– I had no more strength to do the same day after day – says Andrzej, who worked in a consulting company for two decades. He gave up hope for a change. He did not expect that instead of a new desk, he would sit behind the wheel.
Today he believes that he made the decision to leave hastily, not anticipating the difficulty finding a new job.
– I know the topography of Warsaw, I made extra money as a courier during my student times, I decided to try. I thought I would earn quickly. I was very wrong – he admits.
The second week of his work as a platform driver is just going. In the first week he barely went to zero. – Only when I started riding from morning to night, something twitched. To really earn, you have to hint – he says.
Platform driver's earnings
-If the customer pays PLN 15 for the journey, I get 35-40 percent from it, i.e. PLN 5-6-he explains. That's why it is on the streets every day. He drives in two turns – after morning and evening traffic jams. Before he starts earning, he must earn money for fixed costs: – PLN 650 a week for renting hybrids, fuel, settlements with a partner company and application fees. Monthly it is over 3,000 PLN – he calculates. He estimates that it is only from the middle of the third day of work a week that he begins to earn on himself.
Additional bonuses only appear when you manage to unscrew the right number of courses. – Last week I got a PLN 500 bonus for driving over 90 courses. But to earn them, I had to ride like crazy – he admits.
Gig economy and the myth of flexible work
Platform drivers often emphasize “freedom of choice”, but Andrzej calls it apparent.
– If you don't drive, you don't earn. If you want to take free, you must first put it off on it. I have to earn on a planned vacation: for the very trip and the lack of income during it – he explains.
This is a characteristic feature of the so -called Gig Economy, in which employees are assumed to work, but in practice are completely dependent on algorithms and demand for journeys of a given day. Added to this is employment based on a mandate contract, no pension contributions and social security, which is risky with such an incriminating work.
– This is physically hard work. In the first days I was dying of pain, I was not able to move my neck. Now my back doesn't hurt so much, but I don't know how long I will last. For now I have a phase, so I drive seven days a week. But I know that the body will say “stop” someday – he predicts.
Surprisingly less stress than in a corporation
Despite the huge physical effort, Andrzej admits that he feels calmer behind the wheel than behind the desk. – I drive a hybrid, and this is a car that does not like dynamic driving. It teaches me softness. I don't have to hurry, passengers don't require it – he says.
In the work of a taxi driver, he was also surprised by another aspect: – An interesting experience for me is to be nice to everyone. As a rule, I don't bite my tongue and I am cut. However, the specificity of this work requires me to say “thank you, have a nice day” and smile. I do it well, I fasten myself less.
Most of the courses take place in silence. – When someone wants to talk, we talk. But most often I just go and rest mentally – he adds.
There is also one benefit that he did not expect at all: – driving so much behind the wheel is burned a lot of calories. Although I eat the same, I lost weight at the same time of the day. It is surprising how many calories are burned, all the time devoting your attention to what is happening around and thinking for yourself and for other drivers – he laughs.
Not everyone can afford a protest
On April 14, there was a protest of Uber and Bolt drivers. Many drivers did not go to the streets. Andrzej admits that he learned about the protest from me.
– I don't even have time to check your news. I didn't get behind the circle today because I'm finished after a week. I wanted to go to the pool, give my body rest. But I'm not surprised that my colleagues are on strike. These are hunger rates. Inflation is galloping and the salary does not change. On the contrary – as far as I know, the platforms have increased their commissions and finally the earnings are lower – explains Andrzej.
According to the postulates of the petition accompanying the protest, drivers want to receive a minimum of PLN 12 for the course and PLN 3 per kilometer from the platforms. According to Andrzej's calculations, today it has PLN 1-1.5 per kilometer. He adds that he understands everyone who could not join the protest today. – I have no additional obligations, but if someone has children, loans, additional responsibility – there is no choice, they must ride.
This is how you can earn some extra money
I threw the corpo too hastily. I thought I would find something quickly, and then life verified it – he admits. – If I could, I would come back behind the desk. For now, I drive, because the priority is to earn money.
Andrzej hopes that maybe someday he will be able to buy his own car to reduce income costs. – The problem is that then I am responsible for everything: service, insurance, etc. I am not sure if the difference in costs will be so large – he explains. For now, he drives a rented car and tries to understand if this job makes sense.
– Maybe you can combine driving with a full -time job. I already know when it is best to drive so that you can't stand in traffic jams and earn some extra money. This occupation makes sense when it is a source of additional income. It is impossible to live with dignity only from this work. Not in this form – he states.
He didn't tell the family that he was working as a driver. – I don't want to annoy my mother. For now, he thinks that I am between projects – he confesses.
