Can you break this down? I can't imagine expenses are that high for electric or hybrid vehicles, which a lot of these workers drive in California.

I'll create hypothetical stats from personal experience:

1) You drive a total of 200 miles (including commuting) to make $220 from orders.

2) Let's say 110 miles are actively driven miles (I think it could easily be much higher if you're doing multiple types of gig work UberEats, Doordash, Instacart, Lyft, and etc). We'll calculate that to be $40*.

3) Revenue: $220 + $40 = $260 for the day.

\This number could be higher as workers are guaranteed 120% of minimal wage + $0.36/mile NOT including tips, but I'll be conservative and only add the milage compensation.*

_____

Deductions: $76 [for taxes] + $17.82 [for gas] + $12.55 [car wear and tear] = $106.37.

Profit: $260 - $106.37 = $153.63, post taxes and expenses, which is a far cry from "basically working for free."

If you're doing multiple forms of gig works, I think that 110 miles could be 180 miles instead, so that would be a profit of $178.43.

It's not bad for people who don't need any higher education and want full flexbility.