2016年2月3日，加州舊金山，一輛Lyft專車司機及乘客。

谷歌、施樂和Photoshop有什么共同點嗎？答案是，它們都是極為流行的品牌，流行到我們現在甚至把它們當動詞來使用（如：“讓我把這張照片PS一下再發。”）很快，Uber和Lyft這些專車應用可能也會得到這樣的待遇了。

目前，Uber在美國大約有16萬名注冊司機，他們要么是想額外賺些零花錢，要么是想通過Uber來創業。Uber在美國的用戶已達到800萬人。Lyft的注冊司機目前也有10萬人之多，而且仍在繼續增長。以Uber和Lyft為代表的專車服務不僅帶來了“零工經濟”的興起，同時也成為了全球各大城市耳熟能詳的熱詞。

什么？你也想開專車？在你頭腦一熱辭職之前，你首先應該了解一下你到底是在為誰工作，以及如何開專車才能掙到足以糊口的錢。我們采訪了一些曾經開過專車或現在正在開專車的Uber和Lyft司機，讓他們分享一些關于專車的內幕。

專車司機屬于獨立承包商，收稅也照此辦理

如果你是Uber或Lyft的專車司機，那么你八成不是這兩家公司的員工（也就是在他們的企業辦公室里上班的人）。你的老板其實是你自己。

洛杉磯的Uber和Lyft司機哈利·坎貝爾表示：“（美國的）專車駕駛員需要填報1099稅表（也就是自雇雇員稅表），因此他們實際上是個體戶。”坎貝爾擁有一個名叫“The Rideshare Guy”（意為“專車人”）的博客和視頻播客。他表示：“也就是說，專車司機的報稅規則和小企業是一樣的。雖然報稅的手續并不很麻煩，但大多數專業司機還是有必要認真考慮這個問題的，因為除了收入之外，他們也要操心一下開專車的費用，”

另外要注意的是，聯邦稅、州稅、社會保障稅和醫療保險稅是不可抵扣的。如果你經常通過打車軟件跑車，那么你或許應該考慮每季度申報一筆估計所得稅。

要實現收益最大化，首先要了解市場

在洛杉磯這樣的大城市和在一座城郊小鎮開專車的最大區別是什么？答案是需求，而需求決定了你的收入。在郊區小鎮，通過打車軟件叫專車的人要比大城市少得多，專車司機等待的時間也更久，這意味著司機們必須明智地使用自己的時間。

邁克爾·諾克爾是得克薩斯州埃爾帕索市的一名Uber司機。當沒有乘客叫車時，他就會干另一份“零工”——在YouTube上當“網紅”。他會回復一下網友的評論，刷刷社交媒體，收發一下電子郵件。“我用這些時間來進一步推動其他領域的賺錢機會。有時我也會用這些時間來付賬單，或是寫寫明天的計劃。我開專車的收入大概是每小時8美元，這還沒有刨去應繳的稅款和一周的汽油錢。如果我在不拉客的時候不做些其他事情，那我可能連今天的賬單都付不起。”

還有一個辦法能讓你在用戶不多的地方賺到更多的錢。堪薩斯州威奇托市Crystal Structures Glazing公司的營銷主任提賈伊·基姆西也是一名兼職Uber司機，他表示：“如果你的市場上有不只一個（運輸）軟件（比如Lyft、Postmates等），那么你可以考慮同時注冊兩個應用。”這樣你就能擴大碰到顧客的機率。

跟車有關的每一筆費用都要精打細算

如果你成了一名專車司機，那么作為一名獨立承包商，在報稅的時候，你是可以抵扣相應的業務成本的——也就是與車輛有關的費用。但你也應該意識到車輛的磨損和折舊問題。

基姆西表示：“一旦你開了專車后，汽油、機油、輪胎和剎車的損耗都比以前多了。所以如果考慮到這方面的支出，你通過Uber掙到的錢也就沒有那多了。”

違章事故都要命，后備計劃很重要

交通事故是難以預測的，當然沒人想要發生事故，可天底下沒有絕對的事。作為一名專車司機，你應該有一個“后備計劃”，免得發生事故或吃了罰單時抓瞎。

亞歷克斯·格爾蓋斯曾是一名Lyft司機，他在西雅圖創辦了一家名叫Off the Record的公司，這家公司專門幫助專車司機避免違章。“如果你的駕駛記錄上有了污點，Uber和Lyft都會封掉你的賬戶。哪怕是一張超速罰單或是一次違規占道都有可能導致你被專車公司禁駕。這是真的，哪怕當時你并沒有拉客人——比如你在開車辦自己的事。”（財富中文網）

作者：Jon Simmons,Monster

譯者：樸成奎

Lyft passengers and drivers in a Lyft ride on February 3, 2016 in San Francisco, California.

What do Google, Xerox and Photoshop all have in common? Answer: They’re all brands that became so wildly popular that we now use them as verbs. You can now add Uber—and increasingly, Lyft—to that list.

Today, about 160,000 Uber drivers serve over 8 million users in order to earn extra cash or grow their own businesses. Lyft drivers total over 100,000 people, and the number is growing. No wonder these popular rideshare services have not only given rise to the gig economy, but also entered the everyday lexicon in cities across the world.

Sound like a gig you’d enjoy? Before you grab your keys and ditch your day job, you need to understand who you’re actually working for, how to make decent money and more. Monster asked both current and former Uber and Lyft drivers to share insider tips on what you should expect.

You’re an independent contractor—and you're be taxed like one

If you drive for Uber or Lyft, you’re most likely not one of their employees (i.e., someone who works at their corporate offices). You work for you.

“Drivers are actually paid via 1099 and are technically running their own business,” says Harry Campbell, a current Uber and Lyft driver in Los Angeles and author of blog and podcast The Rideshare Guy. “So that means they have all the same reporting and tax requirements of a small business. It isn't a ton of work, but most drivers should consider this since they need to worry about their expenses just as much as their income.”

Be aware that state, federal, Social Security and Medicare taxes are not deducted from your paychecks. If you drive often, this means you should probably be filing quarterly estimated income taxes.

You've got to know your market to maximize your earning potential

What’s the biggest difference between driving in a city like L.A. and a small suburb? Demand—and that affects your pay. In the burbs, there are fewer people requesting rides and more wait time between trips, meaning drivers must spend their time wisely.

When not driving, Michael Noker, an Uber driver in El Paso, Texas, works on his side gig as a YouTube influencer. He responds to YouTube comments, monitors social media and checks email. “I use that time to further my efforts across other areas that earn me money. I'll also pay bills and write out plans for tomorrow,” he says. “I earned about $8 per hour before taxes and gas for the past week. If I hadn't been doing other things with my downtime, I wouldn't be able to make my bill payments today.”

Another tip for getting more fares in slow markets: Double-team your efforts. “If your market has more than one [transportation] option [Lyft, Postmates etc.], consider running more than one app at the same time,” says Teajai Kimsey, marketing director at Crystal Structures Glazing in Wichita, Kansas, and a part-time Uber driver. That away, you’ll maximize your odds of landing a fare.

You need to track your expenses for everything car-related

Since you’re an independent contractor if you drive for Uber or Lyft, you have the ability to deduct business expenses on your taxes related to your main asset: your car. But you should also be aware that the wear and tear can add up.

“Gas, oil changes, tires and brakes all get used more as you tack on the miles,” says Kimsey. “So, the gross take-home from Uber is actually going to be less when you start hitting expenses.”

Your driving violations could affect your eligibility

They’re unpredictable and no one wants them, but that’s why they’re called accidents. As a rideshare driver, you should have a backup plan in case an accident or ticket restricts your ability to continue driving.

“Both Uber and Lyft will terminate your account if you get a black spot on your driving record,” says Alex Guirguis, a former Lyft driver and founder of Off the Record, a Seattle-based company that helps rideshare drivers keep violations off their records. “A speeding ticket, even an HOV violation [high-occupancy vehicle] could get you suspended. This is true even if it happens when you're not driving a customer—i.e. on your own time."