Uber gig workers are self-employed independent contractors who use their own vehicles to drive passengers to their destinations. Some Uber drivers are happy go lucky and just love to share their knowledge of the local area. Others are grumpy, non-communicative and just want to get you out of their vehicle so they can continue the day in misery. Hey, we’re just being realistic. Most passengers will remember their Uber driver so it’s up to you to leave that lasting impression. I’ve picked up passengers who told me they cancel certain drivers who take their trips because the drivers are assholes.
If you’re wondering if Uber gig work is for you, there are several important factors to consider. Your earnings will be dictated primarily by the area in which you drive and the types of rides you prefer. If you’re concerned about putting too many miles on your vehicle then you’ll be looking for short trips that pay practically nothing. If you’re not concerned with what’s going on the odometer, longer trips will put significantly more cash in your pocket but also pay less per mile.
The area in which you intend to drive will have the biggest impact on your earnings. Most major cities are flooded with Uber gig workers. We’ve seen screenshots of trips in some cities paying as little as 40 cents per mile. The current mileage deduction allowed by the IRS is 71 cents per mile. If the trip pays less than 71 cents per mile you’ll end up with a net loss for the trip. Better hope the passenger knows how to tip!
If you’re not yet an Uber gig worker, here are the basics. The app offers you a trip and you have only 10 seconds to decide if you want to accept it. It doesn’t matter if you’re driving and it’s not safe to even look at your phone. If you don’t respond in 10 seconds Uber considers that you declined the trip.
Uber Upfront Pricing
In most areas of the U.S., Uber now has upfront pricing. You’re shown the earnings for the trip as well as the pickup and dropoff locations. You’ll also see the distance and estimated time to the pickup location as well as the estimated distance and time of the trip itself. If upfront pricing is not available in your area then you’ll be running in the dark. All Uber will show you is the earnings along with the estimated distance and time to the pickup location. You’ll have no idea where the passenger is going or how long the trip will take.
Areas without upfront pricing are hit or miss. When I started Uber in 2019 no one had up-front pricing. I’d drive 30 minutes to pick someone up going 2 miles to work and make $3.65. Worse than that, pick someone up and find out they’re going to the airport that was 90 minutes away. Back then we were paid per mile and per minute. One way to the airport paid 95 cents per mile and 10 cents per minute. Notice that the pay was ONE WAY. I’d end up making $65 for the 4-hour round trip drive. No thanks!
If any of you were wondering why I had to drive round trip without making another cent it’s because Uber has boundaries. Each state has its own licensing requirements. The app shows you the states in which you’re able to drive. In my case I could drop off in the state where the airport was located but couldn’t pick up passengers. Talk about a lot of deadhead miles.
Uber Work Hub
To determine which areas or states you can do Uber, log into the Uber app. Click the three lines for Menu. From the menu click the Work Hub. Click the link to Explore where you can earn.
The map will show the Earnable Areas, which are the areas where you can do Rides or Delivery. You can do Uber Eats almost everywhere in the country but passenger trips are limited to the boundaries shown in the map.
Pros of Uber Gig Work
In the right area and with the right passengers, you’ll see a ton of tips. Many will be in cash. Cash tips or tips in general are better in tourist areas. This doesn’t mean you need to drive near Disney World or Disneyland to receive decent tips, The best tippers I’ve encountered are couples going out for the night. Definitely not the ones going out drinking! Couples celebrating a birthday or anniversary. Couples attending weddings at some overly-priced venue. Grandparents visiting their grandkids. Couples going out for date night. The more special the occasion, the more likely the passengers are to tip.
Of course the biggest benefit of Uber is working when you want. Some drivers set their hours and are happy with whatever they make during those hours. To a retired person, disabled person, or a mom doing Uber when the kids are at school, anything is more than they left home with.
Most people wouldn’t think of this as a benefit but Uber is a tax shelter. You can write off every mile you drive from the second you pull out of your driveway until you get home. Be sure to keep written records of your miles. Buy a mileage log on Amazon or at Staples. Write down your beginning and ending mileage every time. Some drivers use apps to track their mileage but they’re not legal. When you file your taxes the IRS requires you to CERTIFY that you have written records of your mileage. Based on what I’ve seen lately, in my area Uber seems to be paying around $.65 cents per mile. For a 40-mile trip the base pay is around $26. Picking up the passenger and driving around after the trip while waiting for another one might add another 10 miles. That’s 50 miles times 71 cents per mile (current rate in 2025) or $35.70 you can write off for the standard mileage deduction. That means your net operating LOSS for the trip will be almost $10.
Cons of Uber Gig Work
The biggest issue of driving for Uber is probably the passengers. Some are total assholes. You can do everything right and still your driver rating will drop. You can’t please all of the people all of the time.
Another pitfall of Uber is entitled passengers. Some will expect you to transport infants without a carseat. It’s against the law and unsafe. You can cancel the trip but you’ll still be ticked off that the passenger didn’t care if you were breaking the law. Some entitled passengers will ask if it’s okay for them to drink alcohol during the trip. Ah, no! There are open container laws that apply to all moving vehicles.
Then there are those passengers with unrealistic expectations. They’ll ask you to break the law and drive above the speed limit because they’re late for work or didn’t leave themselves enough time when booking the ride. I had a friend in Texas with an Uber passenger in the car. Suddenly the passenger said, “I put in the wrong address. Make a U-turn.” The second my friend made a U-turn the police stopped him. The passenger asked him to make the U-turn at a red light that was clearly posted “NO U TURN.” After receiving the ticket from the cop, my friend dropped off the passenger at his work location. The passenger left him a 1-star rating because he was late for work. What a surprise!
The single biggest inconsistency in doing Uber gig work is your location. In some cities there are 10+ Uber drivers on every street corner. You might log onto the app for 8 hours and have 2 trips paying under $10 each. Major cities are usually the worst for rideshare drivers. There are way too many drivers, there’s an insane amount of traffic, and most passengers going to or from work just don’t tip. If you live in or near a major city, be sure to do your research. You can find lists of the best and worst paying cities to do Uber gig work.
