How much do Uber drivers really make in 2024?

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How to make $1000 a week with Uber

Some people don’t realize that working as an Uber or Lyft driver gives you the opportunity to earn more money than you would think and on your own time. Even those who already drive may be surprised at how much more they can make.

Some Uber drivers waste time and fuel driving back and forth searching for riders and claim that it’s impossible to make $1,000 a week. In this article, we will show you that it is quite doable, and then tell you how to do it.

How does Uber calculate your pay?

According to Uber, they calculate your pay on a weekly basis by summing up your trip fares, cancellation fees, tips, promotions, referral awards and tolls. They then take away any Uber fees, vehicle fees and device subscriptions where applicable. The total pay is then deposited in your bank account and in most cases deposits are daily!

How much do Uber drivers earn?

This is one of the most commonly asked questions: How much do Uber drivers make? Uber drivers can make up to $25/hr in some locations according to The Gridwise App. Earnings vary from one driver to another, as it depends on what vehicle you use, where you drive, and how often. Check out this article to see a breakdown of median earnings by location.

Drivers in Fresno are reporting earnings of up to about $25 hourly, while drivers in Los Angeles take in about $17 and drivers in New York at around $23.

But as an example, at $20/hr, you need to work 10 hours per day 5 days a week to make $1,000. Totally doable!

The best Uber drivers manage to make a lot of money by having the right strategy in place.

For example, Nick Arapkiles earns more than $1,000 a week, and shares his driving experiences on Youtube. We’ve listened to his advice and added some useful tips to show you how you can do it too.

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How to start earning $1,000 a week with Uber

If you are not yet working with Uber, make sure that you meet the requirements. In most cities, you must be at least 21 years old with at least one year of driving experience in the USA. If you are under 23, you must have three years of experience.

If you are already an Uber driver, the most important thing is to optimize your working process. In this context, the term optimization means making the most of your physical capacity, and adjusting your working routine to become more effective. Here are some tips for accomplishing this.

1. Prepare for the working day

Make sure you dress comfortably. Your clothes should fit well, as you may spend a lot of time sitting in a car, and uncomfortable clothes may distract you from driving.

Take snacks and water with you so you don’t need to spend time on extra breaks. It’s an open secret that nutrition has a great impact on health and productivity.

2. Plan places for breaks

Of course, you can’t sit in your car for the entire day—you need to take breaks, just like everyone does. ScienceDaily research proves that a good break can make you more effective. Choose 1 to 5 places in different locations where you can have a good break without spending much money.

3. Sign up with Play Octopus

It’s a good idea to keep some type of entertainment in your car for passengers. Play Octopus provides rideshare drivers with FREE tablets that come with games for their passengers, along with a free data plan and auto-updates. Over 10,000 drivers have reported earning higher tips, better ratings, and better conversations with their passengers by simply using one of these tablets!

Drivers can earn up to $100/month for driving activity and passenger gameplay. Once you receive your tablet, you’ll gain exclusive access to the Octopus driver community to meet other drivers and share information. Plus, they do regular giveaways, prizes and bonus points from the Play Octopus team! You will also receive a free $15 sign up bonus for activating your account through this link.

Click here to order your FREE Octopus gaming tablet for your car.

4. Get up early enough in the morning to drive people to work, school, or airports

Many drivers sleep late, which means they skip the morning rush, one of the biggest opportunities to make serious money. Uber statistics indicate that morning peak time for driving is between 7:00 and 9:00 a.m. If you want to make money, get up early and be ready when your customers need you.

Many people need rides home from school and work as well. Spreading out your day to when people need you most gives you the best chance to earn up to $1,000 every week.

5. Use the Gridwise app

Check out our friends at Gridwise, the ultimate rideshare and delivery assistant. It’s a free app for iOS and Android that helps rideshare and food delivery drivers increase their earnings by up to 39% and save thousands on their tax bills.

By downloading Gridwise, you’ll be able to:

• See how many passengers are arriving or departing from nearby airports so you know exactly when there will be a peak in passenger demand
• Analyze how your earnings break down between rideshare and delivery services to see which service is earning you most
• Find out how your earnings compare to other drivers in your area
• Compare historical data and decide which days and times are most profitable to optimize your driving strategy

You can get Gridwise Plus for 45 days free by signing up with this link.

6. Work on weekends, holidays, and during big events

These are when surge times are most likely to happen, so driving during these periods significantly increases your chance to make $1,000 a week. Surge times allow you to earn extra on every trip.

7. Use the passenger app to see other cars in the area

It’s good to know where your competition is, but as an Uber driver, your app shows only your client’s location, not where other drivers are. To get around this, just download the Uber passenger’s app, which will show you how close competitors’ cars are both to you and to your potential clients. If there are too many cars, drive to a different location to increase the likelihood of finding a passenger.

8. Head to central areas during downtime

During downtimes, the chances of finding passengers are higher in busy urban areas than in suburbs.

9. Calculate and track your expenses

What gets measured, gets improved. If you want to make more money, you need to track your expenses. Calculate how much you spend on gas, coffee breaks, and other expenditures during working hours. Analyze this information and figure out how you can minimize your costs. For example, you may notice that over the course of a week you spend too much on buying coffee in shops: $4 a day doesn’t seem like that much, but at $5 a day, that works out to around $1,000 a year! Homemade coffee is cheaper, and you may even find that it tastes better too.

Hurdlr is a great tool to use to track your mileage and expenses. Click HERE to get signed up!

10. Drive with other on-demand delivery services

DoorDash is a great opportunity for gig workers to diversify their income. Instead of driving other people around, you can try delivering food, groceries, and even alcohol.

On average, you get paid $23/hr while on a delivery with DoorDash.

Conclusions – How much can you make with Uber?

As we’ve mentioned in this article, it is definitely possible to earn $1,000 a week. At worst, you will need to work 10 hours a day five days a week, but you can optimize your work and as a result, spend less time driving by following these helpful tips:

• Prepare for the working day in advance to feel comfortable in your car: Take snacks and water, dress comfortably, and don’t forget to do some physical exercise before and after driving.
• Get up early enough for the morning rush hour to drive people to work, school, or airports.
• Use the passenger app to see other cars in the area. Monitor where your competitors are and go to areas with fewer drivers to increase demand for your service.
• Head to central areas during quiet times because the chances of finding a passenger in a busy urban area is higher than in outlying areas.
• Take advantage of increased surge fares to make more money on each ride. If you expect a surge period — as rush hour begins, for example — log out of your Uber app and log in when the surge starts. This will result in a higher surge fare.
• Work on weekends, holidays and during big events because that is when demand for drivers is highest and surge fares occur most frequently.
• Calculate and track your expenses. Monitor how much money you spend on gas, coffee, snacks and so on. You may be surprised how quickly small expenditures add up.
• Diversify your income by testing new gig services like DoorDash.

Disclaimer

Actual earnings may differ and depend on factors like number of deliveries completed, time of day, location, and expenses. Hourly pay is calculated using average Dasher payouts while on a delivery (from the time you accept an order until the time you drop it off) over a 90 day period and includes compensation from peak pay, tips, and other incentives.