10 ways other than Uber and Lyft to make money using your car

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Let’s face it: A 9 to 5 is not for everyone, and that’s OK. Advances in technology and the way work gets done means that, today, the sharing economy is a viable means of making a living for untold numbers of Americans.

One thing that means is that if you have a vehicle — whether it’s paid off or not — you’re in the driver’s seat when it comes to being able to generate a considerable amount of income.

10 ways (besides Uber & Lyft) to make money driving your car

In this article, ‘m going to show you some viable ways you can make money driving your car.

Much has been made about the most well-known ridesharing services, Uber and Lyft, and how they allow drivers to get paid for ferrying people around town. But the truth is that many of those drivers are making less than $10 an hour, according to NPR.

But take heart, there are more profitable ways to earn income behind the wheel. Here are several that you could consider, if they’re available in your area:

DoorDash

Unlike Uber and Lyft, DoorDash doesn’t care about the condition of your car, as long as you have a license, insurance and a clean driving record. DoorDash does offer supplemental insurance “up to $1,000,000 in bodily injury and/or property damage to third parties” if the crash occurs while on a “Dash” (delivery).

DoorDash gets food to people wherever they are, whether it’s at a picnic, a family reunion, their home or place of business. You’ll have to pass a background check, which is initiated during the application process on the site.

What about the pay? The company advertises that you can “Get your first check this week.” According to the site, you get paid on a weekly basis for all deliveries completed between Monday to Sunday of the previous week (ending Sunday at midnight PST). Direct deposits usually take a few days, so expect to see the fruit of your labor on Wednesday nights, the service says in the website’s FAQ section.

For “DoorDash Orders,” delivery pay is calculated as $1 + 100% of tip + pay boost. The pay boost amount will vary based on order complexity, distance and other factors. For “Driver Orders,” it’s $5 per delivery and 100% of tip paid to DoorDash by the customer or merchant. Click here to their Dasher Pay Model FAQ.

Caviar

Caviar couriers can earn up to $25 an hour driving or riding their bike and delivering food to their neighbors. Through its app, you can tell Caviar when you’re available to work and orders will appear on your smartphone. From there, all you have to do is choose to accept or not.

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What about the pay? “Money is deposited directly to your bank account each week,” the service says on its website.

Roadie

Like DoorDash, Roadie  doesn’t care how old or what condition your car is in, as long as you can get from point A to point B. The site matches people who need items delivered with drivers already headed in that direction. To join as a driver, you just sign up, create a “Gigs Alert,” make offers and wait for them to be accepted. Two of the perks include discounted roadside assistance and free Waffle House!

What about the pay? Roadies get paid via direct deposit. “Each direct payment should appear in your designated bank account within 4 – 6 business days of Gig completion,” it says on the site.

Grubhub

One of the largest service economy food-delivery platforms, Grubhub promises its drivers competitive pay and a flexible schedule. One benefit of driving for Grubhub is that the network is so vast, you can stay quite busy if you want to.

What about the pay? Many areas have guaranteed hourly minimums, so once you sign up, the company wants you to refer to your individual “Grubhub Payment Terms” to find out what your local rate will be. As for the formula, it says on Grubhub’s support website that “You will be paid per order + 0.50 cents per mile from the restaurant to the customer + 100% of your tips.” On online forums, many drivers said they made around $10 an hour.

Seamless

Part of the Grubhub network, Seamless lets people order food for delivery or takeout from their favorite local restaurant. This means you get to drive for Seamless and Grubhub, giving you the opportunity to earn more money. Seamless has the cooler slogan, though, which includes the line, “No menus, no phone calls, no repeating yourself.”

What about the pay? It’s the same as Grubhub.

Wrapify

Wrapify will pay you for advertising a particular company by covering your vehicle’s exterior in a branded wrap. Clients get to select daily mileage caps but the drivers get to approve campaigns before going forward. Drivers get paid by the mile along with a visibility formula that includes time of day and areas of heavy traffic.

What about the pay? For a full wrap, you can make between $264 and $452 a month, according to Wrapify’s website. For a partial wrap, the earnings are $196 – $280 a month. And for just a panel, you can make around $84 – $140 every 30 days. Carvertise is a similar service, but they usually pay only about $100 a month.

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Amazon Flex

Amazon Flex is the program Amazon uses, outside of its courier staff, for regular people to deliver packages to customers. Promoted as a “be your own boss” type of gig, Amazon Flex offers people who don’t want to deal face-to-face with customers an easy way to make money. The flip side of that is that you have to be Johnny on the Spot at those fulfillment centers.

What about the pay? Amazon says that drivers can make $18 to $25 an hour, but you’d better not be late with those deliveries: The company’s one-to-two-hour Prime Now promise is at stake.

Shipt

One of the most popular grocery-delivery services, Shipt was bought by Target late last year. If you sign up to drive for Shipt you’re also more or less a shopper as well. That means you’ll be responsible for orders as small as a stick of butter and as large as a whole shopping cart full of groceries.

What about the pay? Shipt says that most of its shoppers earn between $15 and $25 per hour, but that depends on the size of the orders, your ability to shop quickly and the distance you have to drive to complete the delivery. For an in-depth look at the service, See our 5 things to know about Shipt story.

Instacart

Instacart promises some deliveries in as little as one hour. Once catering to a more exclusive crowd (Whole Foods), Instacart in recent years has expanded to major retailers such as Kroger, Food Lion and the like. The Instacart app is only available on the App Store for iOS devices (sorry, Android users).

What about the pay? Shoppers’ wages are based on a per-item commission as well as per-order — and they vary depending on what city you’re in. Some make more, some make less. This woman makes $17 an hour shopping.

uShip

If you happen to have a large vehicle like a van, truck or semi, you can make some decent money by becoming a carrier with uShip, a shipping marketplace that helps you bid on customers’ shipments. You might surprised how many people need help hauling large items on a recurring basis — and cross-country. The site charges a fee for drivers, but that is typically built into your bid price.

What about the pay? It depends on what you bid. Like most of the other apps, there’s no hand-to-hand payment. The customer pays the entire shipping cost at booking and releases it to the carrier at the time of delivery. Drivers get paid via payment code, available within their booking confirmation email.

Getting paid for driving your car looks like it’s here to stay. The more sophisticated the sharing economy grows, the more prevalent services like these will become. And that’s a good thing for people who want to have more flexibility in their lives and earn some cash at the same time.

RELATED: These apps let you earn extra money

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