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THE $500-A-MONTH SIDE HUSTLE: CHARGING A SCOOTER

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THE $500-A-MONTH SIDE HUSTLE: CHARGING A SCOOTER

By Nick Fouriezos

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WHY YOU SHOULD CARE

Because this is an easy way to get cash — and a morning jog. 

By Nick Fouriezos

January 28, 2019

I wake up at 6 am, jump on an electric scooter and head into the winter cold.
Soon, the wind is whipping a grin out of my suddenly wide-awake face. It may be
early, I may be tired. But there is an unfiltered joy that comes from riding
through the hushed streets, quiet before the early traffic rush. Even better:
I’m getting paid for my refreshing head start to the day. 

This is life as a scooter charger, a side hustle that pays $6 per scooter or, if
you grab four in a night, as much as $24. That might not seem like a hefty
payday at first glance. But consider that, with the right location and system,
you can easily charge two scooters overnight in less than half an hour of actual
work. And you can make more, in less time, if you have a vehicle. Charge two to
four every weekday and you’re talking about an extra $250 to $500 in your bank
account each month. That’s your monthly beer fund or grocery bill, retirement
savings or rent payment in lower-cost cities — just for picking up a scooter on
what might already be your afternoon commute and dropping it off the next day.
“It can help people to supplement other incomes,” says Paris Marx, author
of Freedom From Jobs: How Automation Will Revolutionize the Future of Work.  

You have to live in one of the dozens of U.S. cities where an electric-scooter
startup, such as Bird, Lime, Skip or Spin, has set up shop. If you do, you
already know, because you’ve likely seen them whiz by you, everywhere from
Mobile, Alabama to Boise, Idaho (scooters are also making their way around the
world). Next, download the company’s app on a smartphone, and go through their
sign-up process, which typically requires a background check, driver’s license
and a direct deposit bank account. Assuming you’re approved, the company will
send a set of chargers in the mail … and then it’s off to the races!

> Time it well, and you might even get a free commute, with no gas or metro
> costs. 

Each company has a different process. In essence, though, they all involve
picking up the scooters at night — your smartphone “unlocks” them typically
after 9 pm — and returning them to a hub anytime before 7 am with at least a 95
percent charge. Drop them off too late, or under-charged, and you risk getting
paid less (or not at all). Where you live is essential: Ideally, you can pick
them up after work, during happy hour or between Netflix episodes, and then drop
them off before work. Time it well, and you might even get a free commute, with
no gas or metro costs. 

Like most new technologies, upcoming regulations could make scooter charging
less lucrative or enjoyable. “Generally the model is that when these companies
start out, they tend to offer more money to get people onto the platform and
participating,” Marx says. But he worries that those relying on gig economy jobs
are exposed, without typical labor protections: Scooter chargers are designated
as independent contractors, not employees. 

 


There are personal costs too. Practically, you can expect a small uptick to your
electric bill, roughly about 10 cents per charged scooter. Make sure the effort
is worth your time (I don’t charge on nights where I can’t make at least $12 per
hour). For some people, the lifestyle change is the hardest part: Waking up that
early isn’t easy, and walking or jogging back from dropping off the scooters is
a morning exercise some might want to skip.

Then again, that morning ritual might be one of the most surprising benefits.
Having cash on the line might be the motivation you need to fulfill any dreams
of being an early riser. For me, waking up with the rush of a morning ride has
let me begin writing with the sunrise, coffee in hand. While I started charging
scooters for extra cash, I instead got a lifestyle that’s made me not just more
productive, but also healthier and happier. It sure as hell beats the Dave
Ramsey method of delivering pizzas to make pocket change.




 * Nick Fouriezos, OZY Author Follow Nick Fouriezos on Twitter Contact Nick
   Fouriezos


January 28, 2019

TOPICS

 * BUSINESS
 * Life Hacks
 * Money
 * Policy
 * Startups
 * The Evolution of the Side Hustle
 * Transportation
 * Travel
 * Work



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