Eco Beater for Uber?

[oldtamiyaphile]

I think Prius is the only way to go, passengers probably won't appreciate you EOCing etc so that kind of rules out every non-hybrid. With a Prius you can concentrate on the task at hand (driving with strangers is always a bit distracting IMO) and still get good numbers.

[MobilOne]

Another advantage of a van is that you can see better in traffic.

[Hersbird]

There aren't any 8 year old Prius out there for under $4000 that doesnt already need a battery. Buying a 9 year old one would get you by for a year but I doubt you find that either. The one example given was 11 years old. It is just not a viable option for a cheap Uber car.

[Natalya]

Yeah its sounding like a van might be the most practical choice. I guess I can still try to do some eco stuff, you know tire pressure and whatnot.

[JSH]

Originally Posted by Hersbird

There aren't any 8 year old Prius out there for under $4000 that doesnt already need a battery. Buying a 9 year old one would get you by for a year but I doubt you find that either. The one example given was 11 years old. It is just not a viable option for a cheap Uber car.

I also have a 2009 Prius. Trade in value on it is $4500, Private Party $5900 both in "Good" shape. For a 2008 model it is $3700 Trade-in / $4900 Private Party. Put the word out that you are looking for one and you may be surprised what you find. Many people are more than happy to sell a car to a friend at dealer trade-in. Deals on a Prius can be found if one is patient.

I'm sure some of this is regional too. Here in Portland it seems 1/2 the cars on the road are either a Prius or a Subaru. I can go to a store, walk out and there are 3-4 Prii in my row of the parking lot.


EDIT: Whether a van or a Prius makes more financial sense depends on whether you are looking at purchase price or purchase and running costs. I can't think of a van available today that gets more the 1/2 the fuel mileage of a Prius in city driving. I'm pretty sure there is a reason that almost every taxi I see in Portland is a Prius or a Prius V.

[Hersbird]

I'm sure a Prius makes sense for a professional full time driver that may drive 200+ city miles a shift and they may hot seat the car between 2 or even 3 shifts. They could be saving $10,000 a year in gas. They probably buy brand new ones and I wouldn't doubt if the city or the state (considering Portland, OR) doesn't give them some other incentives to buy electic or hybrids.

[redpoint5]

Does Uber pay van drivers more money since they hold more people? Van doesn't make sense unless it makes more money based on the extra capacity.

FYI- Oregon doesn't have any incentives for vehicle purchases of any type.

To maximize profits and minimize expense, something like a 2008 Prius would be best. It's only a grand more expensive than the same year Corolla. Go into super saver mode to build up the additional $1,500 you'll need to get one.

You could always get something like a 2008 Chevy Aveo or Hyundai Elantra. I'd probably choose the Elantra over the Aveo, because nobody is going to be happy getting picked up in the crappiest car allowed by Uber.

[Natalya]

Yes van drivers get more money on trips where there's more people.

[JSH]

Originally Posted by Hersbird

I'm sure a Prius makes sense for a professional full time driver that may drive 200+ city miles a shift and they may hot seat the car between 2 or even 3 shifts. They could be saving $10,000 a year in gas. They probably buy brand new ones and I wouldn't doubt if the city or the state (considering Portland, OR) doesn't give them some other incentives to buy electic or hybrids.

The taxi drivers I talked to say they drive a Prius because it is a roomy car with very low operating expenses. Not only does it get good fuel economy but it is also a very reliable car. Add in the fact that you don't need to replace the brakes because of the regenerative braking and you have huge cost savings over a conventional car.

Operating costs matter even for someone driving part time. The most fuel efficient van I can find from 2008 is a Mazda 5 that gets 24 mpg. Even at $2 a gallon that is $0.083 per mile just for gas. At 45 mpg a Prius is $0.044 per mile. A Mazda 5 only holds 6 people so you aren't doing much better than a regular car. The most fuel efficient "real" minivan is the Honda Odyssey at 20 mpg ($0.10 per mile)

EDIT: A 2008 Odyssey is $1000 more than a 2008 Prius and a 2008 Corolla is $1000 less.

Not to mention that the OP is likely going to drive this car as a personal vehicle so there are savings from personal miles too.

Originally Posted by Natalya

Yes van drivers get more money on trips where there's more people.

What percentage of Uber drives have more than 3-4 people? That is a key metric to determine if it is cost effective to drive a larger vehicle with higher operating costs.

[Hersbird]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

Does Uber pay van drivers more money since they hold more people? Van doesn't make sense unless it makes more money based on the extra capacity.

FYI- Oregon doesn't have any incentives for vehicle purchases of any type.

To maximize profits and minimize expense, something like a 2008 Prius would be best. It's only a grand more expensive than the same year Corolla. Go into super saver mode to build up the additional $1,500 you'll need to get one.

You could always get something like a 2008 Chevy Aveo or Hyundai Elantra. I'd probably choose the Elantra over the Aveo, because nobody is going to be happy getting picked up in the crappiest car allowed by Uber.

Huh? They have incentives. From OR DMV here is one "Oregon business owners might be eligible for a maximum project tax credit of up to 35% of eligible costs associated with projects involving:
Alternative fuel vehicle infrastructures—Projects such as electric vehicle charging, blender pump, and compressed natural gas systems.
Transit services—Projects involving regular public transportation (excluding school bus, charter, or intercity passenger rail transportation) that reduce energy consumption." They also have zero rate loans for public service type agencies to buy hybrids. I bet money that some local cities, especially Portland and Eugene, also have grants and tax incentives to companies for this type of thing as well. It also looks like the Portland city council hadn't approved new cab permits for a decade until 2012 when it was a bunch of proposals from "green" car type cabs that they finally added big number to the fleet. So the city basically picked the winners and loser of what cab companies even were allowed to drive in Portland, and they picked the companies running Prius.

After looking at some Uber drivers break down their cost, I would say the only way to make worthwhile money is in tips. For this I would say the driver personality would be #1 and the comfort and condition of the car would be #2. Really the money is terrible, people working their wheels off for $3.50/hr before any tips. I think they may be like waitstaff. Before tips wages terrible, after tips especially under the table, they do pretty well. In Oregon as pointed out a Prius is beloved, or a Subaru. Any beloved car can also encourage better tipping and happier customers. I doubt that will be the case for Atlanta GA.