- Richard, a driver who recently beat leukemia, is considering dropping gig driving after 11 years.
- He said his earnings are unsustainable and are much less than what he made prior to his diagnosis.
- He was out of work for two years, though he’s looking for a full-time job to get back on his feet.
After driving for Uber and Lyft for eight years, Richard H. was diagnosed with leukemia in the summer of 2021. He had been making a decent living from driving in the Phoenix area, though his cancer diagnosis and treatments took him out of work entirely for nearly two years.
When he returned to driving in early 2023, he noticed he struggled to make the amount needed to live comfortably. Richard, who asked to use his first name for fear of professional repercussions, said after 11 years of driving, he’s ready to find a full-time job this year.
“The amount they pay us per mile, along with gas cost and repairs, it’s just not worth it anymore,” Richard told Business Insider.
Thousands of Americans with disabilities or other health issues nationwide are embracing gig work to pay their bills, especially since many are unable to work traditional office roles. Many value gig work, as they can work around medical appointments or recovery days and strategize when to work to maximize their earnings.
Still, many gig drivers say their earnings aren’t enough to cover basic expenses, with some falling behind on rent or car bills. One driver with a disability only took home $14,000, despite making over $110,000 in gross earnings from Uber and Lyft.
Declining earnings
Richard began driving for Uber shortly after they launched in the Phoenix market in 2012. He had been in sales and business development and figured driving could be a way to pull in extra money.
At the time, he said he was paid a constant $1.40 a mile, which a few years later fell to 99 cents a mile. It was about an 80/20 split between what he earned and what ride-hailing companies took. As the price per mile declined after the adoption of upfront pricing, his vehicle maintenance expenses increased. When gas prices skyrocketed, he would get around 55 cents per ride as compensation for higher fuel costs, which he said was “almost like a slap in the face.”
He used to rely on surge pricing, which would be a multiplier for ride earnings, though he said he’s seen those rates decline as well.
“Back when I started, surging was a huge thing for me, and that’s how we were able to make some really good money,” Richard said. “There were guys making well over six figures driving for Uber back when I first started 11 years ago because it would surge three to five times the rate.”
He’s also noticed more drivers on the road than ever before, which made more profitable ride offers scarcer.
“I’m not going to drive to pick somebody up a few miles away, especially if it’s coming from a distance just to go a mile or two for $5 to $7,” Richard said. “It just doesn’t make sense economically. There are tons of drivers, and almost every driver will pass on riders like that.”
“They don’t pay us enough for us to be able to make a decent living now,” Richard said. “Back then, I’d go out for three to four hours and make $400 when I first started. Now, you have to go out and work 10 to 14 hours to try to make $300.”
Facing the diagnosis
While trying to figure out whether driving could be sustainable in the first year or two of the pandemic, Richard received the news in June 2021 that he was diabetic. He stopped drinking alcohol, quit eating badly, and lost 20 pounds in a month. However, he was still having chest issues and discomfort — he struggled to walk and drive, and his joints were aching. The diagnosis was leukemia.
He was in treatment from September to November, after which he was in remission. Still, he had to do more rounds of chemotherapy, and he fell ill with Covid, which delayed his stem cell transplant. He was officially cleared by May 2022.
He needed to isolate for nearly a year to get his health back and build up his healthy blood counts. During this time, he was able to pull in some income from a sunscreen business he runs at home, though money was still tight.
He got back into driving nine months ago, driving in limited amounts before returning full-time, which he said hasn’t been too fruitful. He said he’s still recovering, though he drives six to seven days a week from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Screenshots from November 2023 through January 2024 show he’s pulled in between $566 and $849 being online between 50 and 60 hours a week — in contrast, he said he was making between $1,200 and $1,600 a week driving similar hours back around 2018. He has avoided crowded events like sports games and concerts that take forever to get to and leave, and are elongated by taking time to find passengers — which he’s seen “a few hundred drivers” doing.
“A lot of savvy drivers like me who have been around for a while, when we go to special events, concerts, sporting events, where there’s a big congestion of individuals who are going to need rides, we don’t even turn on our apps,” Richard said.
“We set up, we get near the events, we’re right next to the pickup area, and we just talk to people and look at what pricing is on the apps.”
He’s done freelance fiber optics repair work to pull in extra cash, though he’s looking for a full-time position this year. He said he’s been interviewing with a few companies, which has been difficult due to the gap in his job history.
“Once I get a full-time gig, I may not even have to do driving,” Richard said. “I just have to provide for my family.”
Are you a gig driver who is struggling to make ends meet? Are you a gig driver with a disability looking for other types of work? Reach out to this reporter at nsheidlower@businessinsider.com.
