Uber Eats is growing in popularity in New Zealand and Australia. Photo/Getty Images
Uber Eats is growing in popularity in New Zealand and Australia. Photo/Getty Images
Being an Uber Eats delivery driver might sound pretty convenient for a side hustle — but is it really worth it?
Melbourne retail and customer service employee Amy Tobin thinks so.
She works 38 hours per week in her retail job, and on weeknights and weekends drives around delivering food.
Between Monday and Sunday last week, Tobin says she made A$433.64 from her fares, based on a total of 48 trips over 21 hours — the equivalent of A$20.65 ($21.69) per hour.
She said she also deducts A$50 per week so she can pay the money directly to the Australian Taxation Office at tax time.
"The earnings for me have been pretty good," she said in her YouTube video. "Overall I made A$433.64. So from trips, I actually made A$414.76 and then A$8 of tips and then there are also promotions. So one of them was between 6pm and 8pm, it's 1.2x surcharge - and that boosted my payments up by $10.88.
Amy Tobin has been using Uber Eats as a side gig. Photo / YouTube
"For me, that's really good. I am deducting A$50 per week of tax there so I can save that for when it comes to tax time, and I'll pay that directly to the ATO.
"I'm located in the north east suburbs of Melbourne and we've only recently got Uber Eats so I feel as though there are not too many drivers here."
She said petrol costs her around $80 for a full tank. She keeps all her petrol receipts in the glove box and notes down the kilometres she's driven after each shift.
According to the Uber website, delivery drivers can make "at least A$1000 for your first 75 trips in Sydney".
Uber recently celebrated its fifth anniversary in the New Zealand market.
In that time, the company has driven Kiwis a total of 230 million kilometres - the equivalent of driving around the world 5737 times.
Stats revealed by Uber in May showed that 485,000 New Zealanders regularly used the service and that there were about 6,500 drivers on its books.
However, Uber's tenure on this side of the world has not been without controversy.
A study conducted by the Centre for Future Work at the Australia Insitute showed that drivers often earned AU$18 (NZ$18.99) an hour on average in Sydney. This despite the fact the minimum wage in Australia is $18.29.
Similar studies have also been conducted in other countries, similarly showing that Uber drivers do not make enough to meet the minimum wage requirements.
Studies such as these have led to protests around the world as well as a number of high-profile lawsuits.
Uber by the numbers
• A total 230 million collective kilometres have been travelled in Uber trips in New Zealand - the equivalent of driving around the world 5737 times. • The most rides taken by one rider in one day was 46, in January 2017. • An Auckland-based driver partner has racked up 152,738km. • The most popular pick-up spot is Queens Wharf, in Auckland. • One New Zealand Uber rider has also used the app in 22 other countries. • The busiest day in Uber's five-year history in New Zealand was Saturday, December 15, 2018. • New Zealand's nicest Uber rider has given 1006 compliments.
