Woman explains how her $100 Uber commute eats up most of her salary and we can relate

Calculating your daily income after deducting taxes, lunch breaks, and transportation expenses can be fairly interesting. This problem was recently brought to light by a TikToker, who showed how using an Uber to work significantly reduced her income. Tiana (@tiana.com) posted a brief but pointed video from the back of a car on TikTok. "Me after spending $100 on Ubers to go to work," she wrote, "and profiting $30." She didn't say if this was before or after taxes or how long her workday was. In a previous video, she mentioned having more than one job. Despite the lack of specifics, many viewers related to her struggle to make money.

One commenter shared, "I told my manager to start scheduling me for longer hours. Fewer days so I wouldn’t spend as much. Then I found a job paying enough".

@sak added, "This was me working at Macy's… check was literally like $560, $430 after taxes & then it was like $220 after the Ubers & lunch."

@stickitinalltheway said, "I bought an electric scooter for $600 with PayPal payments. I haven't needed a bus or Uber for six months."

Another viewer admitted, "Same, over half my paycheck everywhere goes to Ubers for work. Why aren't u saving for a car? I literally can't." It's not always simple to purchase a car with cash or to get a job closer to home. Other choices have drawbacks of their own, such as working remotely or taking public transit.

Tiana argued that public transportation would be even more time-consuming than Uber, which had already taken her an hour each trip. According to a 2019 study, in large cities, driving takes half as long as public transportation. Tiana resides in Los Angeles, which has one of the largest differences between the two, as was also highlighted. While it's a difficult decision that ideally no one should have to make, for some people it can be worth spending four or more hours a day on public transit to save that $100.

Most employees claim that returning to work five days a week is expensive. According to a new survey from startup Owl Labs (via CNBC Make It), 66% of workers report working full-time in the office in 2023, a significant increase from 41% in 2022. According to the study, which surveyed 2,000 full-time American employees in June, 26% are working in a hybrid model this year, while only 7% are remote. People returning to work are paying a high price to be there. Employees spend $51 a day on average when they go to work.

Some people have been forced to quit employment in search of remote work due to rising transportation costs. In a five-day workweek, commuters drive an average of 41 miles daily, or 10,700 miles annually. The following is a breakdown of costs using the national average: National average gas price: $4.91 (and rising), Daily gas cost: $9, Monthly gas cost: $196. 

Gas prices have increased by 74% since 2019, per Aston Carter. These expenses change based on location and pay rate. Employees making $15 per hour, for instance, pay 9% of their monthly income in commuting expenses. Individuals earning $25 per hour spend 5.6%. State-by-state variations in gas prices also impact the cost of transportation. A worker making $15 per hour in California would spend 11.8% of their monthly income on fuel, given the state's $6.37 per gallon petrol price. Employers must take these things into account when thinking.

Follow Tiana (@tiana.com)  on TikTok for more such videos and content.

Editor's note: This article was originally published on June 10, 2024. It has since been updated.