Posted by David

I’ve been out on the road since 9:30 this morning, and I’m honestly scratching my head right now because Uber has been unbelievably slow all day. It’s currently 5:39 P.M., and I’ve only made $60 total — that’s the lowest I’ve ever seen for this time of day. Normally by now, I’m sitting somewhere between $130 and $150, especially on a Saturday with decent weather. But today? Nothing. It’s been dry. It’s like the whole city just went to sleep.

I’m starting to wonder if there’s something bigger going on out there because I’ve talked to a couple of other drivers in passing, and they said the same thing — low trips, long wait times, and even when you get a ping, it’s a short run that barely covers gas. Some of us thought maybe the government shutdown might have something to do with it. People are trying to hold onto their money right now, especially if they’re worried about not getting paid or losing hours. A lot of federal workers and contractors aren’t spending extra on Uber rides or deliveries when they can just stay home or cut costs.

What’s weird is that even lunch hours were dead. Normally between 11:30 and 1:30, I can count on back-to-back orders, whether it’s Uber Eats or rides, but today it was completely different. It’s almost like the whole system slowed down. Could Uber be having technical issues? Maybe there’s a regional outage or fewer promotions running? I checked my app and didn’t see any surge areas or big boosts like usual. It’s like Uber quietly turned off all the incentives.

Another thing I noticed — gas stations are busy, but the roads themselves aren’t as packed. That’s usually a sign that folks are traveling less or staying local. Maybe people are switching back to cooking at home because prices are up everywhere. When the economy tightens, food delivery is one of the first luxuries people cut. Add the shutdown on top of that, and we might be seeing a domino effect across all gig apps.

If anyone else is driving right now, especially around the same hours, I’d love to know what your numbers look like. Are you getting consistent trips? Are your fares down? Has Uber been pushing fewer bonuses in your area lately? Because from where I’m sitting, this looks like a major slowdown that might not be just a one-day thing.If it’s tied to the shutdown, we might see things stay slow until money starts moving again — and that could take a while. Some folks might start switching to other apps like DoorDash or Instacart if this keeps up, but even those are likely seeing the same hit since they depend on consumer spending too.

If it’s tied to the shutdown, we might see things stay slow until money starts moving again — and that could take a while. Some folks might start switching to other apps like DoorDash or Instacart if this keeps up, but even those are likely seeing the same hit since they depend on consumer spending too.

Anyway, I just wanted to see if it’s just me or if everyone’s numbers are tanking today. If you’re driving, drop your stats or city below — maybe we can figure out if this is local or widespread. Because right now, it’s looking like Uber is crawling, and this might be one of the toughest stretches drivers have seen in a while.