Compared to Uber and Lyft drivers, it appears that swiping with the CN app has an equal or greater ROI. And it has the benefits of not having to hang around hostile drunk people, or any people, for that matter, no chance of being killed in an accident, and no traffic or car problems to contend with, not to mention crazy bosses. Moreover, one can swipe while doing just about any unimportant activity both at home and away from home. Of course, CN does limit what ones rewards can be spent on, which is not the case with the driver's earnings.
"The upshot? The researchers found profit from ride-hail driving to be “very low”. On an hourly basis, the median profit was $3.37 per hour, with 74% of drivers earning less than the minimum wage in the state where they operate."
True indeed! I worked as a tax professional for a couple of years, and Uber / Lyft drivers almost always got upset when they realized how little their actual profit was after all their expenses; plus, they had to complete a Schedule C since they were essentially running their own business as independent contractors, thus greatly increasing their tax prep expense, too. For most, quite a different outcome than is often suggested (not guaranteed, you notice) on the respective companies' websites.
Yes the pay is sad. In my much younger days,in order to make some extra money, I had an LA Times car paper route where I made, I believe, about $400 a month for two hours a day X 30 days a month which = about $6+ an hour before expenses and taxes. But since I was an independent contractor, and since I was using my own car, there existed a tax law that said I only needed to report 1/2 of my earnings as taxable income. 3/4ths of the route, which I did with a VW Bug with the front passenger seat removed, was with the car parked as I delivered papers to apartment complexes. Thus, factoring in inflation, I made way more than most Lyft and Uber taxi drivers do today, although I had to show up for work at 3 or 4 in the a.m. 7 days a week, and contend with a few dogs.
"You'd think that but cellnuvo has a knack for attracting extreme anti-cellnuvo hostiles. They often seem drunk as well."
Well, another good thing about CN is that whoever is pro or con or drunk about it, the pro faction can still use the app , and if things really get out of hand, it's not possible for the pro, con, or inebriated to physically throw blows at one another.
I've never understood why anyone would risk being a driver.
I don't particular understand the attraction of uber, airbnb etc on either side - customer or those providing the service. I guess people will do anything for money or to save money.
Mo Money Blues: I think many of these Uber and Lyft drivers are just down on their luck and desperate, and thus have little choice but to accept some risk. It's not funny, but when I was going to school I drove a Taxi cab for "Gardena" Yellow Cab, with "Gardena" being one of the few, if not the only, city in the LA area that had legal Poker clubs. After a few months of picking up people who had bet and lost their farms or houses at these clubs, prostitutes, and other questionable characters, I decided it was time to retire while still alive. It was educational, though.
Many don't understand the true financials and Uber has taken advantage of that difference in knowledge.
You would however hope that anybody relying on Uber as an important source of income, would soon see the financial results for themselves and understand the numbers that way. Of course, there are a few who will continue regardless and there's no arguing with personal preference.
When I first saw the Uber estimates for certain journeys, I thought they were too low to make sense for the drivers. I would think that in certain scenarios it could make sense. For example, say you are giving somebody a ride and either have to come back home (eg airport drop off) or wait to bring them home (eg kids).
With Uber / Lyft, you could earn money during that time and / or driving you were going to do anyway. In the airport scenario, it'll be almost pure profit.
I also get the impression that city driving could be profitable.
Not something I would do but understandable why others do.
Recycling can could possibly be competitive with Uber/Lyft driving if one lived in a thrown away can rich environment, and depending on whether one drove a car or rode a bike while retrieving cans. I used to see an interesting bike riding fellow, who of all things had an ankle tracking bracelet on and born to kill tattooed on his fingers, at a local park several days a week as he was collecting cans. One day I asked him how business was and he told me he was getting his ankle bracelet removed and that he had saved enough money from recycling to buy a car. Next time I saw him he had his sort of a car, and I asked him if the cost of gas from driving his car to recycle would not eat into his profits, which he said he had not considered. I haven't seen him for a few years, yet I still wonder how he could ride a bike around with a tracking device on. Maybe he was limited to movement within a certain radius. Anyways, this guy made enough to buy a cheap car in a fairly short amount of time, or so it seems.
Speaking of Uber/Lyft drivers having to contend with drunk people, there is a least one Uber driver who probably doesn't mind drunk riders when they are asleep or passed out on a $1,600 journey.
When talking to support they asked what new phones we are interested in. So may I suggest you email support and ask for one of those phones new and unlocked.
