The recent internal Uber study found that long-term drivers learn how to optimize their rides for the highest fares. So there are significant differences between what the median driver makes and what the "pro" Uber drivers make.

For every one who makes it there's probably (wild guess) ten that lose money after working a few shifts and never turn on the app again -- most people are like "I can sit my ass on the couch and not make money plus not waste my gas making billionaires even richer."

Like all things there's a learning curve before you can consistently turn a decent profit too.

I haven't read this study but I the past I've often found the depreciation figures to be higher than what they are in real life. They sometimes kind of assume you just buy a new car at the dealers and then two or three years later trade it in for a new car which means every three years or so you lose 50% of the cars new cost. Almost no one hard up does that. Get good deal on a 3 yr old car, keep it 5 yrs, your costs are much lower.

You sure? I personally know people doing it as their primary income in a top 5 us city in pop. It's a grind.

The number is a bit deceiving. As the article states, that amount is after you account for insurance, gas, wear/tear on the vehicle, maintenance, etc... So really the $3.37 is their "profit" before taxes are taken out. I am actually surprised it is that high. A driver working full-time in a city or area with high demand will put depreciate the value of their vehicle and drive costs up at a much higher rate than the average person.