There really is no simpler way to put that.
We are not becoming rideshare drivers and gig workers because we are bored, need something to do, or want to give back to the community. This doesn’t fulfill anyone’s lifetime goal.
We do this for the money.
What’s more? This is not a job. Though there are companies that are paying us, we are independent contractors. What I make today could be different from what I make tomorrow.
Most importantly, I don’t have to stick with one company that gives me money, and as a gig worker, you should never stick with one company.
In fact, driving less, or not at all, may actually make you more money.
What Got You Here Won’t Get You There
I gave my first Lyft ride in 2015, nearly a decade ago. I have no idea how much I made, but I’m sure that same ride today would make me far, far less.
At that time, I would turn the app on after work, get two to three rides, and make $30 to $50 easily in an hour or two.
I cannot tell you the last time I accepted a Lyft ride. I’ve turned the app on and gotten requests, but they have been so low that I have yet to accept one.
The app you started with does not need to be the app you continue to use. In fact, the app you made the most on last week or even yesterday doesn’t have to be the one you continue to drive for.
DeliverThat has been amazing for me. Easily my number one app of 2024. But, starting a few months ago, there was a noticeable drop in requests.
For most of the year, I would get an average of 2 to 5 orders per day. The pay ranged from $25 to $100 per order.
The last few months DeliverThat has not been the same. It started with no longer getting ezCater orders, and then when they did come back, you would get paid significantly less for them.
Though it is still profitable (and I’ll continue to drive for them until it stops), the best order I’ve gotten since the changes was $35, which is about what my average order was before.
Using multiple apps every day is the only way to make sure you’re getting what you need to make.
At times, I’ll go weeks without getting a single GrubHub order, and then it’s my best app for a day. The same may be true with Uber Eats or DoorDash.
Staying loyal to a company because they used to be good won’t pay your bills. These companies are interested in their bottom line, and you need to do the same.
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Incentives Aren’t Dead, Just Dying
Gig companies need drivers.
To get drivers, they offer incentives, and sometimes insane ones.
In the past, they only offered them to new drivers, but especially since the Covid pandemic, they started offering them to drivers to ensure they have enough drivers on the road.
The best incentives were always given to drivers who had not driven in a while.
However, at one point, companies gave an extra $100 for taking 1 to 3 rides or a guaranteed $1,200 for taking 100 rides or deliveries. Those days are long gone.
Incentives, though, are here to stay.
Right now, I have a referral for a new DoorDash driver. If someone signs up, I get $900, and they get a $600 bonus if they complete 290 deliveries in 60 days.
Uber also has some guaranteed hourly incentives if I drive passengers at certain times.
If you are a new driver or haven’t driven in a while, log in and see what kind of incentives they are offering you to get back on the road. You may find that it’s worth it to drive for a month because the incentive or guaranteed amount is enough to make it worth it.
Do Something Else Until The Incentives Are Worth It
Not driving for a particular company until you get an incentive sounds good.
But what if that company is your main source of income, or worse, your only source of income?
You still have bills to pay. How do we pay them?
Find another app to drive for.
There seems to be an ever-increasing list of gig apps out there, and we like to try as many as we can to see which works well and which doesn’t.
If you have been on Uber for a long time, try Lyft.
Get temporary or part-time work. This may not be what you want to hear, but sometimes it’s what you need, at least for a while.
Gig work is always going to be there, and you can turn it back on at any moment. But sometimes, a break can be financially, physically, and mentally beneficial.
Waiting for an incentive while you work a regular job allows your car to take a break from being on the road so much, saving on maintenance costs. It also allows you to make money without sitting for hours a day and getting little to no exercise.
There Is No Such Thing As a “Forever App”
Uber may be the best option for you today, but you could make nothing with it tomorrow. No app that we will drive for will last forever.
Being loyal to a company that is only interested in making sure it is profitable will not help you be profitable.
Keep up with new apps, wait for incentives that make it worth it, and find work elsewhere when you need it.
