aware it could be used to just pick up someone going the same direction.
I can see something like that doing very well, but I can also see how Uber might want to brand it slightly differently, as those drivers may be slightly less invested in driving for Uber and might be more likely to flake or not be as accommodating to passengers.
What is the incentive to drive for one of these services at that price point? Couldn't these people make more money (and not have to replace their car in five years) flipping burgers or the like? Are drivers misled into believing they will make more? Is the cost per mile intentionally hidden from them?
Yeah but would you rather flip burgers and smell like french fries the whole time? Driving people around is not completely unpleasant in comparison.
It does seem that there are glaring flaws in the methodology: 1) They use average numbers for vehicle expenses which are going to be much higher than what professional drivers with strong profit incentives are going to pay 2) They report on a sampled average of all Uber drivers while acknowledging that the vast majority of these are part time and temporary employees who are not really optimizing their profits. If the…
I'm with you, this study isn't worth a damn. I have friends that make $200-300 per night (in maybe 8 hours) driving for Uber (after Uber's cut). They'll use, what, $20-30 worth of gas in that time? And the rest of the costs (insurance and vehicle cost/wear namely) are negligible (tax deduction does not indicate real cost). Driving revenue in cities is way off the right of their chart. Seems like just another contribu…
So any study that says it is more expensive than that to drive for Uber is wrong.
Vs. 0 dollars if these services did not exist.
What? Hardly. The people who drive for Uber and Lyft are able-bodied adults who could be doing other unskilled labor positions for much more than zero. There's a real opportunity cost here. Hopefully studies like this help the drivers recognize their value and they can negotiate better (leave until their rates increase).
What is the incentive to drive for one of these services at that price point? Couldn't these people make more money (and not have to replace their car in five years) flipping burgers or the like? Are drivers misled into believing they will make more? Is the cost per mile intentionally hidden from them?
Subprime leasing programs. Initially the lease looks very attractive, because you get a swanky new car, combined with bonuses and stuff that you get as a new driver. Few months in, the incentive turns into a shackle. You start realizing that incentives are dwindling and the monthly payments are eating into most of your Uber earnings, which was masked by higher new driver incentives initially. At this point, loss aver…
I've started seeing "buy here pay here" auto dealerships use "Uber-ready" as a marketing message on their most expensive cars (and subsequently most insane leasing arrangements).
It's a smart selling point, because you're overcoming peoples' general aversion to spending $$$ on luxuries for themselves by allowing them to justify the nice-car purchase as a business investment. Sure man, you really NEED that F150 to ferry drunk kids around a five block radius from Duke.
Vs. 0 dollars if these services did not exist.
Exactly. Friend wanted spending $ to europe. Became uber driver. Within one week had extra spending $.
Unfortunately, I believe they make up a small minority of drivers, at least in most metro areas.
Discussing a rideshare worker's take-home pay as "profit" really accepts the framing of the company. Yes it's technically true that each driver is an independent contractor ("Small Business Owner"), but this designation is a farce without the ability to set pricing. The take-home pay isn't profit in practice, it's wages less unreimbursed expenses.
From the driver’s perspective, is there any difference?
The problem isn't the profit, but that there are a number of people using this as one of their primary income sources. I'm not sure how Uber et. al was originally promoted to drivers, but I've originally seen it as something like "I'm heading home from work, let me turn on my uber app and see if anyone around me needs a ride going in that direction". Or, "I feel like riding around tonight, no particular place to go,…
> see if anyone around me needs a ride going in that direction Do they allow you to set a destination area so that your fares are limited to this, or do you just get to review and accept fares so you can choose ones in the right direction? I wasn't aware it could be used to just pick up someone going the same direction. I can see something like that doing very well, but I can also see how Uber might want to brand it…
Uber didn't last I checked, but Lyft does.