Government Shutdown Side Gigs (Besides Uber And Lyft)
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We are now going into month two of the U.S. federal government shutdown with no end in sight. That means close to a million federal workers are furloughed or working without pay, and tens of thousands of vendors for the federal government are effectively shut down as well.
If you’re a federal worker, or a vendor to the federal government who’s been affected by the shutdown, you may have considered driving for Lyft or Uber.
Some of you may have already signed up.
If you haven’t, you should consider signing up for Lyft or Uber. Driving rideshare offers the most flexibility, and usually the highest overall earnings, of all the different types of side gig apps. However, there are plenty of other opportunities to earn some cash during the shutdown besides driving rideshare.
Also, one of the side effects of the shutdown has actually been a decrease in rideshare traffic. So, it’s important to remain flexible and consider other types of side hustles.
Other Side Gigs To Consider During the Shutdown
While rideshare has been most people’s first choice during the shutdown, there are plenty of freelance, delivery and petcare flex jobs out there as well. In fact, there are now over 200 apps where you can sign up for side gigs.
If vehicle access is a problem, or you would just rather do something besides rideshare, consider one of the below options.
Like driving rideshare, most of these side gigs require a background check, which can take a day, or over a week, to process.
Because of that, it may be a good idea to sign up to work with a few different services. You never know which one will approve you to work first!
Petsitting / Walking
If you don’t have a vehicle and love animals, petsitting may be a great side gig option for you.
- Rover – Get started as a dog walker or pet sitter for rover. Check out our Rover getting started guide.
- Wag – Similar to Rover, find local families in need of a pet walker or sitter. Click here to sign up.
Food & Grocery Delivery
As a general rule, delivery jobs pay a little less than rideshare, but can be a good second side hustle for those times when rideshare isn’t that busy.
Also, vehicle requirements are much less stringent for Doordash or Instacart, than for Uber or Lyft.
- Doordash – Now available in almost 1800 locations across all 50 states, Doordash offers delivery from thousands of restaurants. Click here to sign up or check out our Doordash Driver Tips!
- Postmates – Offering delivery not only from thousands of restaurants, but also convenience stores like Walgreens and 7-Eleven. Click here to sign up!
- Instacart – Become an in store grocery shopper, delivery person or both. Check out our Instacart Shopper Guide for more info.
Freelance And Shift Work
As with petsitting, most of these jobs don’t require a vehicle. For most of the side gigs on Upwork, you probably don’t even have to leave your house!
- Wonolo – Stands for Work. Now. Local. – Find temp shifts in your area. Check out our Wonolo sign up guide for more info.
- Shiftgig – Similar to Wonolo, but often focused more on events and the service industry.
- Upwork – Find virtual assistant, design, writing, and many other types of jobs, all from your own home. Check out our Upwork Guide.
Start With Uber Or Lyft, Add More Side Gig Apps To Stay Flexible
While it’s important to keep your options open during the shutdown, driving Uber or Lyft probably has the highest overall earning potential.
Because approval times vary, it’s usually best to sign up with both rideshare services. There’s simply no way to predict how long each will take to approve you.
Then, to give you some flexibility, sign up for at least one or two other on demand apps or services outside of rideshare.
Lyft Sign Up Bonus Earnings Guarantee
Click the button below for information about the Lyft sign up bonus for new drivers.
