this post was submitted on 18 Aug 2023
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Generally the driver gets the majority of the ride cost, but their earnings vary a lot by region/time. If you're just asking if it's a good job, then the answer is a resounding no. I did it for a few months a couple years ago, and I have a friend who has done it as his full time job for the past 6 years or so. No change that Uber/Lyft makes is ever designed around benefiting the driver. You can safely assume that any new policy is going to make you earn less than you were before.
At the end of the day, you are not fairly compensated for vehicle wear and tear, fuel consumption is not factored properly for all rides, certain arbitrary locations pay more or less and require unpaid relocating to actually land rides, etc. The best is when you take a 2 hour trip only to find out after drop off that you aren't allowed to pick up new rides in that area and that you need to spend nearly the same amount of time getting back to an area you're qualified to drive in. I think that one at least has been mostly resolved since I drove years ago, but you get the idea...
So sounds a lot like the world of a pizza driver, which I have done that. No personal interest in doing so since I have a solid thing already but the concept of the freelance 'work when you feel' being more prevalent is I figgure a net good for some people. Particularly I think of the retired and board, or someone who wants a couple extra bucks for holidays, things like that.
"Not allowed to pick up/qualified to drive there"? That just seems bizzare and pointless...
I don't know if it's changed since my last attempt at it, but there were two separate reasons for not being able to pick up at specific areas. I was limited to my state for pick-ups, but could drop off anywhere. I also live about 20 minutes from a major city in a neighboring state... so you can see how that breaks the system instantly. It was probably a related to a local law, but that's just how shit worked.
The other reason was due to an airport agreement that I'm sure has since been undone. An airport about an hour north of me only allowed regular taxis. Lyft and Uber were not allowed to operate within about a 15 minute radius of their location. This, of course only affected pick-ups, so dropping someone off there resulted in about 30 minutes (15 getting out of the congested drop off area and 15 actually driving) of unpaid time. And that's assuming that you can find a ride the instant that you breach the barrier. Which you won't...