Gridwise blog

Of course you wear a mask. You wash your hands. You keep your front passenger seat blocked off with a yoga mat or a pillow, so no one can sit there. 

Maybe you even wear gloves while you’re working your rideshare and delivery gigs. Yet, with COVID-19 still lingering in the air, and rumors of new surges erupting worldwide, it’s scary to think about what can happen.

At Gridwise, we want you to feel safe while working your driving and delivery gigs. So we did some searching, and found four great ways for you to add an additional layer of protection to your COVID-19 routine—with shields. There are face shields, as well as shields for the interior of your vehicle. And in case you’re not sure this is the solution for you, we’ll present you with some ideas to ponder, such as:

• Why would rideshare (Uber/Lyft) drivers want a shield?
• What shields can and cannot do
• Four great shield options for delivery and rideshare drivers
• Our pick for the best shield of all

Why would you want a shield?

Admit it. You’ve had the feeling. 

A passenger sneezes all over your back seat, then touches the door handle with a used tissue on the way out. Or a restaurant employee hacks into the crook of his elbow just before handing over the order you have to pick up. Customers get into your car before actually putting on their masks. With the virus still spreading, how do these potential horror scenes make you feel?

It doesn’t make you mean or rude for not wanting to leave yourself open to other people’s germs, particularly with something as frightening as COVID-19 going around. 

So, in addition to sanitizing your vehicle and delivery equipment and wearing a mask, what else should you do?

If you’re using common sense about protecting yourself and the people around you from the dangers of contracting COVID, you realize that like your nose and mouth, your eyes are also mucous membranes. All mucous membranes are vulnerable areas, through which a virus can easily enter the human body. 

So, even if your mouth and nose are covered, when someone sneezes, coughs, or even expresses saliva while speaking in close enough proximity to reach your eyes, you’re vulnerable to whatever microbes may be emanating from their mucous membranes.

Since you’re a driver, covering your eyes with a cloth would obviously pose more than a few challenges.

You’re going to need something else.

While at the grocery store, the pharmacy, or even the DMV, you’ve undoubtedly noticed people with plastic shields, or sneeze guards. 

They’re worn and installed as that extra boundary of protection against infection with COVID-19. If you thought they were just for medical personnel and commercial establishments, you might be happy to learn that you can have them, too, right over your face or in your vehicle.

Before letting you get carried away with which one is right for you, let’s get more facts about shields on the table.

What shields can and cannot do

At first glance, you might consider how protective a shield could be and think, “Great! Now I can stop wearing a mask!” But … that’s not completely true. A lot of contradictory information has been disseminated throughout the COVID crisis, and in many cases, even trusted authority figures have provided conflicting advice about masks, goggles, shields, gloves, and so forth.

Stripping the cloud of confusion down to bare facts, it makes sense that, if you choose to wear a shield, you should also wear a mask. The prevailing viewpoint among medical professionals is that shields protect you from being infected by others, but masks do a better job of stopping others from being infected by you. “A face shield is primarily used for eye protection for the person wearing it,” states an August 2020 article by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). That’s because masks, although not perfect, do provide more of a seal around your nose and mouth.

But not everyone is able to wear a mask, as the CDC explains: “Wearing a mask may not be feasible in every situation for some people.” This includes those who are deaf or hard of hearing, “or those who care for or interact with a person who is hearing impaired.” For these individuals, wearing a face shield would offer at least some protection, while allowing them to avoid being adversely affected by wearing a mask.

In general, shields offer an extra layer of protection. And when we as delivery and rideshare drivers use them, we’re adding that extra layer, and also helping to prevent virus-infected droplets from getting into our bodies through the eyes. 

Obviously, using a shield could make you feel safer, and your passengers will almost always appreciate it too. Your needs for a shield will vary according to the way you use your vehicle, as well as whether you’re engaging in delivery or rideshare work. So, let’s take a look at some options, and then you can decide what might work best for you.

4 great shield options for delivery and rideshare drivers

Shields come in different shapes and sizes, and of course there are personal shields as well as shields designed for vehicles. 

Most of the vehicle shields divide the front and back seat areas, insulating the driver from passengers. While some achieve a complete seal, others leave gaps so air from the climate control system can circulate, and conversations can still comfortably take place.

Take a look at these four options, keeping your needs in mind. For more information on any of them, click on the company name and you’ll be taken to the product website. That way, you can decide which shield is the best for you, your safety, and your gig driving style.

1. The D.I.Y.

Maybe your first impulse is to build your own shield for your car … or face. A Baltimore rideshare driver did just that. He purchased a plastic sheet, and deftly enclosed himself in it. It’s possible to do this, of course, but it leads us to wonder how it really feels under there! This driver seems to feel safe, even if his solution isn’t all that pretty. 

We don’t know if he always wears a mask. If he doesn’t, he’ll have to put one on if he expects to open his app—and to be certain that droplets from his mouth and nose aren’t present in the air that gets through gaps in his makeshift shield.

A definite plus is the low cost. The driver managed to do all this by spending about $25 at his local home construction supply store.

2. Driver Bubble™

If you want to do this right, it might be wise to look to people who really know what they’re doing. Driver Bubble™ offers all kinds of options to fit your needs for a shield. The one shown in this photo is as economical as it is useful. 

The Driver Bubble™ ONE is solidly constructed and made from polycarbonate, which is far more durable and less susceptible to scratching and smudging than regular plastic. The ONE sells for approximately $87.

If that’s too pricey for you, there is a “Flex” version of ONE that’s made of PVC and sells for approximately $47.

The ONE also keeps the driver isolated, and could potentially make it possible for you to accommodate more than three riders at a time, as long as doing so isn’t outside the parameters set by your rideshare company. 

Other offerings from Driver Bubble™ include standard shields that separate the front and back seat areas, which come in both average and large sizes for SUVs and trucks. There is also the Driver Bubble™ Sneeze Guard. It’s priced at approximately $58, and is an easy-to-install, polycarbonate shield that is secured to the front seat headrests. Driver Bubble™ also sells masks, which shows the company’s awareness of the need to use those along with shields for total safety and protection.

3. Color Legends

Color Legends offers a clear, 2mm PVC sneeze guard. It’s made in the USA, is ultra clear, won’t wrinkle or tear, and can stand up to sunlight. It’s easy to install, and can be cut to adjust to your vehicle space. 

This company also offers a 16mm-thick PVC film, similar to what is used in soft boat windows and party tents. It’s UV resistant and fire rated, as well as washable and wrinkle resistant. 

You’ll need to contact Color Legends to get the price, as neither the website nor their catalog provides that information. It looks like a pretty solid option, but without a definite price, it’s difficult to know if it would be worth the purchase. 

The company, in general, seems to specialize in workplace-scale shielding solutions and works largely in wholesale quantities. That may affect the price, and make it less value for the money.

4. Face Shields

Although you might find it awkward to drive while wearing a face shield, you can keep one handy for times when you need it. This might include while making deliveries, carrying packages through an uncomfortably large crowd, interacting with people you don’t know and who are not masked, and anytime you want to have extra protection.

The great news about face shields is they’re inexpensive; prices start at under $10. They are made of different materials, and there are some considerations you’ll probably want to take into account. 

One is ease of handling without touching the inside of the shield. The other factors include weight, durability, comfort, and the likelihood of the material standing up against cracks and scratches. And, of course, you would want to know the mask wouldn’t constantly be fogging up.

According to the CDC, face shields that wrap around the sides of the wearer’s face and extend below the chin, or hooded face shields, provide the greatest amount of protection.

Our pick for the best shield of all

Sticking with an established company seems to make the most sense to us, and we feel that there’s one that really stands out. 

And that “one” is … Driver Bubble™, particularly the Driver Bubble™ ONE. This is our favorite because it seems to be the most useful of all options, and is also economical.

We like the way it looks. It has a very professional appearance. It doesn’t give you the sense that someone took a piece of cheap shower curtain and haphazardly hung it up in the vehicle. The ONE is elegant, sleek, and well-fitted. And, because it’s made of polycarbonate, it’s durable and easy to clean and disinfect. It simply wraps around the driver’s seat, and can be used by drivers who are either right- or left-handed. 

When you’re “in the bubble” you can still use your mirrors and talk to your passengers because the shield isn’t super-thick or cloudy. At 1mm of thickness, the ONE offers protection without undue isolation.

With a product as great as this one, it’s easy to really, really like this company—and they offer all those other options too. Check out these images of the other shields and sneeze guards, and follow the links to learn more.

The Driver Bubble™ Standard Shield

The Driver Bubble™ Flex

The Driver Bubble™ Sneeze Guard

For quality, variety, affordability, reliability, and design, Driver Bubble™ has got it going on. Check out the company’s website, and take advantage of some of the deep discounts that are available.

Driver Bubble is also offering drivers 10% off their purchase when you use the code GRIDWISEOFFER.

Do it fast! We want you to drive and deliver, but only with the very best protection from this great company, Driver Bubble™.

As flexible and lucrative as rideshare and delivery driving can be, this kind of gig work has its downside. 

For one, it’s very difficult to find driving jobs that provide benefits such as medical and disability insurance, sick pay, and paid vacation. For another, there’s really no way to advance in your career, and ultimately, to move up a few levels on the career ladder.

We understand why rideshare and delivery drivers might want to branch out and do something new, so we put together this article describing five jobs that allow drivers to pivot to a new career. 

First, we’ll examine the characteristics drivers are likely to be looking for in terms of a different line of work. Then, we’ll offer some ideas for potential careers that would work well for drivers. Here’s what we’ll cover:

• What drivers should look for in a new job
• 5 life changing jobs for rideshare and delivery drivers
• How to get a new career started

What drivers should look for in a new job

Drivers aren’t always the most conventional people—which means the jobs drivers prefer might not be run-of-the-mill, either. Going straight from a dynamic and stimulating driving gig into a nine-to-five job that offers little more than repetitive tasks may not be too desirable.

Let’s look at some job characteristics that drivers have said are important:

1. Stability. Without knowing where your next paycheck is coming from, and when you’ll get it, it’s hard to feel good about what you do. A good job for a driver will be one that offers a steady stream of work in a stable and in-demand industry.
2. Flexibility. For many drivers, it’s important to continue working on their own schedules. Another job, or family responsibilities, might make it difficult to always work set hours.
3. Career Path. The “dead-end job” aspect of driving is something most drivers would give up in a heartbeat. Getting a job that allows for growth builds confidence in your future, while helping prevent boredom and dissatisfaction with your work.
4. Benefits. Many drivers, especially those who work full-time, would like a job with benefits like health insurance, disability insurance, sick pay, and paid vacation—which drivers and other gig workers don’t typically have.

Now that we’ve covered what job characteristics are most important to drivers, we’ll discuss some jobs that may just be what you’re looking for. 

5 jobs that could change your life

1. Web development/Software Engineering

We know. This job title sounds like it might require a great deal of skill, determination, and training—and it does. But if you’re looking for the kind of job that will give you everything you’re searching for, this is it. This line of work is state-of-the-art, in high demand, stable, flexible, challenging, and comes with a great career path ... as well as (usually) employee benefits.

As a driver, you have a huge advantage over others who might be looking into this kind of work. Your flexible schedule will give you the time you need for training, and allow you to continue to earn while you take classes and get your feet wet in the field.

And it just so happens there’s a school that’s looking for drivers like you: Kenzie Academy. Kenzie offers training in software engineering and UX design, two hot career fields that can change your life. If you live near Indianapolis, you can attend classes on campus; but no matter where you live, you can complete the program online.

As a software engineer you’ll do the coding: writing the computer instructions that make the websites and apps work. You can train at Kenzie Academy to be a software engineer, and be ready to go into the workplace after only 12 months. It’s a full-time program, but you’ll still have time to do a few rideshare or delivery runs to keep money coming in.

2. Transportation and logistics

Although the kind of driving you’re used to falls under this category, there are numerous other jobs that go way beyond ferrying passengers and fast food. For instance, you could be a bus driver or a truck driver, transport people with medical needs, or get involved in the logistics of the ever-growing package delivery industry.

A company like UPS or FedEx could offer a compelling career path. While you may start out sorting packages in a retail location, you could work your way up to managing regional distribution centers, and ultimately (if you wish) working in the corporate office. Even at the entry level, these companies offer stability and benefits, and there is often some schedule flexibility as well.

3. Customer service

Whether you realize it or not, as a driver you have skills that qualify you for a job in this field. You deal with customers all the time. You’ve learned a lot about how to handle people, even when they fall into the category of “unruly.”

As more companies encourage employees to work from home, there is a greater need for customer service representatives with real skills in handling other human beings. Healthcare is a huge field for customer service personnel, and large health networks, as well as massive pharmacy chains, need people to field calls and make them. 

Customer service is also a key component in retail sales. And as more transactions are completed online, people will want to ask questions about items before they purchase them, and get help with handling their complaints or returns. 

The financial services industry also has many openings for customer service representatives who can answer questions about loans and bank balances, or direct them to the professionals who have the experience and training to do so.

These jobs typically offer full benefits, and some flexibility in terms of hours. In many cases, especially since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, customer service jobs are work-from-home positions. There’s also room to grow on this career path.

4. Sales 

Think about it. Even though persuading a passenger to ride with you or encouraging someone to make a delivery order is pretty much up to the apps and the companies that own them, many skills you have as a driver could be applied to a sales environment. 

You’ve got people skills. You know how to be polite even when you don’t feel like it. You often offer advice about the best places to have fun around town, or describe to out-of-towners what winters are like in your area. You may also be a clever networking person. Your way with people just might open doors to new opportunities.

That’s largely what it takes to succeed in sales. And now, with the economy changing as much as it is, people who are good at sales are in high demand. People skills, like those you use in your job as a driver, go a long way in sales, and this kind of job has some other good qualities.

There’s lots of flexibility in sales. Often, you can make your own schedule, depending on the product or service you’re selling. There are sales jobs that allow you to work from home, making outgoing calls, as well as jobs that send you out and about on sales calls.

You can check on specific jobs in your area, but here are some listings from around the country that should help get your brainstorm brewing.

Expanding businesses in the current environment include alternative energy, healthcare products, sanitization and security services, and of course, vehicle sales.

Sales can be stable if you’re good at it and you land at a good company. You will get benefits in most situations, and you can work your way up through the company’s sales force. If the company doesn’t offer that opportunity, you always have the option of going somewhere else. 

After all, it’s your people skills and self-driving initiative (pardon the pun) that employers are looking for. You can always be trained in the inner workings of different products and services, so going into sales opens a big, wide avenue of opportunity to you.

5. UX Design

Did we just hear you say, “WTF is that?” If you did, you’re not alone, because this field is so fresh and new. Many companies that need UX designers don’t even understand what they do—yet. But this field is becoming increasingly integral to many companies’ online operations.

First of all, UX design is short for “user experience design.” It refers to the process of designing products that are useful, easy to use, and enjoyable to interact with—and therefore, valuable to users.

By mastering UX design, you’ll be an expert in the ways people interact with an app, website, or software program. This is a terrific fit for you as a driver, because it requires those people skills you’ve had to cultivate to do your driving gig. To be good at UX design, you must understand what people want to do with a device or software, and make it easy for them to operate. 

You also need to be creative, responsive, and able to find your way around a problem. Since these are attributes you’ve already cultivated in your driving job, now you can apply them to UX design, and create a whole new way of life. 

Kenzie Academy has put together the perfect UX design training program to get you in on the ground floor, so you can move up from there. The program is part-time and just six months long, so it’s convenient to work while you study. And who knows? While you’re on the road, you might meet someone who’s looking to hire a UX designer. Even if you don’t, Kenzie has a comprehensive placement program that provides mentorship in preparing for the workplace. They’ll even connect you with jobs you’re going to love.

As for salary … let’s just say you’re going to like this particular career path. Kenzie graduates start their first jobs earning as much as $53,000 per year.

But even if you’re not seeking a job that ties you to a computer for 40 hours a week, these skills can help you bring in money as a part-time employee, consultant, or an entrepreneur. Hey, wouldn’t it be cool to sign your own paycheck? These things are possible with the training you’ll get from Kenzie Academy.

Get unstuck, even if you keep driving

If you’ve been feeling like you’re stuck in a rut as a driver, we hope this article has given you some inspiration that could free you from the grind. There are numerous opportunities out there, even as the world and the job market continue to change and grow in new directions.
You can’t go wrong with any of these jobs. But if you truly wish to advance into a new and exciting career that will still be viable after self-driving cars and drone deliveries make driving and delivering obsolete, we recommend you contact Kenzie Academy. Build a future as a software engineer or UX designer, and you’ll be flying high for a long time to come.

Drivers… we have a lot to worry about in 2020. With the threat of contracting COVID, pandemic-related lockdowns, new rules to enforce, mastering the vehicle sanitization process, evading civil unrest, dealing with pre and post election anxiety, and watching the entire rideshare and delivery environment change before our eyes … haven’t we dealt with enough??

We certainly have. That’s why, when we hear about something that could give drivers even more to worry about, we take charge of figuring out what’s going on. In this case, we’re talking about Waymo. 

A subsidiary of Alphabet, Google’s parent company, Waymo One (Waymo) made a big announcement recently. 

After two years of operating its service with driverless technology, accompanied by a driver to make sure nothing goes wrong, the company has taken the next step. 

Waymo has determined that its technology is now safe enough to allow passengers to receive fully autonomous rides. As an October 8, 2020 Waymo blog headline states: “Waymo is opening its fully driverless service to the general public in Phoenix.”

Words like “fully driverless service” are enough to make any driver squirm, but when you learn more, you’ll be able to relax again. Sure, there are some changes in the autonomous vehicle arena, but there are plenty of reasons not to panic. In this post, we’ll go through those reasons for you, covering:

• What Waymo has actually done
• How close is Waymo’s service to being fully autonomous, and profitable?
• Why most of the ride-hailing world will still need drivers

You can also watch our YouTube video on the subject below!

What Waymo has actually done

Waymo’s latest announcement to stop using backup (human) drivers in their cars has created quite a stir. Does it mean autonomous vehicles will be rolling around in cities and suburbs all over the country? No, it doesn’t mean that. Waymo’s work on autonomous vehicles is still in its very early stages. Let’s look at what the company has done, and what it’s doing now to make such cringe-worthy headlines.

Waymo has been testing its service in a 50-square-mile area in suburban Phoenix, Arizona, in three cities: Chandler, Tempe, and Mesa. Why would the company choose to roll out the service in suburban Arizona? 

Because the terrain is quite flat, the roads don’t have many curves, people don’t walk around in the streets much, the weather is predictable, and the population is rather sparse. While it’s not quite as easy to navigate as a test track, it’s as close to real streets and roads as it could possibly be.

For the last two years, the Waymo ride-hailing service has been operating like most any other app-based platform, but with autonomous vehicles—and mostly with backup drivers on board. Things were going well in 2018 and 2019, and then … the pandemic happened. Like all other ride-hailing services, Waymo One suffered setbacks due to the COVID-19 lockdowns. 

Prior to that, Waymo was providing up to 2,000 autonomous rides per week. Most of these had human drivers onboard, but about 5 to 10 percent did not. These driverless rides were restricted to a select group of Waymo passengers who were asked to sign a non-disclosure agreement.

Now, that small group of riders is going to expand. According to the October 8, 2020 article on the Waymo blog, “over the next several weeks” the company will remove backup drivers from the vehicles. This means the vehicles will operate fully autonomously, although human intervention will still be possible. 

A team of Fleet Response Specialists will be available in case a vehicle gets into a situation it doesn’t know how to navigate. Their function will be to send advanced instructions to the Waymo vehicle, in order to get it out of “trouble,” in the event of such difficulties as a road being unexpectedly closed or impassible.

Notice, also, that Waymo is only removing drivers “for the next several weeks.” In essence, this is a test to prove autonomous vehicles can work without human assistance. Then, the plan is to begin to expand to other places, beginning possibly California. 

After the test period, onboard drivers will return to the vehicles, especially to any vehicles that are deployed outside the test area where Waymo operates now. Even if this all goes well, and Waymo One becomes available in more areas, drivers will still be needed, at least on a temporary basis. Plus, “fleet response specialists” are not going to go too far away anytime soon. They will be needed to assist the operation of the vehicles when trouble on the road comes along.

How close is Waymo’s service to being fully autonomous, and profitable?

If Waymo were not part of Alphabet, and under the same corporate umbrella as Google, it would be natural to wonder how the company could stay afloat. Backed by Alphabet’s money and technology, they’ve been able to sustain huge quarterly losses, in the tens of millions, and maybe even the hundreds of millions. Most of this has been to support the cost of developing the technology.

Some of the money has been allocated to paying the drivers who’ve been riding in the vehicles, plus the support “drivers” (highly paid software engineers) who are on call to support the vehicles and drivers from a remote location. 

These fleet response specialists will be needed, at least at first, to monitor vehicles closely. At first it may be one-to-one, but eventually, if the company is to become profitable, each fleet response specialist would have to be able to handle at least 10 and as many as 20 cars at once. 

That may be possible if the technology continues to develop to a point where it needs little or no intervention. For now, though, the vehicles still need a fair amount of oversight, if not from onboard drivers then certainly from very watchful fleet response specialists.

Specialized hardware is another huge cost. Waymo vehicles are equipped with sophisticated sensors and computer gear that are necessary to make them run; and this electronic equipment is delicate and not especially durable. Not only does it have to be purchased when each vehicle is first brought into the fleet; it must be maintained regularly, and probably, frequently replaced.

Rolling out the service to a wider area will take a lot of time. Almost three years passed before Waymo was able to map out the area in its small test region in Arizona, and test the software thoroughly enough to begin driverless operations. It’s likely that this process will be shortened as time goes on, but it will still not be an overnight deployment.

Furthermore, there’s the obstacle that all new services face: government approval. The controversy surrounding autonomous vehicles is large and complicated, with local, state, and federal authorities involved. Public safety is a major concern for these government entities, and other considerations, like road use taxes, compliance with local traffic laws, driver accountability, and liability for potential passenger injury could come into play.

To say the least, these obstacles stand in the way of that dreaded army of robo-taxis, bent on the instant eradication of all human drivers. It will be an undetermined amount of time before we have to worry about losing our jobs to autonomous vehicles, so don’t peel off your Lyft or Uber sticker and hang it up quite yet.

Why most of the rest of the ride-hailing world will still need drivers

Waymo’s experiment in its 50-square mile haven in the Phoenix suburbs has been successful so far, but as we said earlier, they’re working under ideal conditions. Not every locality is blessed with roads straight as arrows and almost constant sunny weather. 

Most areas of the country, particularly densely populated urban areas, will not be as welcoming to the limitations, and frankly, the dangers, of autonomous vehicles. Increasingly, cities require drivers to yield the right of way to bikes and scooters, and of course to pedestrians. Can you imagine this vehicle finding its way through a Bay Area fog, or navigating alleyways within the Wall Street area of Manhattan?

Even in more remote areas, challenging topography, winding roads, snow, ice, and pouring rain could put a definite damper on the autonomous vehicles’ ability to make human drivers obsolete. Other companies have deliberately chosen to test autonomous cars in areas where these obstacles are present, and they have found their progress to be quite slow. 

Then, of course, there is the public’s perception of autonomous vehicles. The Pew Research Center developed a poll, and found that there are fewer people who are ready to jump in and take a riderless journey than there are those who seem reluctant, or even afraid. 

See? The public still needs, loves, and appreciates drivers. You really don’t have to worry about losing your rideshare or delivery driver job quite yet. At least it gives us one less thing to lose sleep over during the endless nightmare of 2020.

Gridwise will stay by your side

Not only will we keep our eye out for news on the gig economy, as we/ve written about on our blog, we’ll be with you as you drive, each and every day. Track your earnings on all the platforms you use, whether you work rideshare, delivery, or both. Keep a running total on your mileage, too, and then see it all pop out in a slick, easy-to-decipher format, like this.

Get airport and event information, weather, and easy access to deals and discounts for drivers on the Perks tab. Check out our YouTube channel, too, and join us on Facebook for fun, fabulous, Gridwise gas card giveaways.
Gridwise is the ultimate rideshare and delivery drivers’ assistant. Download the app today!

We know you know this, but here it is anyway: Tuesday, November 3, 2020 is election day in the United States. 

You may have thought that drivers don’t have much to do with politics. But if you’ve been paying attention lately, your perspective has likely changed. 

In just one state, a raging battle threatens to do one of two things: run the rideshare and delivery companies out of business, or force those companies to change their business models and make the people who work for them employees.

In this blog post, we’re going to tell you more about what’s going on in the biggest political battle being waged over the gig economy’s way of doing business. We’ll also discuss how this could affect all drivers, everywhere, depending on what happens and how the battle lines are drawn in other states.

We’re pro-driver here at Gridwise, but we’re also nonpartisan—meaning, we would never tell you who to vote for. 

What we will do is make sure you get all the information you need to select the candidates and initiatives who truly represent your individual interests. With that in mind, here’s what we’ve got for you in this post:

• California’s showdown over driver classification: AB5 and Proposition 22
• What the outcome of the California election will mean to drivers everywhere
• Both sides of the story: How Democrats and Republicans are likely to view this issue
• What this means in your local (and the national) election
• Some cool election day happenings

California’s showdown over driver classification: AB5 and Proposition 22

About a year ago, California’s state legislature passed a law known as Assembly Bill 5, or AB5 for short. By precisely defining the differences between independent contractors and employees, the bill forced the rideshare and delivery companies to make their drivers employees.

In this blog post from June 2020, we discussed exactly what this means, and why the companies weren’t/aren’t willing to go along with the bill.

AB5 went into effect on January 1, 2020. The companies ignored it. State officials dragged the companies to court, and won. Then, there was an injunction against enforcing the law because the companies came up with a new plan.

California has what are known as ballot measures, or propositions. As long as virtually any group can get enough signatures to bring the measure to a vote, they can put forth a proposition. If it passes by a majority of California’s voters, it becomes law. 

With lawyers shrewd enough to know this, and how to make it happen, Uber, Lyft, DoorDash and Instacart joined forces and created a ballot measure known as Proposition 22.

The companies gathered the necessary signatures, got the measure on the ballot, and have been campaigning for it all summer and into the fall. With ads and other persuasive tools, they have spent in excess of $184 million to get the measure passed.

Here is the breakdown, showing what each company contributed toward the cause, and the percentage of the entire amount :

Uber$51,701,769.00Lyft$48,652,082.00DoorDash$47,735,274.00Instacart$27,623,864.00Postmates$11,819,194.00Total$187,532,183.00

Proposition 22 will be on the California ballot on November 3, 2020. If it passes, AB5 will no longer apply to rideshare and delivery companies. Instead of the restrictions spelled out in AB5, the companies would abide by the policies described in Proposition 22. You can find out more about those policies in this blog article.

If Prop 22 doesn’t pass, the companies will have to abide by the law as defined in AB5. Drivers would become employees, and companies would have to pay benefits such as unemployment insurance, health insurance, paid time off, and disability insurance.

Obviously, this would be a massive expense for the gig companies. Would it be viable for them to continue to operate in California? When they were initially told they had to comply with AB5, they threatened to stop doing business in the state. If you want to know more about that situation, take a look at this blog article.

What is the likelihood of Proposition 22 passing? According to this September 2020 survey of likely voters, taken by UC Berkeley, 39 percent said they would vote yes, 36 percent said they would vote no, and 25 percent were still undecided. 

What the outcome of the California election will mean to drivers everywhere

You may be curious about why we’ve been devoting so many blog posts to California, and the answer is this: because there is absolutely no doubt that whatever happens will have profound effects on the rest of the country. 

California isn’t the only place where the government has intervened in the payment of drivers who work for gig economy companies. In New York City, a minimum wage of $17.22 per hour was set by the Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC). That sounds like a great deal, right? For those who were already driving, yes.

But for people who might want to start driving in New York City, it wasn’t such a great deal. The TLC also restricted the number of Uber and Lyft drivers who could drive in the city. So, in the biggest market in the United States, many people were locked out of the gig economy.

Also, most drivers realized that even though they were finally getting a fair minimum wage, it wasn’t for the best of reasons. 

Along with rideshare, the TLC oversees the Yellow Taxi and Black Car companies in New York. By restricting the number of drivers, and making Uber and Lyft pay a minimum wage, the TLC was protecting the other industries under its jurisdiction.

One city that has a minimum wage law in effect for drivers is Seattle. In this case, the city’s government officials researched what drivers were making, determined how much they should be making, and developed a policy that set the minimum wage to $16.39 per hour. This went into effect on October 9, 2020, with the mayor’s signature. 

Many drivers liked this, for sure, but the companies? Not so much. Uber referred to what happened in New York, where prices for rides went up 30 percent and thousands of drivers could no longer work, and warned Seattle against taking this similar step.

No one knows how the Seattle situation will pan out quite yet since the law was enacted so recently. It shows, however, that while California is the biggest battle being waged, it’s not the only battle.

Drivers are divided on this issue. Many have said they prefer to remain independent contractors, while others would rather be employees. This blog post covers more details about that difference of opinion, and shows some interesting driver survey results.

It’s worth repeating that what happens in California is not limited to drivers in that state alone. It can happen anywhere—including where you live.

Both sides of the story: How Democrats and Republicans are likely to view this issue

In our starkly divided country, the attitude toward government intervention in business, including the rideshare and delivery industry, is almost always divided along party lines. California, New York (State and City), and Seattle (and the State of Washington) are currently governed by officials who are members of the Democratic Party. 

Traditionally, that has been the party best known for defending workers’ rights. So, it makes sense that the first efforts to regulate the companies have come out of mostly cities and states governed by Democrats. 

The Democrats’ history as the champion for unions goes back to the mid-nineteenth century. At that time, when it came to voting, most working class people automatically went along with what their Democrat-oriented unions told them to do. In general, Democratic Party leaders will tend to support government intervention to level the playing field in favor of workers.

Since California, Seattle, and New York are all governed by Democrats, it’s no surprise to see the measures that officials in those places have taken to regulate the companies. 

As a matter of policy, these leaders are unhappy with how the rideshare and delivery companies treat their drivers and shoppers, so they would probably support efforts to form a drivers’ union. This article from May 2020 discusses how some drivers and driver advocates have been attempting to do just that.

At the very least, the Democratic Party’s tendency would be to have the government regulate the companies so drivers would be paid uniformly, as well as be supported by the safety net of company-provided benefits.

Republicans, conversely, tend to side with corporations in disputes like the one emerging between gig companies and workers. Republicans also emphasize the idea of individual achievement. They would argue that if government-imposed restrictions make it financially impossible for the companies to do business, this would hurt drivers and passengers. They would most certainly not support the formation of driver unions.

For the most part, Republicans believe the economy should be allowed to operate with as little government interference as possible. Republican policies lean more toward deregulation, which typically conflicts with the interests of proponents of fair labor practices and environmental protection. Yet these policies also have advocates among entrepreneurs and companies alike.

There are reasons why these groups tend to favor Republican policies. One is the theory that if the companies are not burdened by excessive regulations, then there will be more jobs, more business, and more economic growth. 

The ideal, of course, is to strike a balance between the two extremes, which often happens once disputes between the two sides get hammered out.

The way you look at the employee/contractor controversy is likely to determine the way you want to vote. Remember that even local representatives can have a huge effect on the viability of the gig economy in your area. This is shown by the local policies enacted in New York City and Seattle. It’s likely that this controversy will be coming to your town, too, before very long.

What this means in your local (and the national) election

As mentioned earlier, we have no interest in telling you how to vote. 

We’ve presented some facts that are likely to get you thinking about where you stand, or at least we hope you will consider them as fodder for contemplation. There are drivers with passionate beliefs about each side of the employee/contractor dispute, and other drivers whose political thinking is aligned with the beliefs of their chosen political party for other reasons.

So, if you were thinking about sitting this election out, please don’t. There’s a lot at stake, and it’s up to you to ensure that you’re fairly represented by candidates who will advocate for your interests.

Some cool election day happenings

How awesome would it be for the rideshare companies to offer discounted rides to the polls on election day? Well, they’re doing exactly that nationwide. 

Now, depending on your perspective, that can be a really great thing. But...in California, news reports and website articles say Uber and Lyft are hyping Prop 22 to their riders, by mentioning in the app how important it is for riders to vote “yes.”

Instacart, not to be left out of this process, has shoppers delivering election materials along with the groceries they bring to customers’ doorsteps. “The whole thing is just very, very dystopian and absurd and alarming,” says Vanessa Bain, an Instacart shopper and cofounder of a nonprofit called Gig Workers Collective. 

Let’s hope they won’t refuse rides to “no” voters, and that they’re not even going to actually ask how their customers are going to vote!

In addition, because voting in person often results in long lines outside polling places, Uber partnered with the nonprofit group, Pizza to the Polls to get free slices of pizza to hungry people who are waiting to vote (with Uber Eats performing the deliveries).

Yet another incentive to vote is being provided by Lyft, which has partnered with Starbucks to provide free one-way trips to the polls for its workers. 

Let Gridwise support YOU

That’s right, we support you. And we’re not even asking for your vote; just a download, which brings you a boatload of great stuff. For starters, Gridwise will track all your earnings from the various companies you work for. Our new feature, now rolling out in Beta, will allow you to seamlessly link your accounts to Gridwise to input your earnings and mileage data.

No matter how the information comes into the Gridwise app, this is how slick and easy it is to decipher what comes out.

No other app gives you so much power, PLUS access to our Perks tab. That’s where you’ll find links to our super-informative blog, the unreal and wild Gridwise YouTube channel, and … deals and discounts for drivers you just won’t want to pass up.
We love our driver community, so please, don’t be shy. Send us comments below with your thoughts about this article or anything else you want us to know. Also join us on Facebook so you can be part of the great Gridwise gas card giveaways!

This driver survived the pandemic-related slowdowns thanks to HyreCar

At Gridwise, we love to hear from drivers. 

After all, those conversations let us know what’s really going on in the world of rideshare and delivery driving all over the country. It’s a great way for us to discover new ideas that we can pass along to the driver community.

Recently, we had the pleasure of sitting down (via Zoom) with Donna Campbell, a D.C.-based Postmates driver.

She started driving during the COVID-19 crisis after losing much of her regular income. Although she had to overcome many obstacles, she was determined to find a way to make money with delivery. 

The biggest obstacle? She didn’t have a car, or any vehicle she could use to deliver.

That’s when she discovered a company named HyreCar. With HyreCar, Donna was able to rent a car hassle-free, for a reasonable cost, in a way that was totally in compliance with all the rideshare and delivery companies’ requirements.

Her story is inspiring, and what she tells us about her experience is valuable for all drivers.

In this post, we’ll share what we learned from Donna, and fill you in on how her solution might benefit you.

We'll discuss:

• Donna’s story
• What HyreCar is
• How to get a vehicle from HyreCar
• The other side of HyreCar
• Donna’s thoughts about her HyreCar experience

Donna’s story

Like so many of us, Donna thought she was done in by the events of 2020.

The year was only a few months old when a brand-new strain of coronavirus struck the world—and in a frightfully short period of time, it changed the entire landscape of many people’s lives. 

Donna Campbell was one of them. She lost two of the three jobs she’d been holding down prior to the shutdowns, and she needed to earn money fast. 

She heard there was big demand for delivery drivers, and that was something she believed she could do. But there was a problem: Donna didn’t have a car, and she was not in a financial position to buy one. 

Although that may sound like an impossible situation, she didn’t let it stop her. She seriously considered her options, and when she saw a Google ad for HyreCar, she knew she’d found the answer: a way to deliver without owning a car. 

Here’s some information about the company Donna discovered—one that proved to be a game-changer for her.

What is HyreCar?

Founded in 2014 and headquartered in Los Angeles, HyreCar is officially known as a “carsharing marketplace.” As a company that rents vehicles to rideshare and delivery drivers, HyreCar can be a godsend for those who don’t own a vehicle (like Donna) or who are temporarily without a vehicle due to a breakdown or collision. 

The cars HyreCar provides are rented out by owners who have an extra vehicle that isn’t being used. Owners can generate passive income by renting their vehicles to drivers on the HyreCar platform. (More on that later in the article.)

How to get a vehicle from HyreCar

If you want to rent a vehicle from HyreCar, you’ll have to meet a list of requirements. But because they’re basically the same requirements you already have to meet in order to drive for a rideshare or delivery company, you won’t find them foreign or difficult to achieve.

You must:

• Be at least 21 years old
• Have a valid, in-state driver’s license that you’ve held for at least one year
• Have a mobile phone in your name so HyreCar can communicate with you
• Have an existing account with a rideshare or food delivery service
• Not have major driving violations (DUI, reckless driving, etc.) for the past three years
• Not have more than two minor driving violations in the last three years

If you meet all these qualifications, you’re ready to set up your HyreCar account and pick up your car. Here’s how:

1. Visit the HyreCar site and follow the instructions to set up your account.
2. Start the process of booking a car, based on your location and the length of the rental period (minimum of two days).
3. Browse available vehicles; pick at least five that would work for you, as they will be allocated based on availability. HyreCar will cancel any bookings you aren’t approved for.
4. Fill out your payment information. A $200 deposit is necessary if you’re using a debit card. No deposit is required with a credit card.
5. Undergo a background check (for your first rental only). The check is supposed to take only a few hours, but can actually take a day or two.
6. If and when you get approved, you’ll be charged for the entire cost of the rental. 
7. After receiving documents from HyreCar (registration, inspection report, and rideshare insurance provided by HyreCar), upload the documents to your rideshare or delivery company.
8. Pick up your car from the owner, being sure to check and record mileage, fuel level, vehicle condition (dents and scratches), and any unusual instructions about operating the vehicle.

Once you’ve picked up your car, and all the paperwork has been approved by your company, you can drive for the specified rental period. When you’re done, return the car to the owner. You can also extend your rental daily, weekly or monthly if you’d like to keep driving. If you decide to drop off the car, be sure to refuel it first, and let the owner inspect the vehicle to make sure it wasn’t damaged while you were driving it.

Here are answers to a couple more questions about HyreCar.

How much does HyreCar charge for rentals?

This varies by location, but the range is between $25 to $40 per day.

Does HyreCar provide long-term rentals?

In many cases, yes. Drivers can rent daily, weekly, or monthly and extend their rental for as long as they’d like to continue driving. The company also has programs that allow local car dealerships to rent out vehicles to rideshare and delivery drivers, giving drivers the opportunity to rent-to-own a vehicle as well.

It’s easy to see how this was a great solution for Donna. She could rent a vehicle, do her delivery driving, and avoid the expense and hassle of owning (and parking) a car in D.C. For her, HyreCar was fabulous.

Sign up to rent a car with HyreCar here.

And it can also be a great deal for car owners. Keep reading to find out how.

The other side of HyreCar

Let’s say you own a car. Maybe you’ve been sidelined from driving due to troubles of your own, such as illness, injury, or legal problems. HyreCar might be a way for you to earn extra money until you can drive again.

You can rent your car to drivers through HyreCar, and make money without putting in very much work at all. Merely be willing to meet up with prospective drivers who’ve already been vetted by the company, hand them the key when they take the car away, and get the key back when they return.

That’s a pretty easy gig, especially when it could bring you as much as $50-$60 per two-day rental period. If you want to learn more about being a renter rather than a rentee, check out this HyreCar Review for more info on that.

As mentioned above, fleet owners and car dealers can also rent out their idle or underutilized inventory to drivers on the HyreCar platform to create new revenue streams for their business.

Donna’s thoughts about her HyreCar experience

Any company can make itself look good on paper, but it’s what customers say that gives you the real picture—and Donna has great things to say about HyreCar. First, she had an amazing post-purchase experience.

She rented a few vehicles that were either dirty or smelly, and when she told HyreCar about it, they replaced the vehicle ASAP. As for customer service, she had this to say:

“I love Brad. He’s super-easy to talk to, and all of the customer service people are very helpful. If you have questions, they do what they can to help, and give you the answer. Everyone was wonderful, and I love it. I tell a ton of people about it. I definitely plan to expand the number of services I’m driving for, and will keep using HyreCar!”

Expand your services, and make more money, without the hassle and expense of owning a car

Donna’s story shows what can happen when a person takes the initiative, finds what she needs, and does what it takes to make it all work. Thanks to HyreCar, Donna didn’t have to stay on the sidelines just because she didn’t have a car.

HyreCar can open up a new world of flexibility and opportunity to you as well. If you’re like Donna, and don’t have a vehicle, renting from HyreCar can be the perfect solution for you. Even if you do have a vehicle, and don’t want to incur the costs of wear and tear and/or extra mileage, HyreCar can help you out. 

Let’s say, for instance, you lease your car from a dealer, and driving for rideshare or delivery is eating up the miles you’re allowed on the lease. A HyreCar rental can help you keep driving for delivery without racking up the enormous cost of exceeding those limits.

Also, HyreCar helps drivers work around the disruptive effects breakdowns and collision damage can bring to your life. Time without your vehicle means lost work, on top of the inevitable expense of bailing your car out of the shop. Renting from HyreCar lets you keep working, so you can stack up enough cash to cover the repair bills.

And, if you want to let your car work for you without you in it, HyreCar offers the option to rent it to other drivers. 
We know Donna is glad she found HyreCar, and we’re pleased she told us her story so we could share it with you. Ready to give it a try? Check out HyreCar today.

Wondering how much UberEats drivers make? We’re going to reveal how much Uber Eats drivers make per hour, per mile, and per trip across the United States.

Less than a year ago, most drivers saw Uber Eats as an annoying and unwanted feature on the Uber app. Every once in a while, unless you were very vigilant about monitoring your settings, Uber would update the app, and suddenly you’d start to get pings for Uber Eats. 

“No way!” many of us would scoff. We’d be thinking, “Why go through all the work of picking up food and delivering it when I can make so much more doing rideshare?” Then, we’d go to the settings and turn that Uber Eats availability option “OFF.”

That was then, and this is…well, now. 

And oh, how things have changed. Life in a pandemic has altered almost everything about gig work, and it has totally transformed the nature of driving for delivery apps like Uber Eats. Now, Uber Eats is one of the most lucrative platforms. 

Many drivers have either turned to Uber Eats fully, and converted to being only a delivery driver, or they’re mixing it up and doing both delivery and rideshare.

Given the changes that have taken place, we decided to dig into the data we’re getting from our drivers, and look into just how much money Uber Eats drivers have pulled in so far this year. We’ll examine:

• General trends in delivery
• How much Uber Eats drivers make
• Monthly earning fluctuations
• Likely future trends
• Maximizing your earnings as an Uber Eats driver

We also made a video discussing DoorDash driver earnings that you can check out below!

General 2020 trends in delivery

To say that food delivery has been big in 2020 is the mother of all understatements. Just watching what we see with our own eyes is enough to make us believe it has mushroomed. Statistics from the restaurant industry software company Upserve tell us just how humongous food delivery has become. According to a June 11, 2020 article on the Upserve website:

• The number of restaurants using online ordering systems increased 169% from February to April
• Restaurants experienced an increase of 840% in weekly sales via online ordering
• The growth is not just in cities; in large suburbs, there has been a 3,868% increase in online ordering since February
• Working with third-party delivery services (such as Uber Eats) has allowed restaurant revenues to rise by 10 to 20%.

Some of those numbers are stunning. It isn’t really a surprise that the increases occurred during the period from February to April, but what about after that? Now that restaurants are opening, albeit slowly, are people still using services like Uber Eats?

How much do Uber Eats drivers make?

A quick look at our drivers’ numbers tells us that people definitely are using services like Uber Eats. While there is some variation from one market area to another, the earnings are really solid, and we have every reason to believe they’ll stay that way. 

This chart shows how drivers are doing in the 41 Gridwise cities for which we have data. Remember, all our numbers are based on in-app earnings (including surges and tips). They do not include cash tips, or driver expenses for fuel, maintenance, vehicle cleaning, and so forth.

Uber Eats earnings (in U.S. dollars) in 41 Gridwise cities 

Market NameEarnings/Hour MedianEarnings/Mile MedianEarnings/Trip MedianPittsburgh$23.36$1.45$13.41Los Angeles$19.74$1.34$9.08Dallas-Ft. Worth$16.72$0.97$7.81Phoenix$21.28$1.15$8.67New York City$17.69$1.61$8.86Washington, D.C.$19.50$1.36$9.20Boston$22.19$1.47$9.45Chicago$16.63$1.43$8.37Baltimore$20.99$1.20$9.60Atlanta$18.16$1.04$9.18Miami$12.02$0.95$6.81Austin$13.25$0.79$8.75Detroit$19.97$1.30$10.27New Jersey$21.58$1.46$9.43Houston$14.53$0.78$8.10Philadelphia$20.67$1.79$10.14Bay Area$23.34$1.87$9.16San Jose$20.10$1.53$9.19Seattle$21.11$1.56$9.84San Diego$21.69$1.46$8.97San Antonio$14.66$0.82$8.80Columbus$17.17$0.92$7.87Indianapolis$15.21$0.95$8.58Denver$21.31$1.22$9.52Jacksonville$15.77$0.85$8.54Charlotte$17.71$0.96$11.93Las Vegas$16.00$1.14$7.79Oklahoma City$14.93$0.82$9.77Nashville$16.86$0.94$7.97Kansas City$18.03$0.97$8.79New Orleans$14.47$0.92$8.11Tampa Bay$13.82$0.87$7.99Orlando$12.76$0.84$7.38Sacramento$15.94$1.38$11.50Portland$20.72$1.39$8.86St. Louis$13.30$0.74$11.78Cincinnati$17.12$0.94$10.07Minneapolis$15.53$0.87$8.46Salt Lake City$16.73$1.06$7.54Milwaukee$18.28$1.26$9.76Cleveland$16.53$1.03$10.31    ALL MARKETS$17.74$1.16$9.16

This tells us that the average median rates Uber drivers across all our markets are earning is $17.74 per hour; $1.16 per mile; and $9.16 per trip.

As you can see, Uber Eats drivers have done very well this year. And their rewards are well-deserved, considering how many of them put themselves out there in the face of a pandemic and a vast population of “hangry” people and their families. 

These earnings numbers prove that, even though rideshare drivers used to have good reason to turn up their noses at Uber Eats requests, now it really pays off to take those delivery pings. This is particularly true now that we recognize the demand for Uber Eats drivers is likely to continue to grow. 

Monthly earning fluctuations

Uber Eats earnings are very likely to stay around these numbers, and possibly get even better. Our monthly figures for Uber Eats earnings clearly illustrate that, even as restaurants are being allowed to open for in-house dining, customers are still ordering delivery. The data we collected from our drivers show that Uber Eats earnings have stayed pretty solid all year. Although they’re not up at April’s levels, they’re still going strong, as you can see on this graph:

The highest earnings came in during May, at an average of $20.53 per hour. While the numbers dropped off slightly over the summer, down to a low of $17.24 per hour in August, they climbed back up again to $18.27 in September. This shows that while earnings may not be all the way back to where rates were in the spring, they’re still looking really good. 

Any way you look at it, these hourly earnings are not bad at all. Do you think you would have ever seen this as recently as eight months ago? We’re rather surprised too, but we’re also happy for drivers who’ve been able to keep themselves afloat in the face of a changing rideshare market, by driving for Uber Eats.

Likely future trends in food delivery

So by now we’ve all noticed that delivery has become a way of life for people. They’re not going out of their homes as much as they once did, and restaurants are still not open to full capacity in many parts of the country.

And, as more and more companies extend their work-from-home orders further out into the end of the year and beyond, workers and their families will still have an appetite for ordering online, and will continue to look for Uber Eats to deliver the goods.

Just how long will people be in a work-from-home status? According to a September 25, 2020 article on Business Insider, many companies have extended their work-from-home arrangements well into 2021. Some will even allow workers to put in their hours from home indefinitely, and others have decided to stick with the work-from-home model indefinitely.

Here’s a list of some large and powerful companies, and their plans for having employees return to the office—or not—as the practice of working from home plays a greater role in our society’s new normal.

Major Companies’ Plans for Ending (or Extending) Work from Home Options

American Express - June 2021Facebook - January 2021/some WFH indefinitelyGoogle - June 2021Salesforce - January 2021Uber - June 2021Amazon - January 2021Airbnb - August 2021Spotify - January 2021 (tentative)REI - WFH indefinitelyHitachi - 70% WFH indefinitelyMicrosoft - January 2021Coinbase - WFH permanentlyZillow - WFH indefinitely/permanentlyMastercard - WFH indefinitelyReuters - January 2021Nielsen - WFH indefinitelyTwitter - WFH indefinitelyNationwide Insurance - Most PermanentlySquare - WFH indefinitely😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱

*WFH = work from home

Shocking, isn’t it? This certainly seems to buttress our belief that delivery will continue to be a thing—a big thing—not just now, but well into next year and beyond. How can we not think that Uber Eats earnings will continue to be at a level drivers can come to like very, very much?

Maximize your earnings as an Uber Eats driver

If you’re already driving for Uber Eats, you realize how important it is to know how much you’re making, and what days and times are the most fruitful for you. You can try to do that with the Uber app, but there’s a much more efficient, flexible, and accurate way to get your earnings at a glance. Download the Gridwise app!

Gridwise gives you the ability to track your earnings and your mileage, and not just for Uber Eats. You can put in all the services you work for, and see how much they each are adding to your total gig income. Gridwise also gives you traffic information, weather, and airport insights, as well as a cluster of incredible features on the Perks Tab.

Get deals and discounts for drivers, easy access to our blog and cool banter you won’t want to miss on the Gridwise YouTube channel. Plus … how would you like some free fuel? Join us on our Facebook page and get in on the great Gridwise gas card giveaways! 

At Gridwise, we’ve always got your back. That’s why we bring you information and features that make your gig driving easier, more efficient, and lucrative. Please leave your comments below to tell us what you think about Uber Eats earnings, our app, and all the things that make your rideshare and delivery gig go ‘round.

Those of us who’ve chosen to keep driving during the pandemic are required to wear masks whenever a passenger is in our vehicles. We do this to help stop the spread of COVID-19, as well as to make our passengers feel safe. 

Passengers are also required to wear masks, which is only fair since drivers need to be protected, too. But do all passengers have masks? Do they always keep them on?

Uber says that drivers have the right to refuse a ride if the passenger is without a mask, and the ensuing cancellation won’t affect driver ratings. After the ride is over, drivers can report a passenger for not wearing a mask. 

In both cases, drivers do the reporting and the companies take it from there. They’ll contact the passengers to tell them they know the policy was violated, and that they could lose access to the app if they attempt to ride maskless again.

The reality for drivers is that it’s a burden to be charged with enforcing COVID-19 rules, including the mask policy because people do not always want to comply. Riders can become obnoxious when drivers take steps to cancel the ride because the passenger isn’t wearing a mask, or refuse to allow a passenger to sit in the front seat.

Uber is now taking measures to make drivers feel safer. One action they’ve taken is requiring passengers who have not worn masks in the past to prove they’re wearing one before they can ride again. Let’s take a look at what this does for the average passenger, and driver, by examining:

• The purpose of passenger mask check selfies
• The impact of bad ratings on passengers 
• Whether the new mask check policy helps drivers

The purpose of passenger mask check selfies

If you drive for Uber, you can’t even open your app to be available for rides without first taking a selfie that proves you’re wearing a mask. It’s a pain, but we deal with it. Now that the companies are cracking down on riders, once a passenger has been reported for not wearing a mask, he or she will have to go through the same selfie routine.

That’s right. Uber is, in some sense, punishing riders who have failed to “mask up”. Now, they have to stop, put on the mask, take the selfie, and only then can they get on the app to call for a ride. 

So how does this development make you feel? Do you think you’ll be safer if your customers are forced to do this? How would you feel if you were the passenger? 

One of our drivers took a casual survey of the passengers she had on a busy afternoon, asking how they would feel if they were required to take a masked selfie to prove they were in compliance with the rules. Most thought that would be an invasion of privacy, or would prefer that wearing a mask be left to common sense and sticking to the honor system. 

This new mask verification policy is one example of how passengers wield less power than in the past. We understand why they might feel imposed upon by these new rules, but if they’re worried about their privacy being invaded, it’s too late. They’ve already  given the rideshare app their pictures, as well as a lot of information. 

And now, along with being reported by drivers if they neglect to follow COVID-19 rules, passengers are also learning that they're be rated by drivers.

The impact of low ratings on passengers

Every driver knows what it means when a passenger gives out a low star rating. Not only can one’s standing with the company take a hit; there’s also the risk of deactivation, depending on the nature of the passenger’s complaint.

Now, the tables are turned. 

Drivers have the ability (and responsibility) to report maskless passengers, and those passengers will learn firsthand how ratings affect their accounts. For the first time, they will know how drivers see them when they’re picked up for a ride.

Until recently, for instance, passengers didn’t realize that drivers could make or break their star rating with a low score exactly as they could do for drivers. And passengers were probably also unaware of the impact of having a low star rating.

The passenger rating is important to drivers because it alerts them about what to expect from the person they’re about to pick up: whether he or she is likely to be polite, obnoxious, or worse, a troublemaker of some kind. Until recently, only drivers (and the companies) could see the passenger ratings; thankfully, that has changed.

Now that passengers’ star ratings are posted in their profiles, riders are finding out what their drivers have said about them. And they often find it shocking. This article in the Sacramento Bee describes some passengers’ reactions to being rated at less than five stars. Of course, they don’t like it very much. Who wants to be told they’re not the perfect rider? Also, they have no way of knowing what they did that got under their driver’s skin.

Of course, people are sensitive about their passenger ratings. So just imagine what being asked to take a selfie to prove they’re wearing a mask might feel like to them. Let’s just say it probably won’t go over very well—but it’s being done anyway.

Does the new mask check policy help drivers?

Let’s give the companies an “E” for effort. They’re trying to get passengers to be courteous enough to help keep drivers safe. However, it doesn’t seem like this will do much to keep passengers from taking off their masks, or allowing the masks to droop down off their faces, if they’re inconsiderate enough to do either.

The companies seem to think it will enhance driver safety. In a September 1, 2020 article in MSN Money, Uber’s Global Head of Safety and Driver Product, Sachin Kansal, stated that he believes it will add another layer of safety, and he hopes this new feature empowers drivers because the company relies on their feedback. “Their feedback can help keep the platform safe for everyone,” said Kansal.

While it’s true that the company takes the driver complaint of an unmasked passenger seriously, it’s unclear how much (or whether) this benefits drivers. Suppose, for example, you drive in a small community. And suppose you have an encounter with that very same customer you reported after the person figured out you’re the driver who ratted on him or her for not wearing a mask. That could result in a confrontation most of us would definitely prefer to avoid.

Drivers might feel more secure if they were assured by the company that, at any point in the future, they will not be paired with the riders they’ve reported. It would be much easier on drivers if enforcement, and possible retribution for reporting someone for non-compliance, didn't have to land in their laps. 

Although it isn’t perfect, we view the trend toward two-way ratings between drivers and customers in the rideshare and delivery business as a step in the right direction. Now, if we can only figure out a way to get them to tip more and backseat drive less…

Let Gridwise improve your mood

If you’re feeling a bit frustrated by all the things you have to do as a driver, let Gridwise take some of the pressure off you. Download the app to effortlessly log your mileage and track your earnings. You’ll also get airport, event, and weather information to help your journeys be safer, smoother, and infinitely more profitable.
Our Perks tab has deals and discounts for drivers, plus quick access to our driver-directed blog and the Gridwise YouTube Channel. Don’t miss out on the great Gridwise gas card giveaways, available all the time when you join us on Facebook. And please, if you have experiences, opinions, or anything you want to say about this article or whatever is on your mind, leave your comments below. We want to hear from you!

As a rideshare driver, tracking mileage is crucial for maximizing your earnings and reducing your tax burden. The IRS can be very particular when it comes to taking a mileage deduction. At a minimum, they will require the total miles you drove, dates of each trip, locations you drove to, and the business purpose of the trip. A 2019 IRS publication explains these types of expenses in detail.To simplify the expense tracking process, many rideshare drivers utilize a mileage tracking app. These apps eliminate the old school practice of carefully logging odometer readings with pen and paper. Mileage tracking apps are convenient and helpful in maintaining an accurate record, which is imperative in case the IRS ever decides to audit you.Since there are so many mileage tracking apps out there, rideshare drivers are often uncertain which one to choose. At Gridwise, our goal is to help increase drivers’ performance on the road, and one way we accomplish that is by providing answers to common questions, like, “Which mileage tracking app is best for me?”We prepared this blog post to help drivers answer that question. We’ve compared popular mileage tracking apps based on the most important aspects: availability, cost, and features specific to rideshare drivers. Keep reading to see what we found out.

Gridwise Shift Tracker

Availability: iOS and AndroidCost: FreeFeatures:By starting a shift on Gridwise you will automatically track all the miles that you drive during your shift.As a driver, you now have a button at the very top of your screen in the Gridwise app that says “Go Online.” Pressing that button starts your driving session.Now you’ll see a “Shift Active” bar.Here you’ll get a real-time look at how far you’ve driven and how long you’ve driven for the current day, the previous day, and the entire week.Turn your shift status to “On” every time you start driving so your miles and time are automatically tracked.After you’ve finished a shift, you’ll be prompted to input your driving statistics for that session.And you’ll be able view your weekly and daily results on the Earnings tab. This will include your total earnings and total number of trips given.You’ll then receive a shift summary email with more detailed stats.Best of all, Gridwise isn't just for Rideshare (Uber and Lyft) drivers. Gridwise is also one of the best mileage tracfkers for:

• DoorDash drivers
• Instacart shoppers
• Postmates drivers
• Grubhub drivers
• Shipt shoppers

MileIQ

Availability: iOS and Android. Also, the MileIQ Dashboard is available on your laptop, desktop, or tablet.Cost: Free if you take fewer than 40 drives per month. If you want unlimited drives per month, you’ll need to pay a monthly fee of $5.99 ($4.99 per month if billed annually).Features:MileIQ automatically logs your miles and works in the background without the need to press “start” or “stop” during your trips. It also integrates with Freshbooks and Excel. However, you’ll need to categorize each trip as either personal, charity, or professional by swiping left or right. Based on your miles recorded, MileIQ can create a complete record of all your tax deductible and reimbursable mileage—but doesn’t include accounting tools like expense calculation.Although MileIQ is reliable, it’s more suitable for business drivers who drive the same route every day rather than rideshare drivers with varying routes. Most rideshare drivers complete more than 40 drives per month, so you’ll likely have to pay the fee.

Hurdlr

Availability: iOS and AndroidCost: Basic version is free; full version $7.99/month or $58.99/yearFeatures:Hurdlr actively tracks your business mileage with an automatic start and stop. The free version includes expense and semi-automatic mileage tracking. Premium users get all features tracked automatically, plus real-time quarterly and year-end tax estimates.This app can generate graphs to show your net earnings and expenses over time. It also integrates with your Uber, Lyft, Airbnb, Square, and bank account. Another unique feature of Hurdlr is the in-app customer support, which provides you with help from a real human. However, some drivers find this app to be a bit of a battery hog, according to Harry Campbell, aka The Rideshare Guy, and others have reported it to be slow starting and not entirely accurate.

SherpaShare

Availability: iOS and AndroidCost: $5.99/month or $59.88/year (Super Premium starts at $10/month)Features:SherpaShare offers unlimited, automatic mileage tracking via GPS. It also allows you to track hourly revenue, chat with other drivers, see where other drivers are, and get driving recommendations.The drawback with SherpaShare is that there is no free version available, so you might want to try other apps first.

TripLog

Availability: iOS and Android; also, TripLog has a web platform with additional features.Cost: Free for up to five vehicles; there’s also a basic plan for $2/month or premium for $4/monthFeatures:TripLog’s free version includes standard features like GPS mileage tracking and Google Maps driving route.If you upgrade to a paid version of TripLog, you’ll have access to features like automatic mileage tracking, daily cloud backup, the ability to upload receipt photos for other driving expenses, and unlimited IRS-ready reports. Additionally, TripLog enables you to estimate your gas mileage and find the best gas prices. If you have multiple employees, the ability to install it on five different vehicles could come in handy.Unfortunately, the free version doesn’t include automatic tracking, so you’ll have to enter miles manually. You also won’t be able to test out the app’s mileage tracking features before you pay for the service.

Stride

Availability: iOS and AndroidCost: FreeFeatures:Stride enables drivers to track their mileage as well as other driving-related expenses. It uses smartphone GPS passive mileage tracking, which means you turn it on when you start the day’s driving, then turn it off when you’re done. All the mileage tracking will be done automatically in the background. Stride also tracks expenses like parking fees, car washes, and tolls.Aside from tracking mileage, you can also use Stride to file your receipts and expense records. This feature can be beneficial at tax time, since all your business deductions will be in one place.

Everlance Mileage Tracker

Availability: iOS and AndroidCost: Free up to 30 rides a month, then $8/month or $60/yearFeatures:The Everlance mileage tracker features clean design and intuitive interface, so it’s easy to use. It automatically generates IRS forms for mileage deductions, as well as tracks expenses through photo receipts (helpful for car details, gas purchases, and more). Although there is technically a free version, 30 rides a month doesn’t get you very far. Odds are you’ll end up with the paid version. Users have reported some faulty automatic tracking, so make sure you test a few times before committing to pay.

So what’s the best mileage tracking app?

Gridwise stands out as the only tracker created specifically for rideshare drivers and with enough features on the free version to benefit you in numerous ways. Gridwise offers free mileage tracking, driving stats, and analytics, in addition to airport and event insights. If you’re a rideshare driver tracking mileage and driving analytics for your taxes across multiple rideshare apps, then Gridwise is a great option.If you have more advanced needs and want to track more driver-related expenses, then you may want to consider something like Hurdlr, Stride, or Everlance.What do you think the best mileage tracking app is and why? Leave us your thoughts in the comments below!