Outskirts of Shrewd'm / Travel Wanderer
No. of Recommendations: 3
Uber drivers frequently have a rough time making a living. The recent price hikes in fuel have made being one in Australia rougher than usual:
Uber math: I had a chat with my Uber driver, in Darwin, about the current business proposition. He traveled six km to pick us up for a 3km trip. Petrol (gasoline to us) now costs $3AUD a liter and he gets 10km/liter, so that’s say 3 bucks in fuel.
The fare was $13.50AUD from which Uber takes 28%, so that cost him about another $4, leaving him about $7AUD (or roughly $5USD) for his half hour of work and the wear on his car. Uber has not readjusted their rates and he said that if he didn’t accept our ride, despite driving quite a distance to et to us, he would be “punished” by Uber by not receiving ride calls.
He said that he looked forward to Saturday nights when the US service personnel from the local base went out on the town because they were big tippers (and Australian passengers rarely tip).
Convert 10 km/L at AUD $2.99/L → MPG and USD per gallon
1) Convert fuel economy: km/L → mpg
The formula is:
\mathrm{mpg}=\mathrm{km/L}\times 2.35215
So:
10\times 2.35215=23.5215
Fuel economy: ~23.5 mpg
2) Convert fuel price: AUD $2.99/L → USD per gallon
Step A — Convert liters → gallons
1\mathrm{\ gallon}=3.785\mathrm{\ liters}
2.99\mathrm{\ AUD/L}\times 3.785=11.31\mathrm{\ AUD/gallon}
Step B — Convert AUD → USD
Using a typical exchange rate of 1 AUD ≈ 0.66 USD:
11.31\times 0.70=7.97\mathrm{\ USD/gallon}
Gasoline costs about $8 USD per gallon
So, the question is “How helpful that $5 “profit” was to the driver
Comparison of cost of living:
Key Takeaways
USA is more expensive overall (by ~4%)
But this varies by city.
USA has cheaper housing
This is the biggest factor.
Australia has cheaper eating out
Restaurants and cafés cost less.
USA has higher salaries
Better purchasing power for many professions.
Australia has higher transport costs
Fuel, insurance, and car ownership cost more.
If you value higher salaries + cheaper housing → USA wins
If you value quality of life + healthcare + safety → Australia wins
(Australia scores higher on life expectancy and quality-of-life indices.)
Most cost of living indexes do not include income tax in their core calculations.
Australia's effective tax rate on $100K is 28% or about the same as someone living in a high-tax state (such as CA or NY)
Australia has a 10% value added tax, but different UUS states charge various sales tax amounts (usually less than 10%)
Answer: Not Very
Jeff
No. of Recommendations: 4
I'm in Lombok Indonesia today and like to be prepared:
Lombok Taxi Price Negotiation Dialog (English + Indonesian)
1. Greeting + State Your Plan
English:
Hello sir, I’d like to hire a car. The route is from Gili Mas to [your stops], then back to Gili Mas.
Indonesian:
“Halo Pak, saya mau charter mobil. Rutenya dari Gili Mas ke [tujuan], lalu kembali ke Gili Mas.”
2. Set the Time Expectation
English:
It will take about two to three hours total.
Indonesian:
“Total sekitar dua sampai tiga jam saja.”
3. Ask for the Price
English:
How much is the price?
Indonesian:
“Berapa harganya?”
4. If They Quote Too High (Rp 500k–700k)
English:
Local price for this route is usually around 300,000. Can you do that?
Indonesian:
“Biasanya harga lokal sekitar tiga ratus ribu untuk rute ini. Bisa ya, Pak?”
5. If They Hesitate
English:
If 300,000 is okay, I’ll take it now.
Indonesian:
“Kalau tiga ratus ribu oke, saya ambil sekarang.”
6. If They Still Push Higher
English:
350,000 is my maximum.
Indonesian:
“Tiga ratus lima puluh ribu maksimal, Pak.”
7. Confirm the Deal
English:
Okay sir, so 300,000. Please wait at each shop.
Indonesian:
“Oke Pak, jadi tiga ratus ribu ya. Tolong tunggu di setiap toko.”
8. Pickup Location Reminder
English:
Please pick me up at the outer gate of Gili Mas.
Indonesian:
“Nanti jemput di gerbang luar Gili Mas, ya.”
Jeff
No. of Recommendations: 5
When we were in Europe for the Christmas markets last year I signed up with Bolt and the prices were better, especially with the first 3 rides 50% off. If we go this year I'll have my wife sign up if they have a similar offer.
Years ago I was in Bahrain for a few weeks working with the military and didn't have a car so I would walk or deal with the taxi cabs. The law was that they had to use meters but no one did so it was always an annoying negotiation. At times despite the extreme heat (115-120F with humidity also) I would walk the mile or two back to the hotel. Don't think I could do that now, 30 yrs later :)
Taxis for the most part is one thing that universally seems broken and the initial glory days of Uber/Lyft has passed by and aren't the great fix they could have been.
