Yahoo Finance Aussie full-time worker exposes reality of popular side hustle: '$106 for a day'
An Aussie mum who does Uber Eats on the side as revealed exactly how much she earns.
Ever wondered how much Uber Eats drivers actually make? An Aussie woman who started delivering on the platform as a side hustle has spilled the beans on exactly that.
Jess Westbrook works full-time as an insurance underwriter assistant. She decided to start delivering Uber Eats in her spare time after the rising cost of living saw her everyday expenses “go crazy”.
“My mortgage went up, my groceries went up, my petrol went up,” Westbrook told Yahoo Finance.
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The mum of two said the extra cash she now earns from Uber Eats helps “level” everything out. She uses her main income to cover her mortgage, groceries and bills, while the Uber Eats income is a “bonus” that goes towards non-essentials like hair appointments and nails.
Westbrook, who lives in Mount Cotton in Queensland, has been sharing breakdowns of her Uber Eats earnings online to show people exactly how much drivers can make.
On one recent day, the 30-year-old worked between the hours of 9:15am to 3:45pm and earned $106.77 delivering 13 orders. For most orders, she made between $7 to $8. But for some bigger orders she earned as much as $22.
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On another day, she shared she earned $76.24 delivering eight orders in between running other errands. She got paid between $6 and $13 for each of the deliveries. She also does ‘quests’ which allow drivers to earn extra cash.
“I’m online and can get a trip but I can do things in the meantime. It’s not like I’m constantly working, it’s very flexible,” Westbrook said.
“That’s why I like it so much. I can read in the car and do all the things I need to do. I don’t have to actually just sit in my car and wait for a trip.”
Westbrook said she budgets $80 per week for petrol, which covers Uber Eats deliveries as well as day-to-day travel like dropping her girls to daycare and picking up things from the shops. If her tank is getting close to empty or if petrol costs above $1.90 per litre, she said she stops doing Uber deliveries.
Good as a side hustle, not a main job
While Westbrook said she enjoys the flexibility Uber Eats offers as a side hustle, she said it wasn’t realistic to do as a full-time job, particularly for those like her who lived in rural areas.
“You could never make a main job out of it, you just don’t earn enough money. Unless you live in the city and have a mode of transport,” Westbrook said.
Another Uber delivery rider, Ali, told Yahoo Finance he was struggling to make enough money as an Uber Eats rider in Melbourne after he lost his remote job as an Android developer.
During a recent nine-hour stint on his bike, he made 11 deliveries and netted just under $70. The most he has earned so far was $114 for an eight-hour day and the least was $16 for four hours.
"This is really frustrating as I always work at peak times," he said.
Uber Australia told Yahoo Finance fares were calculated based on a number of factors, including estimated time to complete and the distance of the trip. Riders can also see their estimated earnings “upfront” before they decide whether to accept or reject offers.
‘Worth it’
Westbrook said she plans to keep doing Uber Eats to make extra cash and would recommend it to other people who are just looking to top up their income.
“In my situation personally for someone who has a mortgage and kids and just needs that little bit extra, absolutely it’s worth it,” she said.
“It just depends on your car, your insurance and stuff like that because there are extra costs you should look into.”
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