Is anyone here, or their DH an Uber driver? DH thinking of leaving career to take it up

[ayegazumba]

DH is in hospitality and as much as he loves it the long hours and rubbish pay are starting to make him look elsewhere. He's pretty senior, in as far as you can be in a front of house hospitality role but knows there's a ceiling to how much he'll ever be able to earn. We have a 2 year old and the inflexible and unsociable hours are getting harder and harder and with me working full time in a demanding marketing position in central London we're really starting to worry how well manage when DD starts school. He came home last week after a long chat with his Uber driver buzzing over how much money they make. We've talked about it quite a lot and there's no denying the flexibility would make a significant difference to us in terms of childcare costs and the general juggle of it all. I'm just not sure the driver was completely truthful about how much he earns. Google's telling me about £47k before any of the costs (the cars are about £1k a month themselves) but this guy
Was boasting around £70k. Anyone got any first hand experience? Preferably in London

Anyone please?

No first hand experience but those numbers sound way off.

Beware they of the difference between the money they take and the money they make.
I find it hard to believe it's particularly lucrative after costs.

Not exactly the first hand experience you're looking for OP - but DH is a taxi driver (not in London). He drives a black cab so can do street pick ups but is also linked to a firm so gets pre booked appointments...the cab is rented from the firm he works for.

I can't speak to Uber but I imagine it's broadly similar to being a taxi driver in many ways.

We know drivers who make £70k + gross (after all costs, so only income tax/NI to pay). These bloke's would likely also rave about the fortune they earn for such an easy job - BUT these are the guys who work 70 hour + weeks and permanent night shifts.

Working night shifts is far, far bigger money, especially weekends. For instance, DH will earn more in 4 hours from 1am to 5am on a Saturday than he does in an entire 10 hour Tuesday day shift. Rates are higher, tips much more generous.

The flexibility to a point is great - DH never misses any important events, he just doesn't sign up for a shift. He has complete control over weeks off and hours worked etc. If we have a big holiday coming up, or in the few weeks before Xmas he can slam in a few extra shifts to up his income.

However - if you mean flexibility to do hours here and there, day shifts 9-5, regular school pick ups and weekends off and don't want any antisocial hours - if Uber is similar to taxiing he'll be lucky to scrape £25k ime. To earn decently, you need night shifts, the biggest earner being picking up the drunk clubbers at weekends.

DH really enjoys it and it works really well for us. We've found a happy medium for work/life balance. DH works three day shifts a week Tue-Thurs 6-4 and Friday and Saturday nights 4pm-4am and he takes about £40-£45k gross (after car costs, diesal etc so just tax and NI to pay). It wouldn't be anywhere near this without the two night shifts though.

One downside/consideration is that he also needs a strong stomach because he WILL have spewers if he does night shifts...i reckon DH has one a month. Some people just can't deal with that. And if you don't want to lose your entire night's earnings you need to deal with the clean up yourself there and then. DH has a kit he keeps in the boot - multiple carrier bags, cloths, antiseptic wipes, febreeze, gloves etc.

It's also easy to get sucked into chasing the money and it's something DH has to really resist. It's difficult for him to finish at 4am on a Sunday morning when it's been busy, town is still teeming with clubbers and he knows he could make an extra £250 if he works till 6! But he cuts it off to make sure he doesn't work so late he has to spend all of Sunday in bed.

Anyway, I'm rambling but hope it's of some use. Just beware of thinking it's plentiful money for nice hours only because if you could earn £47k for a standard weekday 9-5 a lot more people would be driving!

Oh and last point...you also need a calm disposition because of the runners...one every few weeks. DH says the hardest part of the job is resisting the urge to jump out of the cab and chase the fucker down 😂 Thankfully an urge he's always resisted so far! But he fumes about it when it happens!

I am in the exact same situation. My DP is currently waiting for his badge to be approved by the council. He just bought a new car all ready and waiting to start his new career. All on the back of chatting to various Uber drivers while he is out doing his current job, and all of them physically showing him the money they are making. We are not in London though, but UK's number 2 busiest city. DP is convinced there are no down sides. I am half dreading when it has all been approved incase it all goes wrong.

Whew, not the point of the thread but don’t think I’ll be tipping taxi drivers any more! Damn

Insurance
Antisocial hours
Antisocial passengers
Fuel, MOT, road tax
Self employment
Tax
Accounts

Fuck that

Not Uber but a friend works for a cab firm taking bookings in London. Taxi drivers are giving up in droves and going for other driving jobs with guaranteed money and less stress. The company really struggles to get cabs even for their corporate clients, so I guess there will be a demand for Uber it seems a tough way to make money though.

Thanks everyone. He currently works in restaurants so antisocial hours are what we've both been used to in the last 10 years we've been together. He currently gets home around 1:30am about 4 nights a week and works every Saturday so we're not expecting a 9-5. I'm thinking when DD is school age he'll do school pickup then go out in the car once I've come back from work or after we have dinner together and do the night shift then. Weekend evenings we don't have plans often any more so he'll go out whenever we don't. Then if we do at least he can come, at the moment any social event on a Saturday (day or evening) he misses.
@LetsGoNorth thanks for sharing your insight, really useful tips for me to pass on
@Citycentre3 good luck to your DH. I'd love to hear how he gets on

I have a client who became an uber driver last August.

He has to hire a taxi to drive and costs £215 per week. He has to pay for tyres and any repairs.

He has a brain injury so is a little difficult to use as an example because he has his limitations.

However, he's pretty fussy about working Monday to Saturday and not late at night. After he has given Uber their cut he can often have £700 a week - but of course he has to pay for fuel (about £100 a week) and hiring his car (£215 per week) as well as his licence, badges, airport parking etc.

Of course he's self employed so when there is a family crisis he has to stop working - he has a lot of these.

He has also had two accidents and had to pay the excess on the insurance - £500 each time.

In his first year his total profits are just under £4K

I would mention though that he is on Universal Credit and actually still receives a payment from them dispite working as an Uber Driver - they deduct his expenses and only take into account 55p in every pound I think.

I look at his wages the weeks he gets £750 and think you can probably make it work - but it seems like hard work and I am sure that there are issues with passengers etc.

Oh and the taxi hire incluces his insurance but we then have to pay public liabiity insurance - think it's about £150 a year.

The just under £4K profit is pure profit after all the incidents and expenses - not much for a years' work though is it?

This is in a major city - but not London.