Guest post by Andrew H, founder of Rideshareowl.com.
Unless you have been living under a rock these past few years, you have probably heard about ride-sharing service Uber. The premise of this company is to match drivers using personal vehicles with passengers seeking rides through a mobile application. As it turns out, it is also a great source of income for moms!
Why drive for Uber?
- Make your own schedule (i.e. work at little or as much as you like)
- Use your personal vehicle to make money
- It pays really well!
Here in the Midwest we talk to a variety of drivers every day, and an increasing amount of them seem to be moms looking for an easy way to boost income. Uber is the perfect solution because of the low barrier to entry; all that is required is a well-maintained vehicle and a driver’s license. The signup process is very easy and takes about a week from start to finish.
Once approved, you are free to drive as much or as frequently as you please! That means that after you drop the kids off at school, you can flip on the app, give a ride, and then go back to your daily routine. There are no minimum or maximum working hours and if you choose, you may drive for ten minutes or ten hours! It’s all up to you. We have even talked to some drivers who drove for a week straight and then took two months off without damaging their driver standing – that’s one of the biggest selling points of driving for Uber.
We have found that most moms drive on the weekends because of a well-known incentive called Surge Pricing. At peak demand times, the base fare increases and the driver receives a multiple of the the base fare per mile in their particular city. We have seen this number range from 2x up to 10x! In fact, one mom we talked to last week made $200 in one ten-minute ride on New Year’s Eve. So whether it is an important holiday, weekend, or just after the kids have gone to sleep, driving for Uber is a great way to increase earnings!
Some drivers are initially skeptical of Uber driver safety, and the ever-present news stories do not help this mindset. You no longer need to worry, though, because your every movement is tracked via GPS! Additionally, each rider inputs his or her personal information into the app– this way you know exactly who you are picking up. Finally, you are able to share your location with others, which means that someone will know your position at all times.
It’s no secret that Uber makes it worth your time to get out on the road for a couple hours a week. Another benefit? Drivers get paid on a weekly basis and some drivers have told us they make up to $35/ hour! While this all depends greatly on how much time a driver is willing to put in, I personally have made over $300 in one night, so it’s at least worth your time to check it out.
In conclusion, being a semi-professional taxi driver does not sound glamorous, but with the potential to earn up to $35/hours it is definitely worth a thought. On top of the great pay, few other jobs let you make your own schedule or take a day off at the last minute to look after sick kids, so why not check Uber out!
RideShareOwl will even give a $50 Amazon gift card to the 50th person to visit its page and download the Uber app! So why not download it and check it out!
Marti Tabora says
I have thought often about becoming an Uber driver, but was worried about safety. I didn’t realize the app had these safety features. I like that a lot.
Julie Wood says
WOW! This really sounds like a great way to make money. I think that it would be a great service where I live. I will have to check it out!
Brenda says
My husband was going to start doing this to earn some extra money, but he hasn’t followed up on it. It does sound like a great way to earn money since it’s flexible based on your schedule.