Why should you drive for rideshare in addition to delivery? There’s more to rideshare driving than higher earnings! RSG contributor Tyler Philbrook shares why he drives for rideshare – and delivery – and a tip for how you can have the best of both worlds!
If you are a diehard delivery driver, you may have wondered why people would drive passengers around. Why deal with passengers when you can handle quiet food? Customer interaction is minimal, and you’re paid about the same – right?
You may be curious – what’s the upside to driving versus delivering? Besides being more lucrative (yes, it’s true!) there are many reasons why someone may choose to drive in addition to delivery.
Below, I’ll outline six reasons people prefer driving with Uber to delivery – and keep reading to find an excellent and profitable compromise!
This article is sponsored by Uber but, as always, opinions are our own. Uber does not guarantee future earnings. Earnings can vary depending on many factors, including time spent driving with Uber, rider demand and other factors.
Why Drive In Addition to Delivering?
1) Higher Earnings
These days, driving passengers pays higher than delivery, and it’s fast paced and fun. Some passengers are friendly, plus they can tip pretty well.
You’ll also get higher surges, and promotions than with delivery only.
My wife typically gets about $10 quests for the weekend as a delivery-only driver. Whereas I will get $50, $70, or more for the same amount of pick-ups.
If you’re looking to earn more in less time, you may want to consider driving passengers. Just take a look at these median earnings per hour for Uber drivers in major cities!
Ready to drive with Uber? Sign up here!
Median Earnings Per Hour with Tips and Promotions
From August 16, 2021 to August 30, 2021
| City | Median Earnings Per Hour with Tip and Promotions |
| Albuquerque | $28 |
| Anchorage | $34 |
| Ann Arbor | $33 |
| Asheville, NC | $25 |
| Athens | $30 |
| Auburn | $25 |
| Austin | $25 |
| Baltimore, MD | $31 |
| Bloomington, IN | $42 |
| Boise | $25 |
| Boston | $38 |
| Bozeman | $29 |
| Central Oregon | $31 |
| Champaign | $27 |
| Charleston | $27 |
| Charlottesville-Harrisonburg | $31 |
| Chicago | $36 |
| Cincinnati | $30 |
| Cleveland | $26 |
| Colorado Springs | $25 |
| Columbia | $28 |
| Connecticut | $27 |
| Denver | $33 |
| Eastern Shore, MD | $33 |
| Eastern WV | $29 |
| Fairbanks | $26 |
| Fort Collins | $27 |
| Hampton Roads | $25 |
| Harrisburg | $25 |
| Honolulu | $40 |
| Inland Empire, LA | $30 |
| Juneau | $25 |
| Kansas City | $25 |
| Kauai | $28 |
| Lansing | $27 |
| Las Vegas | $36 |
| Lehigh Valley | $28 |
| Los Angeles | $35 |
| Louisville | $27 |
| Madison | $28 |
| Maui | $28 |
| Memphis | $25 |
| Milwaukee | $25 |
| Minneapolis – St. Paul | $32 |
| Myrtle Beach | $28 |
| NYC Suburbs | $31 |
| Nashville | $25 |
| New Jersey | $32 |
| New York City | $41 |
| Olympia | $25 |
| Omaha | $25 |
| Orange County | $33 |
| Oxford | $28 |
| Palm Springs | $27 |
| Philadelphia | $35 |
| Pittsburgh | $34 |
| Portland | $33 |
| Portland, ME | $36 |
| Raleigh-Durham | $25 |
| Reno | $36 |
| Rhode Island | $31 |
| Richmond | $29 |
| Sacramento | $28 |
| Salt Lake City | $25 |
| San Diego | $34 |
| San Francisco | $35 |
| San Luis Obispo | $27 |
| Santa Barbara | $37 |
| Santa Fe | $25 |
| Seattle | $32 |
| South Bend | $25 |
| Spokane | $27 |
| St Louis | $26 |
| State College | $38 |
| Tacoma | $27 |
| Tallahassee | $26 |
| Tuscaloosa | $27 |
| Upstate NY | $30 |
| Ventura | $25 |
| Vermont | $26 |
| Washington D.C. | $29 |
| West Lafayette | $27 |
| Western MA | $30 |
| Wilmington, NC | $27 |
| Worcester | $33 |
Disclaimer
**The figures above represent median hourly earnings, after Uber’s service fee, for all time on the Uber app (not just engaged time) for drivers spending 20 hours online per week from August 16 to August 30, 2021. Earnings include trip fares, some promotional offers (including Quest and Consecutive Trips), and tips, which are provided at the discretion of the rider. These earnings do not account for expenses, which are drivers’ responsibility. While costs vary based on vehicle choice, fuel prices, and other factors, we looked at the two most popular vehicles on the Uber platform: the Toyota Prius and the Toyota Camry. According to our nationwide estimate, costs hover around $3-$4.50/hour if you own one of these two vehicles. This is not a guarantee of future earnings. Earnings can vary depending on many factors, including time spent driving with Uber, rider demand and other factors.
With the lowest median pay in many cities being over $25 an hour and the highest over $40, chances are you’re in or close to a city where earnings are very high right now.
Another thing to consider about this list is that these are median earnings. Which, if you are following the tips from this site to make the most money, you’ll likely make more, sometimes a lot more, than the median.
Depending on how close you live to one of the major cities, you may even want to take the trip there to make extra money than where you usually drive.
Ready to sign up with Uber? Get started here!
2) Easier Pickups with Passengers
Don’t you just hate it when you order food and it’s not ready when you go to pick it up? In most cases, time is money and this type of waiting can definitely impact earnings.
With delivery, there’s no guarantee your food will be ready for pick up when it says. For me, food isn’t always ready to go when I get there. This definitely has an impact on my earnings!
Driving passengers, you really don’t have to wait that long. Typically, you’ll pull up and the passenger is there right away waiting for you. Even if you do have to wait, it’s usually not as long as you would for food.
More time driving and less time sitting = more money in your pocket!
3) Make Even More Doing Rideshare and Delivery
Here’s a little secret, right in the middle of this article: you can actually make even more if you drive and deliver!
Yes, with Uber, you can take rides, plus deliver food with Uber Eats. Once you’re approved to take passengers, you can easily toggle back and forth between the two in the same app — when you feel like delivering food, just go to your preferences and turn on delivery. Want to just do rides? Just toggle on UberX!
Here’s the secret to earning more: With Uber, you can drive during peak hours of the day (like mornings and evenings), then toggle to Uber Eats and deliver when it’s busiest for delivery (typically lunch and dinner.)
This is the top way we recommend, by the way, to maximize your time on the road: if you want to drive for a couple of hours, you don’t want to be sitting in your car! By driving with Uber and delivering with Uber Eats, you can go back and forth and choose the best requests for you and your schedule.
I especially like this option because there have been several times when I’m waiting for requests, and it’s just one of those times where not a lot of requests are coming in, but delivery is booming.
4) Parking
This alone is a huge benefit to driving passengers vs. food – no parking!
With delivery, you have to try and find parking, which can be a hassle, especially if you live in a very populated area or downtown!
With passengers, you no longer have to find parking when the customer comes to you. Okay, yes, veteran drivers are probably saying “what about having to stop in a busy downtown area and potentially block a drop off zone?”
Yes, we have all had the passenger who waits at the most inconvenient location ever, but it’s not every time. Plus, a savvy driver will wave to the passenger to indicate you’re going to pick them up down another (less busy!) street.
With driving passengers, you no longer are hoping and praying the meter doesn’t run out while you’re waiting on your order.
5) Enjoying the Drive & Learning About Your City
If you’re like my wife, who loves to drive, driving passengers around is the perfect option for you. Some people really like meeting new people, or listening to their own music (you don’t have to let passengers control what you listen to!), or visiting new parts of a city you might never visit.
Plus, earning money while doing something you enjoy? Pretty sure that’s called a “win win”!
I know a guy who used to be a city bus driver but got burnt out by the experience. How else would he use his knowledge of the city and earn money? He decided to drive with Uber, and he’s incredibly popular with his passengers because of how quick he zips (safely!) around the city.
While that’s a pretty unique example, I’ve also had drivers (as a passenger using Uber) who are natives to their cities and have told me cool facts and hidden gems I wouldn’t have otherwise learned. If this is something you enjoy, why not get paid for driving + sharing about your city?
6) Get To Talk To Someone
I love getting in my car and jamming out to some music. I also enjoy listening to audiobooks and podcasts. But every so often I just wish there was someone to talk to, as delivering can be a little lonesome.
If you’re driving passengers, not only do you typically make more money, you also get someone to talk to, and several “someones”. You’ll have a 10-minute ride and then get another, being able to start fresh with each person.
If you’re a social person, this can be a huge draw to driving passengers rather than delivering food.
You Can Do Both with Uber
By now, you’ve probably caught on that the best way to earn more driving with Uber is to drive with Uber and deliver with Uber Eats. Toggling back and forth between the two is easy (all in one app!) and let’s you appreciate the best of both types of driving.
If you’ve been a delivery driver and thought “why drive people?”, you can now see there are plenty of reasons to give passenger driving a shot! And you don’t have to choose either, not when you drive with Uber!
Get started driving with Uber here!
Are you a delivery-only driver? Or do you drive both for delivery and rideshare?
-Tyler @ RSG
