Successful gig drivers judge their earnings, in part, based on how much they save at tax time. There are a lot of savings out there, and not all drivers take advantage of every tax write-off.

This is why expense-tracking apps for Uber and Lyft drivers and food delivery drivers are so important. They allow you to track everything and track it accurately.  

In this blog post, we look at two of the more popular: Gridwise vs. Solo expense trackers. The bottom line is that Gridwise is dedicated to helping gig drivers be successful. A key part of achieving success is providing you with vital knowledge about the best available tools.

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The section which addresses Solo’s Pay Guarantee feature is an important one. The app analyzes the rideshare, food, and package delivery apps that you drive for and produces a plan of how to work those apps for maximum return. While Solo promise an hourly wage guarantee and compensation for underperformance, Solo's Pay Guarantee feature may not deliver on its promises. We will explore this further.

Gridwise and Solo apps: What are they?

Gridwise and Solo both offer a companion app used by gig drivers. Along with a handful of other gig driver apps, these are some of the most popular on the market. They help gig drivers earn more, and they allow more of that money to stick to you. Using these apps, drivers can 

• monitor earnings across all platforms 
• see patterns that result in greater profits
• connect mileage tracking to tax software like TurboTax
• import CSV files from multiple gig platforms into Gridwise or Solo
• download expense reports in CSV format from Gridwise or Solo

Drivers are freed from the mundane, time-consuming tasks of recording expenses to do what they do best: transport passengers, food, and packages from point A to point B. 

Why are apps for gig economy independent contractors so important?

As a gig driver, you're self-employed, and that means many things—independence, control, freedom, flexibility. It also means you pay quarterly taxes. Therefore, you must track expenses so that your tax deductions at the end of the year are well-documented and as all-inclusive as possible. Every dollar you avoid paying the government because of a legitimate deduction is a dollar in your pocket. Rideshare expense tracker apps and delivery driver expense management apps are essential because they allow you to save the maximum amount of money. 

As Gridwise pointed out in a recent blogpost, What Records Do Gig Drivers Need to Keep Track of for Taxes?, tracking expenses is vital, and can save gig drivers hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars in taxes. 

Strategies and tactics. Whether they provide rideshare or deliver food, the best gig drivers rely on strategies and tactics to maximize their income. Where are the rides? When will they peak and surge? What food orders should you take, and which don’t fit your earning plan? A good companion app helps you answer these questions. 

Mileage. Many gig drivers wonder why it's crucial to track mileage. At first glance, it appears as if the gig companies do that for you. The truth is that the gig companies don’t track every mile you cover as a gig driver. The rideshare companies track your mileage only when you're en route to a pickup or have a passenger in the car. 

The mileage you incur when you're on your way to where you drive, all the miles you cover between rides, and the miles you travel when you go home at night are also deductible. This is also true for food and package delivery. Yet the gig companies don’t record these miles. 

Mileage tracker apps designed for independent gig-driving contractors log these miles. Better yet, as an app on your phone, they do it passively, using your phone’s GPS or triangulation and pinging software. When you turn on your app at the beginning of your shift, you also turn on your mileage tracking app. The best mileage trackers for gig workers allow you to download the reports into a database file so that you can present the IRS with a copy if requested. 

Expenses. At first glance, tracking expenses as a gig driver is simple. Everything you purchase for your gig driving is deductible. That part is easy. Keeping track of the soup of receipts is not, and having to make sure all those receipts get recorded is also a chore. 

The best expense tracking features allow you to photograph the receipt. Then you can enter the information manually in the app’s expense log. Again, you have copies of all your receipts ready to print out in electronic format for hard copy. For more information, refer to this explanation by the IRS. One area of expenses that gig drivers need to pay particular attention to is the depreciation of their cars. Are you depreciating yours properly? Check out the Gridwise blog post Car Depreciation Tax and Gig Driving: How Does It Work?

What is Solo?

A quick look at Solo:

App Store Rating: 4.7 

Google Play Store Rating: 4.4

A quick look at Solo:

Solo is a companion app for gig drivers to use in unison with the various apps or platforms they drive, including rideshare, food and grocery delivery, and package delivery. What’s included in the app?

• Solo expense tracking features
• mileage tracking 
• ability to download reports as CSV files for tax purposes and review
• driving plans (known as Pay Guarantee) based on driver history and data points 
• income tax projection

Solo designed their app for all gig workers and freelancers, not just gig drivers. You can also add income from non-app sources, such as dog walking, website building, freelance writing, freelance caretaking, or other income streams. That’s a nice feature, given that so many gig workers engage in multiple gigs to meet their income goals. 

A post by Entrecourier.com, a blog for self-employed workers, includes a Solo mileage tracker review. According to the review, the Solo app has problems with missing trips and doesn’t provide all the trip information required by the IRS. Those are two major sticking points. In a test conducted by Entrcourier, Solo missed 51% of trips.

What is Gridwise?

A quick look at Gridwise:

App Store Rating: 4.9 

Google Play Store Rating: 4.6

Gridwise is a gig driver app, designed by gig drivers for gig drivers. Gig drivers are getting an app designed exclusively by people who understand their challenges. Highlights include

• Gridwise expense tracking features
• Gridwise mileage tracking 
• Where to Drive 
• When to Drive
• Airport information
• Gridwise My Trends
• Gridwise messaging
• Gridwise benefits

Gridwise mileage tracker. Any Gridwise mileage tracker review includes high praise for this feature. You simply turn on the tracker when you turn on your rideshare app. You can also use the tracker to record mileage for other business-related driving that’s not gig-related.

Many drivers consider it the best mileage tracker for gig workers.  

Gridwise messaging. Gridwise communicates to drivers in real-time about local events, concerts, sporting events, and other factors. If a baseball game goes into extra innings, you know that you don’t need to head to the rideshare area just yet. If a musician makes multiple encores, Gridwise can give you that information.  

My Trends. Gridwise’s My Trends feature lets you link all your gig activities—rideshare, food delivery, grocery delivery, and package delivery. Drivers can view their earnings in their entirety or compare activities and see which ones are more profitable. As a gig driver, the Gridwise app lets you know what is working best for you, allowing you to assemble a custom work schedule based on what you know works for your market.   

Taxes made easy for Gridwise. Gridwise expense tracking features and the Gridwise mileage tracker make paying the government easier because you can maximize your deductions. You also rest more easily knowing your records are complete and that you have taken advantage of every deduction. Gridwise has a relationship with KeeperTax, allowing you to get income tax projections throughout the year and helping you forecast quarterly payments so you don’t encounter a huge surprise on April 15. 

Gridwise benefits. Gridwise’s goal is to provide gig workers with benefits that are difficult to come by when they’re self-employed as gig workers. A quick review of the Gridwise benefits page reveals a host of services that are either free or low cost. These include

• health insurance
• dental insurance
• vision insurance
• life insurance
• disability insurance
• disability coverage
• accident coverage
• tax help 
• auto insurance marketplace 
• no-cost and low-cost life coverage
• accidental death coverage 
• identity theft protection
• chiropractic and alternative medicine benefits
• telemedicine and teletherapy
• credit and debt counseling services

Gig workers of all types can use The Gridwise mileage trackers

Gridwise is genuinely committed to gig drivers and gig workers of all types. You can see it in the benefits we offer, and we are developing new ones daily. 

Many gig drivers, motivated by the success and freedom they found as rideshare drivers or in food delivery, have also developed other streams of income. They have found their voice and passion in producing YouTube videos, guest blog posts, and scores of other entrepreneurial pursuits.

The Gridwise mileage tracker, and the other expense tracking features of the Gridwise app, have allowed them to better track their finances without making these tasks complicated. For an in-depth look at how Gridwise compares to other industry tools, read our analysis of the top gig worker apps.

We compare Gridwise vs. Solo apps side by side

The following table looks at premium features available on paid Gridwise vs. Solo apps. 

Why don't more drivers use Solo’s Pay Guarantee feature exclusively?

One of the significant features of Solo is their Pay Guarantee. Solo collects data points from your gig driving history, including the times you drive and the platforms you use, and develops a schedule, indicating which apps and times are optimum for you. Drivers who adhere to that schedule receive a pay guarantee or hourly rate they should make (visit the Solo website for specific details). If you stick to the plan and come up short, Solo will make up the rest. 

There are several challenges when drivers adhere to a predetermined regimen from Solo:

• Different platforms offer incentives, bonuses, and surges, depending on demand and other factors. Solo’s Pay Guarantee doesn’t always consider these factors when developing a driving plan. Drivers may want to choose one platform over another based on these variables and their potential earnings. 
• Some events generate an inordinate number of rides, but they fly under the radar. Downtown Los Angeles, for example, often surges because of unpredictable events at after-hours establishments. Knowledgeable drivers see the heat overlays on the app and recognize the opportunity, but the Solo app may not pick up on this chance for greater earnings. 
• An oversaturation of drivers, often unpredictable, leads to increased competition for rides and orders, potentially lowering earnings.
• Drivers may choose to work for platforms that offer better benefits or are driver-friendly, even if it means potentially lower earnings.
• The Solo app does not always understand the strategy a rideshare or food delivery driver uses. On a Reddit post, one food delivery driver explained it this way: “You end up being forced to take all the dozens of low offers [for] every hour you scheduled [on Solo], at which point you will easily make more than the measly $15 or so per hour they ‘guarantee.’”
• New drivers can become over-reliant on Solo and fail to develop the knowledge and instincts experienced drivers use to earn substantial money. 

These are examples of why a pay guarantee feature might work against drivers. There are undoubtedly others. While Solo’s pay guarantee feature is available in most major metro areas, it is not available everywhere.

Why Gridwise comes out on top

The big difference between  Gridwise and Solo is that Gridwise is an app developed by gig drivers for gig drivers. Gridwise recognizes that there is a learning curve involved in becoming a high-performing gig driver.  Many new drivers never get past this learning curve, quitting before they learn the lessons, or continuing to drive and earn substandard wages. With the support they find in the the Gridwise app, they quickly start earning more, and keeping more of it in their pocket. 

Gridwise features such as Where to Drive, When to Drive, airport reporting, special event notifications, messaging, and other perks of the Gridwise app help rideshare and food delivery drivers find areas where demand is the greatest. They also prevent aimless driving, limiting unneeded miles on your car and saving on gas. In addition, regular visitors can access the Gridwise blog,  featuring some of the best tips for profitable gig driving.

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Check out these Gridwise articles to learn more about the Gridwise mileage tracker:

• Discover how Gridwise ranks among the top gig worker apps by exploring our detailed comparison
• 8 Strategies for Maximizing Rideshare and Delivery Tax Deductions
• 9 Must Have Apps for Gig Drivers
• Gig Car Rental: A Guide to Car Rentals for Gig Workers 
• Download the Gridwise app for free!

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While some food delivery drivers prefer to look at hourly earnings as their primary gauge of performance, others prefer to look at how much DoorDash drivers make per delivery. They figure, rightfully so, that if they can squeeze in extra deliveries, they earn more money. This is especially true with DoorDash drivers, which we will discuss later in this blog post. 

To provide you with an answer to how much does DoorDash pay per delivery, we consulted Gridwise Analytics. Gridwise Analytics takes its numbers from the more than 500,000 gig drivers who have downloaded the free Gridwise app to improve their gig driver earnings. Using drivers’ feedback, Gridwise has aggregated and anonymized the numbers. The result is the best picture of how much you can make doing DoorDash and other gig driving jobs. 

You can also get a good sense of all the essential DoorDash earnings numbers by looking at another Gridwise blog post, 2023 Doordash Earnings Report. Glean another perspective on DoorDash earnings from DoorDash Driver Pay: What Did Drivers Earn in 2022. For now, though, let’s look at how much DoorDash drivers make per delivery. 

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A breakdown of DoorDash driver base pay

Top Dashers (that’s what DoorDash calls their drivers) look for at least a dollar a mile in base pay. Some will only accept orders that are closer to two dollars. When an order appears on your app, you see the base pay, which is computed by time, the distance you need to travel, and the desirability of the order. 

But other factors can increase this dollar amount. 

How to maximize your DoorDash driver earnings

Additional ways exist to increase how much DoorDash drivers make within the DoorDash framework beyond the base pay.  

Peak Pay. When things get busy, DoorDash will institute Peak Pay. This is an add-on to the payment you see on the app when the order appears. 

Challenges. Challenges are a way DoorDash tries to keep its drivers loyal to the app. You will see a Challenge on your app, offering a bonus for a set number of deliveries completed in a certain amount of time. You might also receive Challenge offers through SMS or email. Challenges also appear as an add-on. 

How much do DoorDash drivers make per delivery?

Source: Gridwise Analytics. Graph also appears in 2023 Doordash Earnings Report.

Over the last seven quarters, ending in Q3 2023, DoorDash drivers earned between $8.25 and $8.50 per delivery. 

The best DoorDash drivers, however, try to look at their earnings from as many perspectives as possible. For a quick look at this multifaceted perspective on DoorDash earnings, see Gridwise’s recent blog post, 2023 Doordash Earnings Report.

While this blog post focuses on how much DoorDash drivers make per delivery, it is important to understand and appreciate all aspects of Dasher earnings.

Tips for maximizing DoorDash driver earnings per delivery

There are things drivers can do to increase earnings per delivery.

Squeezing in extra deliveries

Work those DoorDash double orders, where you get two orders from the same restaurant, going in the same general direction Double orders are key to increasing earnings. Some drivers will go so far as to take their time after receiving the first delivery, creating extra time for another delivery to get tracked onto the first. You can read more about DoorDash double orders on the DoorDash website. 

Get to know the restaurants

Take note of ordering patterns. Some restaurants might be more apt to attract DoorDash double orders. You want to become familiar with them. 

Learn about ghost kitchens

Third-party delivery services like DoorDash have revolutionized the restaurant industry. They have also given birth to ghost kitchens. These are kitchen-only operations that target the delivery market. Learn more about ghost kitchens at TheFoodCorridor.com. If there is a ghost kitchen in your area, it can make a big difference in your business.

Try to find your ideal trip distance

Veteran DoorDash drivers will tell you to shy away from the longer distance trips that are more likely to steer you away from the vicinity of restaurants and additional deliveries. You might get an order from a downtown restaurant to a home 20 minutes away. You’ll get good money for that delivery, but you might have to drive 20 minutes back to an area where you’ll pick up another delivery. Find the ideal distance for your region that provides good earnings and allows you to increase your trips per hour. 

Work those tips

DoorDash passes on 100% of driver tips through the app. This is a great way to increase your per-delivery income. Carry an extra thermal back for large orders to ensure everything is warm. You don’t have to wear a tie, but dress nicely. Don’t forget to smile. Your parents paid a lot of money for those orthodontics. Show off those pearly whites. 

Pay attention to the hours you deliver food

In a recent Gridwise blog post, How Much Do DoorDash Drivers Make per Hour, you can see that prime delivery hours revolve around lunch (11:30 am to 1:30 pm) and dinner (5:00 pm to 9:00 pm). Working outside of those times might prove unproductive and drive numbers down if you're looking at earnings from a per-delivery basis. 

Does your market lend itself to a bicycle?

DoorDash accommodates bicycle delivery in markets amenable to that mode of transportation. These are generally dense inner-city areas where bikes are more maneuverable than cars, and you don’t have to worry about parking. Check out a recent Gridwise blog post, The Ultimate Guide to Gigs You Can Do on a Bicycle or Scooter. It just might work for you. 

Look at your DoorDash earnings from different perspectives

As we said earlier, the best DoorDash drivers look for every earnings insight possible. Per-delivery earnings are significant, but so are hourly earnings, daily earnings, and seeing how tips fit into the equation. For a complete perspective on DoorDash earnings, see the recent Gridwise blog post, 2023 Doordash Earnings Report.

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Get more DoorDash Dasher earnings insights from Gridwise

Check out these Gridwise articles to learn more about Uber Eats earnings:

• Download the Gridwise app for free
• DoorDash Driver Pay: What Do Dashers Earn in 2023?
• 2023 Doordash Earnings Report 
• How much do DoorDash drivers earn per day? 
• How much do DoorDash drivers earn per hour? 
• How much do DoorDash drivers earn before tips? 

Just about everyone buys something from Walmart or Sam’s Club, whether it’s food, supplies, or novelty items, and many people like to have their goods delivered. That’s why Walmart Spark drivers are so busy, and Walmart Spark delivery driver pay is so high.

In this post, we’ll show you just how well you can be paid as a Walmart Spark delivery driver and how you can make $1000 a week with the app.

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How much does Walmart Spark delivery pay?

Spark is really coming on strong in 2023. By tripling the number of pickup areas it launched this year compared to last year, the Spark app now covers 84% of American households through 15,000 pickup points. In addition to Walmart and Sam’s Club stores, these points include Walmart GoLocal client locations, which provide delivery services for businesses of all kinds.

Obviously, there is a lot of opportunity for Spark delivery driving, and Gridwise data show that Walmart Spark delivery drivers can not only count on solid business,but also receive good pay.

Here’s the rundown:

Walmart Spark Driver Earnings Data 

December 2022–February 2023

Average hourly earnings$24.10Median hourly earnings$23.7090th percentile hourly earnings$24.50Average earnings per week$323.00 (average of 13 hours of work/week)

Source: Gridwise

Walmart Spark delivery pay is on the high side compared to most other rideshare and delivery services. Notably, earnings of $323 per week are based on just 13 hours of work. Drivers in the 90th percentile, who earned an average of $755 per week, put in about 31 work hours.

When you consider that kind of return on a driver’s investment in time and work, it becomes easy to see how a number like $1000 a week can be more than just a distant dream. Before we go into some strategies that will help you achieve super high earnings with Walmart Spark, let’s get some insight about how Walmart spark delivery driver pay works. 

How does Walmart Spark pay?

Walmart Spark pays drivers for each delivery they complete. There are a few different options with Spark, including picking up from Walmart and Sam’s Club curbside areas and GoLocal points, going inside the store to make the pickups, and shopping and delivering for certain orders. The pay for each order will be displayed on your Spark app screen when the offer for the order comes through. 

It’s important to note that when you receive a Spark app request, the deliveries may be stacked. That is to say, a single request might cover one delivery with just two items, and another delivery with eighty things to get to the customer. Even though they may go to different destinations, the pay represents what you will get for doing both deliveries in a single bundle. In most cases, the deliveries are going in the same general direction, but sometimes they don’t. You’ll have to look closely at the options before deciding to accept any offer.

While many drivers don’t mind getting stacked orders, because they may pay more, it does make each order take longer to deliver. This can become an issue when a driver is looking to complete a certain number of orders within a certain time period to qualify for the incentive programs Spark offers to drivers from time to time.

This brings us to exactly to what goes into Walmart Spark delivery driver pay. There is the per order basic pay rate, but there is more. Walmart Spark drivers can also count on

• tips: Most reviews from Walmart Spark drivers tell us that customers tip well. Data collected from Gridwise drivers corroborates this view, indicating the following tip rates:
  • median: 29% over base pay
  • average: 32% over base pay
  • 90th percentile: 34% over base pay

This is a very healthy tip rate! Spark drivers can count on earning above and beyond their base rate, thanks to their customers’ hefty tipping tendencies.

• lump sum incentives: The driver earns a lump sum on top of their basic earnings for completing a certain number of deliveries. Here’s where those stacked orders can become problematic.

• tiered incentives: This rewards drivers who want to achieve by getting more trips. There might be an offer for $20 extra for 4 trips, $30 extra for 8 trips, and $40 extra for 12 trips.

• confirmed payment incentives: These are offered occasionally to get drivers to deliver more. For instance, drivers might be guaranteed to make $400 if they complete 25 or more trips over a single time period, usually a few days. If they earn less, the Spark app will cover the difference.

• per trip incentives: These might be offered as an incentive to get drivers to deliver during off-hours, such as rush hour or late at night. Drivers are given extra money for each trip they complete.

• surges: When volume is extremely high and there are not enough drivers to handle demand, the app will raise the earnings on the offers in order to incentivize drivers to take them.

Read more about Walmart Spark incentive programs on their website.

• referrals: After completing a given number of orders, drivers are eligible to refer friends to become drivers. If the referred friend meets the requirements of order volume within a given time period, both parties will be rewarded. Learn more about the Walmart Spark Driver Referral program on the Spark website.

Strategies for making $1000 a week with Walmart Spark

As you can see from the $755 per week earnings for 31 hours of work (reported from Gridwise Spark drivers who are in the 90th percentile), it is possible to earn a lot with Spark. But to hit $1000 a week, you’re going to have to push just a little bit harder. 

One woman in New Mexico earned $100,000 in one year by driving for Spark, according to Your Driver Mike’s YouTube video. She worked from 10–12 hours per day, however, and was extremely perceptive. She also learned how to work in ways that optimized her chances for making as much as $400 per day. Here are some strategies she might have employed.

1. Put in the time. If you want high earnings, you will have to work more than 10 hours per week. It might not take a lot to hit the $1000 a week mark if you were to work 40 hours per week or slightly more.
2. Create passive income. Refer friends to work for Walmart Spark, and use your referral link in as many places as possible. Your email signature, a website, or YouTube channel could all bring in people you can refer and collect on when they join and drive for Walmart Spark.
3. Position yourself right. Check out where the Walmart and Sam’s Club locations are in your area, and drive to where you could be pinged for orders by either (or both) of them. Being close to a potential pickup location will cut down on the miles you need to drive in order to complete deliveries.
4. Bank on incentives. Keep checking your Spark app for incentives, and participate in as many as possible.
5. Don’t decline too many orders. Although it might make sense to decline an order, when you do, there could be consequences. The app may not go to you right away when the next one comes in, and you could be stuck waiting a long time for the next one. 
6. Get familiar with time and location patterns. Take notice of when there seems to be the largest numbers of orders and where they tend to come from. While you can do this by trial and error, there are ways to get help, too. Gridwise, as you see below, will give you exactly what you need!
7. Consider multi-apping. Fill in the gaps between heavy delivery hours with more driving for other apps. Check out how multi-apping can earn you more in this Gridwise blog article.

Work smart and use brilliant resources

If you want to get insight into the best times to drive for Spark, and get a slew of other amazing tools, you need Gridwise!

Gridwise allows you to:

Track every mile you drive for your gig. Don’t miss out on the miles you can deduct while driving to and from each delivery. Gridwise logs your mileage from the second you sign on at the beginning of each shift.

Get information on delivery demand. When to Drive and Where to Drive from Gridwise show you data from real drivers indicating where and when you’re likely to get the most business, and the biggest earnings.

Track your earnings. Watch your progress as you work your way toward earning $1000 a week ! You can sync your Walmart Spark app to Gridwise, and let Gridwise hold on to the data. Then you’ll be able to see how much you’re making, based on a variety of factors. Gridwise shows it all to you in elegantly formatted, easy-to-read graphs.

Find out about traffic, events, and weather. Gridwise keeps you in the know with happenings in your town, so you can navigate  the lay of the land and know what to expect as you drive your delivery routes.

Get benefits, deals, and discounts for drivers. As an independent contractor, a lack of insurance coverage, and other perks you might get as an employee, becomes a concern. You’ll be glad to know that Gridwise Benefits has you covered! From no- and low-cost life insurance to telehealth, mental health, dental, and visual care, you can take care of all these needs for you and your family.

Be sure to download the app and check out the other deals and discounts Gridwise has secured for drivers.

Now that you know how to make $1000 with Walmart Spark, you won’t want to do it without Gridwise!

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Now that you know how to make $1000 with Walmart Spark, you won’t want to do it without Gridwise!

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Brush up on your Walmart Spark gig knowledge

• Rideshare vs Delivery: How Much Did Drivers Earn In 2022?
• How To Be A Delivery Driver: A Gridwise Driver Guide
• 5 Best Mileage Trackers For Gig Drivers
• Looking for a different gig, part-time or full time job? Check out the Gridwise Job board.
• How much can you make on Instacart?

Gridwise and Everlance are two popular apps designed to assist gig drivers by tracking mileage and optimizing earnings. Unsure of which one to choose? Look no further than this blog post for a detailed comparison.

The key to a great mileage app for rideshare or food delivery is its ability to alleviate the burden on gig drivers. Gone are the days of labor-intensive, easily forgotten, handwritten mileage logbooks. App-based mileage trackers are the way to go. However, with so many options available, it's natural to wonder, "Which mileage tracker is the best for gig drivers?" There are numerous possibilities, most of which can be downloaded onto your phone.

You might be wondering, "What features should I look for in a mileage tracker? Which miles incurred during my gig driving are tax deductible? What other factors should I consider? And why is one tracker superior to the others?"

This blog post provides a side-by-side comparison of Gridwise and Everlance mileage trackers. By outlining the reasons, you will discover why Gridwise stands out as the premier tool for gig drivers.

You can also jump to the Gridwise website to explore how their mileage tracker fares against other major competitors.

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Why do gig drivers need a mileage tracker? 

Rideshare, food delivery, and many parcel delivery drivers are contract workers for gig platforms. They are solely responsible for paying federal and state taxes on their income. Rideshare companies don’t withhold taxes for you. It's incumbent upon gig drivers to minimize that tax liability as much as possible. As gig drivers, your most significant tax deduction is the mileage you put on your car every time you gig drive. 

The IRS increased the standard deduction for business mileage in 2024 to 67 cents a mile. That means for every 10,000 miles of gig driving you put on your car, you can reduce your taxable income by $6,700. Gig drivers in metropolitan areas commonly put between 50,000 to 60,000 miles a year on their vehicles. Deducting accurate mileage makes a big difference in the money you’ll owe the IRS.

Why not use the mileage figure the gig company gives me?

We’re glad you asked that question. At the end of the year, you get an earnings statement from the gig platforms with a mileage figure. That figure reflects the miles you traveled from when you received your order or ride request to when you picked up the passenger or order and then concluded when you dropped off the passenger or delivered the order. 

It does not include the miles you traveled before receiving your first assignment, the miles you traveled between assignments, and the miles you traveled at the end of your shift on your way home. Those are all tax deductible because they are business-related. The Gridwise mileage tracker records these additional tax deductible miles for you. 

For a complete look at how Gridwise performs against some of the most popular mileage trackers in addition to Everlance, check out this Gridwise page. 

What if I get audited?

You can download the electronic mileage records from the Gridewise app. They are Excel-compatible so that you can make computations in minutes. You can also have a hard copy that serves as proof of your miles. Gridwise programmers carefully researched the IRS requirements for mileage reporting, and the Gridwise mileage tracker meets them. 

What are the features you need to look for in a mileage tracker?

When evaluating mileage trackers for gig drivers, the chief thing to remember is whether the mileage tracker is designed primarily for gig driving. Gridwise was founded by gig drivers for gig drivers. The founders realized there had to be a better way to track mileage. The Gridwise mileage tracker is part of the Gridwise app, a companion app designed for gig drivers. Now let’s look at the features you need as a gig driver. 

• An accurate tracker. As a gig driver, you want to track every mile to ensure an accurate record for tax preparation. Gridwise links to your cell phone's GPS. 
• Automatic turn-on/turn-off reminder. If you forget to turn on the Gridwise mileage tracker, it senses that you’re driving and sends a message to your phone asking you if you want to activate it. The same thing happens at the end of your shift: if when you stop driving you forget to turn off the tracker, Gridwise sends you another message. 
• Syncs all your gig platforms. High-performing gig drivers work on multiple platforms. Synchronizing them on the Gridwise app is simple, and you can easily pull up a collective report, showing in real-time which apps are the most profitable for you. 
• Tracks your expenses. You might have bought a flashlight to see addresses or gum and mints for your rideshare passengers. Those are all deductible. The Gridwise mileage tracker includes a feature that allows you to quickly photograph receipts and enter a brief description. 
• Downloadable reports. You can quickly and easily download your mileage into an Excel file for easy handling. Print it out for a hard copy. Drop in an easy-to-use Excel formula to add up a year’s mileage in seconds. 
• Audit acceptable. IRS audits are always a possibility, especially for the self-employed. An orderly printout detailing your mileage will satisfy any tax examiner.  

While this blog post compares Gridwise to Everlance, you can also see how Gridwise matches up to all the best mileage tracking apps. 

A closer look at Gridwise vs. Everlance

Everlance review

Google score: 4.4

Apple score: 4.8

Versions: free, $10, and $33

An overview of Everlance reveals that it aims to attract gig drivers. However, if you dig deeper, you will find features aimed at companies with multiple employees and mileage payments. Everlance wants to be all things to all businesspeople rather than specifically focusing on the needs of gig drivers or gig workers. The result is an app cluttered with many features that can lead you down a confusing rabbit hole. 

You can manually enter your earnings into the Everlance app, but that's time-consuming when you consider that Gridwise automatically tracks income from all your platforms and then presents it in an easy-to-understand format. Gig drivers need to see all their earnings at a glance, simplifying the analysis process. 

There are paid versions of Everlance, but most drivers can get by on the free version. Even so, gig drivers will be left looking for the additional features that are so important to them. 

The Gridwise review

Google score: 4.7

Apple score: 4.9

Versions: free and paid ($9.99 a month with a 20% discount if paid annually)

The Gridwise mileage tracker was designed and intended for gig drivers as well as gig workers. Its features relieve the administration burden so gig drivers can concentrate on building their earnings. Every tab and button has a purpose for the gig driver, all based on efficiency, saving time, and increasing profits. 

The Gridwise mileage tracker features a reminder that detects when you begin to drive and sends a message asking if you want to track your miles. The only miles you track are gig-related ones. That’s a powerful point to make to an IRS auditor. 

Gridwise, like Everlance, has an expense tracking function, but Gridwise lets you take receipt photos and place them in a report and a brief description. Compute mileage and expense reports in minutes at tax time. 

Where the Gridwise mileage tracker really shines, though, is in the unique features that make you a more productive gig driver. These include:

• Trends at a glance. The Gridwise mileage tracker quickly displays earnings and history to show you where you make the most money. 
• Where to drive. The Where to Drive tab monitors all the platforms you drive, letting you know in real time where the greatest demand is for rideshare, food, and grocery delivery.  
• When to drive. The When to Drive tab on the Gridewise app provides a mix of historical and real-time data on when demand is the greatest. 
• Gridwise messaging. With Gridwise messaging, you’ll receive the latest information on when and where a concert, sporting event, or other activity is happening, ensuring you won’t miss out. 
• The Gridwise blog. The Gridwise blog, updated regularly, provides you with rideshare, food delivery, and grocery delivery information. Learn the latest strategies and secrets, helping you save time and boost earnings. 
• Airport features. Unravel the mystery of airports with Gridwise. Know when flights are arriving so you can be ready for passengers. 
• Traffic and weather reports. Weather and traffic can change in minutes. Gridwise monitors the reporting sources and lets you know when these factors affect your productivity. 

Side-by-side comparison: Everlance vs. Gridwise

There is much confusion about the best mileage app, but Gridwise cuts through the clutter. The following table looks at premium features available on paid Gridwise vs. Everlance apps. 

Benefits of Gridwise membership

Gridwise offers benefits that gig drivers find difficult to locate anywhere else. Here are just a few: 

• health insurance
• dental insurance
• vision insurance
• life insurance
• disability insurance
• disability coverage
• accident coverage
• tax help 
• auto insurance marketplace 
• no-cost and low-cost life insurance coverage
• accidental death coverage 
• identity theft protection
• chiropractic and alternative medicine benefits
• telemedicine and teletherapy
• credit and debt counseling services 

Gridwise is always adding benefits. Subscribe to Gridwise today for the deepest discounts on these services. Learn why Gridwise stands out in our comprehensive guide to the top 5 gig worker apps.

Gridwise comes out on top

Many apps claim to be for gig drivers, but they are often an afterthought. Everlance ranks well as a financial app for freelancers and self-employed professionals, but it lacks the services that top-earning gig drivers need to maintain their productivity. 

When it comes to gig drivers, Gridwise has the most complete selection of features to make your work more profitable and keep your tax liabilities at a minimum. 

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Check out these Gridwise articles to learn more about the Gridwise mileage tracker:

• Discover how Gridwise ranks among the top gig worker apps by exploring our detailed comparison
• Gridwise vs. Stride: Which works better for you?
• What’s the best rideshare assistant/mileage tracking app?
• Gridwise is the all-in-one assistant for gig workers
• Gridwise vs. Solo: A look at gig worker expense tracking apps

* Gridwise does not provide tax, legal, or accounting advice. This material has been prepared for information purposes only, and is not intended to provide, and should not be relied on for tax, legal, or accounting advice. You should consult your own tax, legal, and accounting advisors before filing your return.

It’s March. We’re about a month away from tax time. By midnight on April 15, we all need to have our annual income taxes completed and submitted (April 15 falls on a Saturday this year, which means you have until midnight April 17, ensuring many will spend that final weekend frantically doing their taxes). 

We understand. No one likes taxes, and as a self-employed gig driver, you almost invariably owe money to the government. Gridwise has joined forces with Keeper to bring you little-known facts about gig-worker taxes. Keeper helps gig workers and creator economy workers discover tax-deductible expenses. Keeper also helps gig workers file their taxes.

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Let’s dive right in and answer some of the more frequently asked questions about taxes for freelance work and gig driving.

1 - Are gig drivers considered self-employed?

Absolutely. As a gig driver, you are a self-employed business owner. 

Any time you get a paycheck that doesn’t have taxes deducted, you are in business for yourself and responsible for paying taxes on that income. You must complete a Schedule C (Profit or Loss from Business–Sole Proprietorship) as part of your taxes. According to a blog post from our partner Keeper, How to Handle Taxes on Side Hustle Income, this applies whether you are a full-time gig driver, or if your gig driving is a side hustle in addition to a regular job. 

The other bad news is that you must pay Social Security and Medicare taxes on that side hustle income, which totals 15.3% of what you earned after deductions.

2 - What can I deduct related to my car

As a gig driver, your most significant delivery driver or rideshare tax deduction is your mileage. The IRS gives you a choice about how you can write off your car expenses: actual expenses or the standard mileage rate (sometimes referred to as the rideshare mileage deduction). Both approaches consider mileage and other auto expenses, including oil changes, tires, and repairs.  

If you use actual expenses, you record all car-related expenditures, saving receipts throughout the year for every purchase. If you drive an electric vehicle, you keep the receipts for EV charging. This is a paperwork nightmare. Any car-related expense, even a burned-out taillight, is deductible. If you use your car for personal use and your gig driving, you must establish what percentage of use is for gig work and apply that portion of the expenses as a delivery or rideshare tax write-off. 

Using the standard mileage rate, you record your total miles as part of your gig-driving job and write it off. This last tax year, 2022, is different than most, however. The IRS, in acknowledgement of the high gas prices, changed the rate mid-year. Write off all miles driven before July 1 at 58.5 cents per mile. After July 1, increase the rate to 62.5 cents per mile. See the Gridwise blog post, IRS 2023 Mileage Rate Increase: Good News for Gig Drivers, for a full explanation of the IRS increase in the standard mileage rate.

3 - Which method of writing off car expenses is better for Lyft and Uber driver accounting, and delivery work?

When it comes to filing taxes for Uber drivers, Lyft drivers, and delivery drivers, your best option is the standard mileage rate. For example, a driver whose gross earnings were $45,000 in 2022 easily drove 50,000 miles to earn that money. If you split that mileage evenly between the previous rate and the new rate, you come up with a tax deduction of $30,250 off your Schedule C. When you subtract that from your gross taxable income of 45,000, it drops to $14,750. That is a significantly lower tax bracket, achieved with just one deduction. 

If you were to claim actual expenses, you would likely come up with a far smaller number to write off your income. 

The actual expense method is best for a self-employed person who uses their car for business, but who drives far fewer miles than a rideshare driver.

4 - Is the mileage report I get at the end of the year from Uber, Lyft, or other delivery company adequate for my taxes?

The IRS will accept the report, however it reflects far fewer miles than you actually drove. You would be seriously shorting yourself. The report only details your mileage from the time you were assigned a passenger or delivery until you completed that task. Those numbers don’t accurately reflect the miles you covered while your apps were on but didn’t have an assignment. The miles you drive each shift before receiving your first passenger or delivery, between each passenger or delivery, and the drive home at the end of the shift are all tax-deductible. The Stride Health blog suggests that these extra miles can often double your deductible mileage. 

How can you easily record these miles? The Gridwise Mileage Tracker is the best mileage tracker for rideshare and delivery drivers.  It is a vital part of Lyft or Uber driver accounting, automatically working in the background on your cell phone and recording all your miles for tax purposes. Later, you can download the records into an Excel file (or another format) for tax preparation. For a more thorough explanation of how the mileage tracker works, check out this Gridwise video. 

5 - Are any automotive-related expenses not covered in the standard mileage rate?

According to a KeeperTax.com blog post titled Ultimate Guide to Car Tax Deductions and Mileage, there are other expenses you can write off separately if you claim the standard mileage rate. These include 

• parking fees 
• tolls 
• car washes 
• DMV registration fees 

6 - Can I claim the standard mileage rate on the car I rent for Uber or Lyft?

Nope. You can only claim the standard mileage rate for a car you own or lease. In the case of rental cars, the owner is the rental agency. Most rental agreements place the financial responsibility of maintenance and upkeep (tires, brakes, etc.) on the rental agency. In the case of a rental car, you will have to claim actual expenses, meaning you can only claim fuel purchases. 

You can, however, claim the cost of renting the car as a deduction. 

7 - Can I write off my clothes for work?

For gig drivers, clothing is a deduction you will probably have to pass on. Put simply, the IRS rule is that you can write it off if you have to wear it to get paid. The other rule is that you can only wear it for work. 

In a November 2022 Gridwise blog post, A Shopper’s Guide to Being a Shipt Shopper in 2022, Gridwise introduced readers to Robert Woldhuis, who made more than $100,000 a year as a Shipt shopper. Robert’s trademark was wacky costumes, oversized glasses, and brightly colored wigs. Can Robert write those expenses off on his taxes? That’s debatable. A clear-text reading of the IRS rule would not be in his favor. 

8 - Are meals tax-deductible when I am ridesharing?

According to the IRS, there are specific instances in which you can write off a meal. These include

• taking a client out to lunch
• wooing a prospective client
• A meal with a coworker, which includes a discussion of business
• meeting with a potential referral
• a networking opportunity with anyone

As a gig driver, whether you are ridesharing, or delivering food or groceries, the opportunity to have lunch with a passenger or recipient of delivered goods will likely not meet one of these requirements. You also can’t claim meals or snacks that you consume in the course of a shift. 

There is a Lyft Driver Advisory Council. If you are a member of the group and you meet with a fellow member to discuss council business, such a meal could be tax deductible. Aside from that, there are few opportunities to write off a meal as a gig driver. 

9 - Can I write off supplies for my car?

You can write off water, candy, and other snack purchases that you make for your passengers. This is typically done in furtherance of getting a tip or a good rating, which moves it into the area of a legitimate write-off. Do you entertain your passengers with music from Spotify or Amazon Music? That is also tax deductible. The Gridwise Expense Tracker is vital to Lyft or Uber driver accounting. This app feature keeps all your records in one place. You still need to keep your receipts in case of an audit, but Gridwise tracks the numbers and computes the totals. At tax time, all the numbers are at your fingertips. Learn more about the expense tracker function by watching this Gridwise video or checking out this article about the expense tracking features of the Gridwise app. 

10 - Can I write off car payments?

You cannot write off car payments as a tax deduction for delivery or rideshare tax earnings. But you can write off the interest payment on a car loan, even if you take the standard mileage deduction. It is one of three exceptions allowed by the IRS. 

Can you write off all the interest on that car loan? Probably not. Some of that driving will be for personal use. To determine the percentage of interest that you can write off, divide the miles reported from your Gridwise app by the total mileage on your car for that year. Let’s say it comes out to 55,743 miles and 82,805 miles, respectively. Divide 55,743 (the miles reported on your Gridwise app) by 82,805 (the total miles you drove for that tax year). Your deductible percentage is 67%.

11 - As a gig driver, can I claim a home office deduction or write off my home internet?

That’s a tough one. IRS rules allow you, as a freelancer, to take a deduction for a home office, but the rules require that the home is your principal place of business. If you are a gig driver, your principal place of business is your car. Aside from possibly sitting at a desk in your office analyzing a spreadsheet to see trends in your gig-driving activity, it will be difficult to sell office-in-the-home as a full-time expense. The same goes for home internet.  

What if you diversify and start a blog about gig driving, or film, edit, and produce videos for posting on YouTube? Let’s add that you monetize this online activity. Now you can probably claim a home office—and you might have more money to claim on your taxes. 

Gridwise can help guide you in your gig driving activities 

Whatever expenses you're tracking, keep them all in one place with Gridwise. At tax time, you'll be able to export your income and expenses from last year into a handy report. Want to make tax time easier?

Start tracking your expenses with Gridwise

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Why is tracking your mileage so important? In this article, you’ll find out why this simple-seeming aspect of being a gig driver can be a big factor in your profit or loss from rideshare driving or delivery work. Mileage tracking deserves your full attention because it’s a major source of tax deductions for gig workers.

You’ll see why when you discover what either a complete lack of or inadequate mileage tracking can cost you. Here are some of the most common mileage tracking mistakes drivers commit, and smart ways to avoid making them.

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#1 - Totally neglecting to track your mileage

Let’s start with the biggest mistake. You want to track your mileage because you can deduct it from your income and reduce your taxable income. If you fail to do track mileage, you could end up paying much more in taxes than necessary. 

For example, using the IRS rate of 62.5 cents per mile (in effect from July–December 2022), a part-time driver who put in around 17,000 miles over six months would be able to deduct $10,625 from their income. A full-time driver, clocking about 25,000 miles in six months, would receive a deduction of $15,625. And that’s just for half of the year.

There is no way any driver would want to miss out on such a sizable Lyft, DoorDash, or Uber tax deduction! The point is clear: you definitely want to track your mileage.

But, for the sake of argument, let’s say that you neglected or forgot to do so. It’s possible to wait until you’re preparing your taxes to start calculating your mileage, but it’s not a good idea. For one thing, it will be hard to reconstruct your entire year of driving, particularly if you work with more than one app. As we all know, dealing with gig economy taxes is painful enough, and not having solid records would make it all that much more excruciating.

The Fix: Create consistent records of your business mileage, using anything from a pen and notebook to a sophisticated app like Gridwise. Record all the miles you clock while you are on your driving app, whether it’s with a pencil and paper or a state-of-the-art mileage tracking app.

When you use Gridwise to track your gig driving mileage, every mile from every shift is recorded into an exportable file that you can use when filing your taxes. Read more about how to track your mileage with Gridwise in this post.

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#2 - Failing to keep detailed records

Keeping track of the number of miles you drive while you’re working your gig helps you know how much you can deduct from your income—but that’s not always enough. When you are dealing with the IRS, it’s always good to act as if they’ll decide to audit you.

IRS agents are notorious for questioning the deductions independent contractors take, so if yours becomes the return an agent decides to dig deeper into, those mileage numbers might not suffice. They will want the details, and they won’t stop squeezing you until they get them.

You will need to have access to the date, destination, and purpose for each trip notated. That’s not so difficult when you’re a gig driver, because the destination and purpose are pretty much the same for every shift. With that said, you still have to be very thorough about ensuring that you have an accurate account of your mileage. 

You might wonder, does Uber keep track of mileage? The answer is “yes, but…” and that goes for all the other apps you drive for as well. Keep in mind that the mileage the driving apps track are those for which they pay you. So if you go to a destination and the customer cancels the trip or delivery, that mileage won’t be included in the apps’ calculation.

The Fix: Use Gridwise to track each and every deductible mile you travel while you are on your shift. Simply log on when you begin driving and log off when you’re done for the day.

#3 - Mixing personal and professional mileage

This is a big no-no, and if you get caught doing it, you will be penalized. It’s very important to distinguish between the miles you drive for business and those you rack up for your personal needs.

This is why taking manual readings from your odometer is not a safe or adequate way to monitor mileage. Sure, you can hope that you’ll remember to record your mileage when you pause your gig driving to pick up your child from school. In reality, that’s really hard to do, and you probably won’t remember every time. This can result in inaccurate readings, and that can lead to—IRS trouble. 

The Fix: Use Gridwise to track your mileage and eliminate this kind of confusion from your life. Simply log in when you start gig driving and log out when you’re done. That way, you won’t still be logging business miles when you begin a personal trip. You won’t be racking your brain trying to calculate the mileage you incurred, particularly if that after school run involved a moment at the local snack shop or an extra stop to do a friend a favor.

#4 - Losing receipts and other documentation of expenses

How many times have you stuck your hand in the pocket of your jeans or coat and found a bunch of crumpled up receipts in there? If this is something that you experience with regularity, you may want to consider getting more serious about saving receipts for items that can be considered tax deductible.

It’s a lot to ask, in an age when we do almost everything on some kind of electronic device, to actually file away little slips of paper in any semblance of reasonable order. Still, you never know when you’re going to have to present a receipt for those candy bars you bought to hand out to your customers on Halloween, or prove that the trip you’re claiming as a deduction was really for business purposes.

The Fix: You probably have ways of tracking your spending through the debit or credit card you use. It is, after all, wise to keep a separate account for personal and business expenses, so they are easier for you to track. 

You also can use a slick tool to help you keep a running account of all those little expenses, as well as pricier items such as car maintenance and repair. Gridwise has two ways to help you.

1. Record your expenses as they arise, right in the app.
2. Use Gridwise Tax Help, powered by Keeper Tax. Gridwise Tax Help features automatic receipt tracking, so you can jettison the nightmarish image of that shoebox overflowing with wrinkled slips of paper. This feature caters directly to the specific issues that come up with taxes for gig workers.

#5 - Rounding your mileage numbers

Tax auditors look for certain “flags” that indicate a taxpayer might be exaggerating, or even pulling from thin air, the numbers on a return, especially when it comes to Lyft, Amazon Flex, or Uber mileage deduction. 

Therefore, if they see numbers that are rounded off, they’re going to begin to dig deeper, and before you know it you could hear that you’re about to be the subject of an IRS or state audit. That’s why you don’t want to guesstimate your mileage, or even innocently round the numbers off.

The Fix: Keeping honest, exact, and documentable records of your mileage is your safest best when it comes to preparing your deductions. When auditors see “real” numbers, they’re likely to assume that all your reporting is on the up and up. 

When you use Gridwise, you’ll ride with the best mileage tracker for delivery drivers and rideshare pros. Let Gridwise record all the numbers you need to keep you free from unwelcome scrutiny.

#6 - Ignoring tax laws and regulations

Many gig workers, when they begin as independent contractors, believe that filing taxes isn’t going to be any more complicated than submitting information from a 9–5 full-time corporate job. That’s a huge mistake.

The nuances of filing taxes as an independent contractor can easily get you caught up in errors that cost you money. For instance, are you aware that you can be penalized if you don’t file your taxes quarterly? And how would you answer if someone said “Quick, tell me the IRS gas mileage rate USA 2023”? Fortunately, you can read this Gridwise blog post on the topic of the 2023 gas mileage rate, but that’s not the only thing you’ll need to be aware of.

The Fix: Get professional help.

You need to know a lot of little bits of information, and be up to date with all the tax laws and regulations that affect your life as a gig driver. It’s possible to do this all on your own, but you don’t have to. Gridwise Tax Help, powered by Keeper Tax gives you

• access to a tax professional
• algorithms that scan your transactions for deductible expenses you might have missed
• automatic mileage reports from shifts tracked with Gridwise
• the ability to e-file your taxes, right from the app

You can’t afford to use anything but the best mileage tracking app out there—Gridwise!

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You sign up for Lyft or Uber, go through the app so you understand it, put the decals on your car, and hook up the Uber beacon or Lyft Amp, and you’re ready to make money. 

Except that’s not happening, at least for you. 

Sure, you get some rides, but you’re not making the $250 or $300 a night you hear others talking about. It looks as if there are a lot of rideshare drivers out there, and they all have passengers. You don’t have as many. It’s no wonder that out of every 100 rideshare drivers who download the app and go out for the first time, a year later only four drivers are still at it. 

If you're stubborn enough to stick it out, after a month or so you’ll see your earnings increase. They’re not exactly where you want them to be, but the money gets better. You’ve learned a few tricks. You’ve also discovered what are general peak times for driving Uber and Lyft. 

Do you know all of them, though? Take a few minutes as Gridwise reveals the best times to drive rideshare and earn money.

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Strategies and tactics for rideshare drivers

There is more to being a successful driver than turning on the app and waiting for ride requests to appear. You can strategically position yourself at the right place and at the right time to get rides. 

Gridwise has published several blog posts on how to be more successful as a gig driver. Take a few minutes and click on these links:

• How To Be A Rideshare Driver: A Gridwise Driver Guide
• How To Earn More As a Rideshare Driver
• 12 Ways Rideshare Drivers Can Earn More Tips

You can also download the Gridwise app and start reaping the benefits of the best app on the market for rideshare drivers.

The Gridwise app includes useful features, such as When to Drive and Where to Drive. Drivers can see where the business is in real time. If you like airport rides, you can monitor arrivals and departures at local airports. Sporting events and concerts also appear on the app, telling drivers when these events conclude and where they can find spectators who need transportation to their next destination.

When to drive and Airport features on the gridwise app

The Gridwise app also has the best mileage tracker for gig drivers. This, coupled with an expense tracker, lets drivers maximize their tax deductions, keeping even more money in their pockets.

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But there is more …

What are the best times and places to drive?

As you’ve figured out, there are ideal times and places to drive. What are general peak times for driving Uber and Lyft? Time is important, but so is location. Some of those places and times show up on the rideshare and Gridwise apps. Others are well-guarded secrets. Taking full advantage of those locations requires knowledge that only a few drivers have. Here is a list, and we will start with one that few drivers are aware of.

After-hours clubs

After-hours clubs are an opportunity that won’t appear on a rideshare app. The liquor laws in every state are different. In California, bars and stores cannot sell liquor after 2:00 am, and they can start up again at 6:00 am. In the meantime, alcohol (and other substances) flows freely at after-hours clubs in many downtown areas, often located in side-street warehouses or other large spaces. If you stay out late enough, you will get ride requests to and from these locations. These rides can often go throughout the night and continue after sunrise. Take note of them. You might also ask your passengers if they know of any after-hours clubs. One nice perk: the clientele can be exclusive, such as celebrities and the well-heeled, making for a heftier tip. The downside: your passengers are often quite inebriated. Have a supply of emesis bags. 

Early morning airport runs

What are Lyft peak times in the morning, and for that matter, what are morning peak times for Uber? If you live in the suburbs of a major metro area with a large airport, such as Los Angeles, New York, or Chicago, take advantage of those early morning airport runs. One Southern California rideshare driver reports that he hits the road at 4:00 am, sets his destination on the app toward LAX, and 90% of the time, he has a ride to the airport by 4:30 am. 

“There are days I turn on my app while I’m still in the kitchen drinking my final cup of coffee,” he says, “and within minutes, I’m going 50 miles to LAX. Mondays are especially good peak times for Lyft and Uber, but this happens just about any day of the week. And after I drop off my ride, I’m in Los Angeles at the beginning of the morning rush hour. There is no end to the business.”

Gridwise offers a detailed airport feature for rideshare drivers, try it out!

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If you have access to the outer suburbs of a metro area served by a major airport, early morning airport runs are the best time to drive for Uber on weekdays. The same applies to Lyft. 

Thirsty Thursdays

With the advent of four-day workweeks, and other folks who just want to get an early jump on the weekend, Thursdays are a busy night and have been dubbed “Thirsty Thursdays.” Thirsty Thursdays are even more intense in large towns with colleges, as no self-respecting college student schedules Friday classes. 

On Thirsty Thursday, the best time for Uber drivers, as well as Lyft drivers, starts during rush hour and can last until the wee hours. In some cities, Thursday nights often rival Friday nights in the volume of rideshare business. 

Weekends

Weekend nights are the busiest, with Lyft and Uber peak hours starting early. Hit the road at 5 pm, and you often get ride requests from groups going out for drinks before dinner or those who want to beat the traffic to a concert or sporting event. You can expect business to steadily increase throughout the night, with a noticeable spike about two hours before the bars close. This is when FOMO sets in, otherwise known as fear of missing out. Young people, and older folks, too, panic, thinking they're not at the hottest bar in town, and they want to go someplace else. FOMO settles down about midnight, and the next spike hits when the bars close. The increased demand at closing hour can last as long as 60 minutes, as many make their way to nearby restaurants before going home. There are lots of rides. 

Colleges and universities

University of Southern California, near downtown Los Angeles, has an arrangement with Lyft. The university picks up the tab for all student rideshares from 7:00 pm until 1:30 am, as long as they are within a certain radius of the campus. The beginning and the end of this period are peak times for Lyft. The rides are shared, meaning each pickup counts as a ride. The students use it like water. The policy takes a lot of people off the street who might have had too much to drink and keeps concerned parents happy. In the last full year before the pandemic, USC paid for 35,000 rides, according to a father who attended freshman parent orientation. 

Some drivers don’t like shorter, shared rides, but if you're aiming for a goal for a Lyft sprint, USC is a great way to get ten rides in an hour. Check out your local colleges and see if they have similar policies, such asAssumption College in Worcester, MA; Lesley University in Cambridge, MA; and College of San Mateo, near San Diego, CA. There are many others. Do the research and make sure you know the details. 

Special events

Parades, large street fairs, celebrations, conventions, and trade shows offer opportunities for countless rideshare requests. The first weekend of June 2023 saw 100,000 participants and spectators descend on West Hollywood’s Santa Monica Blvd. to celebrate gay pride. There are trade shows, too. Because these are business-related events, attendees charge their rides, and correspondingly large tips, to their company credit cards.

If you live near a town like Palm Springs, CA, there are celebrations throughout the year, including Dinah Shore Weekend, the Coachella Music Festival, and tennis and golf tournaments. 

Some of the larger concert events are accompanied by after-parties, which draw people seeking more good times. Some are well-publicized, while others are more exclusive. Ask your passengers if they know of any. These events can extend the peak driving period that night by several hours. 

Holidays

The last few weeks before Christmas often see a dip in rideshare requests. People are spending time at home getting ready for the holidays. New Year's Eve, though, is often a rideshare driver’s biggest night. Super Bowl Sunday and St. Patrick’s Day prompt lots of demand for rideshare, too. 

Bad weather

Some rideshare drivers don’t like to go out in the rain. That means fewer rideshare drivers to compete against, and grateful passengers more apt to tip. Check your windshield wipers and get out there when it’s raining. 

Other tips for earning more

Being at the right place at the right time is only part of what you need to be a top rideshare earner. Here are some other tips so that you can take advantage of general peak times for driving Uber and Lyft.

Be a peripheral driver

A problem with large events is that the crowds and demand are so great that rideshare drivers report spending inordinate amounts of time in giant traffic jams. Many drivers don’t earn that much more than a regular night, even with the bonuses offered by Lyft and Uber. 

“The Coachella Music Festival is in Indio, twenty-five miles from Palm Springs,” a Lyft XL driver said. “Many large groups of kids rent Airbnb homes near the festival in gated communities, but you spend hours in the congestion, only to go a few miles. It’s often bumper to bumper for 45 minutes to pick up a ride. I found much better earnings hanging around downtown Palm Springs, picking up larger groups there, and transporting them to the festival. At the end of the night, I hang out on the periphery of the traffic jam with my app off and follow the large tour buses that are leaving. I turn on my app when the buses drop off passengers in empty parking lots. Folks still need a ride from there, and that’s when I pick them up. I don’t do the festival traffic jam. Even with bonuses, it’s a waste of time.”

Other drivers advise that they have good experiences cruising around the bars and restaurants surrounding sports stadiums, but they wait at least an hour after the game concludes. “People walk to a nearby bar after the game to wait out the traffic and have a drink,” said one driver. “After an hour or so, they're ready to go home.”

Upgrade to a larger vehicle

If you own an SUV that holds six to eight passengers, holidays and special events are the night to take it out. The higher fares you command by driving Lyft XL or UberXL more than offset the extra money for gas. If you rent a car for rideshare, investigate the possibility of getting a larger car for special events. Reserve early, though, as many drivers have the same idea. 

Carry extra supplies

A downside of working rideshare at special events and weekend nights is picking up passengers who have been drinking. You risk a passenger misbehaving or getting sick in your car. Gridwise addressed this issue in a recent blog post, How To Deal With Drunk Uber Or Lyft Passengers. Brush up on your people skills for handling these types of passengers, and also carry an extra supply of emesis bags. 

Carry extra water, too. At outdoor events, spectators often don’t drink as much water as they should. Having a second case of water in your trunk makes you popular and earns you larger tips. Your preparedness can avert a few incidents of dehydration. 

Understand surge fares

If you drive weekend evenings and during weekday rush hour, then you are familiar with surge pricing. This is indicated on your app by heat overlays, showing areas where demand for rideshare exceeds the available drivers during the busiest Uber times, and Lyft, too. Surges can boost your earnings on a ride by 50% to 100%. But if you are more than a few minutes away from a surge area, think twice before chasing it. Surges are transitory. By the time you get there, they might be gone. 

The other approach is to take note of when and where you see surges. They often recur. If you find yourself in that area again, position yourself so that when the surge hits, you are in the middle of it. 

Update your rideshare apps regularly

This is one of the things they don’t tell you when you sign up to be a rideshare driver. Lyft and Uber regularly update the app to fix bugs and add new features. If you don’t update your rideshare app regularly, it will become slow and unresponsive. It can even quit working altogether. Update your apps at least once weekly, and before large events and heavy demand periods. You don’t want to miss maximum earnings because your app isn’t running at peak performance. 

Maintain several cash apps on your phone

When you get larger groups in your car, especially young people, they often agree to split the costs. One puts the rideshare on their bank card, while the other agrees to pay the tip. You can make third-party tipping much easier with a selection of cash apps on your phone. This happens more often than you may think. PayPal, Venmo, Cash App, and Zelle are the most popular cash apps, according to The Balance, a personal finance website.  

Constantly experiment

High-earning rideshare drivers recognize that they don’t have all the answers about the best time for Uber or Lyft drivers. A Southern California rideshare driver confesses that he accidentally discovered Thirsty Thursday one evening when there was a large traffic accident on the major freeway he took home. He decided to hang around downtown Los Angeles for a few extra hours and was surprised by the volume of ride requests. 

“I added Thursday nights to my regular driving schedule,” he said, “and it has paid off.”

Gridwise can help

The best rideshare drivers with the highest earnings are always looking for an edge. That edge includes Gridwise. In addition to helping you find profitable times/places to drive, there is also the Gridwise blog, full of important information for gig drivers, including the latest strategies and tactics, how to save money on taxes and expenses, and news about the gig driving industry.

Gridwise also breaks down your earnings by time and location so you can see what strategies work the best!

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According to the numbers, the future promises big things for meal delivery. 

What’s driving this expansion? Millennials and Gen Zers mostly; 63% of meal delivery consumers fall into the 18–29 age bracket. Even better, as this group ages, they will likely bring these purchasing habits with them, passing them on to their children. 

The BusinessofApps.com reports that Uber Eats commands 26% of the food delivery market. They also claim another 8% through Postmates, which Uber purchased in 2020.

In this blog post you’ll discover why you should make Uber Eats part of your meal-delivery game. Topics include

• Why should you consider Uber Eats?
• Other reasons to become an Uber Eats driver.                                  
• Signing up as a driver for Uber Eats.
• What happens once you are approved?
• Receiving tips on the Uber Eats app.
• Incentives for Uber Eats drivers.                                                                                                                                     
• Using a bicycle for delivering Uber Eats.
• Uber Eats driver advice for earning more.
• Make Gridwise part of your Uber Eats toolbox.

Why should you consider Uber Eats?

We’ve already presented numbers showing DoorDash's substantially better market share. Bigger is not always better, though. 

According to a Gridwise blog post from July, DoorDash vs.Grubhub: Which Is Better for Drivers in 2022?, DoorDash drivers averaged $15.28 per hour; Grubhub drivers came in at $15.49 per hour ( figures collected through the Gridwise app). Earlier in the year, though, Gridwise published Q1 Uber Eats numbers in another blog post, What Does Uber Eats Driver Pay Look Like in 2022?, showing Uber Eats drivers earning $15.84 per hour. 

Other reasons to become an Uber Eats driver

There are other benefits to Uber Eats. 

• Uber Eats may be the more dominant meal delivery service in your area. Market share numbers on a national level don’t always translate to market share at a local level. There are some regional markets where Uber Eats plays a more dominant role. 
• If you already work as a rideshare driver for Uber and would like to work for Uber Eats, too, then signing up will be even simpler for you.
• You might be one of the many gig drivers who multi-app, running more than one app at a time. If you are multi-apping meal delivery services, then Uber Eats deserves a place in the lineup. (For extra insight into multi-apping, take a look at the Gridwise post The Art of Multi-apping: How-Tos and Strategies for Gig Drivers). 
• If you rent a car through Uber for your rideshare gig, you can use the rental car for Uber Eats without violating the rental agreement. The terms of rental agreements through Lyft or Uber typically preclude you from using that rental car for other gig services. 
• Uber Eats also allows you to deliver on a bicycle. This is highly profitable, depending on your market (we’ll talk about this later). 

Signing up as a driver for Uber Eats

Everything starts with the Uber Eats driver app. You can sign up on a laptop or desktop computer, but eventually you’ll have to download the Uber Eats delivery app anyway. From there, it involves answering a few questions and supplying the requested information. 

According to the Uber website, these are their qualifications:

Delivery by car

• be at least 19 years old
• have a two-door or a four-door car
• possess a valid driver’s license in your name
• possess a Social Security number, so Uber Eats can run a background screening

Delivery by scooter

• be at least 19 years old
• have a motorized scooter with an engine under 50cc
• possess a valid driver’s license 
• possess a Social Security number, so Uber Eats can run a background screening
• indicate that you will be delivering by scooter, under the transportation method

Delivery by bicycle or on foot

• be at least 18 years old
• possess a government-issued ID (no driver’s license is required)
• possess a Social Security number so Uber Eats can run a background screening
• choose delivery by bicycle or foot (only in certain cities), under transportation method

Upload a photo of yourself (the standard mug shot), driver’s license or government ID, and proof of vehicle insurance and registration if applicable—you might also need to submit a vehicle inspection. 

Approval takes three to ten days.  

What happens once you are approved?

There are meal delivery services that limit the number of drivers active in any given area. If you try to get on and that service has already reached driver capacity in your area, you won’t be allowed onto the app. Not so with Uber Eats. You can log on at any time. 

You then get offers for orders that need delivering. The offer on the Uber driver app includes the restaurant’s location for order pickup, the general area (cross streets) of the delivery location, the estimated time the delivery requires, and how much you will earn. This figure is a total number, including the delivery price, any incentive bonus, and the customer tip. 

Unlike rideshare, Uber Eats does not track acceptance rates. Drivers are free to choose which orders they want to pick up and deliver; a subject addressed later in this blog. 

That said, Uber Eats does tell drivers on the Uber support page that "It is important to maintain a high acceptance rate to provide a reliable service to restaurants and customers." You may want to be careful about turning down lots of orders.

Once you accept an order, you drive to the restaurant and pick it up. Once pickup is complete, you’ll swipe the app and then receive the exact address for the delivery. 

The customer can indicate if they want the order left on the doorstep or if they want you to knock on the door. Once the order is delivered, you swipe the app again and the process is completed. Off to the next order you go. 

Receiving tips on the Uber Eats App

Tipping is one of the drawbacks of Uber Eats. The Uber Eats app prompts the customer to enter a tip amount when they place the order. The amount the app shows the driver for earnings includes that tip. The Uber Eats app, however, allows the customer one hour to change it. If there is a problem with the order, the customer might reduce or eliminate the tip. 

There is also tip baiting, in which customers indicate a handsome tip to lure the driver into providing extraordinary service or accepting an order that requires a long drive. After the meal is delivered, the customer then reduces or eliminates the tip. Tip baiting is not that common, but it does happen. As an Uber Eats driver, it will make you groan. 

Incentives for Uber Eats drivers

There are three bonus structures for Uber Eats to incentivise drivers. 

Quest incentives

Uber Eats offers quest incentives for completing a specific amount of deliveries within a given period. An example of a quest incentive might be that you complete 10 meal deliveries between 5:00 pm and 9:00 pm on a Saturday and receive a $50 bonus. You are typically informed of quest incentives ahead of time. 

Surge pricing

Surge pricing for Uber Eats works the same way it does for other gig-driving jobs. When demand for meal deliveries is high, Uber Eats offers a surge bonus to attract additional drivers. Peak times for Uber Eats often are:

• Lunch: 11:00 am–1:00 pm
• Dinner: 5:30 pm–9:00 pm
• Days: Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, or when there is a special event, such as Thursday night football games on television 

Boost incentives

Boost incentives are like Surge pricing, except that they are based on location rather than time. The Uber Eats app will show boost incentives for specific areas, perhaps a college or university campus or a business park during the lunch hour. 

For additional tips on earning more as an Uber Eats driver, check out the Gridwise blogpost How to Make $1,000 a Week with Uber Eats. 

Using a bicycle to deliver Uber Eats

The major meal delivery services allow the use of bicycles in specific areas. Some people deliver for Uber Eats and limits their delivery to bicycle-only. One "driver" explains in a blog post on his site that using a bicycle is ideal in densely populated urban areas. He selects only those deliveries he can reach within minutes on a bike. Despite the congestion of downtown areas, bicycles allow Uber Eats delivery people to avoid a big problem: traffic. Your pay depends on how many deliveries you can make. Some claim earnings on the Uber Eats delivery app ranging between $30.00 and $40.00 an hour. 

“If you can complete 5 deliveries per hour and make $6 per delivery, you’ll make $30 per hour. Hit 6 deliveries per hour at $8 per delivery and you’ll make $48 per hour. Most likely, you’ll be somewhere in between those two numbers (assuming you’re strategic about which orders you accept and how you do your deliveries).”

According to the numbers from Gridwise, Uber Eats drivers were earning an average of $9.37 per trip. 

The biker also noted that Uber Eats does not supply delivery drivers with insulated bags. Some of the other meal delivery services do. They purchased a branded Uber Eats delivery bag. Amazon carries a wide selection of bags, including the types favored by bicycle delivery drivers. 

Other drivers include Uber Eats as part of their multi-apping strategy along with Uber. As we mentioned earlier, both activities are for Uber, so you can also take advantage of renting a car through Uber. Check out the Gridwise blog post, Gig Driver Guide: Renting a Car for Rideshare or Delivery. 

Uber Eats driver advice for earning more

As with any gig driving job, there is a success strategy for Uber Eats. Perfecting that strategy can maximize your earnings. Here are some suggestions on tactics. Always remember that an effective strategy varies depending on what type of meal delivery driver you are and your market. 

Understand the food culture in your market

The restaurant scene, with all its variations, is evolving as you read this. Restaurants are not the only players in today’s prepared meal business. There are countless food trucks, pop-up stands, and other outlets. A Los Angeles Times article describes several warehouses in LA that host multiple “ghost kitchens.” These are kitchens servicing the meal delivery market only (and sometimes the pickup market). There are also numerous brands that operate from the kitchens of established restaurants. The Modern Shipper website reports that the kitchens of about 1,250 Applebee’s restaurants host Cosmic Wings, a concept with an exclusive delivery agreement with Uber Eats. There are many others, according to an article on CNBC.com. For example:

• Wingstop offers Thighstop.
• Chuck E. Cheese operates Pasqually’s Pizza & Wings.
• Hooters has three virtual brands: Hootie’s Burger Bar, Hootie’s Bait and Tackle, and Hootie’s Chicken Tenders. 

They have no bricks and mortar, no storefront. It is all delivery, backed by aggressive digital marketing to get the word out. 

The message: do a little research in your market and know what’s coming out of the back door of some of these restaurants or warehouses. Cruise by every once in a while and see if you can pick up an order.  

Make Uber Eats part of a multi-apping strategy

There are many high-earning gig drivers who believe multi-apping is key to their success. Determine which apps are dominant in your market and work with all of them. Be aware of surge bonuses and quest incentives with the Uber Eats delivery app, though. If you are working toward a quest incentive, you will likely want to stay with Uber Eats until you meet the goal. Want to learn more about multi-apping? Don’t forget! Check out the Gridwise blog post, The Art of Multi-apping: How-Tos And Strategies For Gig Drivers. 

Keep your delivery circle as small as possible

Take a lesson from the Financial Panther and realize that the more deliveries you complete, the more you earn. A larger ticket may pay more but can eat into your time because of the extra driving. Draw a tight circle around an area that you know from experience is profitable and stick with it. A small delivery circle also means you’ll save on gas. 

Be familiar with restaurants that are notorious for making you wait for the order

Time is money, and you don’t get paid to wait around for an understaffed or chaotic kitchen to get an order ready. If a restaurant has kept you waiting, remember that next time you see an order from them and pass.

Work those tips

Drivers routinely report that as much as half of their Uber Eats earnings come from tips. Make sure you deliver promptly. Smile for the Ring camera, even if you drop the food off at the doorstep, push the doorbell, and walk away. Take a cue from the grocery delivery drivers who leave a handwritten note card with each order. You can pre-write them with a generic message the night before. 

Check all orders

Getting the wrong item is a frequent complaint of meal delivery customers. Even the best restaurants make mistakes. Check the order when you pick it up, before you leave. Make sure somebody didn’t confuse chili-cheese fries with regular fries. More important, ensure you have the correct order, not someone else’s. 

PRO TIP: Once you have checked the order, message the customer that you have done so and are on your way. Communication is key. 

Don’t be afraid to experiment

Restaurants change, and markets evolve. Mix it up, try new things, and tweak successful strategies. Especially in this environment of ghost kitchens, it’s easy for something to slide by unnoticed. If you can casually ask the customer what they like, you may find a new restaurant or kitchen you didn’t know about. Again, it may be worth driving by if you can pick up an order. 

Self-education

There are blogs and YouTube videos available on improving meal delivery earnings. Follow them regularly. Check out the pages of Gridwise for updates, too. Take time to read Gridwise blog posts. 

Make Gridwise part of your Uber Eats toolbox

If you drive for Uber Eats, make sure you track your earnings, miles, and expenses. You can do all that in one place with Gridwise while getting more out of your mileage deduction with Gridwise's mileage tracker. You'll also get crucial info on peak times to do food delivery.

If gas costs are still eating into your profits, you can get up to $50/month off with Gridwise Gas!

Start saving more with Gridwise

And have fun out there!