Lyft, Uber drivers’ turnover high, wages low, survey finds

In this July 15, 2015 file photo, Uber driver Karim Amrani sits in his car parked near the San Francisco International Airport parking area in San Francisco. Hilton is hailing the ride sharing service Uber to help guests reach its hotels and then explore the city where they are staying, the companies announced Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2015. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File) less In this July 15, 2015 file photo, Uber driver Karim Amrani sits in his car parked near the San Francisco International Airport parking area in San Francisco. Hilton is hailing the ride sharing service Uber to ... more Photo: Jeff Chiu, Associated Press Photo: Jeff Chiu, Associated Press Image 1 of / 9 Caption Close Lyft, Uber drivers’ turnover high, wages low, survey finds 1 / 9 Back to Gallery

Most drivers for Uber and Lyft are newbies, according to a survey released Friday, which reinforces the idea that many people who try driving their own car for hire don’t stick with it very long.

Ride-hailing clearly is “a business with a constantly refreshing workforce,” said the report from SherpaShare, a service that helps drivers analyze their earnings. The survey of 963 active drivers found that almost two-thirds (65 percent) had been driving for six months or less, while 18 percent had been driving for less than two months.

“People who haven’t driven before are curious to try out the services,” said Ryder Pearce, SherpaShare co-founder. “Some will start working, then realize the income isn’t what they thought or their situation changes. They use the work to fill gaps.”

While the survey couldn’t pinpoint the dropout rate — and the overall number of drivers continues to increase — the huge proportion of newcomers indicates that many people abandon driving fairly quickly, he said.

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The majority of drivers work part time, Pearce said, with 73 percent putting in fewer than 30 hours a week behind the wheel. Average monthly earnings were modest. People who worked 21 to 25 hours a week, for instance, averaged $1,376 a month after commissions collected by the ride services, but before expenses such as gasoline or car maintenance. Those working 41 hours a week or more brought in an average of $2,971.

Women accounted for almost a fifth (18.9 percent) of drivers, but a higher percentage of them tended to be between 40 and 55. Those people could be empty-nesters or moms with more time as their kids are in high school, Pearce said.

Women drove fewer hours than men, and thus made less money, the survey found. A higher proportion of women than men drive part time.

Drivers over age 55 earned less per month than younger drivers, even when they worked the same number of hours, the survey found. Pierce hypothesized that younger drivers are more aggressive about strategies to boost their income.

SherpaShare collected responses between Sept. 22 and Oct. 5. More than 90 percent of respondents drive for Uber and/or Lyft, while others drive for Postmates, Sidecar, Instacart, Doordash and other services.

A separate survey conducted for Lyft among 5,700 passengers in seven cities, including San Francisco, found that using on-demand rides helped reduce their use of personal cars. Sixty percent of passengers surveyed said they use their own cars less often, while 54 percent said Lyft helps them get to and from places that might otherwise be inaccessible. Almost three-quarters (73 percent) said they go out more often and/or stay out longer.

Carolyn Said is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: csaid@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @csaid

Driver earnings

A SherpaShare survey of 963 on-demand drivers looked at how much they earn. More than 90 percent worked for Uber and/or Lyft.

Hours/week driving Average monthly earnings* Fewer than 5 $278 5-10 $578 11-15 $772 16-20 $1,062 21-25 $1,376 26-30 $1,791 31-40 $2,100 41+ $2,971