- A Uber and Lyft driver revealed the strategies he used to advance more passengers.
- His ukulele and his electric vehicle have triggered conversations with runners, which can lead to advice.
- Drivers have declared that the incoherent switch makes an environment of profit even more difficult.
Gabe Ets-Hokin was struggling to bring his clients of carpooling to leave advice. He then bought a ukulele.
“This arouses many questions, conversations and connections,” said 56 -year -old Business Insider, adding: “Sometimes I will play for people, or better still, I will give it to a passenger to play.”
In January 2023, Ets-Hokin brought his ukulele when he led to Uber and Lyft part-time in Oakland, California. That year, its peak average amount increased to $ 1.19, against $ 1.05 in 2022, according to its calculations. And it reached $ 1.24 in 2024. The councils represented around 19% of its carpooling profits in 2024, against 12% in 2022.
Ets-Hokin said each little boost has his income was precious. And while various factors have an impact on customer switching, he said he was convinced that his ukulele helped him win runners.
In the past two years, more than a dozen Uber and Lyft drivers have shared the Strategies they used to secure the advice – including focusing on airport trips and directly requesting advice – often without much success. They also declared that the tilting of incoherent customers makes an environment of profits difficult even more difficult. Data provided to Business Insider by Gridwise, an analysis company that helps drivers to follow their income, showed that last year, Americans were much less likely to tip their Uber and Lyft drivers than platform engines such as Doordash, Instacart, Ubereats and Grubhub. Gridwise analyzed 171 million trips to compile its results.
Uber did not respond to a request for BI comments. Lyft pointed to BI to declarations made by CEO David Risher in the company’s latest call for results, in which he declared that drivers had collectively gained nearly $ 9 billion in 2024, more than any previous year in the history of the company.
Having conversations with cyclists can lead to advice
Having a ukulele in your car is not the only thing to help Ets-Hokin. He said that having conversations with passengers can also increase the chances that a rider will leave a tip.
“If someone gets into your car and treats you like a robot, there is almost no chance of giving you a tip,” he said, adding, “the safest way to get higher advice is to interact with the passengers.”
After buying a Tesla in 2021, he said that the runners started asking him regularly if he likes it and where he loads the electric vehicle.
“This frequently leads to a type of” connection “conversation, which often leads to a tip,” he said.
After having sold her Tesla in 2022, Ets-Hokin bought a different EV last year-a Hyundai Ioniq 5. Ets-Hokin said that this vehicle had triggered even more questions from runners than Tesla, which he thinks that people knew this type of VE less.
Despite his best efforts, Ets-Hokin said that all passenger was not open to a conversation. And even when a good conversation occurs, some runners forget to give a tip.
Driving is only profitable during certain periods
Ets-Hokin Drives for Uber and Lyft about 15 hours per week and, in 2024, won about $ 24,000 after taking into account the platform commissions and the costs-which do not include driving expenses such as gas and vehicles. He drives part -time because his wife has a full -time job and the conduct of concerts is only worth financially during certain periods.
In 2020, California adopted proposal 22, which ranked Uber and Lyft drivers as independent entrepreneurs rather than employees and established wage soil Out of 120% of the minimum wage in areas where drivers end the trips. For Ets -Hokin, it’s about $ 20 an hour – which is not enough to win more than 15 hours per week.
When he drives, he prefers two specific stretches of three hours on weekends – between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. and 1 a.m. – which he thinks is the most profitable. According to his calculations, he can win up to $ 40 an hour during these periods, after driving expenses.
This is partly because weekends also tend to produce more conversations – and better advice.
“Unfortunately, most AM or PM commuters are not interested in interacting with their drivers,” he said, adding: “The best hourly wage is during the loaded weekend evenings.”
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Correction: March 8, 2025 – An earlier version of this story has poorly spelled the name of Ets-Hokin in one case. It’s Gabe Ets-Hokin, not Gabe Est-Hokin.
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