Transportation Compensation

I have an issue with a long term tenant and I’m looking for opinions.

This tenant has lost her right to drive in our state, yet she still needs to get to school and a few other scheduled activities. I am able, for the most part, to drive her to and from the places she needs to be, and I can use her car to do so.

My question is, what is a fair way for her to compensate me for my time?

I’ve researched local Uber/Lyft rates and it would cost her about $350/Week to hire a service to ferry her around. The time involved for me to do it is about 6 hours a week.

If you were me what would you do?

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Wow 6 hours a week driving her is a lot. I would just tell her sorry I am not your driver and be done with it. Not my problem. However since you have decided to do it then charge for your time. $30 an hour is more than fair, or maybe not enough depending on where you live. If she does not want to pay then do not do it. I would collect every time and not let it build up. Or even better, $40 per ride, since ATM’s dispense 20’s that would be my last stop.

Good luck

RR

Is she also going to pay to add you as a driver on her insurance? I would never take that risk driving someone else’s car. What if you had an accident on your way home after dropping her off? (I’m assuming you’re taking her car back with you, not just hanging out all day waiting for her to need a ride home.)

I would jump at a chance to do this once I had satisfied myself that I would have insurance coverage. I would go with an hourly rate for my time, what ever is typical for your market. Around here basic drivers would get minimum wage. $30 an hour is way too much. (As an example, when I was a teacher just three years ago, $28 an hour was the extra duty pay) .

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It is if you say it is… Just because you were underpaid as a teacher does not mean you should undervalue yourself in self employment. A self employed person is a business and should charge as such. My first business 30ish years ago I was mowing lawns and I was charging a flat rate based on $25 an hour minimum. I had just left my last ever job making about $12 an hour. Had I used the logic of well I used to make X I would never have gotten ahead.

RR

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That’s not the logic I’m using, sorry I was unclear. The logic is someone in my town can hire a driver for xx an hour. If I want the job (and I do) then I can only charge xx an hour. I’m only being paid for driving, not for my car. If I were using my car I could get more. (the part about my teacher pay was just to remind you we don’t work under the CA economy)

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I’m assuming your time is flexible, this is a tough one to calculate; if you are using her gas, car, & insurance covers you operating the auto, you could charge by the kilometre/miles. I say this because if you charge a flat rate then the expectation could evolve into you driving much more that the 6 hrs per week, then charging and hourly rate for a 15 min ride gets rather complicated.
Perhaps $.50 to $.60 /km.
My son drives guests a few times per month and charges $1.00 per km & a flat rate to the airport or ferry, he is using his auto. ( no uber here and the taxi’s are unreliable for time sensitive trips )
His flate rate to the airport is $30. that’s max about a 30 min round trip.
Sometimes he just charges by donation for short trips, they always way over pay. lol

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Warning! Off topic! Once I called a plumber in on a Sunday and one of his helpers and I were talking in the living area. He commented on all my books and I said I was a teacher. He told me that his co-worker, the plumber who was off buying parts had a history degree. He had taught awhile but could make more as a plumber. :unamused:

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Why can’t she just call Uber or Lyft and get her own rides? Not your fault she’s such a poor driver she got her license pulled, why should you be “penalized” by waiting on her hand and foot (even for money)??

IF you feel you have to drive her around, and can afford the time (my schedule s a retiree is far too full to cater to someone else’s whims), THEN make sure you have coverage on her insurance. Charge what Uber or Lyft would charge. Aren’t there Apps that will let you see how much those companies charge to go from X to Y?

Chloe already said the cost would be around $350 per week.

As with many things, this situation is a little more complicated than it would appear on the surface. There are many factors in play, which was why I wanted to get a cross section of advice. I went with a middle of the road figure of $150/Week and she agreed, so I’m good. Thank you all for your advice!

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Thanks for updating us.