Uber Eats Driver Says He Made 37 Cents In Four Hours After Filling Gas Tank

Members of a popular internet forum were infuriated after one Uber Eats driver revealed exactly how much money they didn't make in a single day.

In a viral Reddit post published on r/antiwork, Redditor u/aaskhic (otherwise referred to as the original poster, or OP) said they decided to give food delivery a try but were sorely disappointed to learn how unforgiving the gig economy can truly be.

Simply titled, "37 cents," the post has received more than 17,000 upvotes and 1,400 comments in the last day.

Beginning with the explanation that they are out of work for a couple of weeks, the original poster said they turned to Uber Eats to make ends meet in the meantime.

After making eight deliveries in four hours, however, the original poster said they quickly realized their effort was not rewarded as expected.

"3 of 8 people tipped," OP wrote. "[I] made a whopping $30.97."

"Filled up my tank to go home. $30.60," OP continued. "Four hours of my life for 37 cents. And accounting for my car's depreciation, it cost me money to drive for Uber Eats."

Uber Eats drivers delivering food to hungry customers across the United States are paid a base fare for every fulfilled order, compensated for any potentially adverse factors involved with specific deliveries and pocket 100 percent of tips, according to The Ride Share Guy.

Traditionally, drivers had not received any additional funds for gas until skyrocketing prices at the pump prompted Uber to impose an $0.45 extra surcharge in March. However, that surcharge was dropped in June, leaving drivers to battle elevated fuel costs on their own.

Despite multiple viral attempts to inform customers of the financial difficulties associated with food delivery, there have also been reports of "tip baiting" and other online ordering scams leaving Uber Eats drivers penniless after long days and nights behind the wheel.

To conclude their viral Reddit post, the original poster issued a stern declaration based on their four hours as an Uber Eats driver.

"F**k this gig economy bulls**t," they wrote.

Throughout the viral post's comment section, Redditors echoed that sentiment and vindictiveness towards work that is so poorly compensated.

"Yo it gets worse," Redditor u/lickarock88 wrote in the post's top comment, which has received nearly 7,000 upvotes. "Are you considering that what you got paid hasn't been taxed yet?"

"When I drove for Uber years ago I thought I was doing fairly well," Redditor u/100percentEV commented, receiving more than 4,000 upvotes. "Made about $100/day in 4-6 hours, usually."

"I was worried about taxes until I included my mileage deduction," they continued. "Turns out I made nothing. Put 20,000 extra miles on my car and broke even."

"When I did it the only time I made decent money was when people tipped well," Redditor u/Sparda204920 chimed in. "If there were no tips it [was] terrible."

In a separate comment, which has received nearly 1,000 upvotes, Redditor u/SulimanBashem offered a more simple perspective on the matter.

"One evening was all it took to see it was a s**t side-gig," they wrote, bluntly.

Responding to the original poster's viral account of their first experience as a delivery driver, a spokesperson for Uber told Newsweek that it is out of the ordinary for drivers to take home so little after a four-hour shift.

"While earnings can vary based on demand and other factors, the experience described here is not typical," they said. "Thousands of people choose to partner with Uber Eats to earn extra money flexibly."

Newsweek reached out to u/aaskhic for comment.

Update 8/16/2022 4:30 p.m.: This article has been updated to include comment from Uber Eats.