Uber drivers, in general, say they prefer driving for the company as compared to working other gig economy jobs for a variety of reasons. For some it is the flexibility that is appealing, and for others it is the higher income, ease of the job and more time for family.
One Uber driver shared the advantage of doing his "gig" via Uber.
"My hours were kind of abbreviated many times, so I couldn't really control the hours that I was working and I couldn't control how much income I could bring in because, you know, the places were closed," said Isaac King III, a part-time Uber driver from Chicago. "You know, at a certain time, so I could stay out as long as I wanted or start at any time, I wanted."
For King, Uber outperforms other gig economy jobs.
"So by comparison, doing Uber is much better," he said. "It’s been more consistent for me, in the sense that I’ve been driving for the past six years – for over six years now. The amount of income I’ve been able to create by driving, and again it’s more consistent, and actually greater than what I was able to earn on a part-time gig. There are also all kinds of perks that come along with driving with Uber, too. So I'm getting additional perks as well just by being on the platform."
According to a 2018 Gallup poll, 36% of U.S. workers are doing gig work either as their primary job or a side-hustle. Gallup also reported that 64% of gig workers said they preferred their alternative work arrangement.
"Independent gig workers (such as online platform workers and independent contractors) experience high levels of work-life balance, flexibility, autonomy, meaningful feedback and creative freedom," the 2018 Gallup poll stated. "In fact, they score much higher on all these factors compared with traditional workers and other types of gig workers."
In the "Freelancing in America: 2019" survey of 6,000 U.S. workers, 79% of full-time and 73% of part-time freelance workers joined the flexible workforce environment because it allows them to choose the the days and hours that they work.