We all know that there’s a big Uber driver shortage right now, so Uber is pulling out all the stops to entice drivers back onto the road. Harry himself took advantage of the $100 for 3 trips bonus recently and the other day, he saw a message in LA from Uber that claimed drivers are making nearly $40/hr!
Top drivers in our training courses can make up to $30-40/hr in the big cities but average drivers typically make $15-20 per hour before expenses according to our Uber driver survey. In bigger cities, that average may be closer to $20-25 per hour. So $40/hr is indeed one of the highest average earnings claims we’ve ever seen.
So we wanted to know: are Uber drivers really make that amount, or are these “earnings” inflated? We dug into some Uber claims below.
If you’ve seen one of these “drivers in your area are making…” pop ups, make sure to share it with us in the comments below or via email! And let us know if you believe it or think they’re full of it.
If you’re convinced and ready to sign up to drive with Uber, you can do so using our affiliate link here.
Are Uber Drivers Really Earning $40/Hour in Los Angeles?
One of the claims Uber has recently made is that drivers are making $40/hr in the LA area.
An upside, for their part, is Uber at least gives you the breakdown that your earnings might differ based on when you’re driving, how many hours you commit to and other specifics that change on a case-by-case basis.
Since these numbers include bonuses/promotions, tips and the trip fare, it may be believable.
Of course, keep in mind that this amount is the hard number before driver expenses. Another thing to be aware of is we don’t know if these are on-app hours or booked/engaged hours, which also makes a difference in calculating.
We lean toward thinking it’s engaged time that they are using for their calculations because that would increase the per hour earnings in most cases.
However, these days it’s more common to receive ride after ride request because of the shortage of drivers and influx in passengers in most markets. So even if it is engaged only hours, I imagine there’s not much offline time so it may be a moot point.
Driver Reactions
We posted about these earnings on our YouTube community page, Facebook and Twitter. Here’s what drivers like you had to say about it.
On YouTube, a poster drove home the fact that these earnings are very market-based, “In Erie PA, those numbers are a pipe dream…”
If you’ve received a “drivers are earning X in your area” alert, make sure to share it with us in the comments or via email at harry (at) therideshareguy.com!
One driver stated, “I average $40 an hour if you were to add my whole week hours. But during weekdays it’s between 30 and 35 an hour and weekends between 50 and 60 an hour.”
Another said, “Drove 7 hours, 1 minute (online time) yesterday. Made $282. $40+/hr.”
Other drivers who preferred to remain anonymous emailed us and said they regularly earn $40 per hour in markets like Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and other big cities.
They said their secrets include being very picky about rides – only accepting ones with surges or other incentives – and driving at busy times of the day. Their strategy is fewer hours on the road, but quality (i.e. high earnings) hours.
On Facebook, we even had one commenter say, “If you count quest bonuses I’m closer to $50 an hour on average over the last three months.”
Someone even shared a screenshot of their earnings:
This shows an average of $47.79/hr using the online time and about $49/hr using their engaged hours.
However, as more drivers return to rideshare, some drivers are beginning to see a reduction in earnings, like this driver in St. Louis:
“In STL I averaged $40/hr. on weekends for close to the past year. Now that Uber has oversaturated our market with new drivers and bonuses etc, it’s back to the old days of $18/hr.”
Will High Rideshare Earnings Last?
Unfortunately, it’s not likely high rideshare earnings will last long.
While it would be fantastic to earn $40/hr on a regular basis, this is likely due to the extra promotions that Uber is offering to get drivers on the road and will only last until they feel the market is well saturated.
If the supply and demand problem evens out, there won’t be a “need” to give drivers extra money to work and all will go back to “normal”.
Again, this does vary by market as well. Some markets never felt the sting of not having enough drivers, in which case, promotions and earnings like this might be a pipe dream. But for those who are able to make these kinds of hourly earnings, go for it while you can. It won’t last forever.
If you haven’t tried driving for Uber before, but want to give it a shot, now is probably the best time to do it earnings-wise. We recommend signing up for the following companies while earnings are still high:
Are you making higher earnings now vs. pre-pandemic? Or have you always earned higher than average earnings in your city?
-Paula @ RSG
