For those with access to its mobile app, Uber is quickly becoming the preferred method of transportation over traditional taxis.
It’s a lot easier to summon a ride with a tap on your iPhone screen than hailing down a cab on the side of the street. For drivers, Uber is proving to be not only easier, but incredibly lucrative.
UberX drivers working in around 40 hours a week in New York City make an average of $90,766 a year, reports The Washington Post. Drivers in San Francisco make around $74,191.
The average taxi drivers makes about $30,000.
Designed to compete with cheaper alternatives like Lyft, UberX is the startup’s lower-cost service that requires drivers to provide their own vehicles. Uber is obviously doing something right; the company is valued at $17 billion and 20,000 new drivers are joining each month.
One of the key reasons drivers love Uber is that it lets them set their own hours. You work whenever you want, and you don’t have to waste time looking for rides to give.
During an UberX trip I took over this past weekend, I spoke with my driver about why he joined. He said he was a medical student who drove at night and during the weekends to make some extra cash. He had tried driving for Lyft but found Uber to be more organized and responsive to feedback as a company.
So if you’re looking for a new job or just a way to make some more money on the side, Uber might be the way to go.
Source: The Washington Post
