Women are driving for Uber and Lyft and using a variety of strategies to make money. Drivers in the story are not pictured.
AP Photo / Ted S. Warren
Some women are driving for Uber and Lyft to boost their incomes.But working in the gig economy, particularly as a woman, can come with challenges.We asked three women who drive for Uber and Lyft what their top strategies are for making money.
More women are turning to the gig economy for extra income. One of them could be your next Uber or Lyft driver.
About 23% of Lyft drivers and 20% of Uber drivers are women, according to the most recent company data provided to Business Insider. In 2021, the number of women Uber drivers nearly doubled and surpassed pre-pandemic levels. A survey conducted in the same year by the gig-worker-benefits company Stride found that two-thirds of new ride-hailing drivers were women.
But making money as an Uber or Lyft driver isn’t always easy. A 2020 study by Stanford researchers found that women who worked as ride-hailing drivers earned roughly 7% less per hour, on average, than male drivers. Among the researchers’ explanations for this disparity: Men had more experience using driving platforms, they tended to drive faster (enabling them to complete more trips), and they were more likely to drive in areas with greater safety risks.
We spoke with three women who drive for Uber and Lyft about the top strategies they use to make money. Business Insider has verified their earnings.
Declining low-paying trips and avoiding “hospital rides” can increase earnings
Julie, a part-time Uber driver in Cleveland, Ohio, earned roughly $22,000 last year. But this year, the 28-year-old said she’s earning significantly less for her work. She attributed this to the rollout of Uber’s upfront fares feature. It provides drivers with more information about a trip’s pay and destination before they decide whether to accept or decline it, and some drivers say this feature has negatively impacted their earnings.
“Upfront pricing has given me rides that wouldn’t even cover my gas, and many days I’m out working, I won’t even make our states’ minimum wage,” said Julie, who asked to use a pseudonym and spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of professional repercussions.
In 2022, Julie earned roughly $0.93, including tips, for every mile she drove for Uber. This past July, she earned roughly $0.63 per mile across 52 trips. She said her customers tip between 8% and 10% on average.
To boost her earnings, Julie only accepts rides that pay a minimum of $1 per mile and tries to avoid trips that take her outside her local area — because she said they tend to be less profitable. Additionally, she said she doesn’t accept “hospital rides,” which some healthcare organizations use to transport older and low-income patients to appointments, because these rides are covered by insurance — and therefore don’t come with tips.
In part due to her financial challenges with Uber, Julie decided to go back to school — she’s on track to graduate with a business degree next year. In the meantime, she’s been swapping out some of her Uber hours for janitorial work, which she said pays better and doesn’t come with the same wear and tear on her vehicle.
“It was nice to make my own hours and be my own boss,” she said. “But unfortunately, the pay just isn’t there anymore.”
Treat driving like a business and limit your speeding tickets
Sara, a full-time Uber and Lyft driver in Chicago, typically drives six days a week — from 7:00 a.m. to between 5:00 and 6:00 p.m.
The 64-year-old, who asked to use a pseudonym and spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of professional repercussions, started driving roughly five years ago after struggling to find a job that aligned with her master’s degree.
She’s had some success as a driver in recent months. Since September, she’s regularly made more than $1,200 a week driving for Lyft, and in October, she earned nearly $5,000 over the entire month. During the week of November 27 to December 3, she earned nearly $1,400 across 62 Lyft hours and 108 rides — her customer tip rate was roughly 10%. Sara said her goal is to earn at least $1,250 each week so she can put sufficient funds toward her home payment and retirement savings.
Sara’s top tips for drivers looking to boost their earnings: start driving early in the morning when there are fewer drivers, seek out the cheapest gas stations, and use the QuickBooks app to track driving expenses. While her tips have been lower than in previous years, she said customers coming to and from airports tend to tip better — so she seeks out those rides when she can.
“My advice to other drivers is to take driving as a business,” she said.
Another piece of advice: limit your speeding tickets. Due to the rise of speed cameras in Chicago — which can flag drivers for going as little as 6 to 10 mph over the speed limit, Sara said she typically racks up about $100 to $200 a month in tickets. To limit her infractions, she said she uses the Waze app to help herself keep track of the speed limit.
These tickets can have other financial consequences as well. Sara said Lyft, for instance, temporarily suspends drivers who don’t pay their tickets in a timely manner.
Despite these concerns, Sara said she plans to continue driving.
“What I love about driving is my independence in deciding where to work and schedule,” she said. “I also like meeting people and talking about life.”
Sticking to a schedule can lead to consistent income
Yvonne, a part-time Uber and Lyft driver in Tampa, Florida, said she’s been driving since 2016. But the 53-year-old, who earned $9,000 from Uber in 2021, said it’s become harder to earn money as a driver.
“I used to be able to pull $1,000 a week if I wanted to. Now I struggle for $600,” she said. She asked that her last name not be included for fear of professional repercussions.
But she said that sticking to a consistent schedule — driving only on the weekends — has helped her retain a steady, albeit lower, income stream.
“Once bars close then it’s usually busy with airport runs for a few hours,” she said. “I only take rides that will pay what my vehicle and my service is worth.”
Are you a gig worker willing to share your top strategies for making money? If so, reach out to this reporter at jzinkula@insider.com.