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When you think of the gig economy, you may think about ride share apps like Uber and Lyft. You might even think about the plethora of meal delivery services like DoorDash, GrubHub, and Postmates.
The point is that the side hustle economy is built around cars. If you have one, your side job opportunities open up tenfold.
If you like to drive around town, there are tons of opportunities to get paid for it. Here is how you can turn your car into a lucrative side gig.
Drive for Ride Sharing Apps
Here’s the obvious choice. Ridesharing apps have been one of the most popular and legitimate ways to make money by driving. There are a few major players in the ride sharing market, and you can drive for multiple companies.
The pay rate depends on your location, but the national average hourly wage for Uber drivers is about $22.36, but if you live in a big city that rate can be much higher.
Find your niche as a ride share driver to maximize your earnings. You stay close to a metropolitan airport and take people to the airport and back, or even drive late nights through your city’s party scene.
See if your city is in need of Uber, Lyft, or Curb drivers.
Drive the Elderly
You can make a positive impact by driving the elderly and disabled. Find easy driving jobs through sites like Eldercare or create your own senior transportation business.
ElderCare is an online care sight that connects families with capable senior care, including drivers.
These jobs can be pretty low key, and usually entail taking an elderly location to doctor’s appointments and grocery stores.
Meal Delivery Service
If you don’t want to drive other people, try driving other people’s food. Meal delivery side gigs can help you earn a decent amount of money. The pay is relative to your location, the average hourly rate for DoorDash drivers in California is about $17 per hour.
This side job is perfect for those who prefer to ride solo and are comfortable with meeting speedy delivery expectations.
See is your city needs DoorDash, UberEats, GrubHub, or Postmates drivers.
Deliver Groceries
Did you know you can deliver groceries and other goods? Apps like Instacart, Gopuff, and Shipt bring groceries straight to people’s doors.
Grocery delivery can be slightly more challenging than meal delivery. This job takes someone who is familiar with every isle of the grocery store and can quickly navigate through different grocery store chains. These drivers also need to be smart shoppers and good communicators so you can touch base with the customer when the store does not have an item on their list.
You will earn more for the extra effort, the median hourly rate for Instacart shoppers is about $23 an hour.
Amazon Flex Delivery
Did you know that Amazon hires independent contractors to deliver packages? You can deliver Amazon packages through the Amazon Flex Program. Most drivers earn between $18 to $25 an hour.
When you download the Amazon Flex app, you can reserve a block. Amazon will tell you how much you can earn delivering packages on your chosen block, and how long you can expect for it to take you. On the day of your block, head to your Amazon pickup location and make your deliveries.
Amazon Flex is ideal for those looking for a convenient way to earn some cash in a designated amount of time. This side hustle likely will not bleed into your remaining free time.
Rent Out Your Parking Space
If you live in a big city you know how valuable parking spaces can be. This is an anti-car side gig. If you have an extra parking space but no car to fill it, rent out your space.
You can rent out your parking space through Neighbor.com or Spacer.com. Rates for parking depend on your city, but you can easily charge $200 a month for an outdoor space or upwards of $500 month for an indoor space in cities like New York and San Francisco.
Sell Ad Space
You are driving some valuable advertising space. Your vehicle can be a company’s latest advertising venture. Have you ever seen a car wrapped in a fun ad? That driver is getting paid for that.
Companies like Stickr, Wrapify, and Carvertise pay you to use your car as ad space. This side gig is perfect for those who want to earn in the background of their life and don’t mind getting some extra attention on the road.
Legit car ad campaigns are worth some decent money. You can bring in $100 to $450 every month when you use your car for ad space.
The Bottom Line
Using your car to make money on the side is attested and true way to earn without taking on another traditional job. Whether you want to take a hands-on or a no-stress approach to earning, your car can get you there.