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(Disclosure – We independently research our content to provide free advice for you. We may get compensation if you sign up with services, or purchase products through our affiliate links.)

If you’re a rideshare driver, you might be wondering about ways that you can make more money.

The average hourly earnings of a rideshare driver can wildly vary depending on many factors like area population, weather, local rideshare laws, and how generously riders tip. While Uber and Lyft drivers can earn up to $25 per hour in larger markets, in more rural areas, earnings are often substantially lower.

If you’re looking to supplement your earnings, especially during those long times being stuck in traffic where you can’t easily pick up more passengers, a Cargo Box is a simple way to do this.

How Does Cargo Work?

Cargo is a mutually beneficial program for rideshare drivers that offers the opportunity to get better ratings and tips, plus commission for products sold, and more convenience for passengers.

The Cargo Box is a case that is installed in your car’s center console and contains snacks, beverages, tech accessories, and beauty products as well as two USB ports for your and your passengers’ convenience. Some products are free to the rider, but you still get a commision.  You can request a Cargo Box FREE of charge and there are no maintenance fees involved.

 

The passenger makes a purchase through their phone by going to app.getcargo.today/riders and entering the cargo box id.

Passengers can make purchases by downloading the Cargo Store app or scanning the QR code on the Cargo box. Once a purchase is made, the driver receives a commission.

Commission can be tracked through Cargo Dash, where you can view lifetime earnings as well as the current pay period. You can see your sales and shipments in progress, plus track opportunities for bonuses. Payment is sent directly to your bank account every week.

Drivers can even earn commission on free samples provided to passengers, as many top global brands are using Cargo as a way to market-test new products with a Millennial customer base that is likely to use rideshare services. The Cargo app also utilizes Apple Pay and Venmo to complete transactions so that you can focus on driving, and all the passenger has to do is reach for a product after browsing on their phone.

 

 

What Is Cargo Store?

Cargo Store is a curated app that can be downloaded on rides so passengers can purchase anything. This includes stuff like movies, luggage, and travel accessories, with more brands being added to the store over time.

The benefit of shopping through Cargo opposed to buying retail or going on other online stores is that passengers will receive 10% back in Uber Cash which can be redeemed on Uber rides as well as future Cargo purchases. Shipping to the passenger’s home is also always free.

Where is the Cargo Box Available?

The Cargo Box is currently available in the following markets:

• New York, NY
• Chicago, IL
• Boston, MA
• Washington DC and Baltimore, MD
• Atlanta, GA
• Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN
• Dallas/Fort Worth, TX
• Los Angeles, CA
• San Francisco CA
• Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
• São Paulo, Brazil

More markets may be added in the future as Cargo continues to grow, and assess demand in different regions.

Can Lyft and Via Drivers Use Cargo, or Only if They Drive for Uber?

While Cargo has a select global partnership with Uber in order to offer new Uber drivers a way to increase their earnings from day 1, Lyft and Via drivers can also sign up with Cargo to make extra money.

Upon launching in summer 2017, 7,000 Uber drivers using the Cargo Box earned a collective $1 million selling products to over one million customers in the busiest markets. The Cargo Uber initiative is a result of Uber having significant equity in the company, but drivers with other rideshare companies like Uber, Lyft, and Juno, may earn commissions with a Cargo Box. Cargo also has a partnership with Grab in Asia.

Which Products Come In The Cargo Box?

A variety of well-known brands, including many upmarket ones, have partnered with Cargo to provide products so you can save your passengers a trip to a store or simply wow them.

Brands that Cargo has partnered with include Mars, Wrigley, Kellogg’s, Smartwater, and Red bull among many other brands to provide a top-notch experience for your customers and an opportunity for drivers to earn more money. Here are some products can you expect to see in your Cargo Box:

• Advil aspirin
• 5-hour Energy
• Michel et Augustin cookies
• Skittles
• Extra spearmint gum
• Xpress Gear iPhone chargers
• Pringles
• Altoids
• Bear Naked Bites
• Stain removal wipes
• KIND bars
• Happy Plugs

Available products vary by market. Your Cargo Box inventory can also be restocked based on which items are the most lucrative to the types of passengers you get, and the time of day that you are giving rides.

How Much Can Rideshare Drivers Earn with Cargo?

Drivers earn $1 per purchase plus a 25% commission of every item sold via the app during the ride, if the Cargo Box is installed. It’s also estimated that a Cargo transaction is completed every 5.39 seconds and reaches 9 million customers per month.

Like your base earnings, commission can vary depending on how many passengers you get every month plus other factors. Most drivers make about $100 per month using the Cargo Box, but some can get an extra $350 per month or even more if they drive in a busy area and get a lot of sales. Bonuses are also offered if you are able to sell a lot of products in a given week or month, which may be difficult to attain if you drive in an area where not many people use rideshare services but easy to accomplish if there’s a major event or busy tourist season.3

The Benefits and Drawbacks of Installing a Cargo Box

Getting a Cargo Box is the closest thing that rideshare drivers can get to totally passive income, and allow passengers an opportunity to skip a trip to the store. Installing the box and maintaining your inventory is a fairly seamless process.

While there’s nothing stopping you from buying products on your own and selling them, Cargo does inventory management for you with proprietary software that lets the company know if you’re running low on certain items. Depending on what time of day you tend to give rides, and where, your inventory needs will also vary. Since inventory management is automated through software in real time, you don’t need to wait very long for the right replacements.

Cargo can also handle expired items so you don’t need to worry about keeping track of expiration dates or accidentally selling expired snacks or malfunctioning cables to a passenger so it also removes liability risks.

Installing a Cargo Box is a fantastic conversation piece, especially if you drive in a tech hub where a lot of people are genuinely interested in how the system works. Since a significant number of products are also available for free, passengers are more likely to leave better tips and ratings since they couldn’t have gotten the experience with a typical taxi or bare-bones app ride. Drivers also get some free products for those long spells of sitting in traffic, as a thank you for helping to sell and test new products.

However, there are some drawbacks. Depending on the type of passenger that you’re likely to get, some may balk at the idea of paying for snacks when they’re used to rideshare drivers providing mints, candy, and water for free in order to get better ratings. The actual box shape may also not fit in the center console of your car depending on how it’s laid out, which could mean putting the Cargo Box where you can’t easily see it and being on the hook for unused inventory. Requesting and returning Cargo Boxes is free, but you may be liable for $75 if the box is lost or damaged, $25 for unreturned inventory if you stop using the box.

But even if you don’t sell many products, having additional USB ports is a major boon so your passengers can charge their devices and not need to maneuver with a car charger.

All in all, the Cargo Box is revolutionizing rideshare on both the driver and passenger sides by offering both convenience and easy passive income.

If you’d like to increase your Uber or Lyft earnings at no cost, get started today by signing up for Cargo using the button below!