Phoenix, Arizona, is one of the biggest cities in the American Mid-West and is the fastest-developing city in the state. It’s home to the University of Phoenix, has a massive downtown area, and a population of 1.6 million people. In 2020, it officially became the fifth-largest city per-capita in the entire United States and is on its way to becoming the largest. Needless to say, it’s a great city to Uber in, and you’ll earn decent money year-round. 

The best weekday times to drive for Uber in Phoenix are typically in the early morning (between 7am and 10am) or during the late afternoon (4pm to 7pm). On weekends, however, driving for Uber between 10pm and 4am Friday and Saturday night’s are best.

Although I currently live in Las Vegas, I did spend about six months Ubering in Phoenix for the time I lived there. It was unlike any other city I’ve ever driven in. While I made a lot of money, the traffic was crazy, and the drivers are even crazier. If you’re new to driving Uber in Phoenix, Arizona, then this short guide will hopefully make your driving easier and more profitable! Let me know what you think. 

The Best Times To Drive For Uber In Phoenix, AZ

Phoenix is a center for commerce, education, and sports. It’s like a giant oasis sitting in the middle of a barren desert. It’s also one of the biggest cities in the entire country, which means that there is a lot of traffic.

The rush hours here are pretty much set in stone, so there’s not a lot you can do to avoid them. On weekdays, the rush hour is 4pm to 7pm, and it gets pretty gridlocked. However, if you can keep your head down, listen to some good music, and have a friendly chat with your passenger, you’ll find that Ubering in Phoneix isn’t quite as hard as some drivers make it out to be. 

The number one piece of advice that I can give you about Uber driving in Phoenix is to be aware. People here are notorious for their reckless driving, speeding, and disregard for stop lights (and other traffic laws). So, you should always keep your eyes on the road and keep distractions to a minimum. Other than that, though, the people are pretty friendly, and you’ll meet some interesting passengers from time to time. 

Cash In With University Of Phoenix Games

Although COVID-19 regulations have decreased live sports attendance, this will likely change in the next few months as more people get vaccinated, and restrictions become looser. Once they do, there is a lot of money to be made from the University of Phoenix Stadium games! 

Driving to the Stadium usually doesn’t make sense for most people since parking is a nightmare. This means that most people just end up catching an Uber to and from the football games. During the peak sports season, I definitely recommend keeping up-to-date with the monthly game schedules. If you have a truck for Uber XL, then you can easily make a couple of hundred bucks in a night with a few trips! 

The Best Times To Drive For Uber Based On The Phoenix Economy

When Uber driving in such a large populous city, having a solid strategy is essential if you want to avoid traffic, make money, and get good tips. Although some drivers I know just go by the seat of their pants and drift around the city aimlessly picking up whoever, they don’t make quite as much money as the drivers who go into their shift with a plan for success. 

In order to facilitate a smoother shift, I spent my first month of driving narrowing down a few key target groups and what time those groups are most active. Although I would often hit multiple groups in a single day, it always helped me to have a plan for my day. Here’s what I discovered.

Group #1: Phoenix Workers/Residents (7am-10am, 4pm-7pm)

As I mentioned, Phoenix has over 1.6 million residents. While many of them drive to and from work, there are a lot of people who don’t drive. This is especially true in the downtown area where it’s common to walk, take busses, and ride bikes. When people need to get somewhere quick, though, they call an Uber. 

The busiest time of day to drive is definitely the afternoon rush hour between 4pm and 7pm. However, there’s also a decent amount of traffic in the early morning between 7am and 10am. If you’re going to try to hit this crowd, I recommend staying in a specific area downtown, such as Central City, Maryvale, or Paradise Valley. 

Group #2: Phoenix Bar-Hoppers (10pm-12am, 1:30am-3am)

Although people go out almost every night in Phoenix, the busiest time is always the weekend. If you’re willing to put up with some drunk partiers and deal with the traffic, then you can take advantage of Uber’s Surge Pricing by driving Friday and Saturday nights. It starts getting busy around 10pm, but the Surge really starts around 2 to 3am when the bars start to let out for the night. 

Group #3: The Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport (6am-12pm)

Phoenix’s Sky Harbor Airport is a massive airport, so if you’re down for some early morning trips to and from the airport, you’ll be able to make some decent money. The airport has a convenient waiting area for Uber drivers, so all you have to do is sit and wait while the passenger comes to you. The mornings and early afternoons tend to be the busiest time of day for airport riders. 

Group #4: The University Of Phoenix Campus (7am-3pm)

The University of Phoenix is one of the biggest college campuses in the Mid-West. That being said many students have trouble making it to class on time in the mornings. While the college kids don’t tip quite as well, the rides are usually short, so you can usually get a lot of back-to-back passengers, which makes up for the lack of extra tips! 

Final Tips

Driving for Uber in Phoenix is definitely a little bit more stressful than driving in a smaller city like Greenville, but it’s like that in every major city. The advantage of driving in a bigger city is that you’ll never run out of work and you’ll always get the opportunity to meet new people!