Chances are, you’ve gotten this question as a rideshare driver: “So… do you make good money doing this?” Whether your passenger is a fellow driver, considering becoming a driver, or just wants to see if they should tip you or not, this question is typically pretty common. How should drivers answer it? RSG contributor Tyler Philbrook shares his strategies on how to answer the dreaded “Do you make good money?” question.
Your passenger gets in the car and tries to make conversation. Oftentimes, it looks something like this:
“Do you do this full-time?”
“How long have you been rideshare driving?”
“Do you make good money? Is it worth it?”
Now, you have a few choices when people ask these questions. First, you could tell them the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.
Another option is to be vague. You do deserve your privacy, and them asking the question doesn’t take that away from you.
Or, you could outright lie to them. This is most often used if you’re concerned about telling the truth and creating “competition” if they start driving, too.
Option 1: Tell the Truth
The easiest option is to tell the truth, simply because you don’t have to keep track of what you’ve said already if they ask follow up questions.
What is the truth to how much you can really make from rideshare driving? While this varies from person to person and market to market, in general, you can make good money. There are days and rides that are amazing. I’ve made $50 an hour in an 8-hour day. I’ve also had days where I’ve only made $5 an hour.
The truth is, that like anything, you make what you put into it. If you spend the time learning about your city, discovering the days and times that driving is the best, and implementing best practices to get bigger tips, then you can regularly be in the $20 to $50 an hour range. But, it takes time to hone that skill.
Pro-tip: Watch videos like our Show Me the Money Club videos on YouTube! These will help you figure out if driving is worth it for you: Independent Contractor Vs Employee? Which One Would You Want To Be? Show Me The Money Club
Explaining the work involved may show people who think it’s an “easy job” that it’s more complex than they would have expected, and therefore they may shy away from signing up to drive based on that new information.
Option 2: Be Vague
Some tell partial truths to the people that ask these probing questions. They tell them things like, “It used to be, but with the cost of everything, it really isn’t worth it anymore.”
Or, they’ll keep it vague and say something like, “It’s just something to do to keep busy, and basically just makes enough for beer money.”
There’s nothing wrong with being vague! Whether it’s because you don’t want to share your earnings (fair!), don’t really feel like talking, don’t want to come across as bragging – you decide how much and what you want to share.
Option 3: Lie
Why would you decide to lie to people? One concern is that if people find that they can make good money rideshare driving, then they will then start rideshare driving, which economically means fewer rides available for you. It’s creating competition.
In a way, that’s true. If someone starts driving, they could miss out on a few rides; however, one extra person shouldn’t make that big of a difference especially if they don’t drive in the same area as you, or on the same day, at the same time. Nonetheless, people are concerned about it and will lie so that the passengers don’t even consider starting to drive themselves.
Bragging Isn’t the Answer
I get it, my favorite thing is to tell people about the crazy tips I’ve gotten. Or how I had one ride that was an hour and a half, and I made over $150 from it. But those are the exceptions and not the rules.
Ok, so bragging can be fun and can help us feel good about ourselves. Remembering those good times can also help us when we are having a bad day.
However, if we only tell people about those really good times, all it will do is make them think that they are going to have the same results consistently.
If they do start driving, and they don’t have those unicorn rides on day one or as regularly as they expected, they are less likely to stick it out, get better, and actually start making good money consistently with rideshare driving.
Send Them to The Rideshare Guy If They’re Really Interested
A great way to help others is to send them to the same place you got help – right here at The Rideshare Guy.
We have so many helpful articles and videos on our channel that will help drivers earn the most. In fact, if you’re getting questions like “do you make good money” or “do you like driving for Uber”, check out some of our latest posts, like this one: Is it Worth it to Drive Uber in 2022?
If someone is genuinely interested in giving rideshare driving a shot, send them to our article on how much you can make with Uber that we update every year with new trends and information. Or, if they want to deliver, we have one about DoorDash earnings, too.
Most People Will Not Follow Through Anyway
Let’s say you tell someone all about rideshare driving. You give them details on how it gives you the freedom to work when you want, to make the amount of money you need to cover your bills and have some extra.
You even tell them how sometimes you get “unicorn rides” and make a lot of money for very little work. Or a passenger surprises you with an amazing tip.
The truth is, even if someone thinks to themselves, “that sounds like a great deal”, it will likely only ever be a thought, not an action.
The vast majority of people will never follow through on starting to drive, or if they do sign up, they’ll give a few rides and realize it’s not for them and move on.
They will look online and find horror stories of things drivers have gone through. Or, they’ll be concerned that their car isn’t in good enough shape, or that it’s “too good” and they don’t want to ruin it by letting strangers sit in their cars or put extra wear and tear on it.
Whatever it is, more often than not, the person you’re worried about “taking” your rides won’t be a concern at all.
So, the next time someone asks you if you make good money rideshare driving, don’t hesitate to tell them the truth. It likely won’t make a big difference in the number of rides that you get.
What about you? Have you been asked this before? How have you answered in the past? How will you answer next time?
-Tyler @ RSG
