Donna Durham spent her life in movement. A profession truck driver, she discovered herself craving the open highway when she retired, and missed camaraderie with others.
But there’s one more reason she turned a driver for Uber.
“I needed the extra income,” stated Durham, who’s 67. “Trying to live off of Social Security is just not an option. I think that’s probably the problem a lot of seniors have.”
As prices rise, some seniors have turned to gig driver apps like Uber or Lyft to afford life in Tampa Bay.
Florida, residence to not one however three Fountains of Youth, has lengthy been a magnet for older adults. Tampa Bay is not any exception.
For a long time, St. Petersburg was lampooned as “God’s Waiting Room” due to its massive retiree inhabitants, and Tampa was voted among the many high ten “Best Places to Retire in the U.S.” in 2022.
But it’s costlier than ever to dwell right here within the wake of the pandemic.
“The perception of Florida living and the reality of Florida living are two different ends of the spectrum,” stated Yvonne Brockington, 51, a Safety Harbor resident who misplaced her full-time job in November. “I work so much down here it’s not even funny.”
Brockington now drives 40 hours for Uber on weekends. She has a teenage son, a mortgage, automobile funds.
“The price of everything is going up,” she stated. “All weekend long I’m either driving or sleeping.”
She’ll preserve driving for Uber even after she finds full-time employment, she stated.
“I need to pay my house off if I’m ever going to retire,” Brockington stated. “I don’t have a pension to fall back on. I’m just — I’m screwed. So I need a roof over my head.”
Older adults make up a excessive share of gig drivers in Tampa Bay.
Twenty-nine p.c of Lyft drivers within the space are over the age of fifty — in contrast to 1 / 4 of Lyft drivers nationally, in accordance to information offered by the corporate.
Roughly 17 p.c of Tampa Bay Uber drivers are 55 or older, stated Javier Correoso, an Uber spokesperson, in contrast to 16 p.c throughout the nation. Five p.c of these drivers are 65 or older — inserting them solidly in retirement age.
Durham collects $718 in Social Security month-to-month, but it surely’s not sufficient to cowl all her bills, she stated. Durham owns her cell residence — however not the lot it’s firmly planted on. The lease spiked final 12 months.
“It’s really hard,” stated Durham, who drives for each Lyft and Uber. “I’ve got car insurance. I’ve got a car payment. Electric, phones, all this stuff.”
The job itself is getting costlier. There are prices that include being a driver — most should buy rideshare insurance coverage, as well as to common automobile insurance coverage, to cowl accidents that happen whereas transporting a passenger.
Gasoline costs stay a relentless supply of fear for rideshare drivers.
Planning your weekend?
Subscribe to our free Top 5 issues to do publication
We’ll ship concepts each Thursday for going out, staying residence or spending time outdoor.
You’re all signed up!
Want extra of our free, weekly newsletters in your inbox? Let’s get began.
Explore all of your choices
“Gas is killing us,” stated Linda Swanson, 61-year-old Uber driver who lives in Pinellas Park. “With the higher inflation is going, tips are dropping too.”
For some older adults, driving for Uber or Lyft holds a distinct enchantment: It’s assured time with others.
“I needed to get out of the house,” stated Joseph Size, 80, a Plant City resident who started driving for Uber after his spouse died two years in the past. “She had a lingering illness, and I was really busy with all of that. There I was at the end of it all, just sitting here, retired and looking for something to do.”
After COVID-19 was first found in Florida, different senior gig drivers sought to keep away from social interplay.
“I switched from having passengers in the car and went to UberEATS,” stated Nevin Overmiller, a 78-year-old Seminole resident. “And that was great, cause people didn’t want to leave their homes.”
Staying protected alongside the best way stays a problem for a lot of within the pandemic.
On New Year’s Eve, a sometimes high-profit day for rideshare drivers, Durham was hospitalized for chest pains. The medical doctors instructed her she’d examined optimistic for COVID-19.
“I’m very very careful — I clean up the car, hand them hand wipes,” stated Durham, who lives alone and stated she doesn’t work together with others exterior of labor. “But that’s the only thing I could think of — that I got it from a passenger.”
She’ll preserve driving after she’s discharged and recovered, she stated. She can’t stop.
“You’ve got to protect yourself best you can, that’s all you can do,” Durham stated.