He performed across the country, traipsing everywhere from Seattle to Tampa, Albuquerque to Philadelphia.
He was on the road most weekends, sometimes spending weeks away from home.
The grind was paying off with better gigs, pay raises and recognition among other comics.
But the money wasnt quite cutting it.At 31, Davis was still only earning enough to survive.
Mostly watching Netflix and [surfing] the Internet.
What he didnt have was a stable schedule, which would allow him to get a traditional job.
No Interest Til Almost 2027?
His friends said the best part was they didnt hate the work.
They were actually enjoying it.
Did you know?
How Much Money Can You Earn Driving With Uber?
Lets start with the big question.
Davis drove for about a year and a half in Madison during 2014-15.
In a 40-hour week, hed earn enough to match what he made doing comedy on the weekends.
Thats the pay that came from Uber, after the companys service fee.
Davisleased an iPhone from Uberfor another $10 per week.
Uber covers the service and data charges.
Ready to get started?Heres a link to sign up as anUber Driver Partner.
I was already doing it with comedy, he says.
Your car must:
Vehicle year requirements vary by city and state.
Additional services include Uber PLUS (a.k.a.
Uber SELECT), Uber SUV, Uber BLACK and Uber LUX.
These options come with more strict vehicle requirements and are only available in select markets.
The inspection basically ensures your car is safe and clean.
Youre pretty much on your own to figure out how youll use the market, Davis says.
Uber reps are available for questions or issues that arise.
Davis says they were always pretty easy to get in touch with and responsive to problems.
But its up to you to decide how youll run your side business.
Once it got popular, you find the places to hang around where its busy.
I learned to hang out in the cell phone lot at the airport.
Different cities have different rules for Uber at airports.
Figure out your citys rules before determining yourdriving strategy.
Youll just waste gas and lose money doing that.
How does this benefit the driver?
Refreshments arent necessary, he says.
Just being a courteous, safe and efficient driver was more than enough to keep my rating up.
He averaged 4.8 of 5 stars for most of his Uber tenure.
Water bottles may not be vital to your Uber success, butkeeping your rating up is important.
I always enjoyed people just being on their phone and not talking.
He worked in the service industry for years.
And he knew how to schmooze with the audience after a comedy show.
But driving was different.
Its an opportunity to stretch those social skills!
I got things wrong all the time with people, Davis jokes about himself.
I was a bumbling idiot constantly …
I picked a couple up at the Emergency Room once.
The woman had a broken leg, with a cast on and crutches.
Naturally I assumed she was the one visiting the ER.
Turns out, it was the guy.
He got rear-ended and had whiplash.
Being personable might even land you someunique opportunities…
I once got a request to pick up riders at a tour bus downtown, Davis says.
The beginning to his favorite Uber story wasnt anything new.
Thats one of my favorite bands!
So we got to talking about music, other bands, whatever.
Ninety-nine percent of the time, people are awesome,Davis says.
Half are quiet and dont want you to talk to them.
The other half are really talkative and personable.
You have great conversations with people you wouldnt otherwise.
For the few difficult riders, Davis explains his approach.
Youre not beholden to riders …
I would just email Uber immediately to explain what happened and ask for a refund for the rider.
Uber alsocovers reasonable cleaning costsif your car sees the worst of the late-night bar crowd.
People dont bring bad dogs into other peoples cars.
Theyre usually small and well-behaved.
A lint roller is cheap, if you even need that, he says.
Its your car, Davis explains, and its your business.
There are perks to being a contractor!You work for yourself.
you’re able to opt out.
Thats what has always been attractive to me about contract work (in comedy, as well).
you’ve got the option to opt out of anything you dont want to do.
Should You Become an Uber Partner?
This work isnt for everyone, but can be a good opportunity.
You Should Know Your Town
Knowing your way around will save time and gas.
It also meansunderstanding local events and trends that drive business.
You Should Be Personable
Its good to have customer service experience.
As Davis illustrates, you dont have to love people or be an extrovert.
But youll have to be comfortable chatting with riders and offer quality service.
Youll also be responsible forpaying income taxes and noting contractor deductions or credits.
Ready to get started?Heres a link to sign up todrive with Uber.
Dana Sitar (@danasitar) is a Staff Writer at The Penny Hoarder.
Shes written for Huffington Post, Entrepreneur.com, Writers Digest and more.
Probably not as good as youd like.
It always seems like an uphill battle to build (and keep) a decent amount in savings.
But what if your car breaks down, or you have a sudden medical bill?
Ask one of these companies to help…
