Can you drive? Here are three ways you can earn a flexible income

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Cars are really the symbol of freedom, but the freedom of mobility is just the beginning of the story. Today, a good car can also help you achieve financial independence, and do so on your own terms.

Thanks to the smartphone revolution and the multitude of apps being developed for literally every aspect of life, it’s never been easier to earn some quick cash in your free time. If you have a phone and a driver’s licence, you can start working almost as soon as you make up your mind to start driving for a living – you don’t even need to have a car, but more on that later.

Splend’s team was kind enough to delineate some of the most popular on-demand gigs you can do with just a driver’s licence:

 

1. Ridesharing

The humble old taxi cab may soon be a thing of the past – ridesharing offers the same service, in most cases at a higher standard, and it’s so much easier for the passenger to catch a ride. You probably have at least one rideshare app on your phone, but have you ever thought about taking the driver’s seat?

Uber is the widest-known brand in ridesharing but Bolt, Free Now, Ola, and ViaVan are all competing for a slice of the cake and with many others are still joining the party as ridesharing continues to disrupt personal transport.

They all have their perks and their drawbacks, but what they tend to have in common is that they all offer a flexible, reliable source of income as long as you have a clean driving record and the right car. Splend has compared London’s most popular rideshare apps so it’s no use going into too much detail about each platform. Find the one that’s the best fit for you until you get the hang of it, but it’s best to sign up and use several simultaneously.

 

2. Courier and parcel deliveries

The social nature of ridesharing is a blessing and a curse. If you’re an outgoing person, you’ll enjoy meeting tons of people and time will fly on the job, but if small talk is not your thing, you might enjoy something with more you-time, such as deliveries. Not to mention that it’s also safer and less stressful to do during the pandemic, and it might be more profitable while people are trying to avoid social contact.

The smart technology that gave rise to ridesharing has also revolutionised the courier and parcel delivery industry. Except you can juggle even more apps: Uber Work Hub, Amazon Flex, CitySprint, Hermes, Yodel, Stuart, Gophr or Street Stream, just to name a few. The same goes as with ridesharing: you just need a smartphone, a driver’s licence, and some time to kill.

Courier and parcel deliveries are a great way to diversify your work: you can simply drive the same car that you use for ridesharing, and switch between the activities as you see fit.

 

3. Food deliveries and shopping

Since we mentioned the pandemic, it’s worth adding that it hasn’t been all fun and games in hospitality either. However, the unprecedented situation has forced the industry to adapt, and now more restaurants offer takeaway menus and food delivery services than ever before. Again, mobile apps have saved the day, giving powerful online platforms to restaurants that hadn’t even had a website before, let alone a delivery fleet.

The same thing happened to grocery chains and other retail units, further diversifying the variety of on-demand work opportunities. As a result of this overnight change in two industries at the same time, the demand for delivery drivers has skyrocketed. Since all these jobs are completely flexible, you can do them full time or just pick up a package on your way to your car, do an extra round of shopping when you’re out for groceries, etc.

Splend advises to have Uber Eats, Shift, Deliveroo, and Beelivery installed on your phone and check in regularly in between rideshare and parcel delivery gigs to see if there’s a quick job in your area. An occasional peek at TaskRabbit or Airtasker is also worth it, because you might often find jobs that only require a car.

For a detailed rundown of the most popular delivery platforms, check out Splend’s top-up opportunities guide.

 

Final thoughts

To this article’s initial point, the biggest appeal of having a car is the freedom and flexibility it brings into your life. But all that freedom goes down the drain the moment you lock yourself into a four-year car finance deal. So how can you enjoy a car without such a compromise?

Splend Australia was founded in Sydney in 2015 inspired by this exact paradoxical situation on-demand drivers were facing, and shortly afterwards Splend UK also opened its doors in London. Their PCO car rental plan offers flexible access to cars that meet all the rideshare industry standards, as well as the peace of mind that you can hand back the keys at no extra cost after a short minimum rental period. They don’t just give you the keys and leave you to it either: your rental agreement includes dedicated support to help you get started with rideshare driving and maximise your income, as well as all the essentials so you can focus on the road instead of the paperwork and car admin.

They also have a Rent to buy plan where you can work towards owning your car, as well as a referral program with generous cash bonuses to supplement your income.

 

 

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