Midstate Uber drivers earning their 'side hustle'
MACON, Ga. -- You’ve probably done it before. Going out one afternoon and you need a ride home. You click the Uber application on your phone.
What you may not know though is that Uber is relatively new to Macon, and its side hustle motto is actually helping some local drivers.
"Uber sometimes pays my rent. So when I don't want to use my own paycheck, I just go drive and it pays my rent for me,” said Macon Uber drive Akira Williams.
Williams works at a local prison full time. She said that Uber has been a simple and easy way for her to make more money.
"I just turn on the app, I have a change of clothes in the car of course, because you can't drive in your uniform but turn on the app, head to Atlanta and drive until I'm tired,” Williams said.
Williams added that the more time she puts into the app, the more benefits she gets from her side job.
"The most I've made a week driving full time before I started working for the prison is $900,” said Williams.
College students in Macon have also seen the benefits of the driving service. They see it as a way to operate more efficiently on a college budget.
"I actually had an Uber driver once who was a Middle Georgia student who was like a junior or a senior I think and he was driving just a couple nights because it's a pretty flexible schedule for driving. And I think that works really well with a college schedule,” said Mercer sophomore Emily Rosethorne.
Uber has been in Macon for just over two years now. Valerie Bradley with Visit Macon said the app has also helped the local economy
“I think it's a great addition for people here in Macon, for locals visiting, as well as being able for people to potentially become drivers for Uber. We think we all play a part in the economic impact for our area and so we are just really glad that we have that service available here in Macon,” said Bradley.
Uber looks like it's here to stay in the midstate and local driver are earning their “side hustle.”
WGXA reached out to Uber on several occasions for exact statistics on how many drivers are in Macon, but did not get any response.
https://wgxa.tv/news/local/midstate-uber-drivers-earning-their-side-hustle
