On Valentine’s Day, many gig economy delivery drivers and riders went on strike, demanding better pay and conditions. Here, a Birmingham Uber Eats driver describes a typical day.
Working in the gig economy can be daunting, but rewarding. Data from Rodeo shows that delivery fees decreased in 2022-23 and high levels of inflation impacted total earnings. As an Uber Eats food driver I can average £13.92 an hour over a 15-20 hour week, but this is actual driving time and crucially doesn’t include waiting time. Tips are included, but are few and far between.
A typical week begins on a Monday morning, when the weekend can leave people needing essential items such as groceries to make their lunch for work, or buying their breakfast from a sandwich shop or the big food corporations. Logging-in from 7am can provide two to three hours of consistent work. As the work slows down from 10am, I wait for the lunchtime period, which can begin as early as 11.30am. Tuesday and Wednesday are very quiet, and that increases pressure to earn more on the evening run and the weekend.
With a teenage son at school, it can be a juggling act to be home for him and also attempt deliveries between 4-7pm. Evenings can be productive, with many people ordering from franchises such as McDonald’s and KFC. However, this can lead to a glut of drivers waiting for deliveries in-store, leading to chaos.
Second-class citizens
There seems to be a hierarchy of store customers first, drive-thru second and delivery drivers last. Sometimes staff at the big companies, no doubt overworked, can be very rude and it can feel like they treat drivers like second-class citizens. Some store managers make no effort to change this culture. Independent businesses are usually more accommodating and quick, but that is not always the case.
I would expect to make a minimum £200 for a six-day week, but I have earned over £400 on occasions. Uber uses algorithms to suit its business model and therefore a set wage is inconsistent. There are drivers that will boast of consistent £100-plus days, but work-life balance is important for families, as is the cost of fuel, which starts to have a negative impact with long journeys.
