I’ve posted before about what it’s like driving for Uber and Lyft but today I wanted to update you on the situation for drivers. I think there is still a ton of opportunity in the 1099/on-demand economy but it’s definitely getting tougher.
For all the same reasons (pay, flexibility, etc) that people like me started driving, a lot of other drivers are signing up too. And it doesn’t help when Uber is constantly lowering prices in what seems like a race to the bottom.
This article was originally published on Fusion and then Business Insider.
I like to refer to a new driver’s first month with Uber as the “honeymoon phase.” It’s exciting when you first get on the road, and it’s hard to believe that you’re actually getting paid to drive people around and chat them up. There’s always the chance of a puker, but that’s usually outweighed by flirtatious twenty-somethings and the entertaining and often ridiculous things you’ll witness if you drive long enough.
Trust me when I say, the weirdest and most outrageous rides always make for the best stories. I might have to write a book some day with all of the crazy stuff that’s happened in my back seat. But for now, the reality is that after a month or two, the fun starts to fade and it does become more like a real job.
It’s still a pretty fun job, though, and it seems to scratch that entrepreneurial itch that I’ve always had. It’s a challenge operating as a micro-entrepreneur in the sharing economy, but I enjoy being able to set my own hours and seeing a direct correlation between how hard I work and the money I bring in. Unfortunately for drivers, Uber is making things tougher and tougher for us business owners to thrive. [Read more…]