Do Uber drivers make more at night? (Best time to drive!)
Experienced Uber drivers advise new drivers to determine rider demand and trends in the area they intend to work in.
Knowing exactly when (and where) Uber drivers are in greatest demand, and being able to follow those trends and patterns, is a critical part of ensuring and maintaining a stable and profitable business.
This article explains the best times to make money driving for Uber: when, where, and most importantly, how to schedule Uber rides flexibly, intuitively, and creatively.
Do Uber drivers make more at night?
Uber drivers agree that late peak hours (between 4pm and 7pm on weekdays) can bring a lot of work, and pay is better during peak pricing.
Night work, not afternoon/evening shifts, depending on the day of the week. In this case, Friday and Saturday nights have been busy.
Therefore, it is best to take advantage of the morning and evening peaks on weekdays and take a break in between. Then on the weekends, identify the busiest locations (and when), since travelers may be looking for transportation all day on weekends.
When is the best time to be an Uber driver?
The answer varies depending on the type of area you’re driving into (such as rural or urban), how far you’re prepared to drive, how far you’re prepared to drive, and how well you anticipate and track spikes in demand for Uber.
This means you must be able to identify these peaks. Typically, demand for Uber drivers increases twice each weekday: in the morning (between 7am and 9am) and in the afternoon (4pm to 6:30pm), when everyone wants to get home again.
Also typical are the demand spikes that correspond to urban nightlife (5pm to 5am), and the sudden surge in demand after a major event, when thousands of potential riders are looking for an Uber home. Finally, Sundays are always busy for Uber drivers, as people plan to go out for the afternoon (or all day).
Uber’s peak hour pricing, or rush hour pricing, occurs when ride demand is at its highest. That’s because Uber takes real-time conditions into account before offering a guaranteed price to riders. So, during a surge, riders have to pay more.
Uber drivers generally agree that these morning, afternoon and night shifts are the most profitable, with Monday being the day with the lowest demand. It is recommended to make it a habit to take as many trips as possible during peak times and take breaks when demand is low.
That means being prepared to work weekends and Friday and Saturday nights, even if those aren’t hours most people enjoy working.
Drivers also need to be able to identify fluctuations in demand caused by short-term stressors such as weather and long-term cycles such as seasonal changes, end-of-year celebrations, festivities, holidays, warmer weather, etc.
Knowing ride demand trends in your area means you can schedule service when you need it most and then take a break when requests dwindle (such as in January when year-end festivities are largely over).
Read: Uber ‘No Car Available’ Message: What It Means and What to Do!
Where are the best places to be an Uber driver?
Again, it’s not really about identifying where to go, but to know Where does your traffic want to go. That means knowing where passengers are, where they want to go, and minimizing wait times between trips.
Experienced drivers will avoid long trips, especially those out of town where the driver is unlikely to bring people back. Those miles traveled for the return trip are called “empty miles”.
Other drivers, however, recognize unserved rural areas or seasonal areas with few drivers (such as snow areas) and have set up their locations specifically for those areas. Some drivers even invest in equipment (ski racks) and safety gear (snow tires) that give them an edge over other drivers.
Are weekends the best time to drive an Uber?
Working Friday and Saturday nights seems to be the best way for drivers to make money. Drivers who park outside the busiest bars and clubs on a Saturday night are getting more and higher fares.
However, drivers also warn that late-night commuters are also the toughest to deal with.
Another trick to making money from Uber is being willing to stick around. About half of Uber drivers give up within the first six months. However, the more weeks a driver stays on the platform, the more money they make.
That’s because it takes time and effort for drivers to learn Uber’s algorithmic patterns, the geography of their city or location, traffic and road conditions, rider habits and needs, and where drivers should lurk to win the best fares.
Veteran drivers say Uber’s success didn’t come from luck or guesswork: It came from persistence, focus and a willingness to commit long-term before giving up or moving on.
Read: Do Uber drivers prefer short trips or long trips?
summarize
It’s critical for Uber drivers to maximize their schedule to earn the most money.
This is especially true because Uber drivers hand over some of their jobs to Uber and must also finance their own fuel, insurance, cleaning, repairs, registration, and general upkeep costs.
Drivers therefore need to do the necessary preparations to secure a profitable work schedule, in other words, find patterns in rider needs and follow them.
Fortunately, demand for Uber drivers is always at its peak — early morning and late afternoon on weekdays, Friday and Saturday evenings in urban areas, and often all day Sunday, especially when the weather is nice.
Likewise, demand for Uber rides follows a broader but equally consistent seasonal pattern.
This means that drivers should schedule their availability in summer or winter in places with more seasonal tourists.
