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Uber Increases Their Booking Fees Nationwide (Again)

Last week, Uber announced that they would be raising the booking fee for a second time this year. The first time around, the increase amounts ranged from $0.20 to $0.35, depending on the city, and it meant Uber was going to take a larger commission from each ride. This time around, the booking fee is going up by $0.15 – $0.50 in non POOL cities and by $0.20-$0.30 in POOL cities on X and POOL.

Uber advertises a 25% commission to new drivers but when you include the booking fee, their median commission is actually closer to 40%. Now it will be even higher. Uber made this announcement to all drivers last week via email and in the driver/rider apps. Uber says the increase is due to safety, operational and regulatory costs.  And although drivers will still get paid the same amounts, it does mean that passengers will pay more for the same ride and Uber will keep a larger cut.

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Uber and Lyft are both increasing their booking fees - again. We cover how it affects drivers and passengers, and what you can expect -

Make Every Mile Count

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How to Calculate Uber’s Percentage in an Upfront Fare World

With Uber’s recent upfront pricing changes, you may be wondering how to calculate your new pay vs. Uber’s cut. Luckily, today RSG contributor Curtis Preston provides his spreadsheet analysis and a step-by-step walk through for calculating your new driver pay. Questions? Leave them below in the comments!

There was a time when we knew exactly how much Uber made from each ride. It was 20% of however much the rider paid. Then 20% turned into 25%, but still that was easy to understand. Things got more complicated when Uber introduced the booking fee – currently $1.95 in my market – and did not give us a cut of that fee. That effectively increased Uber’s share of each ride by a significant amount, and the smaller the fare, the greater their percentage.

Then UberPOOL was introduced, and it became nearly impossible to figure out how much they were making. The complete disconnect between what customers were paying and what drivers were paid left many drivers feeling that they were getting ripped off. Knowing that Uber was getting paid for multiple riders – while the driver only got paid for a single trip – added to that frustration and fear.

With Uber's recent driver pay changes, we thought it would be helpful to provide you with a new way to calculate Uber's percentage - leave your q's below!

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Understanding Uber’s New Pay Statement

Harry here. Have you ever looked at your Uber pay statement and been completely confused? You’re not the only one! We’ve received a lot of emails about Uber’s pay statement and how to determine how much you’re actually getting paid, so today we’re having RSG contributor Curtis Preston explain the Uber pay statement. Have questions about your pay statement? Send me an email or leave a comment below!

If you find yourself confused by your new earnings statement, don’t fret.  You’re not alone. I’ll explain how it works and how it actually gives you more information than we’ve ever seen before.  

Wondering how to read your Uber pay statement? Uber's new pay statement actually gives drivers more info than before - here's how to read it.

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Is it Better to Drive During the Day or at Night?

Harry here. In general, I’ve found it better to work at night, especially weekend nights, because you can usually guarantee on bar hoppers and club goers to request an Uber or Lyft ride all throughout the night. However, not everyone can (or wants to) drive at night, so today, senior RSG contributor John Ince compares day time driving to nighttime driving to see which one truly comes out on top. 

Haven’t started driving yet and considering signing up? Check out my “Guide to Uber Driving” here and my “Ultimate Guide to Driving for Lyft” here to see if it’s right for you!

Have you ever wondered if it's better to drive during the day or at night? Which makes you more money & has better passengers? Our thoughts here -

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