The drive to the passenger is part of the offer calculation. Your car uses fuel and time passes before pickup as well as during the trip. Counting only the part with the passenger leaves out some of the work.
What goes into the calculation
Split the offer into two parts:
- To the pickup: the miles and minutes from where you are to the passenger.
- Trip: the miles and minutes from pickup to the destination.
Add both distances and both times. The offer amount stays the same; what changes is the distance and time you divide it by. This lets you compare what you receive with the whole route the offer requires.
The hourly amount is a ratio calculated from the offer's minutes. It isn't a forecast of what you'll receive in an hour of work and doesn't, by itself, include time between offers.
The calculation, step by step
- Total miles: miles to pickup plus trip miles.
- Total minutes: minutes to pickup plus trip minutes.
- Amount per mile: the offer amount divided by total miles.
- Amount per hour: the offer amount divided by total minutes, times 60.
Use the totals before rounding the results. Per mile and hourly amounts help you compare offers using the same calculation rule.
An example
An offer of US$13.60, with 4 minutes and 0.7 miles to pickup, followed by 19 minutes and 8.4 miles for the trip. These are example figures, not an earnings forecast.
Including pickup, the route covers 0.7 + 8.4 = 9.1 miles and takes 4 + 19 = 23 minutes. Without that part, only 8.4 miles and 19 minutes would count, even though the offer amount is the same.
| Calculation | Trip only | Pickup and trip |
|---|---|---|
| Offer amount | US$13.60 | US$13.60 |
| Distance | 8.4 miles | 9.1 miles |
| Time | 19 minutes | 23 minutes |
| Amount per mile | US$1.62/mi | US$1.49/mi |
| Amount per hour | US$42.95/h | US$35.48/h |
Example figures. Per mile and hourly results haven't had car costs subtracted yet.
For the trip only, 13.60 ÷ 8.4 ≈ US$1.62/mi and 13.60 ÷ 19 × 60 ≈ US$42.95/h. Including the drive to the passenger, 13.60 ÷ 9.1 ≈ US$1.49/mi and 13.60 ÷ 23 × 60 ≈ US$35.48/h. Money shown is rounded to six decimal places, then to two, without using those rounded values in later calculations.
The offer looks like it pays more when you leave out pickup. You didn't receive more: you divided the same US$13.60 by fewer miles and minutes.
What about car costs
To estimate this offer's cost, multiply your cost per mile by the 9.1 total miles. Fuel used to reach the passenger is included in that distance, just like fuel used during the trip. Fixed costs included in your cost per mile are also spread over the whole route.
Then subtract that cost from the offer amount to see what is left after car costs. The offer's amount per mile measures what you receive; cost per mile measures what you spend.
How to use it
In Radr's earnings calculator, fill in “To the pickup” and “Trip” with their miles and minutes. Add car costs to see the result after those costs too.
Compare your per mile and hourly goals with the full route. If pickup distance or time changes, update those fields. The same offer can have different per mile and hourly amounts when pickup changes.
General information, not tax or legal advice.
