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Comment by Neil44 | Hacker News Reader

According to the study it includes hours spent logged on waiting for jobs, which I think is a correct and meaningful way to measure it. I guess this is mostly people trying to top up their primary income.

https://www.bristol.ac.uk/media-library/sites/business-schoo...

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I'm not sure that I agree that it is. You can be logged into both Uber and Lyft awaiting rides. Good luck trying to be employed at both McDonald's and Burger King awaiting compatible schedules. What makes gig work so different is that your "employer" can't demand you to work when you don't want to.

You're not going to get fired from Uber for being unable to cover a Friday night shift since you're at working at Lyft Friday night. Can't say the same about McDonald's and Burger King.

>You're not going to get fired from Uber for being unable to cover a Friday night shift

I bet Uber absolutely de-prioritizes "unreliable" workers.

It all depends on how risky you want to play the game. Do you log off from one while doing a ride for the other? Do you log on 5 minutes away from drop-off to start looking for your next ride? Do you actually accept rides while doing a ride for the other? From many anecdotes I've read, this one is apparently extremely common. I'm sure Uber has some heuristics to discourage this behavior, but ultimately, unless Uber doesn't want the driver's business entirely, then drivers who are driven will find a way to game the system as best they can. Like always, the sweet spot is somewhere in-between.

Interestint point. If you were logged into both but only counting one set of hours wouldn't that bring your average hourly wage up?

If you're only counting one set of hours, sure, but do you count your hours by looking at your clock or by looking at the summary view inside each app?

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