I don’t know about you guys, but I’m generally pretty fascinating by Uber and Lyft. Until I manage to get my act together and do some driving for them myself, here’s a guest post from Andrew over at Rideshareowl about why being an Uber driver is an awesome side hustle! 

Unless you have been living on another planet these last few years, you have likely heard of Uber. The idea of this company is to pair drivers using personal vehicles with passengers seeking rides through use of a smartphone. As it turns out, it’s also a great way to make extra money in your free time!

Why drive for Uber?
– Drivers make their own schedules (drive as much or as little as you please)
– Use a vehicle you already own to make money
– It pays very well!

Here in Omaha, we talk to a large number of Uber drivers every day, and an ever increasing amount of them seem to be mothers looking for an easy way to boost income in their free time. Uber is the perfect solution because all that is required is a well-maintained vehicle and a driver’s license. The signup process is very easy and takes about a week from beginning to end.

Once a driver has gone through the application process, they are free to drive whenever they want! This means that after you drop the kids off at school you can turn on the app and drive for a while. When you are ready to go about your day again, simply turn off the app and move onto something else. Uber has no minimum or maximum hour requirement, so you may drive for ten minutes or ten hours! We have even talked to some drivers who have not driven for a year but are still in good standing.

One of the biggest selling points in driving for Uber is something called Surge Pricing. When drivers are in high demand, the fare increases and the total cost of the ride can double, even triple. We spoke with one mom who made over 9x the base fare! Another mom made $200 in a ten-minute ride on a recent holiday due to surge. So whether it is a holiday, weekend, or just after dropping the kids off at school, driving for Uber will help you increase your side hustle income!

With Uber drivers in over 60 countries worldwide, it’s no surprise that there are incidents from time to time. Drivers should not worry about safety because your every movement is tracked via your smartphone GPS! Additionally, each rider inputs his or her personal information into the app– this way drivers know exactly who they are picking up. Finally, drivers are able to share their location with others, which means that someone will know your position any time of day.

Uber definitely makes it well worth your time to drive, and we routinely talk to moms who make up to $35/hour when driving at peak times such as holidays and weekends. While this money does not come free, if you are willing to drive when your kids are at school or after they go to sleep, you will definitely reap the benefits.

In conclusion, driving for Uber lets you increase your income by transforming an asset you already own into a semi-professional taxi service with you at the helm. While not glamorous, the opportunity to earn extra income in your free time makes Uber worth checking out.

Andrew Helling is the founder of Rideshareowl.com, a comprehensive resource for all things ridesharing. With a history in commodity and equity trading, he brings valuable business and financial knowledge to help both new and current Uber and Lyft drivers expand their businesses one ride at a time.