Same $2,000 per week. A lot less time behind the wheel.

Handing out his card mid-ride

Jeff was making close to $2,000 per week driving Uber in a modified Jeep Wrangler around Phoenix, AZ collecting $13 fares, knowing the platform kept about half of every fare, and one bad accident on a $13 trip could total his car.

He started handing riders his own business card mid-ride instead saying, "call me directly next time", and picked who got his card based on whether they had a real network worth reaching: corporate travelers, hotel and bar staff who hear "I need a ride" all day.

The fares changed the math

On an airport run he charges $150 to $200 for a trip Uber and Lyft would bill at $250 to $300, and he keeps all of it instead of half. That's the part that actually moved his week around: it takes a lot fewer rides to hit $2,000 when you're keeping 100% of each ride instead of roughly half.

"Driving less, less risk, less wear and tear, more time to enjoy myself at home with my dogs. Same $2,000, less risk, and I take it all."

A 60 month loan, paid off in 24

The volume was real too. He took out a 60 month loan on the Jeep and paid it off in 24, because private clients were carrying that much business.

Jeff didn't need a new car or a new city to change his week. He needed to stop giving away half of every fare so the same paycheck could cost him less time.

Frequently asked questions

Can a private driver make the same money working less?

That is the whole mechanism. Jeff made about $2,000 per week driving Uber and the platform kept roughly half of every fare. He makes about $2,000 per week now and keeps all of it, which means it takes far fewer rides to reach the same number. In his words: driving less, less risk, less wear and tear, more time to enjoy myself at home with my dogs.

Is it realistic to set your own prices as a private driver?

Yes, and most drivers set them lower than they expect. Jeff charges $150 to $200 for an airport run that Uber and Lyft would bill at $250 to $300. His clients pay less than the app would charge them, and he takes home more than the app would pay him. HUM gives fare recommendations if you want a starting point, but the rate is yours.

What does a private ride cost the rider compared to an app fare?

Whatever you and your client agree on, quoted up front, with no surge pricing. That last part matters more than drivers expect. A client who has been burned by a 2.3x fare on a rainy Friday will value a driver whose price does not move.

Does driving privately actually reduce a driver's risk?

It changes the exposure in two ways. Fewer rides for the same money means fewer miles, less wear, and less time in traffic. And every ride logged in the HUM app is covered by HUM's commercial policy. Personal auto policies generally exclude carrying passengers for money, and in many places off-app rides fall outside local for-hire rules, so logging the ride is what keeps a driver both covered and compliant. Jeff's framing was that one wreck on a $13 fare could total his car.

About this case study: Jeff is a real HUM driver in the Phoenix area, interviewed about how he moved his business off the platforms. Every figure in this post comes from that interview. The time claim is his own description rather than a measured figure, and is quoted as he said it. 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.