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0 pointstyingq10y ago0 comments

I think it's more difficult to get to the truth.

This article seems credible: https://pando.com/2015/01/09/the-hidden-cost-of-being-an-ube...

But, what it shows as the "income after op cost" isn't the real truth. That figure ($12.62/hr in Chicago, $34.04/hr in NYC) would be basically 1099 income. You would have to pay self employment tax (not trivial), and forgo whatever benefits a cab company might provide their employees.

If you look for average salary for cab drivers, and compare to the above, you would gather that cab drivers do better than Uber drivers in Chicago, but worse in NYC.

I can't find any credible sources where it seems 100% clear that the comparison is thorough, and apples to apples.

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tzier10y ago

I'm a former CPA and founder of Zen99, which built tax tools for independent contractors like Uber drivers. So this is my forte :)

You're right that it's not cut and dry, and can't be. There are too many specifics to take into account. For example, if you're a part time worker at Whole Foods, you don't get to write off your commute to and from work. But as an Uber driver, there are ways you can do this so you pay less in taxes, which can make your take home more than the WF worker. Neither of them get benefits bc part time employees don't have to be given benefits (note: not sure on what WF policies are, but that's a true statement for part time employees in general).

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