Written

For

The

Australian

-

How

much

do

Uber

drivers

make

in

Australia?

Here's a stat that might surprise you: the average Uber driver in Australia pockets around $21 an hour after expenses. That's just 46 cents more than flipping burgers at Maccas, and considerably less than stacking shelves at Bunnings on a Sunday night ($47.37, if you were wondering).

So why are so many retirees signing up? I recently spoke with Glenn Gray, a 67-year-old self-funded retiree from Sydney's Hills district who has clocked more than 4,500 Uber rides over almost three years. For Glenn, it's not just the money. After 40 years in IT sales, he enjoys the daily interaction, keeps his brain ticking over, and has met everyone from CEOs to movie stars along the way.

But the financial side is telling. When Glenn faced a $2,000 out-of-pocket surgery bill recently, he simply drove a few extra shifts rather than dipping into his SMSF. That's the kind of buffer that can meaningfully protect retirement capital over time.

Location matters enormously. Using Uber's own regression modelling, I calculated that Glenn would net around $24.14 per hour driving weekdays in core CBD areas — but only $13.81 per hour sticking to the Hills district. That's roughly what a 15-year-old at McDonald's earns on a Sunday.

Want to maximise your Uber income? The data is clear: work nights, weekends, in the CBD, and target the November–December peak. Do all that and you're looking at $35.90 per hour net. For context, a casual taxi driver's award wage sits between $26.75 and $33.03.

The takeaway for retirees considering the gig economy: don't expect to get rich. But an extra $500 a week before tax for 20 hours of flexible work — combined with the social interaction and sense of purpose — is a genuinely useful supplement to super. Sometimes retirement income planning isn't just about the numbers on the spreadsheet.