I've been thinking for a few months about quitting my office job because it's really getting to me. I'm seeing that a colleague of mine recently started doing deliveries part-time on his bike and he says he's making decent money. Does anyone here do it and can tell me if it actually pays off after maintenance costs, gas, or whatever else you need to spend on?
It varies a lot depending on the city, the area where you deliver, and how many hours you put in, but most people I know who do it say that after subtracting bike maintenance, repairs, tires, and all that stuff, they end up making just enough or even less than they'd earn in another job that's less physically exhausting. The thing is, these apps' algorithms are pretty unpredictable - some days orders rain down on you while other days you're stuck for hours without earning anything.
If you really need to get away from the office stress, maybe your best bet would be to start part-time like your colleague does to try it out without committing to quitting everything, because there are people who handle it well but it really depends on whether you know the area well, whether you can handle the physical wear and tear, and whether you're okay with some months being pretty slow.
The first thing is don't just trust what your coworker makes in their best weeks, because the money varies a lot depending on the zone, the time of day, and demand. A lot of people get excited those first months when everything's still new, but then you realize that between wearing out your car or bike, the taxes you have to declare, and the slow days where there are barely any orders, the actual take-home is way lower than it looks at first glance. If you really want to try it, it's better to start part-time first (like your coworker is doing) while you keep your office job, that way you can see if you actually like the pace and calculate properly how much money is left after expenses, instead of quitting and regretting it later.
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