Thanks for not assuming bad intent because we might disagree.
Every time I take an Uber or Lyft ride I ask the driver how long they have been driving, how much they drive, if they drive for the other service too, and how they feel about the fingerprinting issue. All I can say is what I’ve observed from my sample size of 100 or so rides.
I think most of the 10,000 drivers are part-timers. This is supplemental income on top of their existing job. That doesn’t make it any less important to them — they say it’s critical to making ends meet.
What’s so incredible about the “sharing economy” is how it allows resources to be better utilized instead of laying idle. Part of this is by incentivizing more drivers on the road at peak times when you need them (because of surge pricing) and by innovating ride-sharing models like Uber Pool and Lyft Line.
But people rarely talk about how the sharing economy uses idle people too — by getting people who might otherwise be sitting on the couch out and making some extra cash.
One driver I know is a professional tennis coach. His schedule is unusual because he teaches lessons at all times of the morning, day, evening and weekend. If the weather is really nice he’s got lots of work but if it’s raining or too hot (this is Austin) then he’s got nothing to do. Driving for TNCs is a great way for him to be able to make some extra money during his downtime even though he rarely knows in advance when it will be. On a moment’s notice he can log into the app and start driving for cash. This type of employment didn’t really exist in a scalable model before the sharing economy.
I don’t have a financial model, but I can tell you that every driver I’ve talked to is pretty darn happy about the extra money they make and seem to think it’s worth it. The fact that there are more than 10,000 drivers is enough proof to me that it’s worthwhile — otherwise they wouldn’t be doing it. If you really doubt that the 10,000 drivers are making money doing it I suggest you go for a ride and ask the driver! :-)
