Pricey Gas Derails This Uber Driver
With rising gas prices, one Uber driver struggles to maintain his livelihood.
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
Want to add more newsletters?
Delivered daily
Kiplinger Today
Profit and prosper with the best of Kiplinger's advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and much more delivered daily. Smart money moves start here.
Sent five days a week
Kiplinger A Step Ahead
Get practical help to make better financial decisions in your everyday life, from spending to savings on top deals.
Delivered daily
Kiplinger Closing Bell
Get today's biggest financial and investing headlines delivered to your inbox every day the U.S. stock market is open.
Sent twice a week
Kiplinger Adviser Intel
Financial pros across the country share best practices and fresh tactics to preserve and grow your wealth.
Delivered weekly
Kiplinger Tax Tips
Trim your federal and state tax bills with practical tax-planning and tax-cutting strategies.
Sent twice a week
Kiplinger Retirement Tips
Your twice-a-week guide to planning and enjoying a financially secure and richly rewarding retirement
Sent bimonthly.
Kiplinger Adviser Angle
Insights for advisers, wealth managers and other financial professionals.
Sent twice a week
Kiplinger Investing Weekly
Your twice-a-week roundup of promising stocks, funds, companies and industries you should consider, ones you should avoid, and why.
Sent weekly for six weeks
Kiplinger Invest for Retirement
Your step-by-step six-part series on how to invest for retirement, from devising a successful strategy to exactly which investments to choose.
Who: Vitalii Konstantinov, age 38
What: Uber driver
Where: San Diego
From just $107.88 $24.99 for Kiplinger Personal Finance
Become a smarter, better informed investor. Subscribe from just $107.88 $24.99, plus get up to 4 Special Issues
Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free Newsletters
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail.
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice - straight to your e-mail.
How long have you been driving for Uber? I moved here about eight years ago from eastern Russia—Irkutsk, almost by Mongolia. I started working for Uber in September 2017. I have a law and computer science degree in my country, but it’s really hard to find a job here because the legal industry is completely different. So right now, I am trying to update my computer science qualifications, but it’s not easy; it’s going to take time.
Have riders been treating you any differently since the invasion of Ukraine. I look Asian, so nobody assumes I am from Russia. When I tell them I am from Russia, they are usually surprised but do not show any negative emotion. There has been some Asian hatred, though, since the pandemic started because COVID is from Asia. Sometimes I feel those negative connotations in conversations.
How much were you earning before the spike in gas prices? In a month, I would make about $4,000. In the summertime, peak time, I was making about $5,000 a month. This is a gross income; net income was smaller, excluding gas, car financing, insurance, maintenance, etc.
How much are you paying for gas? I’m paying $6 a gallon. Now, every day if I’m going to work for Uber, I have to put in at least $60. So in a week, if I work six days, it’s going to be $360 a week. It’s crazy. And for the month it’s going to be about $1,400.
Does Uber help cover the cost of gas? No. But when gas prices first started to go up, they decided to give an extra 60 cents for each ride, but it’s really not helping at all. It’s like a bad joke. They are just charging the passenger an extra 60 cents per ride and giving it to us.
Do you have a family to support? I have two kids here and two kids in Russia. My two kids in Russia are from my previous wife—they are 13 and 11—and here my children are 4½ and 3. One is going to preschool, and one is going to pre-K.
Are you considered an independent contractor or an employee. The California labor commission, the law and the courts as of 2018 actually consider us employees. Last year, the high court struck down Proposition 22 [which made many gig economy workers in the state independent contractors]. That law is really bad for drivers because it means a lot of benefits and expenses would not have to be paid by Uber. I have no health insurance or retirement account. Uber and Lyft want to keep drivers independent, and they put hundreds of millions of dollars into promoting this law. Recently they appealed the court’s decision. Right now, it’s in Superior Court in California—the last tier of this battle. The decision will come this summer or the beginning of next year, I think.
How are you adapting? Since high prices hit, it’s gotten much worse working for Uber. You have to calculate all the mileage, the time you’re picking up, the locations, whether it will be busy or not. It’s really hard to work like that. So I’ve taken a second job preparing new electric vehicles from the factory. We adjust the new cars and drive them to the Tesla dealership or warehouse so that the engineers can set up the vehicles for the customers. It’s going to be temporary work—for maybe a month or two. After that, I don’t know. I’ll need to be looking for a new job
-
My First $1 Million: Retired Nuclear Plant Supervisor, 68Ever wonder how someone who's made a million dollars or more did it? Kiplinger's My First $1 Million series uncovers the answers.
-
How to Position Investments to Minimize Taxes for Your HeirsTo minimize your heirs' tax burden, focus on aligning your investment account types and assets with your estate plan, and pay attention to the impact of RMDs.
-
Are You 'Too Old' to Benefit From an Annuity?Probably not, even if you're in your 70s or 80s, but it depends on your circumstances and the kind of annuity you're considering.
-
Why I Trust These Trillion-Dollar StocksThe top-heavy nature of the S&P 500 should make any investor nervous, but there's still plenty to like in these trillion-dollar stocks.
-
Elon Musk's $1 Trillion Pay Package Passes: What's at Stake for Tesla StockMore than 75% of Tesla shareholders voted to approve a massive pay package for CEO Elon Musk. Here's what it means for the Mag 7 stock.
-
The Riskiest S&P 500 Stocks Right NowBuyer beware: These are five of the riskiest stocks in the S&P 500 at the moment, based on one measure of volatility.
-
Stock Market Today: Wall Street Is Standing ByThe waiting is the hardest part with trade war truce talks underway and inflation data on the way.
-
Stock Market Today: Stocks Stable as Inflation, Tariff Fears EbbConstructive trade war talks and improving consumer expectations are a healthy combination for financial markets.
-
Stock Market Today: Good Feelings and Solid Data Lift StocksResilience and de-escalation defined another generally positive day for financial markets.
-
Stock Market Today: Tesla Drags on Stocks Amid Musk-Trump FeudSentiment has soured between President Trump and his once-loyal ally, Tesla CEO Elon Musk.
-
5 New Car Features That Don't Seem So Futuristic AnymoreCar Features Cars are becoming more advanced by the day. We look at all the ways these innovations could benefit you.
