LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — Local Uber drivers claim that as the cost of rides has gone up over the years, their pay has shrunk — turning what used to be a lucrative gig into working seven days a week to find rides that match the cost of living.
Drivers who spoke with FOX5 say they want more action from leaders and transparency from Uber on where their money is going — all as they worry about job security with more driverless cars coming to Las Vegas.
“$39 ride, $10 pay”
“I did a ride on the way here from around my house to here. The rider paid $39, and I was paid $10,” one driver said.
Local drivers say every time their wheels spin, they’re losing money.
“Brake pads, tires, everything has gone up. Everything except for our pay. It’s the only thing that has not gone up since 2016,” Jeremmy Bartle, who has driven on the app for 10 years, said.
Andy, Jeremmy and Ali have more than 80,000 rides driven collectively and joined Uber years ago when they say drivers took home around 75% of a ride’s cost. They say that’s all changed.
“Uber and Lyft went to a model called upfront pricing two to three years ago. Where they send us a ride request and say, we’re going to pay you X amount of dollars. Prior to that, it was based on a per-mile, per-minute rate,” Andy Williams explained. “But since upfront pricing, we have no idea what the breakdown is as far as that goes. One day a ride will be 20 bucks, and the next day it will be 35 for the very same ride.”
They say through surge pricing, algorithms and fees, they’re lucky to earn just $1 a mile.
“We shouldn’t have to find, flip through 25 to 30 rides in order to find one that pays adequately,” a driver said.
Weekly breakdown: $850 in fares, $409 take-home
Driver Ali Ebadi showed FOX5 his weekly breakdown — with more than $850 earned through rides, fees left him with just $409 of that.
The biggest chunk — $236 — was for ‘estimated commercial insurance fees.’ Uber kept $177 — and $28 went to promotions given by the company to riders.
“It just feels like a scam,” drivers said.
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FOX5 reached out to Uber, which said in a statement:
“Nevada regulations require that rideshare drivers have $1 million in commercial insurance coverage while driving on Uber, in addition to their personal auto insurance. Uber pays for this extra insurance so drivers don’t have to. Drivers every week receive an earnings receipt where they can compare the total amount the rider paid against the total amount that they received, including transparency around Uber’s take rate and the cost of insurance covering drivers and riders. The take rate difference is driven by the higher cost of commercial auto insurance.”
Uber claims Las Vegas Metro drivers earned around $33 an hour in 2026, an 8% increase compared to last year.
However, drivers say that number is inflated — only counting for the time they have a person in their car.
“If I have a 15-minute ride and they paid me $10 for that ride, to them, I’m making $40 an hour,” a driver said.
Autonomous future adds worry
Drivers say they are also worried about Uber’s ‘Aviari’ autonomous cars coming to Las Vegas. The Nevada Transportation Authority has approved 1,000 in Clark County.
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