Engaged employer
Pros
They provide the hybrid and even cars, insurance, maintenance, good pay, flexible hours, keep your tips.
Cons
No longer work for myself, have to clock in
Pros
Steady and easy pay, flexible schedule for those that need it; if you need to make any sort of money on short notice, it’s a good move. As long as you can pass the driving test, it’s very quick and easy to be onboarded.
Cons
The high level of service that was there before Alto became a Uber fleet partner in LA instead of an Uber competitor is not there (water, chargers, music, etc.). Therefore, riders see a downgrade in service which will likely result in lower tips. They tell us we can’t hook up our own phone for music and to stick to radio. Listening to commercials for half your ride is not only depressing, but it kills the mood for the drivers as well. Even though I always tip rideshares from everything I’ve seen, witnessed, and read online, only about 25% of people tip. The hourly pay is also lower than before. A decent hourly pay ($20+) under the old structure is why I would choose them as a rider (showed they cared about their employees compared to Uber). I go to training and learned that it’s now minimum wage, which is disappointing. The most tip I’ve received on an 8 hour shift is around $80, and that was highly unusual. I’ve also received $0 in tips. There’s just no good way to know. In training, they tell you to offer superior service for tips, but I found that it really doesn’t make a huge difference. The onboarding is subpar. While the trainer was engaging and knowledgeable, on your first day driving don’t expect the same engagement. They rush you through everything with no discussion about the car itself. You have to be in your car and driving in 7 minutes. They should at least offer you 30 minutes of paid time for someone to walk you through the process, ask if you questions, walk around the car to make sure you understand all the features; to me that will translate into a better ride and experience for the riders. I have no idea who my boss is and it’s about a 50% chance you’re gonna get someone that wants to help you if you have questions. If your car has issues, the Uber app malfunctions, or you need assistance from dispatch, you can be waiting for a while further help. You also have zero control over where you take breaks or lunch because the app automatically accepts rides that can send you well out of your way even after you’ve scoped out a good spot. Lastly, they give us CHEAP wired earbuds to listen to dispatch but they are known to break immediately, and we have to replace them out of our own pocket. Why not just provide quality equipment instead of expecting drivers to buy their own knowing that we make the bare minimum. Lastly, expect to come in early and leave nearly 30 min later with no pay to park and get your car from the Hollywood depot. It does tandem parking with just 1 valet for dozens of cars.
Pros
This is one of those gigs where you're driving for Uber Fleet using the company vehicles. Obvious upside as it means no wear and tear on your personal vehicle or that you don't HAVE to even own your own vehicle to drive for them. You get paid hourly as opposed to by the ride so that's another upside... offers for much more flexibility than being rushed to do one ride after the other to make any kind of money. I'm not sure about the Hollywood depot since I have yet to drive from there but at the LAX depot the leads/dispatch have been very patient and understanding. Scheduling is probably the best part as you are free to either let them schedule you or pick up shifts (more are available for Hollywood than LAX but thus far still rather reasonable) though you must be VERY proactive if you're going to do the latter. However, this job is only for you IF you can drive slowly, smoothly and patiently. I cannot emphasize this enough... EVERYTHING from careful cornering, driving at or even below the speed limit, smooth gradual braking, don't follow the vehicle in front too close, being extremely aware of your surroundings, slowing it down in the rain/wet conditions is CRUCIAL. You literally have to drive like you're doing your license test at the DMV at all times. If you can do this, it's a rather easy gig. If not, don't waste your time.
Cons
For one, this seems to be most places these days but the training/onboarding could use work... you're not really given a walk around of the vehicle and it's NUMEROUS features. I've had to learn about it on my own time. They also seem to start off assuming you've worked for Uber or Lyft before so during orientation you won't get any pointers on using the Uber app which is something else I feel like I have to learn on my own time. The hourly wage is low except for peak days/times and tips are definitely hit-or-miss. Some days you might get none. However, people can be very generous if you can make small talk (absolutely nothing that could be controversial and/or off-color) or even if you know how to simply read the guest (namely if someone wants to have a full-on conversation with you, wants to talk amongst themselves or just quietly stay on their phone etc.) The other major issue is the safety rating stuff with Uber/Alto giving conflicting messages (speed limits on the vehicle and the Uber app are different at times) especially the finnicky "harsh acceleration" nitpicking on the Uber app (the vehicle has a touchy accelerator and brake) and if you have an issue with payroll/timekeeping/onboarding knowing which end your problems are on... either Alto's end or Uber as I've had to spend a lot of time on the phone on both ends because of this. The Uber navigation is also slightly wonky as I've literally had to disobey it just to even GET to the guest. This is ESPECIALLY troublesome in LAX. It can be laggy or late in telling you where to merge/turn/veer at the last minute not to mention every now and then giving outright false/impossible/unsafe directions. Job security can be iffy because of some of the needlessly extreme stipulations (don't touch the Samsara driver monitoring camera as it's instant termination, same with personal cellphone use) and a lack of feedback. Working paranoid like that can be stressful but if you follow everything to a T and communicate clearly with your leads they'll likely be very understanding. I also feel like the cleaning of the vehicles isn't done as thoroughly as they should be as we are chauffeuring but I haven't had any glaring issues with cleanliness/sanitation so far (no guest complaints.)
Pros
If you are a good driver - mean a GOOD driver - it's a fairly easy, low-stress job. The people you work with are generally very nice and the company is actually focussed on driver and customer safety. Flexible scheduling.
Cons
Lower than average pay for the talented, personable driver.
Pros
Mostly flexible work schedule options. Beautiful cars to drive. Being paid a set hourly wage and (mostly) decent tips that we get to keep. Automatic W9 taxes taken out of gross pay. Meeting interesting people (riders).
Cons
A hard to define hourly rate fluctuation ($17, $20 $22?). An in-person interview process with literally no actual interview, just an assembly line of new drivers and "training" sessions. Insane micromanaging rules yet no way to directly contact your immediate "boss" or HR staff. An often rushed and stressed out depot staff who are generally not even there to answer the phone. The use of an app for payment and automatic scheduling.
Pros
You can meet some very amazing people while you drive. The company provides everything, almost everything.
Cons
Poor communication from corporate to depot management to training. Procedures get added at the depot and nobody tells you. I find most things are left untold and you have to rely on other drivers to get answers. Ex. all of a sudden you need to enter a PIN to get started. This is the last 6 digits of the vehicle VIN. No comms on this at all. Training is poor because it assumes you understand how the Uber App works. There was almost NO training on how to use the app from a driver perspective. Driving around clicking on things not knowing what they do is dangerous and seems to be in conflict with their policy of no personal phone usage. At the end of the day safety is most important, yet due to the lack of training, they inadvertently put people at a safety risk. Uber and Alto are not aligned in some ways. If you get caught anywhere near the airport, you will be assigned to the "Priority Lot". Every time! All the drivers say ignore it but the messaging on Uber App stays up and you cannot get new rides until you get more than 5 miles away. Everyone at Alto knows this issue, but nothing is worked out with Uber. Additionally, the "priority lot" has no instructions where it is nor any guidance map to get there. Just figure it out. Poor comms. Alto requires you to wear black pants, black belt, black shoes and their polo. The only thing they provide is a grey polo (1). Having worked in the space of uniform requirements for company I can tell you this is illegal. A company cannot mandate you wear specific clothing ("uniform") and dictate things like color and then NOT provide them to you. The pay: Alto presents a warm and fuzzy tip environment. It's a lie. 80% of people (McKinsey Report) tip 0%. That's been my experience...you will be LUCKY to make $3/hr in tips. Understand and accept you will make $17 and change in minimum wage and not much more. In Los Angeles, that's not income one can survive on. Before you question me, I am a 5-STAR driver. I get out and open the door every ride. It's not my service. People don't care to give you a tip. Lastly (and there's a lot more) when you get a call from an "agency" you are picking up a medical transport. Many times you must "contact rider" once you arrive and this can ONLY be done via phone. I had one that provided the wrong phone number to a mortgage company. I couldn't find the rider and had to cancel. Guess who gets dinged for cancellation at no fault of my own, me. These services NEVER tip. Ever. This is our livelihood and while I support picking up patience in medical conditions, Alto needs to assess a tip fee for drivers from these companies. It's ridiculous and I can guarantee most drivers earnings are affected. Something as small as $2 helps drivers. Nothing. One thing you should also know. This job isn't that flexible. Shifts are defined times of the day. Nearly impossible to get normal day hours. 4-8hr blocks but they are often weird time blocks. Ex. 8:15pm-3:00am. You won't find 9am-6pm.
Pros
Relative freedom where to drive, but algorithms bring you back to home area.
Cons
They keep all the run money, which is about $400, you get close to minimum wage, and tips, which is about $1 to $40, normally around $20 a day. Rediculously high turnover, 50+ a month.
Pros
24/7 hours various opportunities to work. That's it.
Cons
Honestly, everything. They have ridiculous rules, micro manage everything, and most of their management are incompetent and pick and choose what they want to focus on or give you feedback on. They do it publicly, which is not good for company rapport, and often share video footage regarding one person with other people that have no reason seeing that. They don't provide adequate bathroom facilities, and give people unrealistic measures to go by when it comes to their own "regulations and rules and technology inadequacies" making you late, or giving you problems. They have serious issues with vehicles, and the amount of times you get a broken vehicle is often. High turnover for a reason, because the job is bad.
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