Heads up! I’m going live today at 1 PM PST with Stride Health! Tune in here as we share the most important things rideshare drivers should know to earn more money in 2019.
Over the past 5 years, Uber and Lyft have seen explosive growth. One of the casualties of that growth is the taxi industry. However, is driving a taxi really that bad? We sent senior RSG contributor Jay Cradeur to find out, and here’s my interview with Jay about his experience as a taxi driver compared to a rideshare driver.
Intro Today I’m chatting with Jay Cradeur, one of our writers, and an Uber/Lyft driver with over 23,000 trips
Jay recently took on a new project for RSG: driving a taxi!
We’re going to be chatting about taxi driving, how it compares to rideshare driving, and how much Jay earned as a taxi driver
Check out Techmeme, a website that people in the tech industry visit multiple times a day to keep up on the latest news
The Techmeme Ride Home takes what Techmeme.com is good at and distills it into podcast form. Same news headlines, same up to the minute news, plus context and conversation around what happened today in the world of tech
Interview with Jay Cradeur Jay is a writer with RSG, rideshare driver, entrepreneur and nomad – he’s visited 33 countries!
Jay’s given over 23,000 rides
Jay’s recent book, What’s Next, lays out the essential tools for the ultimate life of work and travel. You can download Jay’s book at www.nomadjay.com
Jay earns $2,000 a week rideshare driving, which we’ve covered before – Jay credits being very focused and disciplined for why he’s able to earn that much (he works roughly 50-52 hours/week)
Getting Started Taxi Driving Initially thought it was a great idea – Jay always wondered what it was like to drive a taxi
Sign up process was more difficult than he anticipated
Had to take a quiz, fill out more information, and find your own taxi company
Couldn’t do everything online, like you basically can with Uber/Lyft
Driving a Taxi Had to pay a ‘gate’ (fee), which was $95 and you could drive for 12 hours – basically encourages you to drive the full 12 hours even if you don’t want to
Have to return your vehicle with gas, too – different from rideshare driving
A lot more skill in being a taxi driver than rideshare driver
Taxi Drivers and Passengers Taxi passengers really preferred taking taxis, even if it ended up being more expensive than Uber/Lyft
Taxi passengers had strong feelings in favor of taxis
Taxi drivers had a sense of camaraderie, one you don’t find among rideshare drivers because they don’t get together like taxi drivers do
More senior passengers, more female passengers while driving taxi than driving rideshare
Earnings While Driving a Taxi Did not make as much while driving for a taxi company than driving rideshare
However, it was close! Jay made around 70% of his rideshare earnings while driving taxi
Other markets may be different
Keep in mind that Uber/Lyft rides are also being subsidized, drivers get bonuses, etc. – that isn’t going to last forever
Taxi Driving vs. Rideshare Driving Want to be a taxi driver? Check and see if your market is comparable – are taxi prices about the same as rideshare prices? If so, your demand will be higher
Do you want less stress in your driving life? Taxi driving might be for you – more ‘big fish’ rides vs. a bunch of short rides
Are you a good driver? If so, taxi driving might be for you – do you like to show off your knowledge of your city? Taxi drivers take pride in their knowledge
Don’t have a car? Taxi companies provide vehicles for drivers
Outro Big thanks to Jay for coming on the podcast and for doing this experiment!
Driving taxi is clearly a lot more involved than driving rideshare, so props to Jay for taking this on and explaining his experience to us
Interesting to hear how many passengers voted with their wallet by choosing (more expensive) taxi rides over Uber/Lyft rides
Going to be more of these interviews in the future, branching out from rideshare driving to delivery, charging scooters, etc. What would you like to learn more about? Let us know in the comments below!
Show Notes Techmeme Website
Techmeme Ride Home Podcast on iTunes
Techmeme Ride Home Podcast
Jay Cradeur’s website NomadJay.com
Becoming a Taxi Driver – 7 Steps To Take To Start Driving Taxi
What’s It Like To Be A Taxi Driver vs an Uber Driver?
Uber Driver Reviews What It’s Like To Become a Taxi Driver
Driving Uber Vs. Taxi – 5 Tips for Uber Drivers Who Want to Try Taxi
More of Jay’s YouTube Videos
More of Jay’s Articles on The Rideshare Guy Blog
RSG033: Hansu Kim On Why Flywheel Is Leading Taxis Into The Future
-Harry @ RSG
The post RSG089: Jay Cradeur on What It’s Like to Drive a Taxi! appeared first on The Rideshare Guy Blog and Podcast.
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