Uber hopes you'll rent a car to work as a driver
Uber is teaming with Enterprise on car rentals for drivers who don't own vehicles.
Uber is eager to get lots of drivers... so eager, in fact, that it's hoping to recruit drivers who don't even own a car. The ridesharing firm is partnering with Enterprise Rent-A-Car on a program that gives you a car rental, vehicle coverage and maintenance for $210 per week. Ostensibly, this gives you everything you need (outside of fuel) in one tidy package, and lets you taste life as an Uber driver when you either can't afford ownership or just don't want to jump in with both feet.
As you might suspect, though, the math might not make sense. After all, you're paying $840 a month to get behind the wheel. You could potentially buy and maintain an Uber-friendly car for that much, and you'll have to pick up a fair number of rides to turn a profit. And while Uber says that you shouldn't need any additional insurance, it's not clear that this will always be true. This could still be cheaper than driving for a taxi service (many of them charge significantly more to use their cars), but it's not necessarily the bargain it's made out to be.
[Image credit: AP Photo/Jeff Chiu]
