His rider paid $75. He'd only gotten $25, and he was done with that.

The ride that showed him the math

Kevin had already sensed something wasn't adding up. Close to 70 hours per week between Uber and Lyft, some weeks seven days straight, brought him $1,400 to $2,400. Oil changes every other week and rising gas ate into whatever was left. He wasn't failing. He was working a business model that was never built to pay him fairly.

Then he checked the math on one ordinary ride. He'd dropped a rider in Old Town Scottsdale for $25 and figured they'd probably paid around $50 for the trip. They'd paid $75. He'd done all the driving and kept a third of it. He started handing riders his own business card from that day on.

Building a client list, one relationship at a time

His pitch stayed simple: drivers keep 100 percent with HUM, there's no surge pricing, and if a rider likes him, they get to keep him. He picked clients the way he'd want to be picked: positive attitude, ready on time, easy pickup, good hygiene, and a gut check.

He started with two clients. Within a year he had 185. Today he has more than 200, with about 50 who book him every month.

What changed

Kevin now works by appointment only, often under 10 hours of driving per week, and still brings in $5,000 or more per month. One winter he didn't turn on Uber or Lyft at all from January to March and still met his monthly earnings goal. He drives less, having cut his work week by 70%, and still meets his monthly earnings goal.

Two hundred clients later, that 30% fare split doesn't happen to him anymore.

Frequently asked questions

How does a rideshare driver start getting private clients?

With the riders already in the car. Kevin started handing out his own business card the day he found out a rider paid $75 for a trip that paid him $25. His pitch was three sentences: drivers keep 100% with HUM, there is no surge pricing, and if you like me, you keep me. He was selective about who got a card, looking for a positive attitude, punctuality, an easy pickup, and a gut check. You do not need a marketing budget. You need the conversations you are already having. Here is the full playbook.

How much more can a driver keep per ride with private rides than with Uber or Lyft?

Kevin kept $25 of a $75 fare, roughly a third. On a private ride booked through HUM, he keeps all of it. The fare goes straight from the rider to the driver, and HUM never takes a commission. The only cost is a flat monthly subscription based on your vehicle type, so the more you drive, the smaller that cost is per ride.

How long does it take to build a private client base?

Kevin went from two clients to 185 in about a year, and passed 200 within three. About 50 of them book him every month. It compounds, because the first clients refer the next ones. Most drivers do not need 200 clients. A handful of monthly regulars is enough to change what a week looks like.

Do private ride clients pay more or less than platform fares?

Often less, and the driver still takes home more. That is the part that surprises people. The platform's cut is what makes the rider's price high and the driver's payout low. Remove it and there is room for the fare to come down and the driver's earnings to go up at the same time. You set your own rate, and there is no surge pricing, so your clients know what a ride with you costs.

About this case study: Kevin is a real HUM driver in the Phoenix area, interviewed three times about how he built his private ride business. Every figure in this post comes from those interviews. HUM is a registered Transportation Network Company (TNC) that provides the insurance and operating infrastructure professional drivers use to run legitimate, independent private ride businesses.