Had an Uber yesterday where the dude picked me up in a BMW 7 series. Apparently he used to make over $200k a year in oil and gas but got laid off last year.
I drove for Lyft from late January through mid May and gave it up. one of my last days on the job included a drug run to South Central LA and I picked up a heroin addict trying to get back to his sober living facility by his curfew. later that night I picked up a nurse from a separate sober living facility and then a man who lost his leg to childhood cancer. it was a surreal night and I was ready to move on. It wasn't worth the time, and it had me chasing the dragon towards algorithmic driver incentives. the house odds are always in favor of the app makers.
Yes. Forgot that added that. But, my understanding is your private insurance will deny you if they can prove you were "working" by looking for rides, and Uber won't cover that portion of "the job." So there is an insurance gap not covered by Uber or your personal insurance, for you driving around, which is the bulk of time spent in the car. I think the insurance company can prove you were "on the job" by subpoenaing the App records of the driver being logged in, which they might do on big accidents.
I've heard this too. I plan on contacting insurance carriers anonymously this week (including mine) to find out what the story is there. This question came up at an UBER meeting we had for the kick off here and the manager for the state said they have worked it out with all the major carriers. (yeah...think I'll just double check this myself thanks). I have seen messages on FB recently from insurance agents that claim they do cover UBER drivers so I know some do...just got to find out if mine is one of them.
Yes, insurance companies will say "we cover Uber drivers," but that's not really the question. Question is : Do they cover the business-use of the car with your regular private insurance. When you call, ask them if you have to buy a rider for business-use of the car, or if you're *already* covered.
I Ubered a few times here in Tallahassee. I made $160 total so I didn't get a ton of experience but I had one night where I did it from like 11PM-2AM and made $60. That was by far my most profitable and interesting night. A few notes: - Really sucks for the drivers trying to make money. My night began with picking someone up around the college kid club/bar area and driving them to the outskirts of town, then driving back riderless, repeat, x3. It sucks because you don't get paid for all the time driving without a passenger. - Doesn't seem super safe for young women. I took 2 or 3 girls to their homes alone that night, and they were at bars so they may or may not have been intoxicated. - A guy got into my passenger seat with an open beer and drank it for the duration of the ride. - In a group of 4, one girl sat directly behind me and made a few "dry heave" noises. She was clearly super drunk and I was just waiting for her to vomit in my car. That would have sucked. I made $60 that night but then you have to take out mileage on my car and gas. If you want to make a little money with a fun and flexible schedule, go for it. But I wouldn't expect it to pay the bills.
