Have you ever taken an Uber? Well, I have and its pretty much replaced cabs when I want to get around. Uber is in cities all around the globe and has taken off to the point where it’s a billion dollar enterprise.
Here’s how it works – you download the app and add your credit card information. You call a car, you ride to your destination and your ride [including tip] is paid for through the app. Since no money is exchanged, its safer for drivers.
There are several car options as well – the cheapest is UberX, where ‘regular’ folks use their cars to transport people, UberTaxi (In NYC, which operates similarly to cabs) and Uber Black car, perhaps the best known division, which is most like a private car service with higher-end Black cars. There’s also UberXL, which offers multi-passenger cars driven by ‘regular’ folks and UberSUV, which is specific to large sports-utility vehicles.
Uber has also proven a boon to those who like to make money outside of a 9-5. Using your own car and setting your own hours, Uber drivers, who have to pass background tests and have clean driving records to work, can make upwards of thousands a week, depending on how many and what hours they drive.
As a regular Uber user, I’ve had drivers give me wide-ranging numbers for how much they make. But almost all I’ve talked to see a profit, whether its hundreds or thousands is up to them.
It’s working out so far for Uber driver Sam Nunez, based out of New York City. He says becoming an Uber driver has helped his bottom line and on his own terms. The father of three is a musician and Uber is his ‘side hustle’, which is working out pretty well.
“It’s very good so far,” says Nunez. “One of [the reasons I joined Uber] is that you have a lot of flexibility with you time and when you work, you make your money.”
In New York City Nunez, who drives UberX, says he makes about $1500 weekly. He says that Uber is in demand and that after a year, he’s doing well. Taxi cab companies nationwide have fought the entry of Uber into the transportation marketplace, but have been thwarted in most major cities that Uber operates. The consumers have spoken – with all of the problems and issues of taxi cabs (Just try to pay a taxi driver with a credit/debit card in many cities where the option is available) Uber has caught on in a big way. And in many cities, even cab drivers have signed up and signed on to drive for Uber. Nunez was one of them.
“You do whatever is best for you, period. Switching from a yellow taxi to Uber is what was best for me,” says Nunez.
You will need a car 2000 or 2005 and above, depending on your city. You must have a valid, clean driver’s license and be able to pass a background check.
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