当专车司机需要注意什么？

2016年2月3日，加州旧金山，一辆Lyft专车司机及乘客。

谷歌、施乐和Photoshop有什么共同点吗？答案是，它们都是极为流行的品牌，流行到我们现在甚至把它们当动词来使用（如：“让我把这张照片PS一下再发。”）很快，Uber和Lyft这些专车应用可能也会得到这样的待遇了。

目前，Uber在美国大约有16万名注册司机，他们要么是想额外赚些零花钱，要么是想通过Uber来创业。Uber在美国的用户已达到800万人。Lyft的注册司机目前也有10万人之多，而且仍在继续增长。以Uber和Lyft为代表的专车服务不仅带来了“零工经济”的兴起，同时也成为了全球各大城市耳熟能详的热词。

什么？你也想开专车？在你头脑一热辞职之前，你首先应该了解一下你到底是在为谁工作，以及如何开专车才能挣到足以糊口的钱。我们采访了一些曾经开过专车或现在正在开专车的Uber和Lyft司机，让他们分享一些关于专车的内幕。

专车司机属于独立承包商，收税也照此办理

如果你是Uber或Lyft的专车司机，那么你八成不是这两家公司的员工（也就是在他们的企业办公室里上班的人）。你的老板其实是你自己。

洛杉矶的Uber和Lyft司机哈利·坎贝尔表示：“（美国的）专车驾驶员需要填报1099税表（也就是自雇雇员税表），因此他们实际上是个体户。”坎贝尔拥有一个名叫“The Rideshare Guy”（意为“专车人”）的博客和视频播客。他表示：“也就是说，专车司机的报税规则和小企业是一样的。虽然报税的手续并不很麻烦，但大多数专业司机还是有必要认真考虑这个问题的，因为除了收入之外，他们也要操心一下开专车的费用，”

另外要注意的是，联邦税、州税、社会保障税和医疗保险税是不可抵扣的。如果你经常通过打车软件跑车，那么你或许应该考虑每季度申报一笔估计所得税。

要实现收益最大化，首先要了解市场

在洛杉矶这样的大城市和在一座城郊小镇开专车的最大区别是什么？答案是需求，而需求决定了你的收入。在郊区小镇，通过打车软件叫专车的人要比大城市少得多，专车司机等待的时间也更久，这意味着司机们必须明智地使用自己的时间。

迈克尔·诺克尔是得克萨斯州埃尔帕索市的一名Uber司机。当没有乘客叫车时，他就会干另一份“零工”——在YouTube上当“网红”。他会回复一下网友的评论，刷刷社交媒体，收发一下电子邮件。“我用这些时间来进一步推动其他领域的赚钱机会。有时我也会用这些时间来付账单，或是写写明天的计划。我开专车的收入大概是每小时8美元，这还没有刨去应缴的税款和一周的汽油钱。如果我在不拉客的时候不做些其他事情，那我可能连今天的账单都付不起。”

还有一个办法能让你在用户不多的地方赚到更多的钱。堪萨斯州威奇托市Crystal Structures Glazing公司的营销主任提贾伊·基姆西也是一名兼职Uber司机，他表示：“如果你的市场上有不只一个（运输）软件（比如Lyft、Postmates等），那么你可以考虑同时注册两个应用。”这样你就能扩大碰到顾客的机率。

跟车有关的每一笔费用都要精打细算

如果你成了一名专车司机，那么作为一名独立承包商，在报税的时候，你是可以抵扣相应的业务成本的——也就是与车辆有关的费用。但你也应该意识到车辆的磨损和折旧问题。

基姆西表示：“一旦你开了专车后，汽油、机油、轮胎和刹车的损耗都比以前多了。所以如果考虑到这方面的支出，你通过Uber挣到的钱也就没有那多了。”

违章事故都要命，后备计划很重要

交通事故是难以预测的，当然没人想要发生事故，可天底下没有绝对的事。作为一名专车司机，你应该有一个“后备计划”，免得发生事故或吃了罚单时抓瞎。

亚历克斯·格尔盖斯曾是一名Lyft司机，他在西雅图创办了一家名叫Off the Record的公司，这家公司专门帮助专车司机避免违章。“如果你的驾驶记录上有了污点，Uber和Lyft都会封掉你的账户。哪怕是一张超速罚单或是一次违规占道都有可能导致你被专车公司禁驾。这是真的，哪怕当时你并没有拉客人——比如你在开车办自己的事。”（财富中文网）

作者：Jon Simmons,Monster

译者：朴成奎

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."