A study conducted by the MIT Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research analysed revenue and costs for over 1100 Lyft and Uber drivers, with the conclusion that most earn below minimum wage for their state and about 30% actually lose money when all the costs of owning and operating their vehicles are taken into account.
"A Median driver generates $0.59 per mile of driving, and incurs costs of $0.30 per mile", "On an hourly basis, the median profit was $3.37 per hour".
Because actual vehicle operating costs are significantly lower than the IRS allowance of $0.54/mile, many drivers report incomes that are substantially lower that their actual incomes, leading to a large pool of untaxed income (although it is small for each driver).
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Saturday March 03 2018, @09:53PM
People enjoy driving, it's why over-the-road truck drivers will work for poverty level compensation.
Some people enjoy working with kids and virtually volunteer as teachers' aides in the elementary schools - and that's fine for them.
If Uber drivers enjoy what they do and know that it's screwing them financially then that's fine, let them drive because they enjoy meeting random strangers in random places at random times on an on-call basis and driving them where they want to go. It can be interesting, even exciting sometimes...
The problem is that a lot of people will see the short term paycheck and think they're making a living when instead they're actually digging themselves into debt... so that's where fact-based education needs to come in and help those who might not be thinking long-term for themselves.
When somebody declares bankruptcy, the rest of the world that hasn't declared bankruptcy gets to pick up their tab. I'd rather not be picking up the tabs of any happily deluded Uber drivers, or similarly deceived workers at minimal net-gain jobs.
Україна досі не є частиною Росії Слава Україні🌻 https://news.stanford.edu/2023/02/17/will-russia-ukraine-war-end