Driver Heatmaps Now on Android

Today, we're excited to announce Driver Heatmaps available today on our Android app! The heatmaps show the busiest areas of driver activity and have been a huge hit on our iOS app. Now you can join your fellow iPhone drivers, and get discover where fellow drivers have been working.

Here's what you need to know about the heatmaps and why you should download the latest version on Android or iOS.

The heatmap shows you the busiest driving areas, based on drivers using SherpaShare, whether for Uber, Lyft, or other services. The heatmap is NOT a map of pickups, but since it displays where drivers have been driving for work, you can definitely use it as a proxy for demand areas. Plus, you can also see historical heatmaps and how your past trips have compared to the Heat.

We hear you, this Heatmap thing is powerful. You’re getting the map of drivers across services for the first time ever, and there’s much more coming on the Heatmap / Discovery screen, so stay tuned. And of course, when you get your fellow drivers on SherpaShare you benefit from their driving Heat as well, giving you even more detailed driving info.

Here's the "Driver Doppler" from the East Coast last week from the iPhone app. What did your region look like?

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uber, lyft, heatmaps, sherpashare, income, earnings, rideshare

Guide to the SherpaShare Driver Apps

To help you maximize your Uber, Lyft, and Postmates income

If you've been following our new mobile apps closely, we hope you're enjoying all of the recent updates on Android and iPhone! Yes, there is more coming for you. In the meantime, we wanted to give you an easy reference place for any questions that come up on the new features.

Getting the most out of the latest Android App

The latest version was added on July 22nd to Google Play and includes advances in the mileage tracking and addition of the chat feature, so you can connect with other drivers and find out what's happening

Getting the most out of the latest iOS App

The latest version was added on July 22nd to the App Store and includes advances in the mileage tracking, channels and settings of the chat feature, the driver heatmap (huge deal), and more...

sherpashare, uber, lyft, postmates, mileage tracking, iOS, android, income

A smarter way to Chat with drivers

Introducing our latest Chat feature

Yes, if you've downloaded the latest SherpaShare Driver app for iOS, you've seen many new changes. We introduced the new version earlier this week. And as promised, we're sharing more about these new features and how they can help you be a smarter driver.

Now when you arrive on Chat, you'll see the Global feed first. Want to explore Trending or Nearby conversations? Hit the Channels icon on the top left. On Nearby, you'll see conversations happening in your area. (Yes, tell other local drivers to join you, you'll have more fun!) On Trending, you'll see some of the most replied to conversations.

You can also control your "Chatability" under Chat Notifications on the top right. Under My Feed see all your past posts and their replies. This is a great way to reference past comments or questions you had. Click Recent Mentions to see who's mentioned your chat username recently. Oh yes, did we mention that you can now choose your Username on Chat? Under Chat Settings you can create your chat identity. Go get your unique username before someone it else snatches it up - some first names may still be available...

Most of all, enjoy the new Chat, a smarter way to connect with and learn from your fellow driver-preneurs!

Download the latest iOS app or get the latest Android App

uber, forum, discussion, driver, lyft, chat

Introducing Heatmaps

Now available on iPhone and Android

Today, we're excited to announce that the latest iPhone version is now available in the App Store! It has some big updates, including the Driver Heatmap and Chat 2.0. Update: Heatmaps are now on the Android app too

Here's a summary of the big updates, and why you should download the latest version now:

• Supports tagging for your trips. You can tag your trips for Uber, Lyft and more
• There's improved design for the mileage summary to see your mileage and trip history
• There's Chat 2.0, which now supports regional chats, trending feeds and the ability to mention other drivers. Enjoy the real time communication fun!
• The driver heat map. Now you can view the real time or historic driving heat map in your city to make better decisions. Invite other drivers to make it more accurate.
• And more!

We'll be diving deep on some of these features and the response from our driver community soon, but for now, go check it out yourself!

Here's what the heatmap looked like in 10 cities this past Monday afternoon. Tell others in your city to join you! Share the app.

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uber, lyft, income, driver, heatmap

What Uber, Lyft Drivers Earn per Trip

Read this on our brand-new blog: What Uber, Lyft Drivers Earn per Trip ->

Released July 15, 2015 by SherpaShare Inc. This article is now available to read on our brand-new blog.

Introduction

As the ridesharing industry continues to expand at a rapid pace, industry-wide trends have been hard to come by. PR departments at Uber, Lyft and their contemporaries have very little incentive to openly publish data that might lead to speculation harmful to their chosen narratives -- especially about how well their drivers are doing financially as ridesharing supply and demand evolve together. In the brave new world of ridesharing, there has long been a gap between what the TNC companies say happens, what the drivers feel or think happens, and what actually happens -- what drivers actually net after all expenses.

Since we started helping drivers understand their financial and driving data, we’ve consistently heard from members of our community that they’re thirsty for better insights into their earnings as circumstances evolve. Drivers want to feel confident that their value of time is increasing, or at least steady at an “acceptable” level.

While each independent driver has their own definition of “acceptable” earnings, it’s always been difficult for any individual to benchmark their efforts versus other drivers. TNCs set fare rates per city, and both Uber and Lyft change them relatively often. When rates change, in a vacuum of publicly available data, speculation runs rampant about the downstream effect on driver pay.

In January 2015, hundreds of drivers in the SherpaShare community expressed concern over Uber’s decision to lower per mile rates almost across the board. The company’s stated reason for rate cuts is always to increase passenger demand, increasing the average number of trips per hour to offset rate decreases, ideally resulting in a net fare-per-hour gain for drivers.

At the time, Uber provided a couple of data points to support its contention that trips are getting more frequent faster than fares are going down, which should theoretically lead to increased driver take-home pay. But, without much context that would come with more aggregate data, it’s difficult to take Uber at its word that it always -- or even generally -- works out that way.

This brief provides aggregate fare per trip trends that have not been previously released, based on millions of UberX and Lyft trips tracked by drivers on the SherpaShare platform between January and May 2015. Average fare price per trip is one indicator of the effect of fare changes and of course, what a driver can expect to make per trip, irrespective of time.

Highlights:

• At the national level, per trip fares on UberX and Lyft combined for SherpaShare drivers increased $1.08 from January through May, an increase of 8%
• NYC is an obvious outlier, but otherwise, San Francisco and Austin are the only cities with either rideshare service averaging over $14/fare for the period.

Popular Ridesharing Cities Fare per Trip, Percent +/- National Average, Jan-May 2015

Highlights

• Anomalies: Boston in Feb: record snow = more surge, meaning 30%+ higher fares overall.
  • The same might apply for other East Coast cities’ increases in per-trip fare in Feb
  • Other spikes in a given city/month are generally the result of a TNC providing hourly guarantees or other incentives to reach internal supply-per-demand goals.
• In January 2015, the average Uber trip was $12.33, the average Lyft trip was $11.39
• In May 2015, the average Uber trip was $13.36, the average Lyft trip was $12.53
• Baltimore drivers had the highest average fare increases for UberX, at over $4, followed by Pittsburgh and Nashville at close to $3. 

Interpretation

It’s important not to make too many conclusive statements about the trends we see, because there are so many variables, all interacting dynamically. Many drivers think lower rates automatically means lower pay, and Uber et. al. understandably claim the opposite.

Of course, what we really see in the data is mixed. Rate fluctuations are compounded by surge/PrimeTime pricing, hourly guarantees, and other temporary incentives that TNCs use to balance driver supply against rider demand, as well as natural factors like severe winter weather (always surging!) and differences in geography and population density among cities. And of course, per-trip fares don’t consider driver downtime between trips -- one of the primary variables in calculating true take-home pay.

Understanding these caveats, gross fares per trip shows a clear (if small) upward trend since the round of 48-city fare cuts that made news at the beginning of 2015.

Whether fares went and stayed back up in some cities since the January cuts because of driver dissatisfaction, or reacting to changes in supply and demand algorithmically (like very slow surge pricing: at a city level, across months), it’s impossible to say exactly what data drives all TNC pricing decisions. What we can say with certainty from this data is that Uber and Lyft haven’t driven per-trip earnings off a cliff as they’ve adjusted base rates over time.

About the Report

This report looks at gross fares per trip for over one million rideshare trips on Uber and Lyft from January through May 2015. National Averages are calculated from all SherpaShare data. In addition to national averages and trends, the report chose 20 cities with a high concentration of Uber and Lyft drivers using SherpaShare to show in detail.

Not reflected in this report are: average trips per hour, average trip duration, or the percent of each hour utilized -- all of which we will be analyzing in future reports.

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Are you a rideshare or delivery driver? Track all your earnings and mileage with SherpaShare.

Follow us on Facebook for upcoming reports. Share with a friend.

uber, earnings, driver, lyft, income, rideshare

Announcing our new Android App

Today, we're thrilled to announce our new Android app, available in Google Play. The app will automatically track your working mileage, time, fuel cost, and tax savings and sync to your web dashboard, with more features coming soon.

Download from Google Play!

Help us share the news with your driver communities!

Click to Tweet or Share on Facebook.

-With love from Team SherpaShare

Miss the boat on our iOS launch last month?

Download from the App Store

android, mileage tracking, uber, postmates, lyft, sidecar

Here's what rideshare drivers told us they really wanted

Independence with more control?

We recently surveyed Uber, Lyft, Sidecar, and Postmates drivers following the California ruling that one Uber driver should be considered an employee. Over 240 drivers responded, and 97 left comments. The narrative of comments was strikingly similar, overwhelmingly reflecting the below sentiment. Here are the samples of those comments:

1. We love being part of this flexible & innovative way of earning as contractors

• “The great thing about being an independent contractor is the flexibility and their limitless opportunity to make good money.”


• “If we become employees I’ll hang up my keys. I already have a job that dictates what I do, when and how I do it. I don’t need another one like it.“


• “They are going to require hours from us and that’s not what this is all about.”


• “I chose to be an Uber driver for the tax benefits and flexibility of a business owner. If you make drivers employees, we might as well be taxi drivers.”


• “This ruling is going to make being an Uber passenger less desirable because either prices will go up, or, if Uber relinquishes control of more things to make us remain contractors, quality and standardization will go down. Or both. Lose lose lose.”


• “Another political judge taking a shot at free markets, less regulation and freedom of choice.”

2. Although company control over drivers does not often align with independence

• “If I was an independent contractor I could set my own rates.”


• “They dictate our rates for picking up passengers, they can fire us due to passenger ratings, they require us to pay our own gas and maintenance and give us no options that a real contractor would have. We are employees.”


• “Don't slap a label just because its convenient, i want to be an IC with control of my business. These TNCs give the “independent contractors” little control.”


• “Due to the fact that Uber wants to restrict tips, in car ads, and manipulates fares to goad drivers into driving at certain times, and will fire drivers if they do not like the work, I think they want all the benefits of control that having employees gives while making all the drivers pay all the costs.”


• “Uber & Lyft can’t have it both ways. If we’re true independent drivers we could set our own rates. The only two things drivers can control is when you drive & how much.”

3. More control would be great, but this may be best through some new independent/employee designation...

• “I think we’re semi-employees/semi-independent, really in a gray area.”


• “The judge is saying they are employees despite what Uber calls them. I believe we should be contractors. To accomplish this Uber should give us more power over the parameters in which we operate.”


• I see this as a stepping stone for independent contractors. But I think Uber and other companies like it may end up using third party companies to hire out their drivers to keep the company and software separate. Just a thought.


• Uber drivers should remain 1099 contractors with some restructuring.

4. It's likely nothing will change anytime soon

• “It’s unknown whether this ruling will help drivers in the near term. It’s quite possible this ruling will be appealed for several years.”

Do you agree or disagree with the above comments? See the full survey comments here

Be a part of the SherpaShare financial dashboard and community. Join here.

independent contractor, employee, lawsuit, rideshare, uber, lyft, sidecar,

63% of on-demand workers consider themselves independent contractors

*June 20 Update: New Survey Results and Comments: "Do you agree with the California ruling that Uber drivers should be employees?"

This morning a landmark ruling by a California judge found that an Uber driver should be considered an employee, potentially setting a precedent for all Uber drivers in California. Uber is appealing.

Meanwhile, SherpaShare got the pulse directly from on-demand drivers, having surveyed 201 on-demand workers between June 4-8. Here are the key findings and full report.

63% of on-demand workers consider themselves independent contractors

Nearly 2/3rds of workers considered themselves independent contractors when asked if they considered themselves “an independent contractor or employee?” Only 2 selected ‘Other’ with one saying they were both an IC and an employee, and the other suggesting a new third option.

86% of workers surveyed were Uber or Lyft drivers, or both.

The majority ­ 86% ­ selected working either for Uber or Lyft (includes multi­platform usage). Of the rest, 20 worked only for Postmates, 6 for Sidecar, and 1 for Instacart.

72% of Lyft only workers were pro independent contractor

69% of drivers that only worked for Uber, and 72% of drivers that only worked for Lyft, considered themselves independent contractors. Those are both higher than the survey’s overall IC preference of 63%.

Here are the full survey results, feel free to share the news or give SherpaShare a try

independent contractor, employee, lawsuit, rideshare, uber, lyft, sidecar,

Survey: Do you agree with today's employee ruling?

Today in a landmark decision a California court ruled that Uber drivers are employees, not independent contractors. What's your reaction to the news?

Get you free SherpaShare account

independent contractor, employee, lawsuit, rideshare, uber, lyft, sidecar,

Spotlight on Raleigh Driving

Q&A with John, Uber and Lyft driver

Here's our recent interview with John, all-star driver in Raleigh, on his driving experience and what it's like to drive in Raleigh. Raleigh's been booming for rideshare drivers and is one of SherpaShare's fastest growing rideshare cities. Welcome John!

SherpaShare: Hey John, tell us about driving in Raleigh and when you first started?

I started driving originally for Lyft on May 2, 2014, only 9 days after it launched in Raleigh. After only a few days, on May 11, I got approved to become a Lyft mentor. I started training other drivers to help build the rideshare community in our area. I later also started driving for Uber, in addition to Lyft, on June 23, 2014. Driving for me has been an amazing experience to meet some great friends, some amazing passengers, learn more about my city and make some money in the process! I wouldn't trade my time driving for anything in the world, and I continue to drive because I love it!

SherpaShare: How fast is rideshare driving growing there? And how connected are you to that growing community?

The community is growing fast, but in our market it is very fragmented. I've seen a surge of new drivers in the past 2 months and have been able to connect to a few of them. The SherpaShare app is making it easier than ever to find new drivers and give pointers, and "train" them the right way. I hope one day to be able to connect to all the drivers here in our region and be able to coordinate with all drivers to create positive change that will benefit everyone!

SherpaShare: So what are your top tips for drivers looking to make more money and get the most out of driving?

The best way to make money is to drive when demand is highest, which for Raleigh-Durham is 9PM - 3AM Thursday through Saturday. Big events other times of the week are also good chances for higher income (if you don't mind the traffic). My number one tip, especially for Uber drivers, is to log off of the app when you expect to see surging (ie. log off around 1:30AM Thurs-Sat to wait for it to surge higher than 2X). Keep your rating up by having a clean car, be friendly and use your GPS even if you know where you're going; no candy or water is needed to make people like you, a cell charge and a little knowledge of the city is all you need!

SherpaShare: What excites you most about the future of driving in Raleigh?

I'm most excited to see where the rideshare market is heading in Raleigh. There are several other companies looking to open business in Raleigh, including Sidecar and Rapid. Raleigh is a unique market of college students and business professionals, which makes it challenging at times for the rideshare community. I think there is much more growth ahead for rideshare in Raleigh and I'm excited to see where it takes us.

SherpaShare: What worries you most about driving?

The biggest worry I have, and most drivers have, is the uncertainty of the rates. We started in Raleigh around $1.20/mile with Lyft and $1.50/mile, and now Uber is $0.85/mile and Lyft $0.83/mile. UberSelect just saw an 85 cents price drop per mile. I'm not sure the drivers can tolerate another drop.

Want us to shine a spotlight on your city? Download the iOS app and we'll tell you how. Or sign up on our website.

raleigh, rideshare, lyft, uber, independent contractor