How to earn money as an Uber driver
Ever wondered if there was a way to boost your earnings as an Uber driver?
If you’ve ever used Uber as a customer, you’re probably aware of all the promotions they offer for users. Luckily, there are several Uber driver promotions available as well. Let’s dive into what these promotions are and how much you can earn from them.
What is Uber?
Uber is a ridesharing app designed to simplify transportation. Instead of calling a taxi, customers can use Uber to enter their destination and let an Uber driver find them via the GPS on their phone.
Uber also offers a food delivery service, similar to Doordash.
For both these services, Uber needs drivers. Uber drivers choose their own hours and can decide to drive people around or only deliver food.
So, if you have a car and a driver’s license, Uber can be a great gig job to make quick cash. Keep in mind that you’ll need to pass a background check to become a driver.
What you can earn as a driver at Uber
How much you can make as an Uber driver will depend on where you are driving and what your availability looks like.
Demand for rides and fare surges vary widely by location and time of day, but the average range for drivers in the U.S. is between $10–$25 an hour.
Drivers in busy and populated cities like New York or San Francisco can generally expect to earn on the higher end of that range, and drivers in locations with lower demand, like Nashville, will likely earn less.
No matter where you live or which Uber service you drive for, working for a ridesharing company is a great way to make money while maintaining complete control over your work schedule.
Choosing your Uber driving options
There are several different services and levels of service that Uber provides, and as a driver, you can choose from among the services you are eligible to provide. Your vehicle type will determine your options.
Uber Eats — The most flexible of all Uber options and a good starting point if you don’t meet the more stringent requirements to be an Uber driver. You can work for Uber Eats with a car, scooter, or even just a bicycle in certain cities. You’ll receive a delivery order that you pick up from the business, generally a store or restaurant, and then make the delivery.
UberX — The standard Uber option that allows you to pick up anywhere from one to four passengers in a sedan. You can earn an additional $10 for each infant car seat your passengers need you to transport.
UberXL — The Uber option that allows you to pick up anywhere from one to six passengers in a van or SUV. You will need a six-seater vehicle in order to drive for UberXL.
How Uber driver earnings are calculated
So, how do earnings break down when you drive for Uber? Here’s what determines what you’ll earn as an Uber driver.
Standard trip fares with Uber
Drivers earn a base fare per ride, plus additional per-minute and per-mile rates that vary by city.
Uber surge fares
When many people call for an Uber at the same time, demand for the ride service goes up rapidly — this is known as a spike or surge. Drivers can make more money during this period. Check the heat map in your app to find out when and where these rides can be picked up.
For a price-surged ride, an additional surge amount or an upfront fare that includes the surge amount will be shown on your offer card.
Fares will vary depending on your city.
Uber’s service fee percentage does not change during surge pricing.
Because rates are updated based on the demand in real-time, a surge can change quickly.
Surge pricing is also specific to different areas in a city, so some neighborhoods may have surge pricing at the same time that other neighborhoods do not.
Keep track of when delivery surges happen in your area if you want to take advantage of this promotion and make a bonus amount on each ride. Then, you can plan your schedule around these high-demand times so that you’re always available to get surge bonuses.
If you give a high number of rides during surge periods, you can significantly boost your earning potential.
Uber driver promotions to help you earn more money as a driver
Want to earn up to $1,000 in extra cash and bonuses? How do these Uber promotions work? Here are eight Uber driver promotions the company provides as an incentive to boost your earnings as a driver.
1. Uber Rideshare new driver bonuses
There’s an Uber driver sign-up bonus available if you’ve never driven for Uber before. When you sign up as a new Uber driver, you can get a guaranteed amount of money for your first certain number of trips (based on your location) within 30 days.
This is only for new drivers, so you can’t take advantage of the Uber driver promo code if you’re already signed up and have already made your first ride.
The guaranteed amount varies by location as well.
2. Uber Eats sign-up bonuses
Just like the regular Uber app, Uber Eats also offers a sign-up bonus for new delivery drivers. You’ll get a different amount depending on the city you drive in.
3. Uber Quest
If you want to gamify your Uber gigs, try out Uber Quest the next time it pops up.
Uber Quest is usually based on high demand. You’ll have a specific target to hit for the number of Uber rides you make within a limited time. If you hit your target number of consecutive trips in the allotted time, you’ll get bonus earnings.
Think of it like a race that pays you to win.
If you want to be ready for an Uber Quest, make sure you’re loaded on gas and don’t have anything else planned on your schedule so that you can hit the target number of rides.
4. Driver referral bonuses
Do you know anyone else who would enjoy making money driving for Uber? Not only can you help your friends make money, but you can get bonus cash for every new driver you invite.
Refer your friends to Uber so that they can become drivers using your personal invite code. When you do this, you can earn a reward after the person you invite completes a certain number of trips.
You can also refer new riders if you know people who could use this service but haven’t tried Uber yet. Consider sharing your link on social media to get some of your friends to sign up.
5. Guaranteed hourly rates
Did you know that Uber offers to guarantee a specific hourly rate for its drivers?
This means that you’ll be able to predict the minimum income you’re able to make as a driver for Uber.
The guaranteed hourly rate amount depends on the city you live in. Some cities have a higher cost of living, which means you’ll get a higher guaranteed hourly rate.
If you make rides continuously for a specific number of hours and don’t make at least the guaranteed hourly amount, Uber will pay you the difference. Keep in mind that they won’t pay you this difference if you only make two ten-minute rides in an hour.
6. Uber partnership promotions
Did you know that you can make money with Uber even if you’re not a driver or a rider?
You can partner with Uber when you’re hosting an event to get a custom Uber promo code. For every person that uses Uber at your event, you’ll get some money back.
7. Weekly in-app promotions for Uber Eats
If you’re an Uber Eats driver, make sure to check in weekly in your Uber driver app for special promotions. These promotions are always different.
Some promos will only be available for drivers with a high ride request acceptance rate. So, if you frequently refuse deliveries, you may not be able to see all the promotions available to other drivers.
8. Uber Boost
Uber Boosts will sometimes appear in a specific area in your city. An Uber Boost multiplies the earnings you make for deliveries in that area.
Unlike delivery surges, this boost will multiply your earnings — it’s not a flat fee on top of your earnings.
Make money driving for Uber
Now you know how to make money as an Uber driver and how to take advantage of the Uber driver promotions that can boost your earnings.
Are you looking for other driving job opportunities? Sign up to Jobcase for delivery job opportunities near you.