How Has Driving for Uber Changed Since the Pandemic?: Rideshare Drivers React

[Editor’s note: Quotes are lightly edited for clarity]

Our latest episode on The Rideshare Guy! Take a listen to my latest podcast episode with Alissa Orlando and David Alexis of The Drivers Cooperative, a driver-owned and operated ridesharing model in New York City. We discuss how The Drivers Co-op came about, its funding and finances, and the biggest challenges facing driver-owned ridesharing companies. 

How Has Driving for Uber Changed Since the Pandemic?

As the United States begins to emerge from the coronavirus pandemic, demand for rideshare is surging. But what’s it like on the road for drivers who are still out there?

We interviewed one driver about his experience driving for Uber in 2021, and just how different it is from 2020 to 2021. One thing in particular? Passenger interactions - they are fewer and often result in lower or non-existent tips. 

Here’s what readers are saying:

While rideshare demand (and prices!) might be up for passengers, many drivers are not seeing these huge fees trickling down to them. As driver John shares, drivers are chasing bonuses for lower pay:

“With the exception of the first month, I maintained equal or higher earnings, but unless you drive 60 hours a week or more, chasing shrinking Quest bonuses will actually hurt your earnings.”

Chime in on the discussion here.

Is Uber Taking More And Paying Drivers Less?? How To Calculate Uber's Take!

Are drivers really getting their full fares? Ever since upfront pricing came into the picture, this is a question many drivers have been asking. In this video, we help drivers calculate Uber’s take rate and driver earnings. 

Here’s what readers are saying:

Uber has made it clear they need more drivers on the road, as this reader notes below. So why isn’t Uber sharing more of the profit with drivers?:

“Uber says the surge is there to motivate more drivers to log on in order to bring down the wait times. If this is the case, then why is Uber taking any part of the surge that is charged?”

On the other hand, another driver who calculated their take rate shares Uber’s take rate has decreased in recent years:

“You asked us to comment our take rate - here's mine.  Rural Pennsylvania.  2017 - uber take 33.2%, 2018 - 34.7%, 2019 - 33.7%, 2020 - 29.0%, 2021 - TBD.  Uber seems to be behind in putting up the monthly summaries, but the months that are listed it's about the same as prior years. As a rule of thumb, I figure I’m getting about 2/3 of the fare.”

Chime in on the discussion here.

DoorDash Driver: Can Using The Para App Get You Deactivated?

Recently, delivery drivers discovered a popular feature in the Para app - the ability to see exactly what DoorDash customers were tipping drivers! Awesome, right? Finally, delivery drivers could see if a delivery was worth their time/gas to pick up based on distance + total earnings (+ tip).

Of course, the first question we had: is this against DoorDash’s terms of service? And would drivers be deactivated for using this app? Here’s what drivers had to say!

Here’s what readers are saying:

According to delivery companies, they don’t want drivers knowing full tip information because it could lead drivers to “cherry picking” deliveries, and big tipping customers would get better/faster service. For reader Mike, this is exactly the point:

“The REAL reason the gig-app companies (all of them, not just DoorDash) limit the amount of information they give drivers upfront is that's how they trick/cajole/coerce drivers into taking trips that aren't worth it.  Trips that drivers would've declined had they known the full disclosure upfront. 

And the REAL reason this matters to the companies is that the ONLY way they'd be able to offset that would be to raise the base pay on the low paying trips, and they don't want to do that.”

Chime in on the discussion here.