Uber is a Passenger Transport Booking Service Provider. This means they are approved to take point to point passenger transport requests in NSW including Wauchope and the Mid North Coast. 

While Port Macquarie is the 'official' hub for the app, you can actually sign up as an Uber ‘Driver Partner’ and operate in Wauchope, Kew*, Laurieton* or any other community covered by the app.

Uber is a tech company with a very clever app, but they need to partner up with other people who are willing to do the actual work of driving the folks who book rides through the Uber app. When the marketing folks at Uber were testing names for their contractors, 'Uber Partner' tested better than 'Uber Work Your Butt Off' and there are now somewhere in the vicinity of 2.5million Uber Partners worldwide. No wonder the cabbies are concerned.

If you ever wanted to work for yourself and you are not afraid of a few forms, becoming an Uber driver does provide a simple gateway to the fabled ground of self-employment. 

Uber lets you work your own hours (up to twelve in a single day), choose which fares to pick up and which to decline (Sorry Port Macquarie I’m busy tonight) - and get some excellent tax considerations on your vehicle expenditure (BMW lease anyone?) but there is some downside as well, and it's mostly around the subject of money.

While Uber makes becoming self-employed as easy and straightforward as signing up for membership at the Wauchope RSL, managing your earnings to stay in front is a little trickier. Uber themselves posted a 3.2 billion dollar loss in 2017 despite not having to pay their 'partners' 10% superannuation contribution payable by all employers in Australia, nor sickness benefits or pay for holidays. Their terms and conditions also specifically prohibit travelling with others in the car, so you can't even take a holiday to Crescent Head and pick up passengers along the way to pay for fuel. 

Oh yes, you have to pay for fuel. You also need to buy the actual car and maintain it regularly, pay for your phone plan (with extra data please) and... well, EVERYTHING required to go about the business of transporting people safely from point A. to point B. There is also the small point of actually needing to put in the hours behind the wheel to actually earn anything. Which hours and how many hours you put in is entirely up to you. Uber is Uber flexible about that.

With the not inconsiderable requirements outlined above dissuading even the most ardent admirers of disruptive tech companies from San Fran..uhh, Amsterdam, you could be forgiven for thinking Uber is willing to take on anyone as a driver. They won't. The forms I mentioned are long and searching with no stone unturned. 

Naturally, you need to be in good health, and you must also pass a Working With Children Check, but if you have any kind of criminal record, you're out. They also check your driving history. Not just the last few years, all of it. Too many speeding tickets and it's bye, bye Uber Partnership. They say Ambulance drivers are amongst our most trusted profession. Uber drivers should be right up there with them. I'm not exaggerating when I say I you could trust an Uber driver with your life. Oh.. wait. I see what they did just there.

The Uber app is nothing short of genius, and it makes driving a joy you get paid for. Even from it's earliest, ugliest first versions, the app excites investors so much that Uber has raised a staggering 22 billion dollars over 18 rounds of funding. Suffice to say, there are also a LOT of people out who dislike riding in 'cabs' so Uber also gets the work. We are spoiled by our cab drivers here in Wauchope and Port Macquarie. They are polite, well-spoken and caring members of our community. Their cars are modern and clean, and they do a great job of servicing the Mid North Coast during peak times followed by many hours of unpaid standby just-in-case we need transport. But our cabbies here are the exception, not the norm.
Anyone who has ventured out beyond our sheltered paradise will testify that cabs have a well-earned reputation as stinky-clad metal torture boxes on wheels. Even as good as our taxis are on the Mid North Coast, they can not compete with Uber on price. To provide a real-world example, a cab from Wauchope to Port Macquarie is around $60. An Uber will cost you about $35 for the same trip, and they will even offer you mints.

Just about anyone with good character and a clean(ish) driving record can pay $120 or so and register themselves as their very own Booking Service Provider just like Uber. There is actually a pretty impressive WordPress app you can buy for not very much that can run the entire business. This includes the fancy bit where distance is calculated through Google maps and a quote generated on a pricing table you control. 

But unless you are going to employ twenty drivers (think 'minicab shop inner London), it's just not worth the effort for the gains.

For around 25% of your earnings, Uber takes care of all the paperwork, they take care of collecting all the money and paying all the levies. The Uber 'Driver version' of their app has been refined to the point where you tap the screen lightly to 'go online', tap it again to 'accept' a fare, and it will direct you. It will also protect you from speeding - the app knows the speed limit and pops up an alert if you exceed it, (not that I would know anything about that).

There is a rating aspect to the system which is also worth mentioning. On the driver side, you tap some stars as your 'rider' exits the vehicle (assuming you are not holding the door for them) but riders also rate you, the driver. Both drivers and passengers need to maintain a good rating to keep using Uber. On the driver side, this helps keep the cars clean and body odour to a minimum while on the riders side it keeps everyone polite and tummy contents on the inside of their bodies where they belong.

Uber makes it easy to earn, but as a contractor, Uber does not withhold tax from your pay, so you are obligated to calculate and pay this yourself. At the time of writing, all Uber driver partners must also legally withhold and pay 10% of earnings as GST to the government, even if you will turn over less than the usual $75,000 GST threshold (Uber is fighting this ruling in court but don't be distracted by that). Find an accountant you can trust and get a strategic plan in place before you start driving for Uber and don't forget to check with your insurer to get your policy extended to rideshare cover. Your premium might increase by 40% or more, but that is better than having an accident while working than having a claim refused because you failed to update your insurer.

Some people drive Uber purely for social reasons. For isolated people wanting to engage with the good people of Wauchope, Uber can provide a never-ending stream of chatty passengers who will be delighted to join you in conversation all about this newfangled technology that brought you into their life.

 
If you have a reliable, well-maintained car under ten years old and you are a casual worker, stay at home parent, or you are semi-retired you would make an ideal candidate for Uber. Or you might be building a business, studying at Uni or have a seasonal job. Few sources of income are as flexible, and it's an easy way to earn money driving the car you likely already own.

Thanks to Corey and Courtney, Brett and Sharron, Vinette and Damo for riding along and sharing their thoughts on Uber while I researched this article.

*To verify Uber works in your location, download the Uber app and try booking a ride. You can pop in a destination, get a price to confirm you are covered then just not hit 'submit' unless you actually do want to ride. Of course, unless someone from your community signs up to service locals, it's unlikely that a driver from Port Macquarie will come down to pick you up.