I talk about a scheduled 4:30 a.m. Lyft airport reservation that paid well largely because the passenger pre-tipped $13 before I even arrived, and why that made the ride feel strange even though I was grateful. I compare it to Lyft’s brief experiment showing drivers a passenger’s tip propensity and share some customer backlash quotes, then explain how knowing about tipping upfront changes the whole service dynamic. I describe helping the rider with luggage, driving carefully through deer country, and how pre-tipping can remove the chance to reward good service while still compensating enough to get a driver to accept a trip. I also contrast it with an unexpected $5 tip from a quiet passenger and invite viewers to share their thoughts on tipping.

I share a Saturday night in Binghamton where a $3-per-trip bonus and concert surge let me cherry-pick rides, including one that netted $96/hr and another that netted $155/hr after expenses, while I declined many other profitable trips to wait for the best one. Using that example, I explain why gig work like Uber, Lyft, and DoorDash is a "game" with hidden costs (fuel, wear and tear, depreciation, taxes, and opportunity cost), inconsistent promos, and little support from the apps, customers, or other drivers. I warn how a great night can tempt you to go full-time even though weeks can be slow (I made $38/hr active before expenses last week) and summer demand drops when colleges are out. I close with five questions to evaluate full-time driving: measure net income, check sustainability (including health), build something vs. staying busy, whether you’d choose it without pressure, and whether it’s replacing a job or delaying the next one.

I break down a shocking Lyft reservation: a 4-hour, ~243–250 mile trip priced to the rider at $869 while offering the driver $134, which after round-trip fuel in my Prius works out to roughly $12/hour profit (even with a big tip, still not great). I also found that reserving the same ride ahead of time showed Lyft charging $239, which still didn’t make sense. I talk about how this overcharging/underpaying happens across gig apps, why getting emotionally offended isn’t healthy, and why the smarter move is to ignore bad offers and take better-paying trips or use other apps. I also remind passengers that drivers often receive only a fraction of what you pay, and tipping matters—especially when drivers go out of their way. Finally, I answer questions about tips, car quality, and why flexibility can matter more than hourly comparisons.

I’m Uber driver Levi Spires, and after my Tesla Model Y died (likely the 12V battery), I worked a 13-hour shift in my Toyota Prius: 300 miles, 37 trips, and $341 earned. I break down why Uber rewards cheap cars by comparing real costs and profits: my Prius netted about $274 vs an estimated $252 in the Tesla due to higher depreciation and charging, and the gap widens when you add Tesla Full Self-Drive and higher insurance. I also compare a $5,500 Prius, a Suburban, and how Uber Black in NYC can pay far more mainly due to higher fares and tips. I share a tipping insight from my 37 rides: almost only passengers rated 4.9+ tipped, and I answer questions about tipping, insurance (USAA), and my Red Tiger dash cam.

I noticed Apple Maps can surface Uber and Lyft prices directly, which made me realize you may not need to open ride-hailing apps to shop for rides—and that built-in interfaces and future AI agents (Siri, ChatGPT, etc.) could start aggregating taxis, transit, Uber/Lyft, and robotaxis, challenging Uber’s role as the marketplace. That also raises urgent questions for me as a driver about where I fit as autonomy and AI grow, and what decisions drivers will need to make next. I also respond to a comment about tipping expectations versus service quality, clarify that the point of my $1.4M driver story was his satisfaction (not the number), and give an update on my Tesla’s dead 12V battery and a possible costly wiring issue at 158,000 miles.

Read my blog post.

Tipping Culture Isn’t Out of Control—You Have More Control Than You Think (Uber Driver Perspective)In this Daily Drive episode, I share my perspective as an Uber driver with nearly six years and about 15,000 rides, and I walk through common complaints I hear about tipping culture in America. I argue that tipping is one place where the customer has complete control—whether it’s fine dining service that earns more, bad service that earns none, or quick-service places like Subway where you can simply choose to skip the tip. I address objections like “all they did was pour coffee,” comparisons to countries where tipping isn’t common, and “why do I have to pay your wage,” explaining that prices could rise if tips were built in. I also discuss how much to tip, tipping before service (including delivery “bids”), and why non-tippers should be honest upfront.00:00 Tipping Is Your Choice01:27 Subway Tablet Guilt02:07 Easy Jobs Still Matter03:33 America Tips Differently04:08 You Pay Wages Anyway06:00 How Much To Tip07:58 When Percent Feels High09:00 I Cant Afford Tips10:52 Tipping Before Service13:16 If You Never Tip16:27 Final Thoughts For Drivers

Do Uber drivers make good money?

I share results from a poll where about two-thirds of drivers said Uber doesn’t pay good money, then compare that to examples of drivers earning very well, including one who showed receipts totaling $1.4M over six years and my own $800+ Halloween 12-hour shift. I explain how “good money” depends on perspective, location, cost of living, and goals—some drivers are happy netting $100 in a few hours while others expect thousands per week. I argue negative stories get amplified online, and some drivers may downplay earnings to avoid lower pay or more competition. I acknowledge frustrations like lowball offers, customer service, deactivations, and CEO pay, but emphasize personal agency, choosing the right shifts, and valuing flexibility. I also mention the GigU app for evaluating ride profitability, discuss short vs long trips, and answer questions about the Uber app and Red Tiger dashcam screensaver.

Ever share something… and someone immediately responds with, “yeah, but…”?

After running a Diamond vs. Blue Uber experiment and sharing the results, that’s exactly the kind of feedback I got: “not in my market.” And they’re not wrong—every market is different. Every driver, car, city, and situation is unique.

But does that mean we can’t learn anything from each other?

In this episode, I talk about why I’m not giving Uber advice, why I rely on data and personal experience instead, and why shutting down ideas too quickly might be the thing holding us back. This isn’t a how-to. It’s about curiosity, comparison, and actually thinking through what we see.

I also share a real-world Uber Eats story that shows how unpredictable this gig can be—and why sometimes the best insights come from just paying attention.

Hi, I’m Levi Spires, and this is the Tip You in the App Daily Drive Podcast.

This episode is brought to you by the GigU app.

I break down the viral Trump DoorDash/McDonald’s PR stunt and his $100 cash tip to a DoorDash worker tied to the “no tax on tips” effort, then share how that policy helped me after earning over $12,000 in tips last year. From there, I talk about why tipping reflects the tipper more than the worker, why “I’ll tip you in the app” is often a red flag, and the difference between percentage/calculator tippers and truly generous tippers, including stories of a wealthy rider who promised a tip and didn’t, and a truck driver who gave me $100 at Christmas during COVID. I also answer questions on cherry picking vs diamond driving, a seemingly broken CTM driving score, and why I’m not testing Empower, and I explain why I’m prioritizing happiness over max stress earnings in 2026.

I break down why Uber wait times may be driven by incentives that encourage drivers to decline rides, and I test whether it’s better to be a Diamond driver or a cherry picker. In Syracuse, my friend Zeke (Blue/cherry picker) and I (Diamond) screen-recorded the app side-by-side and found we saw the same trips priced the same, except I earned the 5% Diamond boost and got priority when we both accepted a Trip Radar offer. I then analyzed 404 rides in a spreadsheet, measuring profitability after costs, surge effects, trip length, pickup distance, ride types, and multi-stop penalties. The data shows Diamond can earn slightly more per online hour on Uber-only, but cherry picking boosts active-hour profits—especially with surge—and works best when multi-apping. My personal sweet spot is Gold for the 5% perk while still selectively accepting rides.

My Data: https://www.levispires.com/uber-driver-blog/i-declined-404-uber-trips-to-expose-the-algorithm