Video summary
The video documents a delivery driver's experience working as an Uber Eats courier for approximately four and a half hours on a Thursday morning with no active quests to complete. The day began with minor logistical challenges, such as receiving only one iced coffee instead of the requested four, which the narrator handled by messaging the customer beforehand to avoid awkwardness upon arrival. Despite these small hiccups, he maintained his focus on providing good service and ensuring customer satisfaction, even when facing stiff competition at popular McDonald's locations where multiple drivers were waiting for orders. Throughout the morning, he navigated various delivery scenarios ranging from quick pick-ups like dog food rolls to more complex grocery runs involving up to 35 items that required careful loading into his vehicle.
As the day progressed, the driver faced typical gig economy obstacles including heavy traffic and limited parking spaces in busy shopping centers near Townsville. To save time, he adopted a strategy of using shared taxi or loading zones opposite food courts, pushing ethical boundaries slightly until warned otherwise by authorities. He noted that without quests to guide him toward higher-paying orders, earnings were inconsistent; for instance, some trips paid around eight dollars while others reached ten or eleven dollars over short distances. By midday, he had completed twelve deliveries but realized his total gross earnings stood at roughly one hundred and twenty-five dollars before accounting for fuel costs. After deducting approximately twenty-five dollars spent on petrol to cover nearly one hundred kilometers of driving, the net profit dropped significantly below what might be expected from a full-time wage.
In conclusion, the narrator reflects that while earning about one hundred dollars in four hours is better than nothing and offers valuable flexibility for those with spare time or childcare needs, it falls short as a primary source of income compared to traditional employment. He acknowledges that success on this platform often depends on completing specific quests which can boost earnings substantially, though today's lack thereof made the work less lucrative. Ultimately, he suggests that driving Uber Eats is viable only for individuals who do not desperately need immediate money and view it as a supplementary side gig rather than a replacement for a stable career. The video serves as an honest assessment of current market conditions in Australia, highlighting how unpredictable order availability and fuel prices can impact the viability of food delivery work on any given day.
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All right, guys. Not ideal. Not ideal
start.
Um he wanted four iced coffees and uh
the store only had one.
>> Turn left turn on Furlong Avenue and
drive.
>> sadly only had one. So, I picked up the
one
and I sent the guy a message. I said,
"I'm sorry, mate. There was only one in
stock. I grabbed it for you and now I'm
on my way."
And it's, you know, cuz hey, I I I might
be only an Uber driver or an Uber Eats
delivery driver, but I still want the
customers to be happy. Yeah, I I could
get a terrible rating and it's really
not going to affect me in any great
deal, but personally, I've got a
conscience and every single order I do,
I do want it to be done to to a standard
and the customer to be happy at the end
of the day. So,
uh I've sent him a message. He's already
replied saying, "Yeah, all good." So,
I'm out to um
to deliver this now
and especially
especially like Okay, maybe I I
I I definitely don't don't have to send
a message,
but because this order is not a leave at
door. This is one where he's going to
come out and see me. Um if he didn't
know that there was
one instead of four,
then uh it might just you know, it's
just awkward. It's setting yourself up
for an awkward conversation, an awkward
scenario. And so, I'd rather just get
that done um over text before I arrive.
Anyway, we're off. What I am interested
to see actually and this this hasn't
happened before. I've never had one item
and
well, you know, two three items or
whatever not been able to supply
something. So, I want to know whether
Uber
is still going to pay me the full fare
even though I haven't supplied all of
the items. That is going to be
interesting.
I hope they do. All right, guys. It is
just gone 9:00. That order is complete.
Um now I've accepted another order
that's come through from McDonald's.
I don't necessarily love going to
McDonald's, but this particular
McDonald's out of town, being that it is
out of town,
it's probably the least busy
in all of Townsville. So, I you know, if
I'm down this way and I get an order for
anywhere from 8 to 10, 12 dollars from
McDonald's, I'll I'll most likely take
it. In this case, I have. I think it
pays about 8.50.
And um we should get it done within
Should get it done within 15 minutes.
So,
not too bad.
We keep going.
Okay, we've got the goods. Bit of a
disaster, not going to lie, not the best
situation. I walked in and there were
three other drivers already waiting. And
uh you never like to see that. I was
expecting to be the only one, but alas,
I spoke too soon. I was the third third
of four drivers to get my
my order. So, um as I left, I gave the I
gave a little nod
to to the fourth and final driver and uh
sometimes I say drive safe, sometimes I
say see you out there on the road or
go well or
um
respect the hustle or Jesus Christ, what
the hell are we doing with our lives,
but um either way, I just gave him the
silent nod
and we are off to deliver this. Now,
hopefully in the next one,
um that'll be our third order, I can get
something that's paying over 10 dollars.
I do not like accepting orders under 10
dollars. I should have a solid rule. Any
Any type of rule that I set myself, I
always go against it eventually because
like I said at the start, we are in this
game to be online and active.
Um I don't want to be sitting on the
side of the road waiting for orders if I
can help it. So, 8.50 is 8.50 at the end
of the day.
Let's keep going.
All right, guys. 8 dollars,
uh 5 kilometers. It is a supermarket
order. It's not a pack and pay, it's uh
click and collect, which is a lot
easier, but you can get stitched up at
times and have like 20 grocery bags
that you've got to lug
from your car, well, put them into your
car, take them from your car to the
doorstep, etc. I'm hoping for two
two to four bags is is usually good. Any
anything that I can carry in in in one
load.
>> a slight left turn. Yeah, you know, it's
classic, like anything I can I can carry
to the door
um at once, I will be okay with. And I'd
say the maximum for that would be six
um six shopping bags. I could push it to
eight, but I don't want to break
anything. So, first and foremost, I do
need fuel. Uh I'm going to sort that
now, and then we will be off to Coles to
pick up the
goods.
We have a problem.
We've got four cars in front.
It's never ideal, but that's just the
way the cookie crumbles
in the side gig economy.
Nothing is predictable. Everything is
out to slow you down. And when every
single minute counts,
it's all about
keeping your cool, staying
calm and collected, and moving forward.
And that is what we will do.
It is 9:49.
We have been online
for an hour and 19 minutes, and we are
at an absolutely abysmal $38.13.
So, I would have to say
we've just pulled up on the side of the
road,
nice little shady spot. I'd have to say
we're performing under par, and I've
sadly, in the last like two or three
minutes, declined
See, look, $33
$33 for 35 items. Now, I I just can't I
can't do that. I cannot walk into a
supermarket, even if I'm going to get
$33 and commit to finding 35 items.
But maybe I should.
Anyway, I'm going to accept this one,
$10, 8.3 km, all the way along the main
road, and then down that one. I think it
should be
it should be pretty simple.
>> your pickup at Troika Kebabs to Main
Central. So, let's go and earn another
$10.
All right, guys, here we are. Order
number five, I do believe. I could be
wrong.
I will uh I'll I'll know that in in um
post-video editing. But uh we're at
Hungry Jack's.
First time for the day, and we're
getting paid $10. So, I will uh pick
that up, drop it off, and see you guys
soon. It's been about a 5-minute commute
to Hungry Jack's, so I'm hoping it's
ready or uh near
completion, and we can pick it up and
get the hell out of here. Wish me luck.
10:29 in the morning. We are 1 minute
away from 2 hours of online time,
and we have reached $58.17.
Five trips completed. At this stage, I
would say
that uh best-case scenario, we reach
$200. I don't know how on earth that
would happen with with, you know, it's
not
it's not exactly Yeah, it's I mean, that
would require $140
in 4 hours, which would be 35 an hour,
which can happen at certain times. It's
not looking likely, but it's not, you
know, completely off the table.
But I would say $150
uh by the time I go and pick up my kids
again would be better than a kick in the
pants, as they say. So, we continue.
It's 10:30, 2 hours and $58.17.
See if order number six.
Ah, jeez, times must be tough. I've just
uh accepted a an order for Woolworths,
which is um
going inside the store
to their collection point, um hoping
that the order is ready, if not
almost ready.
Uh scanning a barcode or two
grabbing the order, taking it to your
car
taking it to the customer, unloading the
order
and saying see you later.
For 7 and 1/2 km
I am being paid $9.12.
And sometimes I check it, sometimes I
don't. I've got time to check it.
It's six items. Actually, okay, so
sometimes they say items as
full bags of groceries, but in this case
it is only six items. And it is six
rolls of dog dog food, dog roll.
Dog loaf? I'm actually not sure, but
that one should be ready. If it's not,
I'd be very surprised, unless that the
store is um just totally under the pump
at the moment, but that makes me feel
slightly better about taking this order.
So, I'll let you know how it goes. It
was $10 for 4 and 1/2 Ks, which is
pretty good. They are city Ks, so um
it's you know, your guess is as good as
mine as to
how much traffic we will encounter, but
we are on the way to KFC, order number
seven, and I will let you know when it
is complete. Actually, I'll um I'll take
this opportunity to let you guys know
about this particular shopping center,
Townsville Shopping Centre. I never
realized that the order that I've just
decided to accept is inside the shopping
center until I'm just around the corner,
and that's happened again. Now, this one
sucks because the parking is limited,
and obviously it's a shopping mall, and
I don't really know my way around, but
um what I've been starting to do is be a
little bit cheeky and take the loading
zone bay, which is just opposite the
food court. And if I'm in and out within
three or four minutes, I don't think I'd
have any issue. It's a bay that's shared
between uh loading and taxi, and I think
being an Uber Eats delivery driver,
surely surely that falls within either
one or both of those categories. That's
what I'm going to tell any police
officer or any parking warden or
anything that, you know, may be. I'm
going to basically put it this way. I'm
going to keep pushing the limit. I'm
going to keep pushing it until I'm told
I can't. So, in actual fact, the parking
is super simple, but it never used to be
until I started pushing the boundaries
and I think that's what a lot of Uber
drivers do. They just push the
boundaries, they park where they need to
because it is you know, time is money.
Time is money. There is no job out there
that the quote rings truer than Uber
driving. Time is money.
And here is my part.
>> the left.
See, we've got loading zone and we've
got taxi zone. Now, I'm going to call
myself a taxi today.
And if you've got a problem with it,
well, I'll see you in about 5 minutes.
Ah, Karen. Karen, Karen, Karen, what a
lovely lady she was. We have delivered
that and we are back online. That will
say seven total deliveries, I think.
Should do.
Back online. It's 11:11. Make a wish.
Last delivery, $10.08.
Seven total trips. 77.47.
What have we got? Woolworths? No.
No.
Not yet, anyway. I might just sit here
in real time for a couple of minutes,
see if something comes through.
Make this at least slightly
uh more,
you know, information-based
experience-based rather than just
opinions, which I give you.
Um but yeah, we're right in town, right
in the middle of the middle of the the
the city, basically. It extends all the
way out that way. That's where I live
and then down towards Kelso.
You don't really want to be stuck down
there too often, but we were this
morning.
Um so we're right in the middle. This is
towards the water, that's the city, and
that is The Strand, which is like
quite a nice touristy
beachy area. But um yeah, I mean orders
can extend all the way down here.
They can extend all the way down into
Kelso.
And they can extend all the way out
north
probably about that far, to be fair.
And actually
if we come down this way
they can extend all the way out this
road as well.
So um they can be pretty hefty offers,
but you've just got to make the decision
wisely
and realize that it's certainly no
guarantee you're going to get something
un- un- until you work your way back
into the city. That's the game we play
as an Uber Eats delivery driver. And
that's why I keep coming back is because
it's like a game.
They have gamified it.
Quests.
Uh
you know, points. I mean you get points
to become
a platinum driver, and then a a a
diamond driver, I think. I've I've never
reached diamond,
but I think
I should reach platinum again pretty
soon.
I mean I I haven't
personally, I haven't um
used any of the rewards
uh that you you get by becoming
platinum. The only thing I could
possibly use is a 10-cent saving on each
liter of petrol,
but
that only applies at BP, and the BPs
around town are few and far between. So
we've got a $6.56
order to McDonald's for 3.5 km, which I
have declined already.
Um
I'm going to put the camera away,
and I will let you guys know what comes
through. All right, we've got our first
double-up of the day. Order number one
came through for Subway. I took it. It
was $8.50
for um I think it was like 4 and 1/2 km
and then another one popped up for Pet
Barn. I like any order that isn't food,
to be fair, and that sounds stupid, but
it's true because you're picking up like
boxes or items, not food that needs to
be prepared. So, normally with a um
like a department store or
uh
an electronic store or in this case a
pet store,
uh the order should be ready to go.
And that's the benefit of that. So, that
one's going to be paying about $10
for another 8 km. So, we're looking at
we're looking at 18 to $19
for a total trip of uh 12 12 and 1/2 km.
And it just sucks because
you know, there's no quest in play.
And double-up orders are probably my
favorite. And I will take orders that I
probably wouldn't necessarily take
otherwise when I've got a quest that I
am trying to complete because, like I
said before, man, it's it's like a game.
It's like a video game. And also
the way that you do make decent money
doing this or you know, anything above
the poverty line is to complete quests.
Yeah, I mean, I'm doing this to make a
video. I'm doing this cuz I got spare
time, but I would love nothing more than
to
have these orders go towards completing
uh a quest to get some extra money, but
alas,
wasn't to be.
Anyway, two more orders down. We'll be
at nine total orders and I will check in
when they're both done.
All right, my friends.
>> Street, then turn left on 16. We are off
to complete order number 10.
Thankfully, the order was uh basically
ready. I'm I'm being thrown add-ons
left, right, and center here, but I'm
having to deny them because there's
really no point. Um they don't pay well.
Uh the only reason you get given them
for the most part is because they are on
the way.
Um so, you know, they don't pay well, to
be fair.
But this one might. I'm going to add
this one. This is another $7.67
for 7 km.
But
I like the look of it because it is a
service station.
>> And right on Walker Street.
>> And basically
for the most part, service station
orders are ready
and um
and easy. It's just uh pick up a bag or
two. You know, there's no no need to
take in your insulated bag or anything
like that. You just pick it up and go.
So, that's good. I'll add that one on.
And at the moment, I've got some
Japanese food, which is uh $13.50
for 12 km. So, that is not ideal. I
mean, on a good day, a 12-km order, you
would expect to get paid 20 bucks plus.
Today, on a Thursday, when the quests um
I mean, anyone out anyone out there
playing the game wanting to complete
these quests will be out for 12 hours
today doing whatever it takes to get it
done.
So, that means that you know, that's
going to
it's going to flood the system. It's
going to mean that uh more orders get
picked up quicker. And the only way that
an order actually gets paid more and
more and more is when
driver after driver
decline it. Um
so, that is probably not happening
a whole lot today. But either way, we've
got $20 worth of orders to complete.
That will take us to 11 total orders.
And it would probably take the time to
around about 12:30.
So, that will be 11 orders
in 4 hours.
And I will check back in with you then.
All right, guys. We are back once again
with an update. It is 12:36.
I have accepted my 12th order.
Um the other two were pretty
straightforward.
So, that was nice.
I've accepted my 12th order. This may be
the 12th and final order of the day. I'm
not quite sure.
Um it is going to take me towards home,
so that's a plus. And I'm thinking I I
do have a couple of things I need to do
at home before going and get the getting
the kids. And that's what this this job
offers is flexibility. That is the
reason we do it. Some people are
desperate for the money, which
is understandable. Some people aren't so
desperate for the money. It does help,
but they also appreciate the flexibility
of it. And I think that is the boat that
you want to be in, and that is the boat
that I am in. But in saying that, I
would trade doing Uber Eats in for a
better-paying full-time job.
And that's where I want to get to.
So, it's all a process.
And right now, I'm off to KFC. Right, my
friends.
The time officially is 12:51.
I'm not giving up just yet, but I am
heading towards home.
So, if I get home without accepting an
order, that will be it. And we will call
it an even 4 and 1/2 hours if that
happens. We've got 12 orders. I actually
haven't looked at how much we've we've
earned yet.
$125.45.
I mean,
like I said at the start, you know, it's
definitely not not what you what you'd
hope
Um but it is better than a kick in the
teeth.
Kick in the teeth. It's uh Look, it
hasn't been the best day out so far, but
it hasn't been the worst. Like I said at
the start, $125, 4 and 1/2 hours, less
petrol, of course. We'll calculate that
when we get home. We've just We've just
hit 100 km in total distance.
And we're probably sitting at around
about 9 and 1/2 L per 100, right? So, 9
and 1/2 L at $2.50 is almost 20 25
dollars.
And to take 25 dollars off of 125, that
literally leaves us with 100 dollars for
over 4 hours work.
Is that a livable way It is that Is Is
it worth it? That is the age-old
question. Is it worth driving Uber Eats
in Australia? I
If you've got the spare time, if you
don't necessarily need the money, but
it's going to be a help, if it's a side
gig, if it's not your full-time gig, I
think it could well be worth it. But,
that is the age-old question, and that
is the question that I am trying
to
uh to to work out, you know? Today? No.
Tomorrow? Maybe. It's uh it's a game
you've just got to keep turning up
to and keep keep playing. You've got to
keep playing the game because you never
know what's around the corner. There are
certain
times of day, there are certain days of
the week that do consistently pay better
than others.
Today's a Thursday. It's the last day of
a quest.
Um I had a few factors against me today,
but we got out there, we got it done.
I'm
99% sure I'm hitting home now, so that
will be it. 4 1/2 hours, 125 dollars
less 25 in petrol, but we will go over
the specifics
when I get home.