Taxi Companies have been growing fast. With the introduction of new companies daily, competition has become stiff in the taxi industry. Nevertheless, technological advancements have made several taxi companies stand out by introducing Taxi Hailing apps. These hailing apps are easily downloadable on your phone, easy to use and do not use that much of your Phone’s space or internet. The apps allow you to create an account, input your destination, and a list of available taxis will avail for which you are permitted to select the cab you desire, and you’ve picked up in no time. In this article, we will see about ‘How Much Do Uber Drivers Make In Chicago?’.
How Much Do Uber Drivers Make In Chicago?
Uber is well renowned for being the most reliable taxi-hailing App. Uber’s success can be attributed to the demand for a rapid and dependable transportation service. There is no disputing that Uber is a new worldwide phenomenon rapidly displacing the trusted taxis we have become accustomed to. The company is headquartered in the US and boasts of its widespread in the whole world, including African countries. Many drivers have applied to work for Uber as drivers for customers and food deliverers. Many have attributed their success to being great drivers for the company, which begs the question, how much do Uber drivers make? How can you increase your earnings as a driver and as a deliverer? Well, in this article, we’ll discuss how much Uber drivers make, specifically in Chicago.
The Uber Pay Model
Uber has several payments which together give the drivers earnings. These are; Standard trip fare, Surge earnings, customer tips and several earnings from Uber promotions.
1. Standard trip fare
This is the usual base fare for every trip, whether driving a customer or delivering food and groceries. The base fare varies depending on the drive distance and also the location. There are different base fare rates in different cities in America. In Chicago, the base fare fee is an average of $1.7; studies show that this is the cheapest among cities in the US.
2. Surge Earnings
Uber has a feature called Uber surge pay. When there’s high demand for Uber drivers in a given location, Uber ensures that pickups are available quickly and reliably but at an extra fee. This facilitates those who need a ride, and the driver earns a few extra bucks. In the Uber app, surge zones are showcased in red. The surge rates are calculated as multipliers of the total fee. Here’s an example for a $20 trip fare with a 1.5x surge rate.
$3 base
$6 distance
$11 time
SUBTOTAL: $20
Surge multiplier of 1.5x = $10
Toll: $1.00
Gross fare: $31 ($20 + $10 + $1 toll)
For this trip, your earnings would be $31 – the Uber service fee + $1.00 toll.
3. Uber Promotions
Promotions are not always available on the Uber app. They may also be available to some and not all drivers. Target promotions allow for extra earnings once a driver completes a set number of trips in a given period. For instance, receive $25 more for making 20 trips in a week. Driving during busy times will also get you some extra money as an Uber driver; you can earn an extra $6 in Chicago for driving between 4:00 pm and 6:00 pm.
4. Other earnings
People in Chicago tend to be very kind and accommodating; studies show that at least 5 out of 10 customers give tips to their rideshare drivers. Uber drivers in Chicago get to keep 100% of customer tips, which comes in handy in the driver’s earnings. For Uber, cancellation is available and easy, but there’s a fee for cancelling trips. This also adds to the driver’s earnings.
Now to the most important question, how much do Uber drivers make in Chicago? According to research done by Glassdoor, a typical Uber driver’s hourly earnings range between $12 – $21. Glassdoor also did a salary review by collecting data from different drivers; the results are tabulated in the table below.
| Company | Number of Uber Drivers | Hourly Earning |
| Uber | 3 | 17 |
| Uber | 14 | 18 |
| Uber | 30 | 16 |
| Uber | 34 | 21 |
From the research, the earning rounds to an average of $18 an hour in Chicago. The range is $18 – $21 an hour for most uber drivers in Chicago. Luckily, if you live around a college or a town, you tend to make more since people are busy and required to commute more than in other places. Several Uber drivers earn over $30 an hour in these areas, and their working hours and distances are often the reason for their high earnings. The table below shows weekly and monthly projected earnings with a rate of 18 – 21 dollars an hour based on the number of hours Uber drivers in Chicago put in.
| Daily Earnings | Weekly Earnings | Monthly Earnings | |
| Half Day (4 Hours) | $72 – $84 | $360 – $420 | $1440 – $1680 |
| Full Day (8 Hours) | $144 – $168 | $720 – $840 | $2880 – $3360 |
Tips to Earn More with uber drivers Make In Chicago
To make more money with Uber, you as the driver need to work smarter enough and take advantage of every moral opportunity. Several tips and tricks will enable you to make more with uber.
Take advantage of Busy Hours.
In Chicago, the busiest hours are between 5:00 am and 10:00 am. These are the morning peak hours. Evening peak hours are between 3:00 pm and 6:00 pm. Driving customers around midnight can also come in handy. In these periods, you are more likely to have several trips and earn from promotions too.
Be friendly with the App.
The Uber App should be your best friend as a driver; it informs you of great earning opportunities nearby and provides trends. These data also allow you to easily commute between Uber drivers and Uber eats, making the most of it.
Increase your tips
Being kind to customers is a gig in the Taxi industry. Greeting your clients and making good and sincere comments to your clients will create a good rapport with them and increase your chances of being tipped.
Conclusion
The money you can make is not limited to $18-$21 an hour. Most drivers have shown proof of hourly earnings of up to $31, which projects to $155 weekly earnings. Hopefully, the article has been useful in showcasing how much one can make as an Uber driver in Chicago.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can I work for only 2 hours a day as an Uber driver?
Yes. As a driver for Uber, you get to plan your schedule and work whenever and wherever you want. However, you will need to work more than two hours to earn more.
